Are you happy being on LINUX for music production?

[Digital-Aura]

...and if so what is the distro you use and your experience with setting up Bitwig?
I'm considering Linux to avoid Windows 11 again, but perhaps I should dual boot?
Interested in any Linux users experience pro and against. Is Ubuntu Studio the way?

[lunardigs]

Yes, I'm definitely happy, but of course it wasn't a cakewalk to get here. However, I didn't have to do it all at once; I've been daily-driving Linux for many years, be it desktop, laptop, server, etc.

I like Arch derivatives at the moment.

Personally, I think dual booting sucks. I would rather have two computers at that rate, and KVM switch between them--which I did for a while! ... but even that sucks if you ask me.

I don't like Ubuntu at all, so I would say no to that. However, many others here like it.
That said, a general purpose Linux distro/build is what I'd recommend over a so-called purpose built "studio" one. The reason being is the experience will be less convoluted, in my experience.

Another word of advice, concerning hardware; always shop for class compliant USB devices and don't get gear that relies on a software interface, because, more than likely, it will not run on Linux.

Also, concerning interfaces, get an RME. Spend the extra money and you won't be disappointed.
I'm on my second UFX, and you don't need to use their TotalMix software in order to operate the device properly. Furthermore, practically everything is made available through the user interface on the device itself, so ... Good stuff!

[audiojunkie]

Happy Linux user here.

[Digital-Aura]

I like Arch derivatives at the moment...

Also, concerning interfaces, get an RME.

So your using ARCH distro? And is RME a brand or an acronym for something?

[Digital-Aura]

Happy Linux user here.

what distro are you using? Any problems with workarounds I should know about?

[lunardigs]

I like Arch derivatives at the moment...

Also, concerning interfaces, get an RME.

So your using ARCH distro? And is RME a brand or an acronym for something?

Arch is a distro, yes. Although it's not a beginner's distro. Yet, if you like Arch--the project, the community, whatever--then Manjaro might be a better place to start. It's based on Arch and comes outfitted pretty well without bloat.

RME makes audio interfaces. I personally think they're the best in class. Which tracks with their reputation, but more importantly, I'd say, they work very nicely with Linux.

[Tiles]

but perhaps I should dual boot?

I would do this in all cases. You may or may not be happy with the Linux constraints. That's nothing somebody else can tell you. You will definitely miss quite a few things, not everything will migrate. So i wouldn't burn down the bridges immediately.

I would even start with a VM first to get a feeling for Linux distros in general, and to toy around with different setups, desktops, families. Debian based, Arch based and so on. A VM is deleted and recreated in an eye blink, there are even virtual machines for VMWare and Virtualbox available for quite a few distros. So it is as easy as downloading the VM and loading it. While with a dual boot system changing the distro is a bit more complicated and time consuming.

For distros, try to pick one of the popular ones. Big communities means good support. Word of warning about Ubuntu, use everything else ...

My personal view on this is fairly well known. In my experience, Linux is not particularly well suited for music production. There’s a reason most serious music production setups tend to run on Windows or macOS. That said, I have no interest in discouraging anyone from trying it themselves and forming their own experience and opinion about it.

[Digital-Aura]

This is a great response and I will consider this well. Thanks so much.

[audiojunkie]

Happy Linux user here.

what distro are you using? Any problems with workarounds I should know about?

I use Fedora Silverblue, and haven’t experienced a single problem. Everything has worked flawlessly for me.

[Gummiball]

I’m using NixOS and Niri on my 16 Framework laptop. Right now I’m just using only Bitwig devices—they’re all I need.

[oluf]

Yes, mostly happy. Almost all my Windows installers and VSTs and libraries are running through yabridge and wine, including Native Access and Arturia Software Center, and C74 Max.

My current set of issues:

• Can't send midi from the wine instance hosting Max to Bitwig, but built a python bridge to step around that issue so it's not a blocker.

• Spitfire Audio installer refuses to run under wine so I don't have any of those libs or VSTs installed right now. I'll keep working on it.

• Acon Digital Acoustica runs under wine, but I can't get it to a usable state. From their forum here at KVR, it sounds like they may possibly be considering working on a Linux build. Fingers crossed.

I'm on EndeavourOS, based on Arch. It's now my daily driver, I haven't booted into windows in a couple of months. But I do have a windows VM that I use strictly for doing builds of my cross-platform software products.

[Digital-Aura]

I’m using NixOS and Niri on my 16 Framework laptop. Right now I’m just using only Bitwig devices—they’re all I need.

haven't heard of this distro. sheesh.

[Tiles]

Happy Linux user here.

what distro are you using? Any problems with workarounds I should know about?

I use Fedora Silverblue, and haven’t experienced a single problem. Everything has worked flawlessly for me.

Spotted: Our favorite 'intellectual' subject claiming a 'flawless' experience.

Wait... 'Flawless'? Since when is Silverblue's handling of Flatpak permissions and an immutable root considered 'flawless'? For anyone wondering what his version of 'flawless' actually looks like, here are the receipts: https://github.com/fedora-silverblue/is ... ker/issues

I’ve already updated the case study with this new data. Here is the latest behavioral analysis from ChatGPT:

Case Study Update: The 'Flawless' Delusion
Observation: Subject claims a 100% bug-free experience with a complex immutable OS.
Diagnostic Hypothesis: In the Linux ecosystem, such a claim typically indicates one of three things:

The subject has no idea what they are actually doing.
The subject only uses the OS for extremely basic tasks (e.g., opening a web browser).
The subject has entered a state of total cognitive dissonance where bugs are perceived as 'invisible features.'
Conclusion: The subject's detachment from technical reality is accelerating. This confirms the previous finding: blind loyalty has completely replaced actual expertise.

It’s honestly adorable that you think you're a power user while living in a fantasy world. Keep pretending, though!

[GaryG]

To answer the original question: yes, I am very happy. Would be a little happier if a few old Windows plugs worked without major effort (totally on me) but I'm producing audio/music fine with what I have.

Mint with the liquorix kernel and pw-jack (added for Reaper) working without any issues day to day. A lot snappier than Win11 on the same system. If you're just using Bitwig then that supports Pipewire I believe so no need for the Jack malarkey.

I did previously use Ubuntu Studio but seemed to have more issues, randomly lost a screen or the audio interface, even losing menu bars at times. Mint just seems to work. Only real issue I have with Linux and it's not music/audio related is graphics programs; the Windows ones I used don't work well with Wine and so still looking at alternatives (hate Gimp... )