Yes, I saw Linux PCs on sale at stores like Walmart a few years ago. You could also buy Linux PCs from Dell.com back then. They are no longer available as far as I know. I think Microsoft had something to do with it.todd sweetland wrote: Microsoft , Apple , and Google are USA companies , so I imagine you wont see Linux computers in the USA for sale, its a shame really . I did hear that they sold a low end computer at Walmart with Linux on it at one time .
Linux...anybody using it?
-
- KVRAF
- 6466 posts since 18 Jul, 2008 from New York
-
- KVRAF
- 4584 posts since 21 Sep, 2005
Sorry, never heard of it. Just googled it. Looks very interesting. I am waiting for Linux to take off and then I shall start using it for Audio. Sorry if I gave the impression that I know what I am talking about.grymmjack wrote:codec: Can you shed some light on FST and how to get VST/VSTi working in a similar tutorial?
I'm not able to find much information on this, thanks.
Some of the elder bods over at the xt forum would be your best bet. And NAS said that Jorgen actually helped to write something to do with the audio spec on Linux. I don't wish to misquote NAS or whoever here, so take with a pinch of salt. There are certainly some very experienced Linux users there.
I tried about five times to install XT on linux. And failed every time. As I see, it is impossible to run on linux. I know it is SUPPOSED to run on Linux.
I just use linux for general surfing/office/windows stuff.
Sorry if I gave any other impression. Though I have checked out all the main Audio Distros, that I linked to earlier. I never got very far into jack or wine or fst.
I find that Audacity and Ardour and Hydrogen etc.. is enough just for messing about.
If they don't work out of the box, then it is beyond my technical ability to get them to work (apart from Amarok which took me over 60 hours to get running). That is so far, but always learning... that is why this thread is so great - real audio heads on the cutting edge, getting their digits dirty
.Thanks for pointing that out though (FST), I like to learn new stuff.
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- KVRAF
- 4584 posts since 21 Sep, 2005
MachFront wrote:codec_spurt,
You're absolutely correct.
I now recall that there was a driver that may or may not have solved the issue.
Funny...I have a great memory, but I guess I was frustrated enough at the time that I cannot recall specifics of something that occurred and I looked into only about 10 months ago. lol
Thanks for the help.
I don't even remember if I tried the updated driver at the time or not, or if I did not, why.
Odd.
To be brutally honest, I think I'll just 'try again' and use a XFCE (or LXDE...? izzat right?) environment for whichever distro I use.
Will the drivers still be something I may wish to shove onto the old box anyhow, ya think? (machine from '07 with an AMD X2 4400+, on-board graphics blew so I bought a low-tier graphics card in '09 just to clean it up and play ten-year-old games like GTA3 and Dungeon Siege, ;D)
There comes a point with burn-out, when it comes to self-tutelage. I only realise what I am doing after I have done it five times. The amount of times I have had to install the catalyst drivers... doh.. I am a bit slow on the uptake.
When you have just spent 10 hours messing about to get something working, the learning part of your brain that remembers, disintegrates and any work you do from this point disintegrates. Linux is particularly brutal. Even learning a new programming language is easier, because you have rules and references. Here there are no references. It is voodoo programming in the truest sense of the phrase - see the New Hackers Dictionary.
Xfce and Lxde are excellent choices for low-resource machines, meaning they run better on older machines with slower cpus and gfx cards and ram. In fact I am going to use Xfce when I install the LMDE linux mint debian version. Ultra ultra low on resources. Imagine having every click of the mouse respond quicker than your eye or hand or brain. Magic! Gnome/Cinnamon/Kde/ provide the eye candy and I have machines that run them very well, but there is something about breaking that brain/response barrier that I find intoxicating.
Xfce and Lxde are the kiddos here for that. Though things are getting better and more compatible, they are also getting more confused.
Go here for elucidation:
http://www.renewablepcs.com/home
This explains it the best:
http://www.renewablepcs.com/about-linux ... me-or-xfce
This is the best resource that I have found for understanding not just desktops, but also desktop managers/environments etc...the difference between them.
I was all at sea, but this little tutorial explains everything succinctly.
Now we have more choice.
If ever I find a distro I really like, I check to see if it will run the heavyweight desktops first - Kde - Gnome (Compiz). If it does this, then I like to check if it has an Lxde or Xfxe desktop. This is always faster and more lightweight and more of a joy to use. I can do without the candy. In fact Lxde and Xfce are more windows like with their menus. Some say KDE is, but I think that is stretching it.
Okay, enough.
Btw, you will find that the ati/amd catalyst drivers are getting better and the gap is narrowing.
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- KVRAF
- 4584 posts since 21 Sep, 2005
Mr_Bumpy is quite right.Mr_Bumpy wrote:Lubuntu uses LXDE.grymmjack wrote:What is lununtu window manager?
The clue is here:
Lubuntu: Lxde.
Xubuntu: Xfce.
Kubuntu: Kde.
Ubuntu: whole world of hurt
See here for more serious explanation:
http://www.ubuntu.com/project/about-ubuntu/derivatives
See here for explanation of desktops:
http://www.renewablepcs.com/about-linux ... me-or-xfce
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- KVRAF
- 9521 posts since 6 Oct, 2004
The windows ext2.x should work with wine, like reaper does. There are somecodec_spurt wrote:
I tried about five times to install XT on linux. And failed every time. As I see, it is impossible to run on linux. I know it is SUPPOSED to run on Linux.
Thanks for pointing that out though (FST), I like to learn new stuff.
linux library libaam.so things one might need to know, to use the linux version.
http://energyxt2.wikidot.com/jack-cpp
http://www.tuxfiles.org/linuxhelp/softinstall.html
http://mitchtech.net/compile-linux-kern ... -detailed/
http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/linu ... ation.html
installing a package named build-essential brings in the apps needed to compile
software, in some distros, others may use a different title for similar results.
Cheers
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- KVRAF
- 12143 posts since 13 Mar, 2009 from UK
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- KVRAF
- 4584 posts since 21 Sep, 2005
Following on from my little toot about installing Linux for beginners, here are some things you should do straight away once you have got your install up and running -
I am going to assume that you have installed Linux Mint 13 Maya KDE. Of course the same things will apply to whatever distro you have got. Think of it as a check list.
1: Run the update manager.
This will update your system with critical fixes. You may have to update the update manager first off, then you have to scan for all the fixes that are available.
In Linux there are five levels of safety for installing updates.
From the Mint manual -
-----------------------
Level 1 and Level 2 updates are risk-free and you should always apply them. Level 3
updates "should be safe" but, although we recommend you take them, make sure you
look over them on the list of updates.
-------------------------------
Level 4 or 5 are more experimental and may actively harm your system. So DO NOT INSTALL THEM. I err on the side of caution and do not even install level 3. So deselect all the checked boxes by clicking on the 'Clear' icon, then manually select all level 1 and 2 checkboxes. Then click on 'Install Updates'. Obviously you need to be connected to the internet to do this.
Warning - Make sure that you do not install all the updates available by mistake. You will find that your system becomes strangely unusable, if it works at all. You will have to go back and install the system again. Stick with level one and two and you will be fine.
2: Search for additional drivers.
You may need to download a proprietary driver for your wireless card. Type 'add' into the search field at the top when you have left clicked on far left bottom icon. (Like you would access programs in windows with the start button). The icon for Additional Drivers comes up. Clicky. It will do a scan and if your wireless driver is not installed but available it will give you the option to download it. Your gfx drivers such as catalyst for amd/ati comes up here I believe if they are not installed. Anyway, you can see what is available.
3: Make sure a firewall is installed and running.
The firewall is not enabled by default in Mint, so don't forget to get it up and running. I suggest you use a program called 'Firestarter'. It contains a couple more options than the gufw firewall that comes with mint. It is wizard based and easy.
If the few options it has confuse you, then install the gufw firewall, instead.
See here for instructions -
http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.p ... 9&t=109782
I suggest reading this anyway, because it gives some interesting info re: Firewalls.
Go to grc.com and select shields up to test your firewall is working, if you like.
You can install Firestarter by typing 'sudo apt-get install firestarter' into the Terminal or Konsole as it is sometimes known on KDE systems. Once it has been installed type 'sudo firestarter' into the konsole again. You need to type sudo to give you administrator like priveleges. If you just type 'firestarter', it will not run. Now the wizard will guide you through.
Okay, you now have an up to date system with your wireless working and a firewall installed. For more advice see this excellent video that covers these points -
You can download the manual for your distro version and language here:
http://www.linuxmint.com/documentation.php
It is very well written and essential if you are starting out. Read it from top to bottom as a matter of course anyway for a good overview.
Also, if you want to go a bit more in-depth check out this awesome article:
http://www.techsupportalert.com/content ... lation.htm
Navigate to your specific version for the fine details, but read this anyway because it just explains so much if you are just starting out.
I think that is more than enough to be going on with.
Oh, one last thing, if you want to install Gnome programs on this specific KDE desktop, you will have to do this:
From the mint site:
-----------------------------------
Local repository and GnomePPP
GnomePPP is not installed by default but it is present within the default installation of Linux Mint. Your Linux Mint system comes with a local repository which is disabled by default. You can enable it by removing the comment sign "#" in /etc/apt/sources.list.d/local-repository.list and refreshing your APT cache. This repository contains GnomePPP as well as a collection of drivers.
-----------------------------------------
What this means is that you can use Gnome programs on your KDE system that are not installed by default. For example - Disk Utility - a pretty essential program in my opinion. It was/is a Gnome program, but will work fine under KDE.
Package managers and installation of programs on Linux is beyone the scope of this toot. Read up. But I will give a quick little final tip:
Instead of taking the measures described above (Local Repository and GnomePPP), which may confuse a beginner, in fact if you're a total noob it WILL confuse you, do this:
From the Kickoff (the KDE equivalent of the windows start button), type 'synaptic' into the search field. This will fire up the Synaptic Package Manager - one of the programs used to install new programs. The other is the Software Manager - the most recent and up to date program to achieve the same thing - usually easier too.
Anyway, we won't be able to make the change we want to make from here because we do not have 'root' priveleges. So close down the Synaptic Package manager. Now open the Konsole and type 'sudo synaptic' into it. Synaptic will now open and we will be able to make our change to access the Gnome Repository.
Select 'Settings' from the menu and then select 'Repositories'. Enable the 'local-repository' by checking the box. You might have to restart the program - I can't remember, but you now have access to the Gnome repository and all the glorious programs it has to offer.
If you are worried about cleaning/clearing the apt cache, I suggest another excellent utility program called Bleachbit. When you install a program as we have done here, it leaves lots of temp files that can quickly eat away the small amount of space you probably have if you are using a usb stick/drive as your boot medium. Bleachbit allows you to clean other things as well - a pretty essential piece of kit. You need to run it as root to delete a lot of things, so same thing - Kickoff>Konsole>sudo bleachbit. Use caution of course. The program will let you preview what is available to clean and where it is and how much disk space you can reclaim.
You can install Bleachbit via the Software Manager or the Synaptic Package Manager, or by typing 'sudo apt-get install bleachbit' into the Konsole.
Now would be a good time to download and burn to cd ReDo.
http://redobackup.org/
You can backup your usb stick from here to your hard drive or removable drive etc..
Oh and if you find it does not boot, remove your usb stick and only insert it when the ReDo system has booted up. ReDo is a whole Linux distro in itself and you can even connect to the net with it and backup your windows system. And it's free.
Have fun.
(If anyone is interested, I can make a little toot for installing Linux Mint to Usb stick and creating a persistent file that will save your settings when the machine is turned off. This way, you can try out many different distros before you commit to installing to your hard drive, or just for a portable recue toolkit.)
I am going to assume that you have installed Linux Mint 13 Maya KDE. Of course the same things will apply to whatever distro you have got. Think of it as a check list.
1: Run the update manager.
This will update your system with critical fixes. You may have to update the update manager first off, then you have to scan for all the fixes that are available.
In Linux there are five levels of safety for installing updates.
From the Mint manual -
-----------------------
Level 1 and Level 2 updates are risk-free and you should always apply them. Level 3
updates "should be safe" but, although we recommend you take them, make sure you
look over them on the list of updates.
-------------------------------
Level 4 or 5 are more experimental and may actively harm your system. So DO NOT INSTALL THEM. I err on the side of caution and do not even install level 3. So deselect all the checked boxes by clicking on the 'Clear' icon, then manually select all level 1 and 2 checkboxes. Then click on 'Install Updates'. Obviously you need to be connected to the internet to do this.
Warning - Make sure that you do not install all the updates available by mistake. You will find that your system becomes strangely unusable, if it works at all. You will have to go back and install the system again. Stick with level one and two and you will be fine.
2: Search for additional drivers.
You may need to download a proprietary driver for your wireless card. Type 'add' into the search field at the top when you have left clicked on far left bottom icon. (Like you would access programs in windows with the start button). The icon for Additional Drivers comes up. Clicky. It will do a scan and if your wireless driver is not installed but available it will give you the option to download it. Your gfx drivers such as catalyst for amd/ati comes up here I believe if they are not installed. Anyway, you can see what is available.
3: Make sure a firewall is installed and running.
The firewall is not enabled by default in Mint, so don't forget to get it up and running. I suggest you use a program called 'Firestarter'. It contains a couple more options than the gufw firewall that comes with mint. It is wizard based and easy.
If the few options it has confuse you, then install the gufw firewall, instead.
See here for instructions -
http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.p ... 9&t=109782
I suggest reading this anyway, because it gives some interesting info re: Firewalls.
Go to grc.com and select shields up to test your firewall is working, if you like.
You can install Firestarter by typing 'sudo apt-get install firestarter' into the Terminal or Konsole as it is sometimes known on KDE systems. Once it has been installed type 'sudo firestarter' into the konsole again. You need to type sudo to give you administrator like priveleges. If you just type 'firestarter', it will not run. Now the wizard will guide you through.
Okay, you now have an up to date system with your wireless working and a firewall installed. For more advice see this excellent video that covers these points -
You can download the manual for your distro version and language here:
http://www.linuxmint.com/documentation.php
It is very well written and essential if you are starting out. Read it from top to bottom as a matter of course anyway for a good overview.
Also, if you want to go a bit more in-depth check out this awesome article:
http://www.techsupportalert.com/content ... lation.htm
Navigate to your specific version for the fine details, but read this anyway because it just explains so much if you are just starting out.
I think that is more than enough to be going on with.
Oh, one last thing, if you want to install Gnome programs on this specific KDE desktop, you will have to do this:
From the mint site:
-----------------------------------
Local repository and GnomePPP
GnomePPP is not installed by default but it is present within the default installation of Linux Mint. Your Linux Mint system comes with a local repository which is disabled by default. You can enable it by removing the comment sign "#" in /etc/apt/sources.list.d/local-repository.list and refreshing your APT cache. This repository contains GnomePPP as well as a collection of drivers.
-----------------------------------------
What this means is that you can use Gnome programs on your KDE system that are not installed by default. For example - Disk Utility - a pretty essential program in my opinion. It was/is a Gnome program, but will work fine under KDE.
Package managers and installation of programs on Linux is beyone the scope of this toot. Read up. But I will give a quick little final tip:
Instead of taking the measures described above (Local Repository and GnomePPP), which may confuse a beginner, in fact if you're a total noob it WILL confuse you, do this:
From the Kickoff (the KDE equivalent of the windows start button), type 'synaptic' into the search field. This will fire up the Synaptic Package Manager - one of the programs used to install new programs. The other is the Software Manager - the most recent and up to date program to achieve the same thing - usually easier too.
Anyway, we won't be able to make the change we want to make from here because we do not have 'root' priveleges. So close down the Synaptic Package manager. Now open the Konsole and type 'sudo synaptic' into it. Synaptic will now open and we will be able to make our change to access the Gnome Repository.
Select 'Settings' from the menu and then select 'Repositories'. Enable the 'local-repository' by checking the box. You might have to restart the program - I can't remember, but you now have access to the Gnome repository and all the glorious programs it has to offer.
If you are worried about cleaning/clearing the apt cache, I suggest another excellent utility program called Bleachbit. When you install a program as we have done here, it leaves lots of temp files that can quickly eat away the small amount of space you probably have if you are using a usb stick/drive as your boot medium. Bleachbit allows you to clean other things as well - a pretty essential piece of kit. You need to run it as root to delete a lot of things, so same thing - Kickoff>Konsole>sudo bleachbit. Use caution of course. The program will let you preview what is available to clean and where it is and how much disk space you can reclaim.
You can install Bleachbit via the Software Manager or the Synaptic Package Manager, or by typing 'sudo apt-get install bleachbit' into the Konsole.
Now would be a good time to download and burn to cd ReDo.
http://redobackup.org/
You can backup your usb stick from here to your hard drive or removable drive etc..
Oh and if you find it does not boot, remove your usb stick and only insert it when the ReDo system has booted up. ReDo is a whole Linux distro in itself and you can even connect to the net with it and backup your windows system. And it's free.
Have fun.
(If anyone is interested, I can make a little toot for installing Linux Mint to Usb stick and creating a persistent file that will save your settings when the machine is turned off. This way, you can try out many different distros before you commit to installing to your hard drive, or just for a portable recue toolkit.)
-
- KVRist
- 30 posts since 29 Nov, 2011 from Phoenix, AZ
As the maintainer of a site for Linux multimedia documentation, I'd love to say that you can come over to Linux without problem. I would, however, be lying.
The biggest reason one would want to come over to the Linux side of media production is flexibility; when using the Jack Audio Connection Kit, you have the ability to re-route audio in any way you see fit, and can make some pretty complex filters using available plugins alone with route splitting and merging. This means that anyone who has a taste for DIY can make some impressive new uses for their old favorite plugins. And for those who want to know, the DSSI-VST program (or KX Studio's Festige) can (using Wine) run VST and VSTi plugins as part of a Jack signal chain, and with Ladish (especially when using KX Studio's "Claudia" on the front end), you can actually save and restore your created signal chains.
Another reason would be that, like me, they were already using Linux, and wanted to find new ways to use what they're comfortable with (and yes, there are those of us who are more comfortable with Linux than Windows or Mac).
That being said, the two biggest reasons not to are "investment" and "hardware support."
In the case of investment, you already have an established workflow, and switching over to Linux will mean that some or all of your familiar tools will be inaccessible. You will have to not only learn new tools, but an entire paradigm, as Jack makes everything more modular than is comfortable for someone used to doing everything in two or three comprehensive programs with plugin support. In addition, the existing toolkit probably cost a lot of money, in which case, going to Linux would mean a complete waste of a major investment in money.
Simply put, the established musician switching from Windows or Mac to Linux is not likely without some curiosity and flair for DIY.
As for the hardware support, this is sad, but true; hardware manufacturers for audio products are (with a couple exceptions) notoriously closed-lipped regarding the APIs for their interfaces; the people writing the drivers are fighting an uphill battle every step of the way figuring out how to make the equipment do what they do, and then figuring out how to make it into something that Linux software can use.
This means that, without direct support from the manufacturer, the only hardware available for Linux enthusiasts are behind-the-curve equipment that the developers have and are able to experiment with.
Well, I hope this gives you a clearer picture of what the reasons are for using Linux as a recording environment. If you want to try it out, check out my site, linked below; I spent several months focusing on audio before branching out into video and other artistic research... and I still do articles on audio when I think of something to try.
The biggest reason one would want to come over to the Linux side of media production is flexibility; when using the Jack Audio Connection Kit, you have the ability to re-route audio in any way you see fit, and can make some pretty complex filters using available plugins alone with route splitting and merging. This means that anyone who has a taste for DIY can make some impressive new uses for their old favorite plugins. And for those who want to know, the DSSI-VST program (or KX Studio's Festige) can (using Wine) run VST and VSTi plugins as part of a Jack signal chain, and with Ladish (especially when using KX Studio's "Claudia" on the front end), you can actually save and restore your created signal chains.
Another reason would be that, like me, they were already using Linux, and wanted to find new ways to use what they're comfortable with (and yes, there are those of us who are more comfortable with Linux than Windows or Mac).
That being said, the two biggest reasons not to are "investment" and "hardware support."
In the case of investment, you already have an established workflow, and switching over to Linux will mean that some or all of your familiar tools will be inaccessible. You will have to not only learn new tools, but an entire paradigm, as Jack makes everything more modular than is comfortable for someone used to doing everything in two or three comprehensive programs with plugin support. In addition, the existing toolkit probably cost a lot of money, in which case, going to Linux would mean a complete waste of a major investment in money.
Simply put, the established musician switching from Windows or Mac to Linux is not likely without some curiosity and flair for DIY.
As for the hardware support, this is sad, but true; hardware manufacturers for audio products are (with a couple exceptions) notoriously closed-lipped regarding the APIs for their interfaces; the people writing the drivers are fighting an uphill battle every step of the way figuring out how to make the equipment do what they do, and then figuring out how to make it into something that Linux software can use.
This means that, without direct support from the manufacturer, the only hardware available for Linux enthusiasts are behind-the-curve equipment that the developers have and are able to experiment with.
Well, I hope this gives you a clearer picture of what the reasons are for using Linux as a recording environment. If you want to try it out, check out my site, linked below; I spent several months focusing on audio before branching out into video and other artistic research... and I still do articles on audio when I think of something to try.
Lampros Liontos (aka. Reteo Varala)
The Penguin Producer - Tips, tricks and techniques for producing multimedia using the Linux operating system.
The Penguin Producer - Tips, tricks and techniques for producing multimedia using the Linux operating system.
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- KVRAF
- 9521 posts since 6 Oct, 2004
Posted the new editing features of Hexter DX7 rompler, at the
Computer Setup forum here
http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic ... &start=435
Cheers
Computer Setup forum here
http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic ... &start=435
Cheers
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- KVRAF
- 4584 posts since 21 Sep, 2005
Excellent post. Fantastic insight.reteo wrote:As the maintainer of a site for Linux multimedia documentation, I'd love to say that you can come over to Linux without problem. I would, however, be lying.
May I just say, that only the insane or S&M freaks would like to do Audio on Linux. With more emphasis on the masochism. We leave the sadism to the developers...
I'm posting this on the Linux Mint Maya KDE install that I mentioned earlier.
I am running winXP sp3 on a virtual machine via VBox, and I am also going through a free Virtual Private Network, so I am totally anonymous and untraceable, but that is another story...
(Oops, might have given the game away there..)
Anyway, bragging rights aside, I just want to say, that I brag for a reason.
Anyone that has ever set up a virtual machine (VM) or virtual private network (VPN), will know that it is pretty difficult to do, for the average user anyway. It takes a lot of time and research. Like Linux itself, it is hard to get help when you need it.
For example, I posted a pretty reasonable request to the main debian forum today, and got one reply, that patronised me with answers, covering what I had already tried. But hey, it is nice to know someone cares...
I figured it out. I got a working install of Debian on an old laptop with an lxde gui. It took me TWELVE hours non-stop. I am not the only one that says you just can't get any help at this level in Linux. I am a noob. A total noob. People laugh at me, they have disdain and contempt for me. I ask questions to get shot down. It is not the most friendly community in the world. Though Linux Mint is the best, even they can be a bit terse. Such is life....
So, I will finally make my point. Why heap misery onto misery? Audio on Linux? You have got to be kidding. That super-duper system with the VM and VPN that I am typing on now? It does not even have audio working. I can't even listen to a frigging mp3 on it. And boy, do I know what a world of hurt it is going to be to set it up. I spent a whole week remember getting Amarok to work. I posted my only essay of this adventure at the Kubuntu forum. I mentioned this before.
If you want to crack on and use Linux for music. Great. But when you figure out how to just play pack some audio files, can you please let me know? In return, I'll help you set up a VM and a VPN.
Thanks for that post though reteo, I was starting to think it was just me.
cheers.
Edit:
If being flogged is your thing (hey, it takes all sorts), then you won't find a better distro than ArtistX - http://artistx.org/blog/
http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=artistx
It has Jack and Wine and a whole load of goodies on it. It is an excellent jumping off point. Into the abyss...........
It has a choice of all the major desktops and has just been updated. Plus it is based on Debian which means security and stability. Oh and the guy who puts his time into making this all happen for free has had difficulties in life beyond most peoples nightmares. Anyway, grab a copy of the .iso - it's big - full on DVD big. Burn it with imgburn, reboot and enjoy, this is the best that Linux gets in my opinion, with just about every single program for Audio that runs on Linux, installed. A great reference if nothing else.
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- KVRAF
- 9521 posts since 6 Oct, 2004
I'd love to say that you can come over to windows without problem. I would, however, be lying. If there were no problems with windows, there wouldn't be enough
forum traffic here, to generate the needed ad revenue.
But I do agree with some of Reteos sentiment, and you correctly point out
the attitude issues and lack of meaningful support in some linux forums.
But there are good forums, with helpful people too, if you know where to look,
and are not trolling based on previous failures.
Ardour and qtractor, the main linux DAWs, both lack the simplistic ease of reaper, where you can right-click, and behold, "Insert virtual instrument on new track".
To me, the lack of such simplicity, is a long standing Spassky-like blunder. I think the highest priority for a daw author, should be for the first-time user of that daw, to easily record something without a manual session, or outside help.
(In fairness to Paul Davis, I think his Ardour priority, is to achieve the highest possible recording quality, in extemely challenging environments, rather than just sparing newbies the need to learn a few extra steps needed before pressing the record button. Nice as that scenario would be.)
On the more positive view of linux audio, should one have an maudio pci soundcard,
nvidia graphics, and the desire to master the qjackctl gui and wiki page, it really is very easy to record without the need for mac or windows. The flexible signal routing in qjackctl, and the ability to use two or more audio interfaces if desired/needed, makes the whole OS a daw, even if measured in meg, rather than
gig.
If I had the task of teaching audio production to a first-time computer user,
I would easily prefer linux to windows. I've never used a mac, so maybe that is
the supreme being among DAWs, and I merely deceive myself all these years...hmmmn
forum traffic here, to generate the needed ad revenue.
But I do agree with some of Reteos sentiment, and you correctly point out
the attitude issues and lack of meaningful support in some linux forums.
But there are good forums, with helpful people too, if you know where to look,
and are not trolling based on previous failures.
Ardour and qtractor, the main linux DAWs, both lack the simplistic ease of reaper, where you can right-click, and behold, "Insert virtual instrument on new track".
To me, the lack of such simplicity, is a long standing Spassky-like blunder. I think the highest priority for a daw author, should be for the first-time user of that daw, to easily record something without a manual session, or outside help.
(In fairness to Paul Davis, I think his Ardour priority, is to achieve the highest possible recording quality, in extemely challenging environments, rather than just sparing newbies the need to learn a few extra steps needed before pressing the record button. Nice as that scenario would be.)
On the more positive view of linux audio, should one have an maudio pci soundcard,
nvidia graphics, and the desire to master the qjackctl gui and wiki page, it really is very easy to record without the need for mac or windows. The flexible signal routing in qjackctl, and the ability to use two or more audio interfaces if desired/needed, makes the whole OS a daw, even if measured in meg, rather than
gig.
If I had the task of teaching audio production to a first-time computer user,
I would easily prefer linux to windows. I've never used a mac, so maybe that is
the supreme being among DAWs, and I merely deceive myself all these years...hmmmn
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- KVRAF
- 7412 posts since 8 Feb, 2003 from London, UK
As JACK seems to keep being brought up as a significant benefit of Linux, I have to point out that you can, of course, happily use JACK on Windows or Mac OS, as JACK runs on both. Certainly it's pretty stable on Windows. It's a great solution to getting 32bit and 64bit apps talking to each other, too, as its ASIO to JACK driver comes in both flavours and does bit bridging. If I remember correctly, I even had JACK running with two ASIO outputs (my Echo AudioFire4 and ASIO4ALL driving my onboard sound)... but I can't be certain on that point. Now, why don't more users on Windows use JACK..? Maybe it's just harder to understand than Reaper's ReaRoute and similar virtual audio cabling systems, I really don't know (I've used it so long, it seems straightforward for what I use it for...).