On Sat, 01 Jan 2005 21:32:36 -0500, Jose Lopez wrote:
Is it possible?
Yes.
The main sticking point is that Ardour is not reliable yet. Well, let me
rephrase that. For basic recording and mixing it will run all day without
a problem, but get into automation and moderately complex editing and you
*will* turn up bugs.
I use Linux mainly for synthesis and effects, as there are many mature
apps. Most of them are very powerful if you enjoy creating your own
sounds, but are a long way from providing the instant gratification of
something like 'Fruityloops'.
BTW, if you are using some of Rolands Video products, or a VST host like
Plugzilla or Receptor, then you are already using Linux in the studio...
At what cost?
Depends on your requirements.
If you don't need low latency (25ms) then almost any recent distro will
do, and it's just a case of getting recent packages of the major apps.
If you need rock solid low latency, then you either compile a kernel and
the supporting apps yourself, or use a collection of packages as described
below.
The best discussion I've read on the subject, with some comments by
developers who are writing the software was recently on the tape op forum:
http://messageboard.tapeop.com/viewtopic.php?t=23359
It includes a post from Dave Phillips, which I hope he does not mind if I
repost he
"Please, everyone: Don't bother doing the Linux distribution tango.
Install either Planet CCRMA or AGNULA/Demudi and be done with it. These
are *complete* systems, and with AGNULA/Demudi it's an 'out-of-the-box'
solution (no mucking about with the kernel, no manually installing ALSA
and JACK). I fear that many musicians who wander into Linux wind up
discovering that patching the kernel, installing ALSA and JACK, and
configuring the whole shebang is just a complete pain in the butt and a
serious waste of their time. Yes, there are similar packages available
for Mandrake and SlackWare systems, but I'll be blunt he I've yet to
meet a self-styled Windows "power user" who handled the transition to
Linux without a major self-reevaluation of just what constitutes being a
"power user", so you might as well make it as easy as possible for
yourself and go with A/Demudi or Planet C.
Btw, since starting with Linux in 1995 I've used SlackWare, Mandrake,
Debian, and Red Hat. The functional differences between distros are
perhaps negligible, but when you're learning the system you should take
the least resistant path. You can always switch distros later if the urge
hits you.
I've lost track of the number of computer "wizzes" who were completely
baffled by Linux, and they often end up blaming the complexity of the
system instead of their own ignorance. Linux is indeed an extremely
powerful and wonderful system, but like all powerful things it requires
some willingness to learn how to handle it. Modern Linux distros are
easier than ever to install and configure, but setting up a Linux
audio/music system is a few steps beyond that stage, and the process is
still tricky. Let the experts do that work for you: install A/Demudi or
Planet C.
OTOH, if you've already installed Mandrake or SlackWare, be sure to check
out Thac's packages at
http://rpm.nyvalls.se/ or Luke Yelavich's
AudioSlack at
http://www.audioslack.com/. They have what you need to turn
your system into a screaming Linux music machine. SuSE
(
http://www.novell.com/de-de/linux/suse/) is also an excellent system,
but I confess ignorance regarding its out-of-the-box audio support. I do
know that some of the finest Linux audio minds work for the company so I
expect it to be a solid contender. (Some of the top ALSA people work for
SuSE).
These are my opinions. I don't work for Red Hat or AGNULA. I'm
self-employed, and I'm 100% Linux-based. My desktop machine currently
runs Planet C and Demudi. My laptop runs Planet C Red Hat 9, but I'm
planning to switch it to Demudi soon.
http://ccrma.stanford.edu/planetccrma/software/
http://www.agnula.org/
Best regards,
Dave Phillips"