KVR Audio

zerocrossing · Post by **zerocrossing** » Fri Mar 13, 2026 2:16 am

thievedletter wrote: Thu Mar 12, 2026 10:38 pm
zerocrossing wrote: Wed Mar 11, 2026 7:39 pm I am also the sexiest man in America, and everyone is soon going to realize it and want me.
Come on man, isn't it normal for the understudy to announce after my retirement??!?!

Interesting article for sure. Kind of feels like a chicken/egg scenario, in reverse. Linux might get used more if more devs worked towards that, while Linux being widely used would be what made them do it.

I don't really know anything about developing plugins, but it seems like a pretty big stretch for all the major plugin developers to all switch in any sort of timely fashion. Even moving from one Apple OS to the next seems to generate a lot of consternation. If it happened, would I switch? Sure, but it would have to be pretty damn near every one of them, and that seems like a lot of programming hours at a time when people are typing, "churn out a hit song and make it phat" in a Suros prompt for making music. Markus Krauss of Tone2 has been making noises about how slow the plugin sales have been lately, though part of that could be that they never make new instruments anymore, even though he does release free updates a lot.

Benedict · Post by **Benedict** » Fri Mar 13, 2026 2:46 am

It is always easy for the legless turtle to claim that next week it will beat the hare.

Linux may well have some tech wins over MacO/S and Windows, BUT so did Warp O/S and BeOS. The problem for Linux is that it is not so easy to install and just have things work, and the real killer is that you can't just d'load any piece of software you want (which broadly is the case with Apple/Win). Sure, there is some stuff, but none of it is as established as say MS Word. Gooba Docs have not killed off MS Office. Open Orifice never will - even if they add a uber -feature as MS will put it in next time - as they did with the massive UI improvements did when OO first got chatter.

Further, DAW development on Linux is just not there. Maybe if Reason was there I might look BUUUUT my (now ex) IT pro partner recently set up a Linux startup and within a few days was abandoning it as nothing worked. A massive fail when everything worked on Win 11. If people can't just suddenly do what they want, they will not come/stay.

So I do not foresee any real change for Linux usage as the established players are established and working in ways that Linux just never has been, or appears like it will be in any practical future.

lunardigs · Post by **lunardigs** » Fri Mar 13, 2026 2:59 am

jancivil · Post by **jancivil** » Fri Mar 13, 2026 3:14 am

The topic title smacks of a religious quality of belief. The rise would have to be pretty massive to drive enough developers to invest all the time and capital, grandiose rhetoric isn't persuasive like that. Chances are pretty much nil that crucial things to my work will do it, and managing a high maintenance platform that is far from even being one thing is not my idea of worthwhile time expenditure. But I hope whatever you want from it works out splendidly.

lunardigs · Post by **lunardigs** » Sun Mar 15, 2026 2:57 pm

Eh, it's not hyperbolic. Linux is everywhere, and it quietly happened for the most part ...

Yet, the big news here isn't that 'Linux is defeating something or "rising" or inviting new users en-mass, because of whatever stupid new thing,' it's instead the long-coming end of an old model, which Windows and Apple represent--and have capitalized upon and enriched so many by. Which, in my view, pretty much goes hand-in-hand with our late stage of capitalism. And it's unstoppable I'd say.

So what's really going on here is consumerism is coming to an end, at least as we know it. And believe it or not, Linux isn't a brand (chew on that for moment), so to think of it in terms of branding and brand-wars, etc. is an antiquated view probably. We're not in the 90's and early 2000's anymore, and these later generations don't operate like gen x, millennials and boomers.

Tiles · Post by **Tiles** » Sun Mar 15, 2026 3:32 pm

audiojunkie wrote: Wed Mar 11, 2026 7:24 pm Great article!

https://musictech.com/features/opinion- ... -on-board/

The article is unfortunately anything but great. Honestly, it reads more like a Linux advocacy piece than a serious analysis. It’s very reminiscent of the “Linux will inevitably take over the desktop” narratives that have been circulating for the past twenty years. And is completely ignoring how much harder it actually is to develop and provide proper support for professional audio software on Linux compared to Windows or macOS.

The central claim that Linux desktop dominance is “inevitable” isn’t supported by the numbers. Linux desktop share on desktop is still only around 4–5% globally. Even if it keeps growing, that’s a very small market compared to Windows and macOS. For software companies, supporting another platform means additional engineering, QA, support, packaging, and long-term maintenance. That investment only makes sense if the market is large enough.

The article also tries to link the AI boom with a future mass migration to Linux, but provides no evidence for that. Historically, users almost never switch operating systems in large numbers, even when companies make unpopular changes. We’ve seen that with things like Windows Vista, Windows 8, or major macOS transitions.

Another red flag is the claim that GPUs are now four times more expensive and RAM ten times more expensive than a year ago. No sources are provided, and a 10× RAM price increase would be a massive industry event affecting the entire tech sector. It is more expensive, no question, but not in this values.

The piece also greatly underestimates the technical complexity of supporting Linux for pro audio. Audio software is not OS-agnostic. Windows uses WASAPI/ASIO, macOS uses CoreAudio, and Linux uses ALSA, JACK, or PipeWire. Supporting these properly requires real engineering work.

On top of that, the professional plugin ecosystem (VST3, AU, AAX) is still heavily focused on Windows and macOS. Many commercial plugins simply don’t ship Linux versions, which is a major limitation for professional users.

The article also points to Wine/Proton as a workaround, but compatibility layers are not always reliable for low-latency audio, hardware drivers, or copy-protection systems like iLok.

Linux audio has definitely improved a lot in recent years, and there are some great projects pushing things forward. But presenting Linux desktop dominance in music production as “inevitable” ignores market realities, ecosystem lock-in, and the economic decisions developers actually have to make. It also ignores that Windows and macOS have continued to improve as well, and that they are still where the vast majority of musicians actually are.

Honestly, I wish some of the energy spent arguing that Linux will inevitably take over was instead spent on making the Linux audio ecosystem better.

audiojunkie · Post by **audiojunkie** » Sun Mar 15, 2026 9:34 pm

All in the eyes of the beholder.

lunardigs · Post by **lunardigs** » Mon Mar 16, 2026 2:16 am

Tiles wrote: Sun Mar 15, 2026 3:32 pm ...

Tiles, you sound like an LLM to me.

Just saying.

Tiles · Post by **Tiles** » Mon Mar 16, 2026 6:47 am

Damn. Then I guess I need to improve my training data.

Hope that helps. Let me know if you'd like a deeper explanation or if you'd like me to provide the solution.

lunardigs · Post by **lunardigs** » Mon Mar 16, 2026 3:00 pm

No, that's alright; you've expended enough energy already. Thanks.

Screenshot 2026-03-16 at 10-11-08 GPTZero Dashboard.png

audiojunkie · Post by **audiojunkie** » Mon Mar 16, 2026 3:46 pm

Wow!

VitaminD · Post by **VitaminD** » Mon Mar 16, 2026 4:24 pm

Wake me when Linux gets full ASIO or CoreAudio support. I don't want to use Linux alternatives, I require use of all the tools I'm used to using in Windows (or MacOS for that matter, which supports my same audio tools).

The only 'big' gains in Linux adoption are in teen and 20-something gamers and/or lower income groups, where money for luxuries such as digital entertainment and art is less. I've read Linux is big in India, for example.

If Linux ever becomes a large scale platform for music work, it's first going to have to be much more adopted by gamers and general users. Basic end use needs to grow first. Otherwise large audio devs aren't likely to waste precious resources supporting another platform.

People go with what they know. They don't know Linux and I doubt many are going to reinvest in a new work environment (OS, audio software, audio setup) when that new work environment doesn't really offer many (any?) large functional advantages to the old.

audiojunkie · Post by **audiojunkie** » Mon Mar 16, 2026 4:46 pm

VitaminD wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2026 4:24 pm Wake me when Linux gets full ASIO or CoreAudio support. I don't want to use Linux alternatives, I require use of all the tools I'm used to using in Windows (or MacOS for that matter, which supports my same audio tools).

The only 'big' gains in Linux adoption are in teen and 20-something gamers and/or lower income groups, where money for luxuries such as digital entertainment and art is less. I've read Linux is big in India, for example.

If Linux ever becomes a large scale platform for music work, it's first going to have to be much more adopted by gamers and general users. Basic end use needs to grow first. Otherwise large audio devs aren't likely to waste precious resources supporting another platform.

People go with what they know. They don't know Linux and I doubt many are going to reinvest in a new work environment (OS, audio software, audio setup) when that new work environment doesn't really offer many (any?) large functional advantages to the old.

* Linux has full WineASIO support. It will never have CoreAudio support however.

* The gamers have indeed done wonders for Linux adoption. We owe Valve a debt of gratitude.

* Those with perfectly good hardware that won't run Windows 11 may find it useful.

Linux isn't for everyone. It's OK. Stick with what you know and use. Those who use Linux know why they use it.

Tiles · Post by **Tiles** » Mon Mar 16, 2026 4:52 pm

lunardigs wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2026 3:00 pm No, that's alright; you've expended enough energy already. Thanks.

Screenshot 2026-03-16 at 10-11-08 GPTZero Dashboard.png

Be careful, it's AI

In fact i have used ChatGPT to check my wording. Which i nowadays always do to prevent too offending answers and for grammar and spell check. I had as usual too much F words in my original text. Just ask Audiojunkie, he knows my old discussion style. And he was everything but happy about it. I can continue that way if you want

The facts remains the facts though. Even when some F***ers always prefers to spread fake news and plain lies. Friends, i can just repeat what i say since twenty years. You blind fanatics do more harm to our Linux than i as a honest Linux user could ever do. For me facts matters. And i will never lie to people.

Tiles · Post by **Tiles** » Mon Mar 16, 2026 4:53 pm

Linux has full WineASIO support

Talking about fake news ... that's Jack and ALSA under the hood.

The rise of Linux desktop is inevitable — it’s time music software developers got on board