Linux in the studio???

[southpaw76]

I was wondering if any TBer's use Linux based DAW??? And if so, what sequencing software do you use (ex. Rosegarden, Ardour, etc...), what kind of setup do you use, etc..etc..????

[Yvon]

I tried, but it's so hard to configure everything that I kept coming back to XP.

What would you use?
ubuntu studio?

[southpaw76]

Well I've been using Linux since Fall of '03, so it's safe to say that I'm pretty comfortable with it. The main distro I use now for everything is Slackware 12. As for a sequencing app I've been playing around with Ardour and Hydrogen for drum sequencing.

[hunta]

I gave the ubuntu/ardour/rosegarden thing a whirl and it's cool and all, but I don't think it's quite ready for prime time use (and it's a pain to config and get working). I'm still waiting for Steinberg to release Cubase for Linux

[projectMalamute]

Biggest thing you are giving up is plugins, if you are essentially using the machine as a tape machine+mixer Linux is fine. Google planetccrma, it's the distibution they use at Stanford's music technology department. It's based on Red Hat's Fedora Core distro, installs with a tuned low latency kernel and all the audio apps you could want.

[funkmuffin]

Originally Posted by projectMalamute

Biggest thing you are giving up is plugins, if you are essentially using the machine as a tape machine+mixer Linux is fine. Google planetccrma, it's the distibution they use at Stanford's music technology department. It's based on Red Hat's Fedora Core distro, installs with a tuned low latency kernel and all the audio apps you could want.

Recording in linux? Yep. 3-4 years now.

Fedora OS, planetccrma, Ardour and the rest.

While it's true that you won't have the glut of free and cheap VSTs that are available for Windows, there are still many very useful plugins for linux, and they're getting better all the time. For example, I'm OK with four or five EQ's, 4 great compressors, and a few solid convo/delay/reverb effects. Mix in a couple good outboard pieces and I'm good to go.

What do you really need? That's the real question. The last yea has seen several interesting developments -- some Windows VST hosts have started to pop up, ArdourVST works great for many of the VSTs out there (though some of them are so poorly put together that they won't work...), plus Jack (Linux audio server) has been successfully ported to windows. Soon, you'll be able to run the VSTs on a Windows or Mac box, and use Ardour on either Linux or Mac.

I know I'm running hard after Ardour -- have a look at www.ardour.org. It's FREE and it's FREE, and compares very well to anything I've seen on the market. I will admit I've yet to use a high-end ProTools rig.

There is some configuration that needs to happen, but in return, you get a (remarkably) low-latency system, AND you get to decide and control the exact way it runs.

[projectMalamute]

Originally Posted by funkmuffin

Recording in linux? Yep. 3-4 years now.

Fedora OS, planetccrma, Ardour and the rest.

While it's true that you won't have the glut of free and cheap VSTs that are available for Windows, there are still many very useful plugins for linux, and they're getting better all the time. For example, I'm OK with four or five EQ's, 4 great compressors, and a few solid convo/delay/reverb effects. Mix in a couple good outboard pieces and I'm good to go.

What do you really need? That's the real question. The last yea has seen several interesting developments -- some Windows VST hosts have started to pop up, ArdourVST works great for many of the VSTs out there (though some of them are so poorly put together that they won't work...), plus Jack (Linux audio server) has been successfully ported to windows. Soon, you'll be able to run the VSTs on a Windows or Mac box, and use Ardour on either Linux or Mac.

I know I'm running hard after Ardour -- have a look at www.ardour.org. It's FREE and it's FREE, and compares very well to anything I've seen on the market. I will admit I've yet to use a high-end ProTools rig.

There is some configuration that needs to happen, but in return, you get a (remarkably) low-latency system, AND you get to decide and control the exact way it runs.

Yeah, I'm a big fan too. I think the coolest thing about Linux audio is JACK, being able to wire any program to any other program any way you want is one thing Linux does that none of the commercial systems can match. And yes, I've heard of re-wire, this is way more comprehensive and powerful. I do a lot of full on crazy processing with little modules I code up in Csound wired in to busses in Ardour. Super cool stuff.

[lemur821]

Originally Posted by projectMalamute

Yeah, I'm a big fan too. I think the coolest thing about Linux audio is JACK, being able to wire any program to any other program any way you want is one thing Linux does that none of the commercial systems can match. And yes, I've heard of re-wire, this is way more comprehensive and powerful. I do a lot of full on crazy processing with little modules I code up in Csound wired in to busses in Ardour. Super cool stuff.

Jack is the coolest thing in audio software that I know of. I wish I could figure out why I'm getting persistant XRUNs though. Probably because I'm using a USB device, but it sure is annoying.

[seamonkey]

FWIW, the Muse Receptor runs Linux and uses Wine to run all it's VST plugins

[51m0n]

Linux user for well over 8 years now.

PCs at home only boot into windows for gaming.

Linux has come on a very very long way in audio use, but IMHO its still not quite there for most musician types. Its kind of where it was at with font rendering a few years ago. Sure you could get it all to look really pretty if you happened to have exactly the right distro/settings/hardware, otherwise you were pretty much knackered. Same with printing before fonts as well. Both of those are just solved now. They are a complete nonissue, same as installation, for so long the bugbear of linux use, and the most favourite issue to bang on about if you were anti-linux. now the installers and the installation process is slicker than anything MS has ever come up with.

I do have every confidence that eventually open source audio gear will meet and then supercede the power of closed source. It seems inevitable since:-

a) there are so many developers in the pool interested and knowledgeable enough to get it done

b) they have no deadlines as such

c) the architecture also lends itself far better to modification for a given purpose (low level kernels, improved/specific queue prioritisers have all been created to get it lower latency )

d) huge gains have been made wrt VSTs and all forms of MS executables being run as close to native as you can get (wine etc), this will be figured out too in the end

e) the developers are willing to rework and rework and rethink until they actually get it right, they can and do throw away old ideas that arent working, legacy users get help in converting to new versions programatically, so they arent left in the cold either

f) open source by its nature is very much a survival of the fittest environment, in that only the best solution tends to survive for any period, and this is at a code level due to constant peer review, rather than just at a business/marketing level - this definitely lends itself to a better final product code and architecture wise, and that always shows up in the end to the user. pretty lights tend to come second to sound design in OSS. Not so much in closed source

g) jack - it is the best idea so far, and one which closed source proprietary software types look at with a certain amount of envy once they have studied it, since they have nothing quite as good.

Sorry ranty lecture thing over!

[NationwideBass]

I'm a Linux Sys Admin by trade, but I've never done any studio work so I don't have any software ideas, but speaking as someone who knows Linux well, I would think that aside from maybe a bit of difficulty finding drivers for common off the shelf cards Linux would be a great choice for recording based on several observations I've made while watching our guitar player run his Pro-Tools, Windows based home studio:

1) Windows crashes. All the time. There's nothing worse than the BSOD during a session.
2) Linux is general uses much less CPU than Windows, leaving more for resource intensive apps (ie recording)
3) Linux takes less space to install on the physical drive (esp if you're smart about the packages you install) which is nice if you're recording to the same drive as your OS. (which IMHO would be a bad idea, but whatever)
4) Once you've become acclimated to Linux, it is actually much more user-friendly than Windows.

[51m0n]

Agreed, also you can 'make the most' of your boxes horsepower by running some very light weight window managers (fluxbox comes to mind but there are many others out there). Can make all the difference on your xrun count!

[projectMalamute]

Originally Posted by lemur821

Jack is the coolest thing in audio software that I know of. I wish I could figure out why I'm getting persistant XRUNs though. Probably because I'm using a USB device, but it sure is annoying.

As someone else mentioned a lighter WM could help. I used to use and like WindowMaker but nothing much seems to be happening over there. Fluxbox is nice as well and still being actively maintained and developed. All that said, you shouldn't be seeing xruns with a properly tuned low-latency kernel. I actually rolled my own and got it all working on a Debian system one time, it's not too big of a deal but something of a pain in the ass. I don't spend time on that stuff anymore so I've been using the planetccrma stuff lately, just works out of the box. I get no xruns at 48k/5.33ms at all, and that's with KDE as a WM(this is all on an Athlon64 3200+, not really a barn burner but respectable). I'm wary of USB audio, but if you try upping the buffer size a bit the xruns should go away.

[lemur821]

Originally Posted by projectMalamute

As someone else mentioned a lighter WM could help.

I'd have to switch to dwm to get any lighter.

Originally Posted by projectMalamute

All that said, you shouldn't be seeing xruns with a properly tuned low-latency kernel.

...

I'm wary of USB audio, but if you try upping the buffer size a bit the xruns should go away.

I was thinking it may be a kernel thing. I think I'll take a look at my settings then test Jack on my built-in audio to isolate the problem. Upping the buffer size doesn't seem to help, which is why I'm so confused.

[winston]

I've been using Linux for about 3 1/2 years now. I have it installed on a computer that also runs Window$ XP. I only use XP for recording (mainly Tracktion, trying some other demos like Reaper, Project 5, and Live) and iTunes.

I've put a good deal of effort into Linux audio (though not so much in the last year). Planet CCRMA is the best multimedia distro I've found--great documentation and helpful website/mailing list. Planning on trying Ubuntu Studio.

While I'm impressed by the potential of many of the Linux audio apps I've used, the stability of many programs (particularly Ardour, Sweep, and Renoise) is not sufficient for me. Furthermore, Rosegarden has perhaps the most obtuse and confusing interface of any DAW/sequencer I've ever used.

That said Hydrogen is my favorite drum synth ever--I find it very intuitive and wish there was a VST version. I also like many of the modular synths/environments available.

When it comes to workflow and fleshing out ideas when I'm feeling inspired, I get frustrated by Linux audio programs.

[51m0n]

Originally Posted by winston

I've been using Linux for about 3 1/2 years now. I have it installed on a computer that also runs Window$ XP. I only use XP for recording (mainly Tracktion, trying some other demos like Reaper, Project 5, and Live) and iTunes.

I've put a good deal of effort into Linux audio (though not so much in the last year). Planet CCRMA is the best multimedia distro I've found--great documentation and helpful website/mailing list. Planning on trying Ubuntu Studio.

While I'm impressed by the potential of many of the Linux audio apps I've used, the stability of many programs (particularly Ardour, Sweep, and Renoise) is not sufficient for me. Furthermore, Rosegarden has perhaps the most obtuse and confusing interface of any DAW/sequencer I've ever used.

That said Hydrogen is my favorite drum synth ever--I find it very intuitive and wish there was a VST version. I also like many of the modular synths/environments available.

When it comes to workflow and fleshing out ideas when I'm feeling inspired, I get frustrated by Linux audio programs.

Yup, thats what I mean by not ready for musician consumption. Not knocking anyones Linux credentials, but as soon as you are fighting the software/hardware - and I dont care what the environment is here, studio, programming, reheasals, driving your car - then you arent getting done what you want to get done.

Windows is bloated, and not very stable (although XP is IMO & IME the most stable version yet). Yet audio apps on windows are generally more stable and more likely to succeed for more of the general herd than audio apps on Linux at the moment.

Having said that I really do expect it to eventually change.

Good luck to all those people trying to bring that about!

[karamusic]

All linux here !
I've started using Linux on a dual-boot configuration, after 6 months I've deleted the windows partition

If you want to give it a try, try 64 studio, http://64studio.com/
there is even a live CD from which your pc can boot and you try out the whole distribution without installing anything.

k

[manicbassman]

I must get my Ubuntu Studio laptop properly set up...

from what I've heard, Reaper works perfectly on Linux using Wine and there's something called WineASIO you can use

just found this:
http://www.davehayes.org/2007/04/27/...-with-wineasio

now I've got no excuses...

[winston]

Anyone else have troubles installing Ubuntu Studio? I've tried times with two different DVDs (whose finished MD5sums matched the ones at the Ubuntu download mirror).

First time had X display weirdness that couldn't be remedied by xorgconfig or hand-editing xorg files in a console. Next time, install hung while it was configuring apt (but after it had autoconfig'd dhcp). Two other times it hangs at kernel install.

I have XP, Kubuntu, and several other Linux installs on my computer and judging by the periodic HD checks the Kubuntu ext3 filesystem runs, the discs are fine. I may just change the APT sources in Kubuntu to include Ubuntu Studio, but I've heard that can be problematic.

I've installed many versions of Linux literally hundreds of times and haven't had this problem with any other discs that have clean checksums. Any suggestions?

[DocBop]

Originally Posted by winston

Anyone else have troubles installing Ubuntu Studio? I've tried times with two different DVDs (whose finished MD5sums matched the ones at the Ubuntu download mirror).

// snip

I've installed many versions of Linux literally hundreds of times and haven't had this problem with any other discs that have clean checksums. Any suggestions?

I never heard of Ubuntu Studio so I went to their website to check it out. First thing I notice its Alpha software, not even into Beta yet. In other words its going to be flaky and constantly changing as it moves from Alpha, to Beta, and eventually to final release. That is the life cycle of software development. I would say if you don't want to be constantly mucking with your computer I would use another Linux that is a production release.