[PlanetCCRMA] Starting From Square Zero

[Bill Polhemus]

I'd like some recommendations on reading material for someone who is 
VERY new to PlanetCCRMA. For someone such as myself, who is new to the 
whole concept of "computer-aided audio recording," the array of tools is 
daunting. It is hard to figure out where to start, to get a feel for how 
everything fits (and works) together.

For instance, yesterday I got an M-Audio MIDI keyboard from Zzounds. I 
plugged it into the computer, and saw that the various parts, such as 
JACK, were able to see it. However, it took awhile for me to figure out 
how to get actual SOUNDS out! I was finally, after about half an hour, 
able to patch the keyboard through JACK into amsynth, and had fun 
playing with several of the presets there, but of course there's a lot 
more to it. I have yet to figure out how to even get the General MIDI 
instrument sounds out of this thing.

I have a long way to go, but I would LOVE to have a list of "How-Tos" 
and other such material to aid me in continuing my progress. This was a 
baby-step, but I need to climb the mountain, eventually.

Any suggestions as far as a "reading list" would be most appreciated.