LMMS Tutorial for Beginners: Make Beats in a Free DAW

What is LMMS and is it really free?

LMMS is a free, open-source digital audio workstation for Windows, macOS and Linux. It combines a song arranger, a drum pattern editor, a piano roll and a set of built-in synths, so you can make complete beats without buying anything^[3][9].

LMMS is sequencer-first. It is built around programming notes and patterns rather than recording microphones, and the manual's Song Editor page says plainly that LMMS cannot record or edit recorded sound^[4]. The 1.3 development builds add sample track recording through the JACK audio backend^[2], but if you plan to track vocals, pair LMMS with a recorder or pick another DAW.

Hardware needs are modest. The recommended spec is a 2 GHz, 4-core CPU and 4 GB of RAM, with 512 MB of free storage^[9]. If you are still choosing a free DAW, compare it with the options in the best free and open-source DAWs first.

Which LMMS version should a beginner install?

Install the newest build your platform offers and that runs stably on your machine. The download page still lists LMMS 1.2.2, released on June 25, 2020, as the stable version^[1]. In September 2026 the project released 1.3.0-alpha.2, which it recommends to most users over nightly builds but which is not the 1.3.0 stable release yet^[2].

Most tutorials online show the 1.2 interface, so screens may look slightly different in 1.3. The workflow below is the same in both: the editors only changed names and gained features.

The LMMS interface: Song Editor, Pattern Editor and Piano Roll

Three windows do almost all the work. The Song Editor arranges the whole track, the Pattern Editor programs drums on a step grid, and the Piano Roll holds melodic notes. Function keys switch between them: F6 for the Beat+Bassline (Pattern) Editor, F7 for the Piano Roll and F8 for the Song Editor^[10].

• Song Editor Shows the structure of the song. Tracks sit on the left and clips, the blocks of notes or samples, sit on the timeline. Left-click an empty bar to add a clip, and middle-click or right-click it to delete it.^[4]
• Pattern Editor The main window for rhythms and repeating lines. Each instrument row starts with 16 steps, four per beat in a 4/4 bar.^[5]
• Piano Roll Double-click an instrument clip in the Song Editor to open it and draw notes.^[4]
• Sidebar Browses presets, samples and your own files. Click and hold a preset to preview it, then drag it into an editor.^[3]
• Mixer Routes tracks to channels with effects. Keep it simple at first: one channel for drums, one for bass, one for melody.

Press Space to start and stop playback in the Song Editor and Piano Roll^[10]. Save early and often, because an open-source DAW on a busy system will crash occasionally, like any other.

How to make a drum pattern in the LMMS Pattern Editor

Drag a kick, snare and hat sample from the sidebar into the Pattern Editor, then click steps to switch them on. Each step is both an on/off switch and a volume control: scroll the mouse wheel over a step to change its level^[5].

1. Set the tempo
   Set the project tempo in the toolbar first. 140 BPM suits trap and drill; 90 BPM suits boom bap.
2. Load the drums
   Open the sample browser in the sidebar and drag a kick, snare or clap, and a closed hat into the Pattern Editor. Each sample loads into an AudioFileProcessor instrument.^[3][13]
3. Program the kick and snare
   With 16 steps per bar, put the kick on step 1 and a second kick near steps 11 or 12. Put the snare on step 9 for a half-time feel, or steps 5 and 13 for a standard backbeat.
4. Add hats and dynamics
   Turn on every other step for 8th-note hats, or every step for 16ths, then scroll down on the off-beats so they sit quieter than the on-beats.^[5]
5. Extend the bar
   Use Add steps in the toolbar when you need a longer pattern, for example 32 steps for a two-bar groove.^[5]
6. Place it in the song
   In the Song Editor, click in the pattern track's lane to create clips that play the pattern for each bar you fill.^[4]

The shared-instrument catch

All pattern tracks in a project share the same instruments. If you build a second pattern for a breakdown, every drum from the first pattern appears in it too, so switch off their steps or mute them from the context menu. Toggle-muting mutes the instrument in every pattern^[5]. For hi-hat roll ideas that translate to any step grid, see UK drill hi-hat patterns.

Which built-in LMMS instruments should you learn first?

Start with TripleOscillator for synths, Kicker for kicks and 808-style bass, and AudioFileProcessor for samples. Those three cover a complete beat, and the rest can wait until you need a specific sound^[11][12][13].

AudioFileProcessor changes pitch by speeding up or slowing down the sample, so a snare played two octaves up gets shorter and brighter^[13]. That is useful for quick 808 slides but sounds artificial on long melodic samples. Stock sounds only go so far, so a folder of free drum kits is the fastest upgrade you can make.

How to add melody and bass in the Piano Roll

Drag a melodic preset such as a TripleOscillator patch into the Song Editor, click in its first bar to create a clip, then double-click the clip to open the Piano Roll and draw notes^[4].

• Draw and delete Left-click to place a note and right-click to delete it. Drag a note's right edge to change its length; new notes copy the last length you used.^[16]
• Copy fast Select notes with Ctrl-drag, then Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V, or Shift-drag the selection to duplicate it.^[16]
• Keep bass simple Follow the kick with the bass for the first draft. Root notes that land with the kick make the low end hit harder.
• Stay in key Pick a minor key and stay on its notes. A chord cheat sheet such as the circle of fifths for beatmakers makes this faster.

If notes click at their start or end, raise the attack or release on the instrument's envelope; the LMMS FAQ gives the same fix^[3]. For clean low end between the kick and bass, the tips in mixing 808 and kick without mud apply to LMMS as well.

Does LMMS support VST plugins?

Yes, with limits that depend on your operating system. LMMS loads VST2 instruments through its VeSTige host and can open 32-bit and 64-bit VST2 files on Windows, and on Linux through Wine. On Linux it can also open native .so VST2 plugins^[7]. The manual does not list macOS for VST, so on a Mac plan around the built-in instruments and SoundFonts.

VST effects load differently from instruments. You set the VST plugin directory in settings, restart LMMS and then pick effects from the Add Effect dialog^[6]. If an installer gives you a .exe, run it first and load the resulting .dll^[6]. VST3 is not mentioned in the manual, so look for VST2 versions of free plugins; our guide to installing VST plugins covers folder setup.

How do you export a song from LMMS?

Press Ctrl+E or choose Project > Export, name the file and choose the settings in the Export Project window^[8]. The manual recommends WAV for most new users because nearly every device reads it, and describes OGG as a smaller compressed alternative^[8].

1. Check the song end
   Make sure clips stop where you want the song to end, and leave a bar for reverb tails.
2. Open the exporter
   Press Ctrl+E, choose a name and folder.^[8][10]
3. Pick the format
   Choose WAV for a master you might send to an engineer or distributor.^[8]
4. Leave sample rate at 44.1 kHz
   The manual says the default generally should be left as it is; 44.1 kHz is the CD rate.^[8]
5. Listen back
   Play the exported file in another player. If it sounds wrong, change settings and export again; exporting never alters the .mmpz project.^[8]

The LMMS FAQ confirms you can sell songs made in LMMS, as long as external samples and plugins you used carry the right licenses^[3]. Keep notes on where each sample came from.