LMMS On Android

[PotionzNinja]

Is it possible to get LMMS running on android? First. 95% of the web says no. BUT. Lets look at the problems/misconceptions, and ill take them down. 1. Wrong processor architecture. False. Debian has arm64 (aarch64) builds of LMMS and Pulseaudio. 2. No way to run the .deb. False. there are apps called emulators that can run Linux software. 3. LMMS will ask for nonexistent files and broken paths that will be blocked. False. there is a software called PRoot, it simulates root, allowing Linux software to run. 4. LMMS will ask for permissions like VstSyncController: shmat() failed. True, but u can rig up sandboxes to trick LMMS. 5. CPU isnt powerful enough. Mabye. trying to run LMMS on a cheap phone will lag, but a better tablet/phone may be ok. 6. No monitor, because android apps with system permissions cant draw screen graphics beyond text. True, but simple workaround. VNC server broadcast, picked up in a VNC viewer. 7. No audio because of Android not reading Linux audio servers. True, but simple workaround. Stream audio to a localhost and open in chrome/open a html that hooks up to a localhost with the audio on there. 8. Controls not being usable due to LMMS scaling tiny on small screens. Partially true for phones, but ok on tablets. a simple bluetooth mouse and keyboard fix the physical controls, and the scaling can be adjusted thru commands. 9. No VST support. Unfortunately true, without emulating the VST part of LMMS to run on arm64, you have no VSTs. But are you really gonna let no VSTs stop you from having LMMS on Android? Im not. 10. No file management as files are in the app cache. Simple workaround. a localhost with a graphical file manager with download and upload options. I will continue to work on this project, and will give the methods when i finish the emulation.

[ewanpettigrew]

This might not be exactly what you are looking for. However, I started to create a very cut down editor and player for Android phones focussing on Xpressive. I didn't wish to call it a fork as it is quite different and it was just too much work for me to continue to bring it closer to LMMS. However (with some bugs on saving), you can enter patterns on the drum machine and enter chords on the piano roll and the expressions for the sounds and play the sequences. I've got something wrong with my saving as opening the saved files from the app in LMMS occasionally crashes LMMS. I really was motivated to start this and expand to all LMMS instruments once I had Xpressive working. However, I realised this was too big a job for one person.

https://github.com/ewanp2025/XpressiveGroovebox

[PotionzNinja]

I have managed to install debian thru PRoot, and install LMMS, got to the loading screen, and i will continue configuring LMMS. Even if people tell you somethings impossible, if you look at the facts and still think it can be done, and there is nothing that you cant overcome, it is almost certainly possible. Never give up

The image of the Play Store version of termux VNC server viewed thru AVNC

Screenshot_20260921_194243_AVNC.jpg (131.55 KiB) Viewed 278 times

[musikbear]

I have managed to install debian thru PRoot, and install LMMS

Well done! But how is usability?

• Does it makes sound?
• Is it lagfree?
• Can it save files?
• How is the stability?

[PotionzNinja]

I have managed to install debian thru PRoot, and install LMMS

Well done! But how is usability?

• Does it makes sound?
• Is it lagfree?
• Can it save files?
• How is the stability?

Im really sorry for not replying sooner musikbear, but luckily the emulation is nearly finished. the thing with android emulation is you mabye know the approxximate time if youre lucky. it can be finished tomorrow or next month. So LMMS crashes on launch probably because it asks for a permission android restricts, like processer architecture. so i will keep the forum posted, and try to finish working it out asap. by the way, i am using ai to help me as my bash is virtually nonexistent beyond apt install, rm, pwd, cd, ls, clear, touch. here are some errors.
N: [pulseaudio] main.c: User-configured server at 127.0.0.1, refusing to start/autospawn.
potionzninja@localhost:~$ error: expected absolute path: "--shm-helper"
error: expected absolute path: "--shm-helper"
error: expected absolute path: "--shm-helper"
error: expected absolute path: "--shm-helper"
error: expected absolute path: "--shm-helper"
error: expected absolute path: "--shm-helper"
error: expected absolute path: "--shm-helper"
error: expected absolute path: "--shm-helper"
error: expected absolute path: "--shm-helper"
potionzninja@localhost:~$ qt.qpa.xcb: could not connect to display
qt.qpa.plugin: Could not load the Qt platform plugin "xcb" in "" even though it was found.
This application failed to start because no Qt platform plugin could be initialized. Reinstalling the application may fix this problem.

Available platform plugins are: eglfs, linuxfb, minimal, minimalegl, offscreen, vnc, xcb.

[musikbear]

so i will keep the forum posted, and try to finish working it out asap.

That will be great. I doubt there will be many users that will produce on Android, but it is interesting to see what is possible at all. But qT will be a bottleneck : (