LMN 3: An Open-Source DAW-in-a-Box

The LMN-3 is an open-source synth/sampler/sequencer/DAW-in-a-box. You can find the collection of all LMN-3 repositories here:

Build guide can be found here:

00:00 - Introduction
00:31 - General Settings
00:55 - Tracks Screen Overview
01:42 - Plugins Screen Overview
02:06 - Drum Sampler Overview
02:28 - Step Sequencer Overview
03:19 - Drum Programming
04:11 - Sampler Overview
05:10 - Bass Sequencing
05:39 - Clip Cut/Paste
06:02 - 4OSC Synth Overview
07:24 - Adding Effects
08:07 - Recording
08:51 - Editing, Loop Controls, Saving, and Track Addition/Deletion
09:37 - Mixer Overview
10:19 - Pitch Bend
10:42 - Modifiers
11:20 - Project Rendering
11:31 - Implementation Overview

[MakeSomething]

Holy cow, this is absolutely incredible! Amazing.

[hwdyhlt]

If you go to the GIThub repository you can contribute to his work, I will say, every single person who has been bitching about the OP1 Field and TX-6 should be contributing to this project and watching in earnest. This is absolutely one of the most impressive DIY projects I've ever seen. Subbed and supported. I'm still reeling over here.

[mcengineeringprof]

This looks and feels a lot like an open source op-1. That's incredibly impressive. Creating additional plugins and enhancing i/o options can really take this to the next level. I can easily see this becoming a great hardware hub where the focus is as much outside of the box as it is inside.

One fast way to do this would be to incorporate a usb MIDI host and a single adat port. You've now got 16 audio channels and at least 16 MIDI channels. Toss in (possibly) CV ports and you've got something that can put high end workstations to shame in a handheld package.

Keep it up!

[loopop]

Nice! Looking forward to seeing how this develops!

[ozlion]

Dude I'm an industrial designer and I'd be super happy to help you out on that angle because this project deserves full attention

[RND_ADV_X]

This one thing could become someone's entire hobby for a decade...

[briannhinton]

Very op-1 like. Great to see an open source project like this. Nice work everyone that contributed.

[Boblblaw]

This is the first video in a while that has motivated me to want to build and add to an open source project. I can’t wait to see what the community comes up with, the “maker” niche is already pretty popular. I would recommend well edited tiktoks that show off the features and give a quick overview of the process involved. I’ve seen a bunch of DIY music equipment videos on my feed and it would bring more ideas to the project. Great job dude!

[designisblank]

Damn. Mad respect to you. I bought an OP-1 (im not a musician, but a guy with way too many hobbies) and I couldn't stomach the cost and ultimately returned it. I loved playing with it, and this looks like an AMAZING way to get back into the hobby. I plan on building one.

[danilashutov]

This is the best implementation of an autonomous DAW I ever saw. I get that this is an open source hobby project, but IMO a product like this can make a lot of devices on the market obsolete. Especially because it's OS. Wish you best of luck and keep up the good work!

[extralifedisco]

Absolutely amazing work mate! I love the keyswitch interface and keyboard. The UI is beautiful and surprisingly visible for such a small screen. That all this runs on such lightweight embedded hardware is miraculous. This takes what has been done with trackers in recent years and brings the benefits of visual UI design.

I can think of quite a number of small suggestions for the UI and DAW itself but I think I may have to build one before I really can sink my teeth into it. I will have a look at the build files and check them out shortly.

If I were to give one big suggestion it would be to add more visibility to the encoder's function on each screen. A standardized way to do this is on stuff like the DSI tetra, Elektron digi series, or waldorf blofeld, which is to put labels for the encoders in a geometrically similar arrangement, e.g. the rotary controls would display as a row along the top of the screen and the pushbutton functions on the bottom. Some screens may not benefit from this e.g. the mixer or 4OSC device, but certainly on the arrangement/song mode and the sequence mode, seeing labels for "Length/Grid/Select/Loop" would be super helpful. Screen real estate seems quite tight so perhaps these could pop in to be visible just for a few seconds after an encoder is turned or pressed, with the last-used function displayed in a brighter color. Alternately, tapping the lemon button could toggle this display on/off.

Overall an incredible project and I thank you for making it open source! Can't wait to see how this develops.

[NickRamos]

This project is incredible, and being open-source I'm even more excited about what will come out of it. Amazing work!

[samwoletz]

Incredibly impressive for a solo project. You’re pushing music making forward

[JorbLovesGear]

Great work, hope to see more of these around

[hwdyhlt]

Daaaamn. Way to make an entrance onto YouTube, friend. This is amazing. Insanely exciting. If anyone wants to help with UI or Case design for this I'd be glad to lend my design/prototyping skillset, given appropriate time. Wow. Congrats on all the hard work here.

[pauljs]

If this could somehow be integrated and combined with Zynthian (also open source and running on Raspberry Pi), then it'd really be something amazing. You'd have access to pretty much any VST that could run on it on top of what there is now. Thus a library of 100's of soft-synths being available.

[SeraphimKnight]

There should probably a screen under the encoders showing what they each do on any given screen... Or at least have a way to color-code the encoder functions to what's being displayed, kinda like what the OP-1 does in its interface. Also I highly suggest implementing a redo button as well. Otherwise amazing job.

[Jchot]

Holy fuck, that is so much design/coding work. I never had quite enough executive function to pin coding down as a skill

[sjaeron]

Damn. Really wanted this to pop off and become bigger. I wonder if somewhere the community is still active, but it looks like a ghost town rn on the github.

[mattwylie]

This is incredible, bringing an op-1-like feel, at a lower price, and being open source allows for the potential to be infinite. Amazing work mate!