A Good Linux Distro For Music Production?

[jens]

As if they're mutually exclusive...

I never even hinted at them being that - but out of the two of us, it wasn't me who conflated both...

[BBFG#]

As if they're mutually exclusive...

I never even hinted at them being that - but out of the two of us, it wasn't me who conflated both...

As if it were wrong to in the context of this topic...

[THE INTRANCER]

Yeah, if I was doing anything live, I wouldn't trust Windows to do it.

[Guenon]

I just see it as being severely limiting for music production, as the software scarcity I was mentioning is real for music production too.

I'd like to offer a counterexample, just a subjective individual professional's viewpoint if you will. And indeed, I think these days these are much more about preference and individual workflows, anyway. I'm using both Windows and Linux systems, and both allow me to do things that the other one doesn't. I'm not that interested in "this or that, either or" thinking or debate, and this is just a single anecdote.

For me, as a techie, Linux has been a great fit, and it suits my workflows well. I'll say it right off the bat, I don't unreservedly recommend it to someone who isn't at all tech-oriented; still, it's down to anyone's needs what works and what doesn't. So yeah, personally I'm in the small percentage of people who can custom build the whole environment to their liking, and then just forget about it afterwards, as it just works, heh.

On the native side of things, in Linux I mainly use Reaper, and have it configured for extensive editing workloads both on Windows and Linux. For a creative "non-linear" and/or "something completely different" spin, there's also Bitwig and Renoise (Bitwig was quite natural for me to jump into as I've been using Live on Windows for twenty years, and Renoise, well, let's just say I used trackers for a good number of years before that ).

I don't feel limited with native DAWs on Linux in any way, especially as I also have VCV Rack 2 Pro over there, with over 3120 modules, including the hosting suite for plugins. The software I've mentioned so far already offers a huge wealth of sound design possibilities. It's just staggering, really, and listing my favorites from the VCV library would just wall-of-textify this post more (okay okay, I just love the Cytomic stuff and Mutable stuff and Surge XT modules, Unfiltered Audio, Vult, Geodesics, Instruo, Voxglitch, VCV premium modules, argh there's just so many, covering all sorts of audio processing, can't possibly list it all).

But speaking of plugins, I'm also using everything by u-he, of course including Twangstrom and Colour Copy for great effects, but Diva and Zebra(HZ) are my goto synths on any OS, annnd I also love the Repros. On the sampling side, Renoise Redux, TAL-Sampler and Speedrum. In my opinion these are all excellent, and I prefer these over anything else on Windows as well. Just like I do the u-he and VCV stuff and and... You get the idea.

Venomode plugins are also terrific. Complexer 2 is my go-to dynamics processor both on Windows and Linux. Phrasebox is my go-to arpeggiator thing. Maximal 3 is the last plugin in my export chain. And so on.

However, it's not even close to ending there. Th Dragonfly and Turbo Paco reverbs, Chowdhury DSP plugins (with a lovely tape emulation, distortion and even more creative delay, as if u-he's Colour Copy wasn't enough, heh). Surge XT - the actual synth plugin in addition to the modular version - and Vital. Wonderful granular/atmospheric Audio Damage plugins like Other Desert Cities and Quanta. Other TAL stuff in addition to the sampler (TAL-Drum, TAL-DAC, TAL-NoiseMaker). Airwindows (which also has an excellent VCV implementation with categories and search and documentation. I'm often using VCV like a multi-effect, really).

Furnace Tracker and Virtual ANS also see some use here when doing specific stuff suited to them. Paul's extreme sound stretch and the more recent PaulXStretch are also native things I've used in production, as is Sonic Visualiser, although only in a couple of special occasions. I do have PureData, Sonic Pi, SuperCollider IDE and a version of Csound installed just because I enjoy experimenting in something completely off the wall once in a while but these aren't seeing so much use here, given the other tools I'm so much attached to.

I'm leaving a lot out, and just listing off the top of my head here, really. But so far it's all been the native side, and then there's of course the yabridge side, and running things on Wine, if you feel like it. On the more bread and butter side, robust workhorse plugins, I do have the Fabfilter plugins installed through yabridge, for example, and also TDR Limiter 6 GE, which I turn to from time to time. As a complete limiting solution, it's still my fave on any platform. I also love having things like the Sonic Charge plugins available, along with Valhalla DSP, Wavesfactory, TBProAudio (DSEQ is something I use for resonance removal quite a bit), Mangle for more granular power, Aalto, the Kazrog lineup, and so on. Too many to name, but they all work perfectly.

For my own needs, my Linux environment isn't "severely limiting" in any way, honest, really. These feel completely interchangeable most of the time, yet with individual advantages in both, and I use Windows or Linux based on the vibe and mood and need I happen to have. As I use both Windows and Linux, I have purposefully kept Kontakt off the Linux side, as I don't want to bridge that and activate terabytes of libraries under both systems. So when composing material using that, I'm on a Windows version of Reaper, on a Windows workstation.

[stoopicus]

Thanks for the thoughtful post, Guenon.

How is support for iZotope? Some more recent synth makers (Arturia, Kilohearts, etc?)

I am actually glad to hear Bitwig is over there, I wasn't aware of that.

[Guenon]

Thanks for the thoughtful post, Guenon.

How is support for iZotope? Some more recent synth makers (Arturia, Kilohearts, etc?)

I am actually glad to hear Bitwig is over there, I wasn't aware of that.

Izotope stuff "works" on Wine very nicely, BUT ironically the DRM they are using utilizes a cryptography method that isn't supported on this platform - so you cannot activate it. That's a bummer, and something to use on a different OS if/when you need it. I don't know about the status of Arturia or Kilohearts, they haven't been a part of my toolkit on any platform. For "software so new you almost have to build it yourself" I'm leaning so much towards VCV these days - it feels like there's always something wonderful happening there, module-wise xD

[jens]

As if they're mutually exclusive...

I never even hinted at them being that - but out of the two of us, it wasn't me who conflated both...

As if it were wrong to in the context of this topic...

I think it's healthy to laugh about oneself now and then (and you clearly have lots of opportunity for that), so kudos.

[nusound mind]

Honestly I feel that you can easily make music these days on Linux. Only issue: you don't get the plethora of software you get on Windows or MAC OS. That said, there are options. No Ableton Live, but you do get Bitwig, which tends to cover the same use cases. No ProTools, but you do get Reaper (and now, Studio One). Or Ardour, which, for all the hate it gets, is actually pretty capable. You don't get Fabfilter or Waves or Universal Audio plugins, but you do get U-He's plugins and lots of very good alternatives (usually by independent developers). And if you stick to certain OEMs for your hardware, everything works smoothly. Problems arise when you depend on a very specific workflow and/or hardware. So YMMV.

I'd be interested to hear which plugins and developers, particularly Linux exclusive ones and indie ones.

Another plus I'm curious about in giving Linux music production a test drive is the forced, stripped down limitations it would impose and would this limitation help in the way many say it does, or change the output in some way, creatively speaking. Less scrolling through an overlong plugin list.

[Guenon]

I'd be interested to hear which plugins and developers, particularly Linux exclusive ones and indie ones.

Another plus I'm curious about in giving Linux music production a test drive is the forced, stripped down limitations it would impose and would this limitation help in the way many say it does, or change the output in some way, creatively speaking. Less scrolling through an overlong plugin list.

Check my post above for starters , there's a bunch of Linux-native plugins mentioned there. Not Linux-exclusive, though. It's all just the stuff I personally use. As you can see, you can pretty easily overblow a plugin/effects/instruments selection on Linux these days too, lol. (From the viewpoint of keeping it simple in order to focus creatively on a compact, minimal set of tools, I mean.)

Quite a bit can be found using KVR's own database search. If synthesis and modular environments are at all your cup of tea, I encourage to check out VCV. Or Cardinal, for that matter, which is a FOSS alternative down to all the modules included, and based on the open portion of the VCV codebase.

[sprnva]

I'd be interested to hear which plugins and developers, particularly Linux exclusive ones and indie ones.

Another plus I'm curious about in giving Linux music production a test drive is the forced, stripped down limitations it would impose and would this limitation help in the way many say it does, or change the output in some way, creatively speaking. Less scrolling through an overlong plugin list.

Have a look here for some, but familiar names (other than u-he) include Airwindows, Audio Damage, AudioThing, TAL and Tracktion.

Something else to consider is that as well as having less GAS to deal with and the ensuing option paralysis, you'll also have less intrusive copy protection schemes to deal with. It's a more user-friendly environment in that respect.

All that said, I've only dabbled a little with Bitwig and native linux plugins but it feels pretty nice. I've recently switched my non-music-making daily-driver PC (which in its various incarnations has ran Windows since 1996) to Linux full-time. I don't know if I could switch my DAW system just yet but Windows isn't an option there and macOS on Intel probably only has so much life left. I could definitely set up a dual-boot so I could have a couple of different environments on offer. However, certain hardware would lack it's supporting software (Arturia MIDI Control Center, Elektron Overbridge, Scarlett MixControl etc).

[BBFG#]

OS exclusive software has become more of a reason to avoid them as well.
Hence:
viewtopic.php?t=573248

[Guenon]

OS exclusive software has become more of a reason to avoid them as well.
Hence:
viewtopic.php?t=573248

Heey that's a great post / list / collection

Edit: and I've even posted in that thread last year and didn't remember it , jeez.

[nusound mind]

Fantastic, thanks fellas. I also found this pinned thread in the cpu set forum. viewtopic.php?t=160807&start=1455

More than enough to start with to satiate my Linux curiosity for now.

[vlaad3]

I've actually had an excellent experience on Linux.

I installed the stock version of PopOS and got a cheap Behringer UMC 204HD. I knew I wanted Pipewire, and PopOS uses it. I had some annoyances early on. For example, I couldn't get my interface's extra outputs to work. But a Pipewire update fixed that issue. I can honestly say I haven't tinkered with it after the first few weeks. It's been almost a year, and it just works.

I did give up some windows VSTs, but I installed yabridge and every windows VST I have tried works fine. I only installed my favorites and mostly use stock effects nowadays.

As for DAWs, I've used Bitwig, Waveform Pro, Renoise, and now Blockhead. Bitwig has been very solid and easy to use. Waveform Pro was my old favorite on Windows, and I like it but moved on. Renoise rules, but I haven't been in a tracker mood lately. Blockhead is the hotness and a ton of fun.

I can't say everyone will have the same experience, but I've been pleasantly surprised. Everyone online said Linux audio would be a miserable slog. I did select my hardware with Linux in mind, so maybe that's the reason.

Pop OS works for me as well. After years on Windows, and more years on MacOS, felt suffocated by Apple walled garden and decided to try to migrate to Linux. Did a fare share of distrohopping and settled with Pop OS, as it works out of the box on all of my machines. I was primarily an Ableton user, so had to switch to Bitwig, which is great as well. Actually Ableton works on Pop OS (Linux) through WIne, but wouldnt rely on it. On the audio hardware side using Avid Mbox 3, Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 and Presonus 1820 without any issues.

[stoopicus]

felt suffocated by Apple walled garden

This is a common refrain from Windows and Linux users that I have never understood. Specifically how were you imprisoned by Apple?

I can buy or download Mac software from anyone I want, last time I checked. I just did yesterday. I can also install all the FOSS I want. Where is this mysterious walled garden? Are you mad because you can't install a new kernel or something? Don't like their nice free development tools?

Also, do you have *any idea* how much easier it is to provide tech support to family members using macs instead of PC's? If that's a consequence of the walled garden... bring it on Apple, I will be your willing thrall just for this alone

And I say that as a software developer that works on linux frequently. For years I was exclusively a unix developer, actually, often on linux.