Fender, renowned for its iconic guitars and amplifiers, has introduced its own music creation software named Fender Studio, which is now available on Linux. This application, while free of charge, is not open-source and is accessible across major desktop and mobile platforms.
Fender Studio is built on the foundation of the professional-grade Studio One Pro digital audio workstation (DAW) but features a user-friendly interface designed for quick recording. It supports a variety of audio interfaces on both mobile and desktop, allowing users to start recording vocals or instruments without needing specialized equipment.
Unlike many existing DAWs for Linux, which often cater to professional musicians and producers, Fender Studio is aimed at casual creators. It offers a more accessible experience, akin to GarageBand, as opposed to the more complex Pro Tools.
While there are robust audio creation tools for Linux—like Ardour and REAPER—many are considered overwhelming for beginners. Fender Studio’s launch is seen as a timely addition to the Linux ecosystem, filling a gap for a simplified music creation tool.
The application presents users with a familiar DAW layout, making it easier to navigate and use without extensive tutorials. However, it has some limitations, such as a maximum of 8 tracks available out of the box, which can be expanded to 16 by registering for a free Fender account. This cap may encourage users to be more innovative with their music-making process.
Fender Studio incorporates a rich set of digital versions of Fender’s classic amps, pedals, and tuners, including the ’65 Twin Reverb guitar amp. The software provides numerous controls for more advanced users to shape their sound effectively.
Features include:
-
Amps:
- ’65 Twin Reverb
- Rumble 800 v3
- ’59 Bassman
- And more.
-
Pedals:
- Overdrive
- Sine Chorus
- Mono Delay
- And others.
Vocal effects such as de-tuner and vocoder, alongside standard audio processing tools like compression and EQ, are also part of the feature set. Users can enjoy editing and mixing functionalities, including FX sends and panning.
Fender Studio is available for download as a Flatpak on Linux, with support also for macOS and Windows platforms. The minimum system requirements for Linux include:
- Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (or higher) with Flatpak installed
- At least 2 GB RAM
- A 64-bit Intel/AMD or ARM64 processor
To access additional features and sounds, creating a free Fender Connect account is necessary.
For more details, you can visit the Fender Studio official page.