Home Studio & Linux

[socialleper]

Sorry mate but obviously you haven't seen Linux in recent years, everything can be done in the GUI and you only use the command line if you want to. I 've been using Linux as my personal OS for 8 years and haven't even missed Windows. I can do everything you do in Windows with no problems and I don't use the command line anymore, maybe once or twice a year.

As for your interface I've found that most Focusrite interfaces work well out of the box with no hassle.

I'm currently using a Ubuntu 12.04.5 LTS distro. Ubuntu has done more than most to make things work inside the GUI, but installing things still requires the CL. I didn't upgrade for a while because I wasn't a fan of the Unity interface when it first was introduced.

 

[socialleper]

Doesn't anyone realize that MacOS is running on a BSD Unix platform? And that you can do everything from a GUI or the command line? Not sure why anyone wants to complicate things any more than they already are by using a non-native OS on a Windows PC.

That's pretty much the path you've chosen, isn't it?

I don't think Mac users know that most the time.

 

[seamonkey]

OS X, isn't really a "Linux" - but it is a good Unix
If I want to develop Apple apps, I have to own Apple hardware
For me, I can license and run all the other OS's on a VM, but Apple does not allow OS X to be run on a VM
It's not really an OS X limitation, it is just they way they license.
It's too bad as I think if some people just tried the OS they'd like it.

 

[monkeyfinger]

Bitwig runs on Ubuntu.

 

[onestring]

Not sure why anyone wants to complicate things any more than they already are by using a non-native OS on a Windows PC.

I have nothing against any OS (the more the merrier) but the thing I don't get, is why wouldn't someone look at the choices available and choose the best option for themselves? Linux is a totally legitimate desktop OS and it's in that spirit that I bumped this thread.

I choose to run a "non-native" OS because of: 1) greater security, 2) cost savings (free software, free upgrades, longer viable life of the machine--the opposite of planned obsolescence), 3) open source OS (Freedom: no spyware, modifiable, open and documented, choice in desktop environments), 4) ease of use (Linux doesn't complicate things--the opposite is true). Those are the biggest among many reasons for me.

For decades now I keep hearing about "this is the year Linux replaces Windows on the desktop" and all they ever do is put lipstick on a pig. Like Macs, Linux seems to do a handful of things really well, but it's general lack of compatibility kills it. Also, someone needs to wake up to the fact that GUIs are here to stay. People have been using them now for 30 years. We like them. The Linux nerds need to learn that unless I can do everything in the GUI that I can do in the command line, I will never consider it a full Windows replacement.

I don't think anyone in this thread is trying to convince you to consider Linux as a full Windows replacement, if Windows is actually something you like to use. It's information about another option that might be helpful to people who are curious about alternatives.

As Mcgiver69 said, there's no need to use a terminal unless you want to. It hasn't been like that for YEARS. So many of the opinions I see about Linux are full of tired old FUD like this.

Lack of compatibility is complex topic that I will reduce to the following: If you try to string your bass with regular guitar strings and find out they aren't long enough, do you blame the guitar strings? The guitar string manufacturer? The bass? Is it the user's fault for not learning some basic information about how strings work and how to get the right string for the right instrument?

And no, it's never going to be the year of the Linux desktop (although of course, EVERY year is the year of Linux on mobile OSes, servers, embedded devices, and super computers, all areas where Linux completely and utterly dominates all takers).

Guess what: it's never going to be the year of the Mac desktop either, but people are still going to make music with it. Linux on the desktop is an option that many, many millions of people take advantage of, and since it's becoming an increasingly viable platform for music production it's worth sharing information and discussing it here in a productive way.

 

[RustyAxe]

I choose to run a "non-native" OS because of: 1) greater security, 2) cost savings (free software, free upgrades, longer viable life of the machine--the opposite of planned obsolescence), 3) open source OS (Freedom: no spyware, modifiable, open and documented, choice in desktop environments), 4) ease of use (Linux doesn't complicate things--the opposite is true). Those are the biggest among many reasons for me.

I find it interesting that you feel a need to defend yourself. You can avoid the mainstream if you wish to, doesn't matter to me ... but I disagree that you'll find it less complicated and as feature rich as mainstream OS's and applications. Nothing against UNIX ... I was a systems and applications programmer on Data General and HP minis for decades (now retired, thank GOD!).

 

[socialleper]

I have nothing against any OS (the more the merrier) but the thing I don't get, is why wouldn't someone look at the choices available and choose the best option for themselves? Linux is a totally legitimate desktop OS and it's in that spirit that I bumped this thread.

I choose to run a "non-native" OS because of: 1) greater security, 2) cost savings (free software, free upgrades, longer viable life of the machine--the opposite of planned obsolescence), 3) open source OS (Freedom: no spyware, modifiable, open and documented, choice in desktop environments), 4) ease of use (Linux doesn't complicate things--the opposite is true). Those are the biggest among many reasons for me.




I don't think anyone in this thread is trying to convince you to consider Linux as a full Windows replacement, if Windows is actually something you like to use. It's information about another option that might be helpful to people who are curious about alternatives.

As Mcgiver69 said, there's no need to use a terminal unless you want to. It hasn't been like that for YEARS. So many of the opinions I see about Linux are full of tired old FUD like this.

Lack of compatibility is complex topic that I will reduce to the following: If you try to string your bass with regular guitar strings and find out they aren't long enough, do you blame the guitar strings? The guitar string manufacturer? The bass? Is it the user's fault for not learning some basic information about how strings work and how to get the right string for the right instrument?

And no, it's never going to be the year of the Linux desktop (although of course, EVERY year is the year of Linux on mobile OSes, servers, embedded devices, and super computers, all areas where Linux completely and utterly dominates all takers).

Guess what: it's never going to be the year of the Mac desktop either, but people are still going to make music with it. Linux on the desktop is an option that many, many millions of people take advantage of, and since it's becoming an increasingly viable platform for music production it's worth sharing information and discussing it here in a productive way.

I know no one here is saying it is a full desktop replacement. The IT industry keeps saying it, probably out of wishful thinking.
I started this thread so long ago I forgot about it. I'm still not thrilled with going to Windows 10, and since I game so little, and an Office replacement is easily available on Linux, I was thinking about it. I've backed off the idea. I still use a Linux VM for questionable stuff, but I was recently reminded of what a pain in the backside it still is.

 

[Mcgiver69]

There are a lot of people making music with Linux, yes it is not as simple as Mac or Windows but it is viable nonetheless. Look at this guys, he makes it look very easy and he's using Qtractor which is not the most mainstream of DAWs.

 

[onestring]

I find it interesting that you feel a need to defend yourself.

Hey RustyAxe, perhaps meant your statement rhetorically (you "weren't sure why...")? I took it literally as it seemed like a reasonable question, and responded with some legit reasons why someone would choose Linux. That's not defensive.

There were some other statements made by people not as well-informed as you which begged responses simply because they weren't accurate.

Linux has been my preferred full-time OS for over a decade. I'm quite happy with it, and again, I'm all for people using what they like.

 

[Mcgiver69]

Hey RustyAxe, perhaps meant your statement rhetorically (you "weren't sure why...")? I took it literally as it seemed like a reasonable question, and responded with some legit reasons why someone would choose Linux. That's not defensive.

There were some other statements made by people not as well-informed as you which begged responses simply because they weren't accurate.

Linux has been my preferred full-time OS for over a decade. I'm quite happy with it, and again, I'm all for people using what they like.

Yeah I really do not get this absolutism that people get in to. There are lots of options and the more the better.

Linux is not the best for audio recording as there are other OS that had been at it for longer time and had more development done but Linux is a cheap alternative for someone who wants to get into home recording. Some very good DAW's, native plugins, support for new and even old interfaces and no need to buy expensive computers as any old computer will do. So what's not to like?

BTW Tracktion 6 is now free and works on Linux 64 bits. I have tried it and I like it more than the PC version which seems to take more resources.

 

[Mushroo]

The Windows admins in my office use the command line all the time. Whether a user prefers to use GUI or terminal commands has more to do with the user than the operating system. Pros tend to use text commands, not because they are a "necessary evil" but rather because they can be communicated unambiguously. As opposed to "click the red button halfway down the right hand side of the screen. No, not that one! The one that looks like scissors. No no no, click the back arrow and start over," a line of text is easy to cut and paste to share with other users. Just sayin'.

 

[DigitalMan]

IMO the OS in and of itself is less interesting than the ecosystem of software available for it. Linux has a favorable ecosystem in many areas, but end user computing isn’t one of them. I’m not saying there aren’t a lot of titles available for Linux desktop. What I am saying is that there are a ton of really great mainstream titles that are not available. It’s like the cereal aisle at a Whole Foods. Lots of alternatives, but none of your childhood favorites.

(Hence the need for a thread such as this)

 

[seamonkey]

childhood favorites

That is really what a lot of what people talk about around here

I think I recall beer and coffee tasting bad when I was a kid, but maybe I was just kidding myself

 

[DigitalMan]

That is really what a lot of what people talk about around here

I think I recall beer and coffee tasting bad when I was a kid, but maybe I was just kidding myself

Beer and coffee are amazing. But if the closest available alternatives are hard pear cider and citrus chamomile tea then I am probably drinking in the wrong establishment.

 

[bfields]

For what it's worth, I use a small USB interface (Scarlett 2i2), a Thinkpad running Fedora, and Ardour for my modest practice needs. (Recording bass, voice, and the occasional keyboard against each other or backing tracks).

Learning audio on Linux.... It feels like I've stumbled on somebody's abandoned studio. I'm *think* everything I need in there somewhere, if only I can figure out what it all is and how to get it wired back up again.

I've been thinking about trying to do multitrack recordings of band rehearsals (currently I just use an H4n and its built-in mics), but with 7 people we'd probably need about a dozen inputs and I'm a little daunted by the gear and setup required. I know, probably seems like not a big deal to many of you.

I'm a Linux kernel developer by day and Fedora (plus some Android) is pretty much all I use at home. In service of "eating my own dogfood", I try to keep it that way for my audio stuff too.

 

[socialleper]

For what it's worth, I use a small USB interface (Scarlett 2i2), a Thinkpad running Fedora, and Ardour for my modest practice needs. (Recording bass, voice, and the occasional keyboard against each other or backing tracks).

Learning audio on Linux.... It feels like I've stumbled on somebody's abandoned studio. I'm *think* everything I need in there somewhere, if only I can figure out what it all is and how to get it wired back up again.

I've been thinking about trying to do multitrack recordings of band rehearsals (currently I just use an H4n and its built-in mics), but with 7 people we'd probably need about a dozen inputs and I'm a little daunted by the gear and setup required. I know, probably seems like not a big deal to many of you.

I'm a Linux kernel developer by day and Fedora (plus some Android) is pretty much all I use at home. In service of "eating my own dogfood", I try to keep it that way for my audio stuff too.

It is good to know someone has used the Scarlett interface with Linux. That is the one I would go with with I was doing this.

 

[monkeyfinger]

I could see someone creating a full-blown turn-key recording system based on Linux some day. Something like Pro Tools on OSX. Linux has had several IO optimizations lately because of Oracle's effort to make it a preferred platform for their database application. I can see these also having real benefit to the audio world.

 

[bfields]

It is good to know someone has used the Scarlett interface with Linux. That is the one I would go with with I was doing this.

I *think* that pretty much any small USB audio interface is going to be OK--they just mainly just use standard features of the USB protocol and don't depend on special software (on Linux or any other OS). I don't know about interfaces with more inputs and outputs--at some point they seem more like mixers and may need some special software to configure.

Linux has had several IO optimizations lately because of Oracle's effort to make it a preferred platform for their database application.

Oracle is one among many organizations that have been working on Linux storage and IO performance for many years.

 

[Ranarion]

I *think* that pretty much any small USB audio interface is going to be OK [...]

My Scarlett 2i2 works perfectly under Linux. Before that I had a Line 6 UX2 which introduced some annoying noise to the connected speakers. But Line 6's registration and driver policies are a real pain on Windows and OS X, too (which is why I won't buy anything from them again and wasn't surprised that it didn't work on Linux).

 

[mikeyjm2]

As far as system resources go, would 32 bit Linux Mint with 4Gig of memory be sufficient to run Ardour effectively? Beyond downloading Ardour and just starting the program up to make sure it works I haven't done anything with it. What I had been doing is recording on a stand alone (Korg D3200) and then just importing the WAV track files into Audacity to mess around with mixing them, so I'm really a neophyte to this. I haven't really recorded much at all in the last couple of years even at that due to band schedule. I'd like to get back into it more going forward though so just looking for guidance, hopefully without hijacking the original intent of the thread.