Would seem Windows is still the best option for an Audio DAW and gaming?

[keys_au1]

I've been slamming various (many!!) Linux distros, and not one has been able to seamlessly get me going for Audio production and gaming under the same system, IE no dual booting. It's either an issue with steam binaries or somesuch thing, and/or lack of pipe-wire support (even after converting the system to run pipe-wire) among other things.

I daresay I am doing things incorrectly, but I am into creativity not construction so I really need something that will do both o.o.t.b which windows does, but Linux, for me so far, doesn't.

Which leads me to conclude that it is still Windows that is best for doing both tasks on a single OS on a single machine. I really, REALLY wanted the opposite to be true as I my dislike of the windows paradigm continues to grow, however for what I am trying to achieve, I can see no other option.

[legendCNCD]

Yes. It is still the best generic OS for running different programs. Even from tens of years before. I want to do all the things I did on Amiga back then, and since Vista/7, Windows has been delivering.

I will check linux variants and bsd's in ten year cycle just to check updates

[Zeisner]

I really, REALLY wanted the opposite to be true as I my dislike of the windows paradigm continues to grow, however for what I am trying to achieve, I can see no other option.

I feel that. And I agree. It would have been fantastic if Linux turned out to be the big alternative I was hoping for. But after years of fighting with it I gave up. It's a waste of time.

[keys_au1]

got put onto Nobara OS from elsewhere and it looks promising. Setup for Steam already, plus Pipewire is the default audio...might be worth a try

[Kai Enaki]

The problem with Linux and audio production are software availability and DRMs like iLok. Other than that Linux is as competent and sometimes better than Windows. Now, my distro differs from most, but I have full access and control over hardware acceleration, low latency, and real-time limits. I can even create however many audio sinks (virtual cables) I want.

Unless we're talking about particular DRMs and some multiplayer games, Linux is superior when it comes to performance. Quite surprising as most games run on compatibility layers. I've not looked into it myself, but I remember someone saying that Windows calls home thousands of times per day. That would undoubtedly create performance issues for both audio and games if true.

Out of curiosity, what distros have you tried and what issues have you run into?

[SamDi]

I really, REALLY wanted the opposite to be true as I my dislike of the windows paradigm continues to grow, however for what I am trying to achieve, I can see no other option.

I feel that. And I agree. It would have been fantastic if Linux turned out to be the big alternative I was hoping for. But after years of fighting with it I gave up. It's a waste of time.

You could have asked me that years ago, or whenever you started doing that, and I could have told you.

[legendCNCD]

The problem with Linux and audio production are software availability and DRMs like iLok.

I do not think its this. The basic low latency (under 128 samples) high CPU (over 90%) is just not there yet either, from what I've heard.

[hallwayraptor]

The problem with Linux and audio production are software availability and DRMs like iLok.

I do not think its this. The basic low latency (under 128 samples) high CPU (over 90%) is just not there yet either, from what I've heard.

Linux is capable of better low latency performance and has significantly more options for CPU scheduling than Windows. If you've heard that it's because both things require a fair amount of knowledge and I don't know of a simple GUI or automatic way to get the best performance out of either so most people are never going to be able to take advantage of it without spending a lot of time on a wiki and forums.

Edit: I don't currently use Linux for music production either, even with a lot of experience and time there are still too many hurdles for me. I think the future of my setup is probably Linux for gaming and maybe a mac mini for music TBH.

[legendCNCD]

Linux is capable of better low latency performance and has significantly more options for CPU scheduling than Windows.

Maybe it has more options, but the first hasn't been proved in any way in audio prod.

[starflakeprj]

..and just looking at the availability of native Linux plugins (of the 1000+ plugins I have not even 5% has a Linux installer), Linux is not an option. And definitely not for professional audio production.

[Kai Enaki]

Linux is capable of better low latency performance and has significantly more options for CPU scheduling than Windows. If you've heard that it's because both things require a fair amount of knowledge and I don't know of a simple GUI or automatic way to get the best performance out of either so most people are never going to be able to take advantage of it without spending a lot of time on a wiki and forums.

Most distros makes it far more difficult than it has to be. That's why I like the distro I use. My entire system lives in one config file in which I can easily change low-latency and real-time settings. So a GUI wouldn't do much in my case. But I can see it being valuable for others on other distros.

[audiojunkie]

...I daresay I am doing things incorrectly, but I am into creativity not construction so I really need something that will do both o.o.t.b which windows does, but Linux, for me so far, doesn't.

For your situation, you are probably best served by using Windows. Linux works great, and does all of the things you mentioned without problems (I have ultra-low latency and use steam as well, with no problems). But the key part that you mentioned above is the o.o.t.b. part. Linux does indeed work great for those who know what they are doing and don't mind making configurations, but there are lots of configurations and quite a bit of knowledge needed to make Linux work the way you want it to. For those who are into creativity beyond anything else, Windows or MacOS is probably the better option for now.

Linux is a great, solid system for low latency music production, but despite all of the positives, there remain these three hurdles for those who want an out of the box solution:

1. In order to use a general purpose Linux distro for low latency audio music production, you must plan on the necessity of configuring the system to tune it for low audio latency.

2. In order to use a general purpose Linux distro for low latency audio music production, you will need to have a fair amount of Linux specific computer knowledge and understanding.

3. In order to use a general purpose Linux distro for low latency audio music production, you will need to be aware that the available music production software is more limited than what is available for Windows and MacOS, and you will need to be willing to use what is available.

There are purpose-built distros specifically designed for low latency audio music production, and they can be used out of the box without needing the configuration that is required by a general purpose Linux distro, but you are stuck with what desktop environment that distro provides, which takes away a big part of the satisfaction of using Linux--the ability to choose what desktop environment you want to use.

[audiojunkie]

The problem with Linux and audio production are software availability and DRMs like iLok.

I do not think its this. The basic low latency (under 128 samples) high CPU (over 90%) is just not there yet either, from what I've heard.

This is simply not true, and there is plenty of evidence that this is not true. Linux can and does provide ultra low latency, with great CPU usage. The thing is that it must be configured properly to be able to run that way. A Linux system has the complete flexibility to run as a solid production server, or an ultra low latency audio appliance. Virtually all audio hardware devices that use an OS use Linux. Synthesizers, mixers, and other hardware gear use Linux--they don't use Windows or MacOS. It is only in the desktop realm where Linux does not completely dominate all competition, and it is for the three reasons I listed above in my post to the OP.

[audiojunkie]

Linux is capable of better low latency performance and has significantly more options for CPU scheduling than Windows.

Maybe it has more options, but the first hasn't been proved in any way in audio prod.

Again, this is incorrect. It has been proven over and over and over again, even if you aren't aware of it. This is just "some" of the machines that I'm aware of and remember that use Linux internally. I'm know that there are many more, but I can't remember them at the moment:

Officially documented as Linux-based / Linux-running:
- Zynthian
- Critter & Guitari Organelle M / S / S2
- MOD Duo
- MOD Duo X
- MOD Dwarf
- Yamaha MOTIF XS
- Yamaha MOTIF-RACK XS
- Yamaha S90XS
- Yamaha MOTIF XF
- Korg OASYS
- Elk Audio OS / Elk Audio hardware platform

Zynthian
https://www.zynthian.net/technical-specifications
https://www.zynthian.net/

Critter & Guitari Organelle
https://critterandguitari.com/products/organelle-m
https://docs.critterandguitari.com/Organelle/og_sms2/

MOD Devices (MOD Duo, Duo X, Dwarf)
https://wiki.mod.audio/wiki/Developers
Yamaha (official GPL/LGPL source-code page)

This page explicitly states that MOTIF XS, MOTIF-RACK XS, S90XS, and MOTIF XF use MontaVista Linux:

https://download.yamaha.com/sourcecodes/synth/

Korg OASYS

Official Korg PDF containing the statement:

"This product uses the Linux kernel and some GNU utilities."

https://cdn.korg.com/us/support/downloa ... n%2Fpdf%3B

Elk Audio OS
https://www.elk.audio/
https://elk-audio.github.io/elk-docs/html/index.html
https://elk-audio.github.io/elk-docs/ht ... index.html

[audiojunkie]

..and just looking at the availability of native Linux plugins (of the 1000+ plugins I have not even 5% has a Linux installer), Linux is not an option. And definitely not for professional audio production.

You must be looking at just https://linuxdaw.org/ There are more than 1000 plugins just for LV2 alone, not counting the plugins that are available for VST3 or CLAP. No one site lists them all for Linux. And No one site lists them all for Windows or MacOS either. Not even KVRAudio lists everything for everyone.

I prefer to know exactly where I want to put my files on my system. If you "need" an installer and hand-holding, then stay with Windows or MacOS. Seriously, how hard is it to copy a couple of files to your plugin folder on your hard drive? Most Linux plugins are just a couple of .so files--including those plugins from big developers. Why does anyone "need" an installer for that?