LMMS is a free music production program for Windows, with a focus on melodies, beats, sound synthesis and mixing. Version 1.2.2 came out on July 4, 2020 and is 35.1 MB. LMMS Developers publish it under the GPL-2.0-or-later license, and the installer is fetched from github.com.
Making music without paying for a commercial DAW
LMMS is built for people who want to produce music on a computer but do not want to buy a commercial digital audio workstation. The project names FL Studio as the kind of program it is an alternative to. It is free.
The project is cross-platform, so the same tool can be used beyond Windows.
Beats, synthesis, mixing and a MIDI keyboard
The program covers the creation of melodies and beats, the synthesis and mixing of sounds, and the arranging of samples. You can also connect a MIDI keyboard and play into it.
The changelog mentions a piano roll, a song editor, VST instruments such as Helm and Grooove, and DrumSynth. It also lists import of Hydrogen drum kit songs and MIDI files.
What to check before installing the 2020 build
The installer is 35.1 MB, which is small for audio software. The release dates from 2020, so check that your plugins and hardware work with it.
macOS users should pick the build that matches their system version.
What's new in 1.2.2
Version 1.2.2 dates from June 25, 2020 in the changelog. It fixes a rare crash on export, a crash with the Grooove VST, and stuck notes with the Helm VST on tempo automation. It also repairs loading and saving of .fxb and .fxp files on Windows.
LMMS pros and cons
Pros
- Free
- Open-source under GPL-2.0-or-later
- Small download at 35.1 MB
- Supports MIDI keyboards and VST instruments
- Version 1.2.2 fixes a long list of crashes
Cons
- Last updated July 4, 2020
- Release dates from 2020
- Not a full replacement for commercial programs in every respect
Is LMMS safe?
LMMS Developers maintain this music production suite at lmms.io, and its source code is released under the GPL-2.0-or-later license, so anyone can inspect how it works. Version 1.2.2 dates from July 2020. We have no scan report for this build, so run your own antivirus check on the installer before opening it.
How to install LMMS
- Press the download button to get the official file.
- Run the installer you saved and confirm the Windows security prompt if the publisher matches.
- Follow the setup steps, then start LMMS from the Start menu.
