The linux DAW thread

Configure and optimize you computer for Audio.
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MusE Rosegarden Waveform Pro

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https://librearts.org/

This is a nice resource for general info on linux project updates, including audio things.
Cheers

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Not sure if I should start a new thread on this but I'll ask here.

What music based distro do you guys recommend? I of course know of Ubuntu Studio, but are there any others of note?

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MXLinux21, 16 Gig RAM, Intel i7 Quad 3.9, Reaper 6.42, Behringer 204HD or Win7 Steinberg MR816x

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Cheers, Boone!

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https://geekosdaw.tuxfamily.org/en/

This is Suse Linux based, with some solid support, and based on a long-existing distro.

Also, a Fedora project exists, based on Redhat's long-running spinoff:

https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Fedora_jam

For a fast lightweight distro, add kx-studio repository to Bodhi linux, ubuntu spinoof which uses Enlightenment (moksha) for system gui:

https://bodhilinux.boards.net/

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Thanks Glokraw!

I actually use OpenSUSE for my general daily needs - however, I've found that many applications I use which have Linux versions (Bitwig, Mixbus, Reaper, Waveform) only distribute Deb packages, and I didn't want to mess around with alien. I'd rather just use a debian based distro.

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glokraw wrote: Fri Apr 23, 2021 11:15 pm https://geekosdaw.tuxfamily.org/en/

This is Suse Linux based, with some solid support, and based on a long-existing distro.

Also, a Fedora project exists, based on Redhat's long-running spinoff:

https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Fedora_jam

For a fast lightweight distro, add kx-studio repository to Bodhi linux, ubuntu spinoof which uses Enlightenment (moksha) for system gui:

https://bodhilinux.boards.net/
Do you know if Ubuntu's distribution, or any of these for that matter, are making changes in the kernel in favor of real time processes? I know that this was a thing at some point and that it was a "feature" of certain distributions for audio. That said, I've lost track of all of that because I've dismissed Linux for audio for the last decade or so. I'm putting a Linux machine in my studio though, for reasons, and so I'm trying to reorient myself to what's happening.

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I'm not sure about Ubuntu Studio (I couldn't find anything about a real time kernel on their page) but I know that AV Linux certainly does.

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auricle wrote: Sat Apr 24, 2021 7:06 pm I'm not sure about Ubuntu Studio (I couldn't find anything about a real time kernel on their page) but I know that AV Linux certainly does.
Yes, that's the distribution that I remember. I had forgotten the name. It's Debian based too, excellent.

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AVLinux gets better every year, and includes a working wine setup for windows vsts, and I think has linvst set up to wrap those vsts for linux daws, reaper, bitwig, mixbus, qtractor, ardour, carla etc Ubuntu Studio is also good out-of-the-box, and will deploy
an official nvidia driver if a card is detected, a help for displaying modern plugin gui's.

Lot's of audio performance increases have been included in standard and low-latency kernels over the years, so rt is not the necessity it once was. You can use top or htop to see the priority settings of running apps, and want to insure that whatever non-audio mission-critical bits and pieces you install, won't get stalled and lock up your system when recording the perfect riff, because a session is maxing out the available cpu.
I keep my audio priority at the default 95 of a possible 99 ( in the text file

etc/security/limits.d/audio.conf )

which looks like:

# Provided by the jackd package.
#
# Changes to this file will be preserved.
#
# If you want to enable/disable realtime permissions, run
#
# dpkg-reconfigure -p high jackd

@audio - rtprio 95
@audio - memlock unlimited
#@audio - nice -19

The 95 priority can go much lower, if some lockups occur. I've used 75 at times, without noticing poor performance. Knowing how your daw(s) and oft-used plugins deal with multiple cores/threads can make a big difference. Keeping the audio linux lean and fast is pretty easy these days. With lots of contiguous disk space for recording and sample installs , the common musician oriented linux versions will be a good experience. Uninstalling what won't ever be used is easy enough in current package managers like synaptic. The free linux synth collection is shaping up very well for 2021:

Surge
Vital
Helm
Odin2
Yoshimi/Zynaddsubfx
Dexed
Nils K1v
Ob-xd
AMSynth
Phasex
Linux Sampler
DecentSampler
SFZero
Hydrogen
Rakarrack
Air-plugins collection
Dragonfly Reverb

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ghettosynth wrote: Sat Apr 24, 2021 5:41 pm I'm putting a Linux machine in my studio though, for reasons, and so I'm trying to reorient myself to what's happening.
The linux Reaper forum is a good resource, and now that LV2 plugins are supported,
a new trove of plugins is available if you like Reaper for one of your daws.

https://forum.cockos.com/forumdisplay.php?f=52

Cheers

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glokraw wrote: Sun Apr 25, 2021 8:37 am
ghettosynth wrote: Sat Apr 24, 2021 5:41 pm I'm putting a Linux machine in my studio though, for reasons, and so I'm trying to reorient myself to what's happening.
The linux Reaper forum is a good resource, and now that LV2 plugins are supported,
a new trove of plugins is available if you like Reaper for one of your daws.

https://forum.cockos.com/forumdisplay.php?f=52

Cheers
I do, it has become my main DAW.

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Glokraw, that's some awesome advice you're giving. Thank you!

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I'm a fan of recycling, so info recycling of what others have shared with me,
comes natural. Thinking it up myself, not so much :( :hihi:
Cheers

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auricle wrote: Sat Apr 24, 2021 4:49 pm Thanks Glokraw!

I actually use OpenSUSE for my general daily needs - however, I've found that many applications I use which have Linux versions (Bitwig, Mixbus, Reaper, Waveform) only distribute Deb packages, and I didn't want to mess around with alien. I'd rather just use a debian based distro.
Reaper and Mixbus are not debs, they are a self installers. Waveform is a single binary app, so it's simple to unpack and run. Bitwig is huge deb package which can do some mess, yeah.

GeekosDAW is worth to look, you can find plugins there which are not available in any other repos.
I'm biasing it being a maintainer of GeekosDAW and like to get any feedback.

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