Questions on recording live audio and making my own presets.

Questions about producing? Ask them here.
So, with the short time I've been playing with LMMS (Only about 6 months or so) I've found it to be very powerful.
But there are a few things I haven't been able to figure out, like what is better for specific situations or how to do a simple task. lol

I specifically have 3 questions.

1: I haven't found a way to splice audio or play around with it, I can do it in Audacity easy peasy, but it's a bit annoying jumping from Audacity to LMMS a ton, does LMMS have a way to do this that I'm just missing?

2: Seeing as I've recently been informed (On this forum too!, lol) that not all VSTs are stable with LMMS I've wondered, Do SF2 files have the same issues at times? Or can are they pretty much stable as long as they were made right?

And what exactly is the difference of SF2 files and VSTs?

3: The presets LMMS has are cool and all, but sometimes they're lacking something I need, is trying to record my own presets a smart idea? Or should I just go after professional ones?

Even if you don't answer, thank you for at least taking the time to read through. ^-^
1. LMMS has very minimal audio manipulation facilities in AFP. You can change length, loop points and a few other things but basically most people use Audacity for sample/audio manipulation.
2. A correctly made SF2 file will be fine. But most new stuff is made in the easier to manage SFZ format now and LMMS doesn't have a native SFZ player so you need a VST like sforzando to play those.
SF2 files basically contain a bunch of audio samples and instructions for playing them. VSTs are instruments that make the sounds themselves from the basics or they are effects like compressors, EQs etc. The two things have very little in common really.
3. Do you mean presets ? These are the control settings that drive an instrument like TripleOsc, Monstro or ZynAddSubFx. It's good to make your own. I imagine many of us do it by taking one that's close, fiddling with the controls until we like it better and then saving it as our own preset (or perhaps that's just me ;)).
Or perhaps you mean samples. These are little audio files that you use as an instrument using AudioFileProcessor, usually .wav or .ogg. There are already millions of them out in the internet, many free, but if you do want to make your own that's fine. Again Audacity will be your friend.

BTW there are plenty of VSTs that do work perfectly with LMMS so don't let the fact that "some" don't put you off using any VSTs. Synth1 is a good one and has several thousand presets available for it (which is good in one way but a pain in another because it takes so long to sort through them all for the ones you actually like).

Steve
Sweet Brew wrote:1: I haven't found a way to splice audio or play around with it, I can do it in Audacity easy peasy, but it's a bit annoying jumping from Audacity to LMMS a ton, does LMMS have a way to do this that I'm just missing?
AudioFileProcessor has some basic features. Any more advanced audio file editing will have to be done in a program like Audacity.
Sweet Brew wrote: 2: Seeing as I've recently been informed (On this forum too!, lol) that not all VSTs are stable with LMMS I've wondered, Do SF2 files have the same issues at times? Or can are they pretty much stable as long as they were made right?

And what exactly is the difference of SF2 files and VSTs?
SF2 and VST are different things. VSTs are plugins, SF2s are collections of samples. Problems specific to VSTs (VeSTige) usually don't appear in SF2s.
Sweet Brew wrote:3: The presets LMMS has are cool and all, but sometimes they're lacking something I need, is trying to record my own presets a smart idea? Or should I just go after professional ones?
If by record you mean program and save your own presets, then yes, it's a good idea. It's one of the ways to learn the instrument/plugin as you're using it.
Sweet Brew wrote: 3: but sometimes they're lacking something I need
You can also gain a lot, from just using EQs
Take a look at this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mFHDyWGh9c
Wooah! You got alot of good help here.
Sweet Brew wrote: 3: The presets LMMS has are cool and all, but sometimes they're lacking something I need,
Do you mean the kickdrum sounds and bell sounds etc. that come with Lmms? :)
Thanks for answering my questions, and sorry for thanking you all so late! lol

As for the kick drums/ bell stuff.... Well, I'm okay with them, it's just mainly when I want a good piano or violin and stuff.
Like I have PianoOne which is said to be the best (Free) one out there, but yeah, I usually need VSTs and stuff for the stuff I want because I like kinda doing a acoustic electronic mix, kinda similar to Owl City, also similar to a good deal of other stuff I listen too, but they're much smaller known peeps. Haha.
It's probably worth having a look at the DSK VSTs if you haven't already. They have several reasonable (for free) simulations of acoustic instruments and most of their VSTs work o.k. in LMMS. http://www.dskmusic.com/

Steve