Best Linux distro for Waveform?

[SuitcaseOfLizards]

Sick of Winblows and a Mac is way overpriced.

I want to experiment with WF13 on Linux. Does anyone have a recommended distro? And what audio interface works well?

All info appreciated!

[dajonaga]

I always recommend starting with what is officially supported, so... Ubuntu. I'll go with the latest LTS, which is 24.04... and that's also my daily driver. (I distro hopped ... a lot)

Interface? I have a Lewitt Connect 6 but it does not support Linux (I have a Windows VM to change settings) I do not recommend such an interface for Linux.

Here are some good (IMO) resources to start your journey:

MOTU M4 on Linux:


unfa's channel is about producing on Linux:
https://www.youtube.com/@unfa00



Last but not least... Wine and Yabridge for those Windows plugins (like Dawesome's)


Hope that helps. Have fun.-

[audiojunkie]

AV Linux

[Maarid]

well, judging by the fact that waveform packages are distributed in deb format, any debian-based distribution, everything is ***untu for sure.
the site says ubuntu, if I remember exactly. I once tried to convert deb to other formats, as a result, I got some conflicts with shell and I gave up this idea.
I would also like to move, I often try, but I always come across the feeling that every time I get off an uncomfortable, boring bike, I make square wheels with a hammer and so I try to go on, assuring myself that it has become more convenient for me. As a rule, I am not enough for a long time.

[SuitcaseOfLizards]

ok, cool! I'll grab Ubuntu and et up a system with it for testing, been tears since I bashed around on a Linux box.. I need practice (looool).

Thanks for all the help, Tracktion folks are great!

[talby]

When I recently purchased two USB audio interface for two different locations, I found information in the public to not be so clear if the Motu devices would flawlessly run in Linux and therefore hesitated to purchase one, although their specifications (MOTU M4) are so great that it was a very difficult decision to not try it out.

I finally got a small SSL USB audio interface, actually the SSL12. Of course, as the SSL software is not available for Linux, you cannot use its advanced features - and it would have lots of them. But I can confirm that it works in Linux flawlessly out of the box in regard of the usage of the direct input and output channels, and hardware sliders, turning knobs and buttons. Interface internal channel routing would require the SSL software, but by now I didn't try Wine and if SSL software runs there. I would assume that the even smaller models SSL2 and SSL2+ will work the same as the SSL12 does.

I also got an Arturia MiniFuse 2 USB audio interface. Here I can also use the direct input and output channels in Linux out of the box, but different to the SSL12 I can not output to channels 3+4, which are supposed to feed the headphone output with a different signal than the main channel 1+2 outputs. I just see output 1+2 and this same signal feeds to the main output and to the headphone output. Again, as no Linux software is provided WINE could be tested to overcome this by proper usage of the accompanying software made for providing the full access to the features, but I didn't WINE by now.

You will find recent information about several series of the Focusrite USB audio interfaces to now in Linux being well supported by software developed by a LinuxMusician community member - not by the company, though. So, read and find out if you would manage to get this software installed by yourself:
https://linuxmusicians.com/viewtopic.php?t=26217
I didn't investigate this myself.

I didn't purchase and subsequently didn't test the Mackie Onyx Producer USB audio interface on my own, although it is said to be compatible with Linux and Waveform OEM is delivered with it, because it was several time commented somewhere in the public, that its turning knobs would almost not adjust anything in the first 3/4 path of the turn, but in the remaining highest 1/4 of the turn would then react so heavily that fine adjustments would not be a joy to accomplish.

Comparing the SSL12 with the Arturia MiniFuse, for me the SSL wins.
Both devices are so new on my desks that I haven't got time to test and compare the MIC inputs. Expect from the specifications that SSL should perform much better.
Comparing the outputs, the SSL sounds clear and precise and for sure much better than having the same active studio monitor boxes connected directly to the laptop. The same for headphone usage at the SSL. On the contrary, the MiniFuse feeding the same speakers and headphones sounds to my ears exactly the same dull as driving them from my laptop internal sound device. Also, the MiniFuse LED strip shows only ouptut levels instead of input levels. Besides this in general being a limitation, I suffer the LED strips to blink all the time when something is played back. Additionally the headphone and the mixer button have LED which blink all the time. This is really distracting. I need to find out how to blacken with paint the LEDs of the knobs, and will darken the output level strip with a cover. The MiniFuse sells at a much lower price point and therefore the different sound quality was to be expected. But even on a low cost audio interface I would have expected pragmatic lightning instead of distracting discotheque.

Good luck with Your choice!

[unholyeyebrows]

I’ve been around all the Linux distros and Ubuntu LTS is my best suggestion. Not only is it Waveform’s recommended distro it is also the most compatible with all the other Linux DAWs and plugins you’ll inevitably want!