Linux...anybody using it?

[StudioDave]

...I have atm the Hexter default DX7 patch...

I've been spending some time with the latest Hexter. I have a lot of custom sounds I made for my Yamaha FM synths, most of which I saved in Voyetra's Patchmaster format. Lo and behold, Hexter imports patch banks in that format. Here's a piece played with a Full Tines patch from my TX802 as imported and rendered by Hexter and routed to a plate reverb in JACK Rack :

http://linux-sound.org/audio/incunabular.mp3

Nothing special, just a demo of the import facility.

Best,

dp

[glokraw]

Nice dissonance and chordal movement, and aptly named,
but as usual, you linux teachers always use naming to force me towards
the futuristified time warped incunabular search engines, to figure out what
things really mean

Great that your special sounds have a new and productive home.
So, have any of your students gotten an A this year?

[StudioDave]

Nice dissonance and chordal movement, and aptly named,
but as usual, you linux teachers always use naming to force me towards
the futuristified time warped incunabular search engines, to figure out what
things really mean

Thanks for listening. The piece is based a cradle song by Hugo Wolf, hence the reference to incunabula, a Latin word for a baby's crib or cradle. I was surprised at its transferred meaning - in English it apparently has something to do with movable type (?!).

Btw, a new version has been uploaded. I extended a modulatory section and made a few minor adjustments. Reverb's been lessened too.

Great that your special sounds have a new and productive home.

Happiness reigns here.

So, have any of your students gotten an A this year?

They don't get grades, they get performances, and they have one coming up in a few weeks. I've got an amazing 13-year old singer, I'll post some of her stuff here later. I've also got a few long-time students who make the core of an excellent little band, so we'll have some fun at the show.

Best,

dp

[Dreamw]

I use it for multichannel stuff and specialist software for things like wavefield synthesis.

Hi,

Could you tell me what distribution and what software you use ?
I have tried a few years ago to install Wonder, but I didn't succeeded a single time, and it seems that it is no more developped.

I had problems with Wonder as well. The developer was going to help me sort it but I didnt have time.
I am using ubuntu 12:04 and ended up using soundscape renderer . I have written a paper including all technical detaials on installation etc on email me at augustineleudar at gmail dot com and Ill send you a copy if you're interested

[Dreamw]

Maybe I'm just too spoiled by the simplicity of windows and mac but I personally don't see the point of messing with jack settings and routings in 2012...

I totally agree with this, using QJackCtl to route things around seems really cool on the surface, but I never found the workflow to help my music a single bit, especially considering what a mess session management continues to be...

I t depends what youre doing - being able to do the sound design in a DAw and then route multichannel outputs to something like a WFS program could not be done in any other way.
Jack is incredibly useful and there are something like this I could not do without it - unless i used actual hardware.

[ret]

I think the current system is such a mess that there is no way pro audio moves to using linux. As long as even basic stuff like saving, loading, sharing projects requires so much hassle and extra work when compared to windows or mac it's a total no-go for studios and pro users working with real life deadlines.

Another point is that because of this jack way of doing things native linux audio software lacks lots of even the totally basic stuff other systems have.

[glokraw]

Another point is that because of this jack way of doing things native linux audio software lacks lots of even the totally basic stuff other systems have.

Poor musicians in third-world also lack "lots of even the totally basic stuff
other systems have." Will the copycat ga-ga-donna mega-producers ever have
enough compression and echo

Now, once I have three or four music parts, with a few jackd wires crossed,
I have to stop and scratch my head and wonder what's next,
before adding more. The few seconds of jackd connections, is the least of
my worries, at that point, I'm just trying to prevent sonic mud from drowning
the seed of a musical idea. It takes far more time to create something worth
hearing a second time, than keeping track of the details that made it.

And the idea of 'pro audio for linux' is a bit of a misnomer, there are just people,
some amateur, some dedicated hobbyist, then those part-time or fully employed,
as creating/performing musicians. Any of these people can access linux, pick and choose
what they like, or fully reject the whole deal, and maybe come back next year,
and read the latest raving reviews, if Win 9 is a bust.

If 'linux pro audio' is discussed from a 'Musicians Friend', or Sweetwater perspective,
they may sell OSX or Win-xxx systems, but those can be used for linux, as well as
much of the hard and software the shops sell. Same with plug-ins, most will work,
and the dongled ones that don't are universally hated anyway

Big-box DAWs are in short supply for linux, Reaper is it, really, until
Ardour and Qtractor get features with stability. There is also a shorter list of
soundcards to choose from. So be it, the price of no cost, may mean 'no way',
for some.

I doubt the majority of software purchasers are routinely doing 40 track projects with
$$$ Thousands $$$ in software loaded. In eight or ten years,
it would be easy to have spent many $$$ thousands on such a fine quest, but
how many people actually load it all up every week for grandiose productions?

I guess my rose-colored cup is always half-full. But I'm more than half happy.
(half wit? maybe ) So this is posted from a 391 meg Studio4 linux CD,
on a rusty old computer, with the side door gone to the recyclers.
For the of the game? That, and a little more on the side
Cheers

[glokraw]

Just a heads up, Rapture, the nice bread&butter Cakewalk synth, $20 on sale,
works fine with just wine, running the old fst command in linux.

Also works with reaper/wineasio, if more schmalz is needed.
Nothing to see here, move along...

[ret]

Another point is that because of this jack way of doing things native linux audio software lacks lots of even the totally basic stuff other systems have.

Poor musicians in third-world also lack "lots of even the totally basic stuff
other systems have." Will the copycat ga-ga-donna mega-producers ever have
enough compression and echo

Big-box DAWs are in short supply for linux, Reaper is it, really, until
Ardour and Qtractor get features with stability. There is also a shorter list of
soundcards to choose from. So be it, the price of no cost, may mean 'no way',
for some.

By basic stuff I really mean basic things such as easy way to export your project to wav, a properly working count-in, track freeze, easy way to save and open your projects. This list of missing basic features could go on and on. And as harsh as it may sound, many of these features are missing because of jack. I personally think jack should be something that comes with Ardour as it's inner routing system but linux audio as a whole should move into something much simpler. Thats the key why windows and mac are much easier and have so many users.

I assume people who are not familiar with native linux audio software don't even know you can't easily export your song as a wav. With complex project it can be a major headache and esoteric science to do that.

Sometimes when you have a song that you wanna change just a little can be bit, it most likely takes longer to open, export and re-save the project than it took to do that little tweak...

Many people use Reaper but there are couple of others that work also. I was really surprised how well Podium works. It's been a real saviour for me when using Garritan Orchestra.

I know I criticize a lot but I do it because I still have a little bit of hope that someday linux audio developers actually listen the users like myself and make things easier. It makes no sense that with windows and mac you spend 95% of time making music and 5% or less tweaking your system. With native linux audio sofware you are lucky if you get that 5% of time spent on actual music making.

[pc999]

Many people use Reaper but there are couple of others that work also. I was really surprised how well Podium works. It's been a real saviour for me when using Garritan Orchestra.

I tried Reaper on wine, I could do a lot of stuff expect play I think it had to do with the emulation of the sound card?

Nice to know about Podium, with stuff like Reaper or Podium running without hassle Linux would be quite well covered in term of audio as the native apps dont cut it IMO, although hydrogen on it own is nice (give it a piano roll and a synth and it would be quite interesting), LMMS is nice too, but just that when compared to the Win/Mac stuff.

Anyway I am more impressed with linux by the day and it does have some very nice apps on it own, I have did this video (the first on Linux and KdenLive and learning experience)



or (if you are out of USA)

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xvn3dc ... MHHn1Lzs7w

I was amazed on how capable it is and how my x2 4850e did on this video with the kind of fx it had, and I think it would even be able to do it in HD (with a lot of pain , but I dont have upload speed for it anyway) on a stable system with the browser open for research, gimp for editing and libreoffice to store the sources, all at the same time

To bad it was pre conf for DVD and when I noticed it was to late to chance for HD without redoing a lot of stuff (rookie mistake) so I keep it anyway, but I think my cpu with some tricks would be able to pull it of, although it would have been painful it would be less painful that some click-and-wait-hoping-it-is-not-crashing experience I had with windows and many NLE that I tried.

Really all we need is some fair quality apps and prices, things like Reaper or Podium could be quite interesting and popular IMO.

Renoise seems to be quite good on Linux, if it had a piano roll...

[sellyoursoul]

I personally think jack should be something that comes with Ardour as it's inner routing system but linux audio as a whole should move into something much simpler.

Yea, the thing with Linux is that getting basic audio functioning requires half a dozen programs. A daw and plugins can provide all of the confusion that a person would ever want, no extra needed. From a geek point of view, it's great having all of those pieces to do with what you wish, but as a daw user, it's a huge mess of confusion.

[glokraw]

I assume people who are not familiar with native linux audio software don't even know you can't easily export your song as a wav. With complex project it can be a major headache and esoteric science to do that.

Sometimes when you have a song that you wanna change just a little can be bit, it most likely takes longer to open, export and re-save the project than it took to do that little tweak...

Many people use Reaper but there are couple of others that work also. I was really surprised how well Podium works. It's been a real saviour for me when using Garritan Orchestra.

...you are lucky if you get that 5% of time spent on actual music making.

1. I just run the jackd lines all to timemachine, record 24 bit .w64, or basic wav...

2. "that little tweek" -most of that stuff gets done in audacity and the fx it holds, anyway. Short of $$$ "Melodyne" type software solutions,
a significant part of a commercial song, should have multiple takes
to mine the best crucial bits from.

3. Podium is a jewel, but I'm too simple minded,
and time challenged to learn it

4. I've had my xp/linux dual-boot setup since reaper2.x,
wine .0x, kernel 2.3x, and rarely change anything,
except a 2 to a 3 in qjackctl, for usb guitar amp,
instead of 5pin midi.

Ret: "...complex project it can be a major headache
and esoteric science"

Last time I checked, that is normal in any endeavor,
recording studios included, where multiple
skills, in multiple disciplines, are required for success.
You don't win awards by shaking body parts,
and hiring an auto-tune expert.















Oh Wait...

[glokraw]

Yea, the thing with Linux is that getting basic audio functioning requires half a dozen programs. A daw and plugins can provide all of the confusion that a person would ever want, no extra needed. From a geek point of view, it's great having all of those pieces to do with what you wish, but as a daw user, it's a huge mess of confusion.

Studio4 has a nice load of apps, reaper demo included, the iso is
391 meg. How many 'meg' is winbloat or 0seX? (get out the calculator!)

This mythical 'huge mess of confusion' just start qjackctl, start reaper,
insert plugins, start hydrogen, toss in a linux synth or two, a couple multi-fx rakarracks, connect the outs to timemachine, and compose away.

Import the timemachine recorded .w64 to audacity, make it all happy,
and export in formats of choice. I myself, was a tackling dummy in school,
I have no mercy for people who won't bother to learn, then pivot and blame
the topic for being too difficult.

<--- that secret audio stuff is all on google anyway.
Cheers

[ret]

This mythical 'huge mess of confusion' Rolling Eyes just start qjackctl, start reaper,
insert plugins, start hydrogen, toss in a linux synth or two, a couple multi-fx rakarracks, connect the outs to timemachine, and compose away.

Import the timemachine recorded .w64 to audacity, make it all happy,
and export in formats of choice. I myself, was a tackling dummy in school,
I have no mercy for people who won't bother to learn, then pivot and blame
the topic for being too difficult.

Well, as said earlier I have used linux audio software for years along with my mac and windows systems so I do know what I'm talking about. There is no way to deny that working with native linux audio software requires way too many totally unnecessary steps and native linux audio software still lacks lots of the very basic features windows and mac software have had for like two decades.

I'm not a big fan of Reaper but I know it works very well wine. When using Reaper with wasapi drivers and some good windows plug-ins you are very close to the same user experience as with windows. However, you might as well boot to windows in that case.

[StudioDave]

... I have used linux audio software for years along with my mac and windows systems so I do know what I'm talking about.

Me too.