A Good Linux Distro For Music Production?

[dellboy]

Ok, I am writing this from the MX LIVE ISO and booted it from my windows desktop.

I have downloaded Reaper and extracted it and have clicked on "Reaper" - nothing. I have right clicked on "install Reaper.sh" and used the run command - nothing. I have tried to use the terminal and CD into the folder and run "install Reaper.sh" - nothing. I am using the Debian version of Reaper. I also tried the Arch version. What am I doing wrong?

In the terminal, CD into the folder with the extracted reaper files. Then type ./install-reaper.sh and hit enter.

Thanks for that. I have now managed to install it, and it appears in the multimedia menu as "Reaper", but clicking on it does nothing.

[Guenon]

Thanks for that. I have now managed to install it, and it appears in the multimedia menu as "Reaper", but clicking on it does nothing.

You have probably installed a version for an ARM processor by mistake. There was some confusion in your earlier post, about a "Debian version" and an "Arch version", and I think you meant an ARM architecture version (and have inadvertently installed that).

[dellboy]

Thanks for that. I have now managed to install it, and it appears in the multimedia menu as "Reaper", but clicking on it does nothing.

You have probably installed a version for an ARM processor by mistake. There was some confusion in your earlier post, about a "Debian version" and an "Arch version", and I think you meant an ARM architecture version (and have inadvertently installed that).

Nope, I have installed the Debian "i686" version. I was not sure what system MX Linux was built on, so I tried Arch, but a google revealed it is the "i686" version which is now installed but refusing to boot Reaper.

[Guenon]

Nope, I have installed the Debian "i686" version. I was not sure what system MX Linux was built on, so I tried Arch, but a google revealed it is the "i686" version which is now installed but refusing to boot Reaper.

Heh no, you are indeed confusing a couple of things here, trust me ... In any case, i686 refers to 32 bit builds of software across the board, x64 refers to 64 bit builds. You are very likely running the default MX ISO, which is - as is expected in this day and age - completely 64 bit. So you need to download the default install package of Reaper, too. From the big Download button, not the "Also available" alternative builds.



(Same as with Windows, above that. The main 64 bit version is the large download button, and below it "Also available: Windows 32-bit" : )

[stoopicus]

This thread has become unintentionally hilarious and full of outstanding displays of ignorance.

Indeed. Though not always in the way you mean

[dellboy]

Nope, I have installed the Debian "i686" version. I was not sure what system MX Linux was built on, so I tried Arch, but a google revealed it is the "i686" version which is now installed but refusing to boot Reaper.

Heh no, you are indeed confusing a couple of things here, trust me ... In any case, i686 refers to 32 bit builds of software across the board, x64 refers to 64 bit builds. You are very likely running the default MX ISO, which is - as is expected in this day and age - completely 64 bit. So you need to download the default install package of Reaper, too. From the big Download button, not the "Also available" alternative builds.



(Same as with Windows, above that. The main 64 bit version is the large download button, and below it "Also available: Windows 32-bit" : )

And indeed you were correct,thanks, and I have a red face now

[Guenon]

And indeed you were correct,thanks, and I have a red face now

Awh, sorry about that. But nice to know it's indeed installing as intended

[Artie Fichelle]

As I say, there are many helping people in the linux community.

[dan_flash]

You are obviously referencing Linux native VSTs. Windows native VSTs on Linux are another thing. Moving a Windows native VST into a folder named VST on Linux will do nothing. If only it were that easy then I am sure many more would migrate to Linux. You will need Yabridge or LinVst or Carla etc up and running for Windows native VSTs to function.You will also need to get around the activation of windows VSTs using Wine, which often does not work. Generally its true that Reaper is not difficult to install on a working Linux OS that is installed to a hard-drive. The difficulty I encountered was trying to install it to a LIVE ISO running MX Linux.

Aye that's correct. Whilst I understand that many people absolutely cannot live without [insert Windows/ Mac plugins here], especially if they've invested good money in them, I myself don't use any plugs that are not Linux native and I'd encourage new Linux users to likewise only use native plugs. After all, there is already a very large selection of brilliant Linux plugins / VSTis out there, open source and commercial.

Having said that, it's absolutely brilliant that projects like Yabridge exist. With a small bit of leg work (as per https://github.com/robbert-vdh/yabridge) you could probably get a large majority of Windows plugs to work without issue. That is an incredible feat that was unthinkable in the past.

[dan_flash]

Now to answer the original question - I'd recommend AV Linux if you're brand new or Mint + Ubuntu Studio Installer (or KX Studio repositories) if you already use Linux. These days however, pretty much any distro is viable for audio / music work.

Maybe the difficulty for new linux user is to choose which distro and which desktop

That's a fair point and easily forgotten if you've already settled on a distro and used Linux for a while.

There are a lot of articles and forum posts with solid recommendations however and, personally, I think it's a positive thing that there is so much choice and contrast. But you have a good point and I don't know of any significant way to address that (save distrowatch perhaps...?).

[audiojunkie]

This thread has become unintentionally hilarious and full of outstanding displays of ignorance.

Someone commented earlier about how hard it is to install Reaper or 'VSTs' on Linux compared to Windows. So let's genuinely compare;

Reaper on Windows. Download installer -> read the readme -> double click on it (or right click -> install or whatever).

Reaper on Linux. Download installer -> read the readme -> double click on it (or right click -> run in terminal).

VSTs on Windows. Download the .dll -> move it to your VST plug folder.

VSTs on Linux. Download the .so -> move to your VST folder.

Linux neither difficult to use nor learn. If the teenagers moaning about Linux in this thread were able to successfully learn how to make sick EDM beats on a cracked copy of Ableton in their bedroom (see what I did there?), then I'm sure they can successfully learn to use, and thrive with, any number of Linux distros.

Snottiness aside - most Linux users I've met are completely ambivalent about your personal choice of OS. At the end of the day, you use whichever OS gives you mileage and for most people that's Windows or MAC and that's brilliant. For me, and some others, it's Linux.

Now to answer the original question - I'd recommend AV Linux if you're brand new or Mint + Ubuntu Studio Installer (or KX Studio repositories) if you already use Linux. These days however, pretty much any distro is viable for audio / music work.

TL;DR: Use AVLinux and native plugins <--This is the gist of everything written below.

You are obviously referencing Linux native VSTs. Windows native VSTs on Linux are another thing. Moving a Windows native VST into a folder named VST on Linux will do nothing. If only it were that easy then I am sure many more would migrate to Linux. You will need Yabridge or LinVst or Carla etc up and running for Windows native VSTs to function.You will also need to get around the activation of windows VSTs using Wine, which often does not work. Generally its true that Reaper is not difficult to install on a working Linux OS that is installed to a hard-drive. The difficulty I encountered was trying to install it to a LIVE ISO running MX Linux.

Several things here..... A "LIVE ISO" is not the common way to run a distro. Your paths will likely be different from the standard, and the ISO would probably be immutable. Of course you can run an ISO with a live linux version. You can even run it with persistence if you want. But this is not something that I would recommend a newbie to do. I understand that you don't want to commit yourself fully to Linux when you are still learning how to use it. I understand how you want to keep your Windows partition. But setting things up this way as a newbie increases your difficulty level of getting your system working. The good news is that once you learn how to do it, it is an extra useful option for you that Windows and MacOS don't have. As has been mentioned, you need to find a computer that you can commit to Linux on, and install somethin like AV Linux. Think of it as money spent on your Linux education. Get a cheap Linux compatible machine for a couple of hundred dollars, and use it with AV Linux until you are fully comfortable with how Linux works. THEN, you can try some of the more advanced stuff you have been trying to do.

As far as Native VSTs go, yes--Native VSTs are by default designed for working on Linux and will likely be the most stable, best bet for your experience. That is the preferred option. However, WINE is an additional option that can be implemented. This option again, is not for newbies. This is a more advanced capability. I personally try to run native with everything. I have found a wonderful selection of tools that do pretty much anything I need. Going with WINE and yabridge is a viable and very helpful option, but it is going to require a learning curve to set up and use. New users should start out using native plugins, unless they are willing to study, learn, and occasional fail, and yet remain persistent. Persistence and patience is the key when starting out with Linux. After you have learned how Linux works, you may still need to look up references with commands occasionally. I do.

So, in short, for beginners:

1. Stick to a turn-key distro (that has everything installed and configured), until you get more experience. AVLinux is a great example. Another is Ubuntu Studio.
2. Use native Linux apps until you get more experience.

You may not believe it, but there is no shortage of native apps. There are hundreds. I personally try to stick to a few tools that I know well how to use, and expand to more only when the new tool works better than the one I currently use, or offers new functionality or sonic character that I don't currently have.

Here is a list (in no particular order), of native plugins that I recommend for use in Linux. These are not in any particular order, and I recommend them all:

Open Source

Odin2
Surge-XT
Airwindows (anything in their huge collection of GUI-less plugins)
Linux Studio Plugins (the entire suite)
Yoshimi
AVL Drums
Cardinal
GxPlugins.lv2 (the entire suite)
x42 plugins (the entire suite)
MDA-lv2 plugins (the entire suite)
DrumGizmo
Sfizz
LiquidSFZ
Dexed
Fluida.lv2
Monique
Helm
Dragonfly Reverbs (the whole suite)
DSP56K emulator (requires original ROMs)
LibreArp
Elephant DSP Room Reverb
Mverb
LV2 port of the C* Audio Plugins (caps-lv2)
Ninjas2
ADLPlug
Fire (Distortion plugin)
Geonkick
Guitrix.vst
PaulXStretch
Neural-amp-modeler-lv2
ildaeil
carla
No Budget Orchestral Plugins

Freeware:

Xhip synth
Nil's K1v
Sitala 1
Tal-NoizeMaker
Vital (Basic "Free" edition)
Tyrell N6
Xhip effects
Hypercyclic
Decent Sampler
Speedrum Lite
Apricot
Fluctus
Tal-Filter
Tal-Reverb-4
Tal-Chorus-LX
Tal-Vocoder
Zebralette
Podolski
Triple Cheese
Beatzille
Protoverb
Crumar

Commercial Software

Diva
Zebra Legacy
Hive 2
Repro
Bazille
ACE
Tal-Sampler
Tal-Drum
Tal-J-8
Tal-U-No-LX
Tall-Bassline
Tal-Mod
Tal-Dub-X
Tal-DAC
Bliss Sampler
Discovery
Discovery Pro
Vertigo
OPL
Speedrum
Quanta
Integrate Synthesizer
Hy-Poly
Synthesizer V
Venomode Phrasebox
Twangstrom
Colour copy
Presswerk
Satin
Filterscape
MFM2
Uhbik
Pianoteq
Altitude
AudioThing Plugins (the whole suite)
Audio Damage Plugins (the whole suite)
U-he plugins (everything)
Tal-software plugins (everything)
Disco DSP plugins (everything)
Loomer Plugins (everything)
K-Whooms
Socalabs Wavetable
Midilab JC303
Charlatan 3
Vaporizer2
Rakarrack-plus
etc.
etc.
etc.
etc.

I could go on and on and on. However, these are the ones that I am most familar with or the ones I've heard the most about.

Just like you wouldn't expect to buy a Windows device and run MacOS plugins and software on it, you should try to run Linux-native software as much as possible. HOWEVER, WINE remains an advanced option, and there has been great success using it.

Personally, I use the following:

Surge-XT
Linux Studio Plugins
Yoshimi
AVL Drums
Cardinal
mda-lv2 plugins
Sfizz
liquid SFZ
Dragonfly reverbs
Guitarix.vst
Neural-amp modeler
ildaeil
Decent Sampler
Diva
Hive 2
Repro
Tal Sampler
Tal-Drum
Bliss Sampler
Speedrum
Uhbik
DrumGizmo
Linux Sampler
GxPlugins.lv2
Libre Arp

I have a short list of plugins that I want to try/buy:

Audio Damage Quanta 2
Loomer String
Plugmon FM Anthem (add-on for Hive 2)
AudioThing Convolver
AudioThing Vintage Tape echo
Audio Damage EOS2
Hy-Slicer 2

Best of luck!

[audiojunkie]

So yours is just the plain MX ISO as downloaded from the server and running for the very first time from a USB stick with no prior intervention?

The second one is, I just downloaded the ISO from the MX site. The first one is my own live ISO. Like I said, I merely quickly did these in a virtual machine. It looks exactly the same if you boot from USB, in both cases. (If you don't count that they run even better when actually running "for real" on the computer and not in a virtual session )

Ok, I am writing this from the MX LIVE ISO and booted it from my windows desktop.

I have downloaded Reaper and extracted it and have clicked on "Reaper" - nothing. I have right clicked on "install Reaper.sh" and used the run command - nothing. I have tried to use the terminal and CD into the folder and run "install Reaper.sh" - nothing. I am using the Debian version of Reaper. I also tried the Arch version. What am I doing wrong?

What are you doing wrong? It depends upon perspective. If you are willing to be persistent and not give up, you are doing nothing wrong. Arch will definitely help you learn Linux deeply. However, if you are wanting a quick start with Linux as a beginner, Arch linux wouldn't be the first distro I would recommend to a someone. I'd recommend AVLinux.

[audiojunkie]

Nope, I have installed the Debian "i686" version. I was not sure what system MX Linux was built on, so I tried Arch, but a google revealed it is the "i686" version which is now installed but refusing to boot Reaper.

Heh no, you are indeed confusing a couple of things here, trust me ... In any case, i686 refers to 32 bit builds of software across the board, x64 refers to 64 bit builds. You are very likely running the default MX ISO, which is - as is expected in this day and age - completely 64 bit. So you need to download the default install package of Reaper, too. From the big Download button, not the "Also available" alternative builds.



(Same as with Windows, above that. The main 64 bit version is the large download button, and below it "Also available: Windows 32-bit" : )

And indeed you were correct,thanks, and I have a red face now

There is no need to have a red face. You are "learning". Every single one of us has had to go through what you are going through. No person will learn linux without doing some of the same things as you are doing. It's a learning process. Stay persistent! You'll make it!

[Saffran]

AVLinux have Ardour. Ardour have vst2+3 support.
Anyone used it and could tell if it works? If so it would eliminate the need for Yabridge.
See https://ardour.org/features.html under plugins.
Quote:
VST plugin support on Windows allows access to hundreds or thousands of plugins from dozens of manufacturers. Linux VST support provides access to High quality proprietary plugins on Linux from Loomer, Pianoteq/Modartt. Excellent open source plugins from Distrho and others.
That first sentence "on Windows" makes it unclear.

It seems though from this YT video of Ardour 6, recently on v.8, that it uses vst's without any hokuspokus.
https://youtu.be/8YClnlN_w9A?feature=shared

[audiojunkie]

AVLinux have Ardour. Ardour have vst2+3 support.
Anyone used it and could tell if it works? If so it would eliminate the need for Yabridge.
See https://ardour.org/features.html under plugins.
Quote:
VST plugin support on Windows allows access to hundreds or thousands of plugins from dozens of manufacturers. Linux VST support provides access to High quality proprietary plugins on Linux from Loomer, Pianoteq/Modartt. Excellent open source plugins from Distrho and others.
That first sentence "on Windows" makes it unclear.

It seems though from this YT video of Ardour 6, recently on v.8, that it uses vst's without any hokuspokus.

Ardour is not compiled by default with this support. There are Windows-native vsts and Linux-native vsts. Ardour supports windows native vsts by default out of the box.