Tracktion Linux FAQ

[danboid]

Whilst Tracktion is definitely worth the small amount they charge under Win/Mac, there is something to be said for the promotional value of something being free.

Despite all the glowing reviews and praise I've heard for Bitwig, I haven't tried it once yet because they've priced me out of buying the full version. I don't think I'd have even tried Tracktion if it wasn't free for Linux- I would've continued to use qtractor exclusively.

$60 may not be much to many but free has the effect of making such apps the choice of educational institutions versus paid rivals and zero cost makes it more attractive to beginner / amateur musicians who can't justify spending (significant) money on software.

I'm happy to see that people still pay for the Linux version even though it is free so I'd hope this is some motivation to the devs to keep it that way.

[stanlea]

Linux Tracktion is not free software, it's just non-paying, it makes a big difference for me. There is a growing number of "big" paying apps for Linux : Bitwig, U-He ports. I wouldn't mind paying for Linux Tracktion (considering you get also available license for windows and osx if you use several platforms or machines). Free is not the only argument towards the choice of Linux. The more I use it, the more I like it.

This said, it's true that most Linux users are also amateurs of gratis software, mainly for economical reasons. So if you set Linux Tracktion as a paying version, you'll certainly loose some base users,which is obviously not good.

So ?

[sfdadds]

Today after trying out the T5 demo for a bit I purchased a T6 license and added a small donation. Even with really hard lock ups (push the button, pull the plug lock ups) in T5 and T6 it will be worth the price.

The work flow makes sense and the layout is really simple, easy to focus.

Step sequencer/edit really nice. Easy to assign/map note names and values on the fly . Real simple
to create drum/bass/synth patterns then render to midi track.

Midi and audio recording are just plain simple.

Ton of plug-ins plus internal effects.

Built using JUCE, 12+ years of industrial strength C++ development.

Jules in charge of the development. Big fan of Jules and JUCE here.

The bugs get fixed over time and then stable releases.

Top of the line DAW running on Linux.

What's not to like?

[stanlea]

The question is not really to like or not, it's to pay or not. Since my last post, I came to the conclusion that Linux Tracktion should be sold the same price than other versions. Here are my reasons :
- there are still free very good GPL alternatives like Ardour, Qtractor, Rosegarden, Muse,...
- the price is not too high (compared to Bitwig for instance)
- other companies may understand that having Linux versions is not a waste of time

[danboid]

TSC!

Any updates on the new Linux build or decisions on your Linux pricing going forward?

Thanks!

[danboid]

I've just updated the FAQ to cover the use of MIDI hardware by extending the answer to 'I have Tracktion installed and registered... now what?' to include enabling MIDI devices if required and I added a new Q/A to the end to cover enabling MIDI drivers under Linux.

Please note, I do not want feature creep to ruin this FAQ. I thought it was worth adding a quick couple of notes on MIDI hardware as its something most users will be interested in and the same fix generally applies to all distros. I have no intention of this guide spawning a mini crashcourse to ALSA and JACK troubleshooting.

[TSC]

Hey guys - the latest Linux build is now live - plus we have rolled it in with the other Licenses - you now purchase a T6 license and it includes Mac/PC & Linux.

Further to this, we have also made Linux versions of our plugins - Master Mix and the Micro Synth Pack - available in the Tracktion Marketplace

Enjoy

[Alexis Isis]

Fantastic, thanks!

[danboid]

Thanks for the update TSC! I've installed 6.1 now but not had chance to use it yet although thats a priority for this weekend.

I have several questions regarding your products and Linux support I hope you'll be kind enough to answer so I can update this FAQ and those who come to me asking such stuff.

1 - Am I right in presuming that Tracktion for Linux is no longer considered beta and that free licenses for Linux are no longer available? As far as I can see the Linux-specific page proclaiming that T is free for Linux is no more and the Linux beta license sign-up page now claims 'there are no products available for purchase'

2 - Will the freely issued Tracktion Linux (beta) licenses continue to work for the duration of T6/T5's lifetime?

3 - Will future Tracktion releases see the Linux version get released simutaneously with the Win and OSX builds?

4 - I have read that your Master Mix and Mini Synth Pack plugins are available as native Linux VSTs but their web pages have not been updated to reflect this if this is the case. Do you plan to release any Linux demos for these plugins?

Thanks for answering my questions and supporting Linux!

[stanlea]

There's a still a difference between Linux Tracktion and WIN/OS : no Melodyne plugin. I think that for many people, it makes a difference of course. Maybe you could think of some kind of compensation. (Unless Celemony makes a Linux Melody but I doubt.)

[strogon14]

Maybe you could think of some kind of compensation.

The best compensation for Linux users would be support for LV2 plug-ins natively. In the last weeks I discovered that a lot of fantastic (open source and commercial) LV2 plug-ins are out there, if you just look for them. Carla makes them somewhat usable in Tracktion, but it's not perfect. In the meantime, Ardour 4 was just released, and I think I'll look into using it instead of Tracktion on Linux, just for the LV2 support.

[Kott]

Further to this, we have also made Linux versions of our plugins - Master Mix and the Micro Synth Pack - available in the Tracktion Marketplace

Enjoy

I'm looking marketplace tab in my linux Tracktion about 30 minutes, but... unsuccesfully...

[TSC]

1 - Am I right in presuming that Tracktion for Linux is no longer considered beta and that free licenses for Linux are no longer available? As far as I can see the Linux-specific page proclaiming that T is free for Linux is no more and the Linux beta license sign-up page now claims 'there are no products available for purchase'

A: Correct - now we have a Linux dev, we are actively supporting the platform and therefor the free beta has come to an end

2 - Will the freely issued Tracktion Linux (beta) licenses continue to work for the duration of T6/T5's lifetime?

A: Yes - if you had a free T6 license, it will be active for the life of T6

3 - Will future Tracktion releases see the Linux version get released simutaneously with the Win and OSX builds?

A: Thats the plan

4 - I have read that your Master Mix and Mini Synth Pack plugins are available as native Linux VSTs but their web pages have not been updated to reflect this if this is the case. Do you plan to release any Linux demos for these plugins?

I got slightly ahead of myself - the webmaster is finalizing the offline unlocker for the plugs today so the plugs will be available in the next couple of days - apologies for the confusion

[stanlea]

And about the Melodyne thing ? (friendly question I insist)

[TSC]

The Celemony folk currently have no plans to make Melodyne run on Linux that we are aware of - I will see if we can find something similar for Linux - does anyone have any suggestions?