Considering Linux for my next music production computer - wise or not?

[stimresp]

I recently moved my desktop from Ubuntu studio to Debian 13 Trixie. With pipewire and some judicious fiddling, there is no need for a real-time kernal and I'm comfortably at a 128 blocksize / 3 ms latency. Running Bitwig, Renoise and VCV rack with no issues.

Using Wine and Yabridge I've gotten some, but not all, of my windows VSTs working. One thing to watch out for is to install Wine 9.21 staging - later versions break Yabridge and the VST GUI's don't work correctly.

General tip: Google Gemini helped me a lot with system tweaks.

[uOpt]

How does routing work when I have several jack client sitting on pipewire?

Does qjackctl work?

[audiojunkie]

It should largely work, but qpwgraph is the preferred tool for connecting everything together. RaySession is a great session manager. These two tools should cover your Pipewire connection and session save/restore needs.

[j_e_g]

Just like a politician

Speaking of which, I'm running for the elected position of "Defender from Evil Software Pushed by Over-promising Trolls" (DESPOT). This is a new cabinet position intended to protect consumers from being fooled into installing software updates that break their setup. I would appreciate your vote (although I don't really need it since we're using voting machines made by Dominion. And the fix is already in). If elected I promise to:

1) Send ICE agents to the home of any programmer who creates yet another audio server for Linux. They will destroy all computer components and deport that programmer to a third world country with no internet access, To ensure no further terrorist acts from that individual, a firewall will be built. Mexico will pay for the firewall.

2) Outlaw any configuration that cannot be implemented by someone "who doesn't know about, or can't be bothered to learn about" things like bash scripts, environment variable settings in obscure config files, kernel boot parameters, etc. If the configuration doesn't have a single GUI interface for complete configuration, then it doesn't belong in a generic OS used by ordinary endusers.

3) Require fanboys, who extol the virtues of niche "solutions" to reveal the actual number of failed attempts they made over the years to get a satisfactorily working system.

Thank you, and god bless late-stage capitalism.

[Tiles]

The other options are Windows 11 - which is literally looking worse every time I check tech news or whatever - or MacOS, which ties me to Mac hardware and therefore the pricing and limitations of such.

Heh, when i follow the news then my Windows should not be able start at all. And when i follow the news, then Linux is already dominating everything, including desktop, frigerator and universe.

Fact is, my Windows simply works, relatively trouble free. Since many years. And Linux is still a small niche at the desktop. Since many years.

Yes, also i hate the direction in which Windows goes. And i hate in which direction Mac walks since years. But at the end of the day i have a job to do. Which i can't at Linux. Especially my music pipeline is mission impossible at Linux. And it's not that i didn't try. No Kontakt would already be the end of story for me.

What would you suggest?

For me the job is to make music. As good and as trouble and hassle free as possible.

So my advice is: Avoid exotic solutions, they will most of the times lead you to nowhere. Look what the masses and professionals uses instead. That's where the software is, that's where the community and help is. Professionals are no morons. They use what they use for a good reason.

This advice also fits when you search for a DAW or new instruments or software in general.

Then have a look at your current pipeline, and be honest to yourself. One missing VST or not working hardware like your audio interface can already be a hint that you are at the wrong track.

In case you still want to migrate to Linux after these two steps, then i wish you good luck. Allowed is what works

[uOpt]

It should largely work, but qpwgraph is the preferred tool for connecting everything together. RaySession is a great session manager. These two tools should cover your Pipewire connection and session save/restore needs.

Thanks for that. Do these connection managers also have commandline tools to make and break connections from a script like jack does?

[uOpt]

2) Outlaw any configuration that cannot be implemented by someone "who doesn't know about, or can't be bothered to learn about" things like bash scripts, environment variable settings in obscure config files, kernel boot parameters, etc. If the configuration doesn't have a single GUI interface for complete configuration, then it doesn't belong in a generic OS used by ordinary endusers.

Ugh? Should this be inverted?

How do you configure things from a script if everything is clickibunti?

[audiojunkie]

It should largely work, but qpwgraph is the preferred tool for connecting everything together. RaySession is a great session manager. These two tools should cover your Pipewire connection and session save/restore needs.

Thanks for that. Do these connection managers also have commandline tools to make and break connections from a script like jack does?

I'm not sure about that. I've always preferred GUI tools if they are available. I can certainly see the benefit of having both available though. I know that you can make/break connections through the CLI with Wireplumber. Maybe that would be sufficient?

[Pictus]

The other options are Windows 11 - which is literally looking worse every time I check tech news or whatever(...)

Yes, also i hate the direction in which Windows goes.(...)

True, but this makes Windows usable
viewtopic.php?t=621326

[uOpt]

I'm not sure about that. I've always preferred GUI tools if they are available. I can certainly see the benefit of having both available though. I know that you can make/break connections through the CLI with Wireplumber. Maybe that would be sufficient?

I use many computers and I can't go through a GUI every time I have a new desktop. I must have something that is configured either with a config file or on the commandline so that I can put it into a script.

I'll check out Wireplumber. Although I have to say that qjackctl better works if Pipewire is that compatible with jackd

[j_e_g]

How do you configure things from a script if everything is clickibunti?

You don't. You run the GUI once to set the configuration, then use its "Settings -> Export" menu command to save somewhere you can "Settings -> Import" later.

I can do that faster than you can open your text editor, and type the first command of your shell script.

What's that? You're using software written by developers who don't know how to create a GUI menu (much less why an enduser would want to export/import settings)? Nevermind, use a session manager, and a bash terminal, and a text editor, and a connection manager, and a daemon settings manager, and a SystemD service file. That will hopefully get it working under Linux (maybe... temporarily...). And as you can probably guess, it's quick, and easy, and requires asking only one AI agent (Google Gemini) "How the hell do I get this to work??".

[audiojunkie]

I'm not sure about that. I've always preferred GUI tools if they are available. I can certainly see the benefit of having both available though. I know that you can make/break connections through the CLI with Wireplumber. Maybe that would be sufficient?

I use many computers and I can't go through a GUI every time I have a new desktop. I must have something that is configured either with a config file or on the commandline so that I can put it into a script.

I'll check out Wireplumber. Although I have to say that qjackctl better works if Pipewire is that compatible with jackd

Understandable. Everyone has their own way of working.

[Touch The Universe]

It's wiser than a Windows

[3lu5iv3]

Distro recommendation: Omarchy (Arch + Hyprland)

[kvotchin]

AV Linux is the most recent one that has caught my eye.

That and the still low key tempting M4 Pro / M4 Max option…