Linux...anybody using it?

[glokraw]

Wish I was young enough to give a few things a shot.
But I'll be pluckin them thar six strings,
'til I'm a pushin' up daisies.

Din Is Noise will have to wait.

[StudioDave]

... if you were doing audio experiments and the software being used was some combination of ECASound and CSound and the technical skills were aligned with that (console users and C programmers involved), it's possible to do things that aren't even within the imagination of your typical Windows / GUI / Mouse type of thinker.

Different strokes. WAY different strokes. Different enough to be hard to even describe how different they are.

Indeed. Thank you for the excellent post, you nailed exactly why I don't bother responding much to this sort of topic. I'd rather work on making more music or writing another article about making music with Linux.

Best,

dp

[glokraw]

http://www.linuxjournal.com/users/dave-phillips

Dave has a vast legacy of great audio related Linux Journal
magazine articles, that can be utilized by those dealing with various
linux issues, or looking for something new/different.

[Nanakai]

cat file.any > /proc/soundcard

Music on a linux box!

Thinking of trying out Linux on my laptop(not my main music rig) and wanted to know what people think about the os before I take the plunge...i have posted this topic on a pc based forum and the majority say go with Linux but they are prolly all pc nerds so I can't judge on that alone,I will be using props reason to so that has to work,I'm a complete Linux noob so some guidance is needed...is it worth it or am I off my rocker with this one

I don't actually see any indication here that you want to use Linux for music, but I do suggest giving Ubuntu a try. Browse through the Ubuntu Software Center and try things out. Make it your main box for whatever else you do on computers and see how you like it. I used it way back in 4.10 and had to spend hours with config files just to get dual monitor support. Nowadays, it's crazy simple. I'm also in the minority (I think) of long time users who prefer the new Unity interface. I think it makes the OS much more usable for the average desktop consumer.

You have nothing to lose by trying!

[gabebrunogarza1021]

An interesting experiment would be to setup a Linux DAW in a limited context, say, an 8-channel multitrack recorder. Configured and trimmed for flight and given to a user with a little bit of training, and used for a few sessions. I think there are some configurations that would be received quite favorably in that context.

Not sure why you'd want to use Linux for that.
I have the TASCAM DP-24 but you can also get this
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/R16
for remote sessions. small and compact and easy for flight or travel.

That's the other beauty of Free.

It's not free, you forget the hardware cost.

[glokraw]

I'm also in the minority (I think) of long time users who prefer the new Unity interface. I think it makes the OS much more usable for the average desktop consumer.

You have nothing to lose by trying!

Having a wide wide variety of desktop GUIs to choose from,
is great. Unity, xfce, kde4, kde Trinity, E17, LXDE, OpenBox,
Windowmaker, many more. Bring it!

[dakkra]

Best linux DAW I have ever used is LMMS paired with Audacity

[pljones]

Best linux DAW I have ever used is LMMS paired with Audacity

On Windows? (Someone was doing a port of LMMS, IIRC.)

[dakkra]

LMMS = Linux Multi Media Studio. The devs made a windows version aswell.

[tenshin111]

And it's free.

I'm really tired with this argument - so what?

I wouldn't say Windows or OSX license is that expensive, especially when you consider the amount of money you will likely spend on audio hardware for example. And if you buy a new PC/laptop it usually comes with os installed anyway. Besides, normally you don't buy an os license every year or something like that so it's a relatively small and long-term investment.

[pc999]

And it's free.

I'm really tired with this argument - so what?

I wouldn't say Windows or OSX license is that expensive, especially when you consider the amount of money you will likely spend on audio hardware for example. And if you buy a new PC/laptop it usually comes with os installed anyway. Besides, normally you don't buy an os license every year or something like that so it's a relatively small and long-term investment.

Not considering ideological reasons, like that something as culturally important as a OS for web, learning and doc creations should be available for everyone, it is a very important reason for many people.


For many 100€ is quite a lot of money (specially these days), others would just prefer to spend that money in something else (eg better and paid software for linuxor other free OS).

Also it is very good because there is no copy protection and if you have more than one PC (or keep/give old ones) you don't need to spend 200-300-400€ on the same thing over the years, it is even more if you need PC for kids on school or work related stuff.

And the PC you buy with Windows is pricier because it does have windows, if I want a custom PC with the same parts of a off-the-selfs PC (in some places at least) it usually cost 100€ less (sometimes even less).

Price does matter for quite a few people!

[glokraw]

A few points to consider:
1. Kids in the U.S. have gotten dummer, lazier, and less valuable to employers,
in direct proportion to the increases in per-student spending,
and classroom exposure to Apple/Microsoft systems.
The opposite may well be true in some locales where survival
has long been the main daily quest, instead of twitter feeds and videos.

2. Tools of the trade, whatever the trade, are not free. Time is a
precious commodity, and freeware coders, regardless of the OS,
that give of their time, do it at a high personal cost.
Even a well paid vst, linux, ios, or win8 programmer may toil long
unpaid hours, in the pursuit of excellence, or just to gain skills
enough to avoid getting the next layoff notice, or being defeated by
the competition.

3. National security, financial security, and personal privacy, are at war
with cyber criminals. Computers and networks are at risk, and linux has
far more honest 'eyes on the code', than the competing systems.

4. The price of a bundled OS, is often offset by linux needs for specific
hardware configurations for a given task. Buying a used computer also
diminishes that initial OS pricing. 'Building you own' computer should
be pre-requisite course study, before entering hidh skrool.

To me, barebones linux distros are the most fun of all, and when
some popular niches are better filled, will be even more so.
Cheers

[pc999]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbrOrR3w ... youtu.be&a

[Mr_Bumpy]

I have three operating systems on my PC: Kubuntu 12.04 64-bit, Windows 7 64-bit, and Windows XP 32-bit. I use Kubuntu for everyday use, Windows 7 primarily for music and Windows XP for legacy stuff.

A few years ago, I tried doing all of my music stuff in Kubuntu, and I even created the music for the iPhone game (Star Rangers) using all open source Linux software. You can hear the music at my website. It worked, but when I wanted to improve my orchestral sample library, my only real options were for Mac or Windows.

I still use Linux for some valuable parts of my music workflow, however. I have compiled Audacity with patches that give it terrific noise removal options. Very easy to do in Linux, but I have no idea where to begin with compiling the software under Windows. I also prefer to do my mastering using Jamin, an excellent multiband compressor/EQ that is Linux-only. Also, Swami is the only SoundFont editor that works with FluidSynth (the most accurate SoundFont synth around), and it only runs in Linux. Many other programs are for Windows, but I use them in Linux using Wine, including Mixcraft 6, Finale 2008 and Wavosaur.

My point in all of this: while Linux is not a perfect setup for audio production, I have found that a multi-OS PC gives me the best of all worlds. Well, almost all worlds... I can't run Mac stuff. But that's about it.

Regarding Linux audio, I'm surprised nobody has talked about Jack yet. Being able to route low-latency audio between all applications is really nice. Even my Windows applications can be connected to Jack through WineASIO, which has some useful applications.

[Frantz]

I'm also in the minority (I think) of long time users who prefer the new Unity interface.

Yes, you are in the minority. Unity proved that Windows does not have a monopoly on sucking. But seriously, we don't have to restrict ourselves to one operating system. I am posting this from a Xubuntu netbook but use Windows for work and music.

However, doing music in Linux is not an option if you need your favorite VSTs.