On Sat, 28 May 2005 13:36:58 -0700, Marko Shindler wrote:

Linux?
Do you want to create music or twiddle with your computer?

Depends. Maybe I'd like to do both. It has been known.

Linux currently has at least 5 different sound servers, none of which
talk to each other. If you are interested in low latency you will have
to run Jack which is supposedly a low latency sound server that uses
ALSA (one of the Linux sound systems) to interface with your audio
hardware. The entire thing is one gigantic mess that requires endless
care and feeding.

No it isn't. It's pretty sophisticated. Probably too sophisticted for
someone like you.

How do I know?

You don't.

I tried to do the very same thing about a month ago and finally gave up
because I found myself spending more time trying to make things work
than creating music. And before the Linux loonatics crawl out of mix, I
use Linux for my webserver and all my day to day operations and for
that, Linux is preferred over Windows in my opinion.

I don't believe you.

As for programs, your biggest problem is going to be QUALITY plugins.
There are many plugins that come with say Ardour (a decent program) but
they can't match the quality of even the most basic Windows/Mac plugin
in general.

Nonsense.

Ardour is highly unstable and has an interface that reminds me of Logic
1.0.
Terrible!

Then use something else.

Audacity is not a bad program, but it is no SoundForge.

Why should it be?


If I were you, and I am assuming you are on a budget (why else would
anyone consider Linux for professional audio?)

They are interested in controlling all aspects of their music. And why do
you suppose musicians aren't on a budget?

I would try N-Tracks and
scour the net for free plugins, many of which are very good.
If you are not on a budget, Sony was recently running a special on
SoungForge 8.0 for $99.00 and nothing Linux has can come close.

Yeah right. Liar.


However, if your time is not worth anything and you don't mind losing
clients or at least having them laugh at you, try dynabolic for a
decent audio based distribution.

Why are you lying?


It will allow you to try things before hosing your entire system by
installing Linux.

No one will hose their system installing Linux, unless they're very
careless or stupid. But Dyne:bolic is certainly a great place to start
trying out Linux multimedia.


http://lab.dyne.org/DyneBolic

You might also want to look up a person who calls himself "flatfish"
and resides in the Linux discussion groups.

Why? Flatfish is a serial nymshifter and liar. His opinions are worthless.


One final note, the Linux quacks will come out of the woodwork telling
you how great Linux is and for many applications that is true. However
digital audio studio work is NOT one of them and also understand most
of them are programmers not musicians so their view on this is tilted
that way. They will also tell you how major Hollywood production
houses, ie:Pixar, have moved to Linux which is also true. Ask them when
you can purchase Pixar's grown in house software and also what on earth
does that have to do with a project studio?

Linux has a lot of very interesting and creative software for audio
creation. Some of it kind of technical. If you don't care for that, fine,
but don't slag it because you don't understand it. Others do.

(fup2COLA)

--
Kier