Ardour is a powerful open-source Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) that’s widely used on Linux,
sudo apt-get install ardour
JACK Audio Connection Kit is essential for low-latency audio routing,
sudo apt-get install jackd2 qjackctl
Calf Plugins for effects like reverb and delay,
sudo apt-get install calf-plugins
Launch qjackctl (JACK Control) and start the JACK server. Set a low latency in the settings (<10ms if possible) but adjust according to your system’s performance.
Plug your guitar into the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2.
Audio Routing in JACK: Use qjackctl or patchage to connect the input from your Focusrite to Ardour’s tracks.
Open Ardour and create a new session. Add Tracks: Add a mono or stereo track for your guitar.
Ensure the input is routed from your Focusrite (configured via JACK).
Load Plugins: Use built-in Ardour effects or Calf Plugins for reverb, delay, and other ambient effects.
sudo apt-get install guitarix
One of the most important things when recording guitar at home using an amp simulator is to not have the level so high such that you introduce clipping. You need to reduce the gain level on your recording interface such that the full range of the guitar audio is recorded without any clipping.
Ideal dBFS (Decibels Full Scale) peak levels evels should for most recording scenarios, it’s recommended to keep your peak levels between -12 dBFS and -6 dBFS. This range provides enough headroom to avoid clipping while still capturing a strong signal.
-12 dBFS: This is a safe target for peaks, especially when recording dynamic sources like vocals or live instruments. It ensures that unexpected volume spikes don’t cause distortion.
-6 dBFS: This can be acceptable for sources that are more predictable in volume, such as line-level inputs from synthesizers or drum machines, but it’s still conservative enough to prevent clipping. Average Levels: The average level, often referred to as RMS (Root Mean Square) or LUFS (Loudness Units relative to Full Scale) in more modern standards, should ideally be around -18 dBFS to -14 dBFS. This range is similar to the operating levels of analog equipment and leaves plenty of headroom for processing during mixing.
Some plugins are not installed through the package manager. E.g., the GTune tuner plugin is one example. You download this plug in, unzip it, and then,
mkdir ~/.lv2
mkdir ~/.lv2/GTune
cp GTune.so ~/.lv2/GTune
Afterwards, in the Ardour preferences, you press plugins, and scan for plugins, then you
add ~/.lv2 to the Linux VST2 paths.
Arming the Track: Click the ‘record-arm’ button on the track you want to record. Monitoring: Enable monitoring to hear your guitar through the effects in real-time. Recording: Press the record button on the transport bar, then play your guitar.
ffmpeg -i session.wav -af loudnorm=print_format=summary -f null -
ffmpeg -loop 1 -i cover.webp -i session.wav -c:v libx264 -tune stillimage -c:a aac -b:a 320k -pix_fmt yuv420p -shortest outputvideo.mp4
The recommended format to save high quality audio is WAV, and Ardour can automatically save it such that the volume is standardized to fit different streaming services such as Apple Music. However, the WAV files are rather large, and we can easily convert them to mp3 format with ffmpeg.
ffmpeg -i session.wav -codec:a libmp3lame -b:a 320k session.mp3