Linux was so close this time!!!

[FaceorKneecaps]

I do recommend ubuntu for the average user and it is a superior OS. I love the apt-get to ease the command-fear for someone who never saw Dos, and the middle click to copy anything is brilliant. And then I have all my favorite programs from the XP that I like: Openoffice, firefox, azureus, amarok is great, vlc, nicotine is my soulseek, and thunar gives me all the features I need in a simple interface. And no viruses! It's like heaven eeeeey! and I do love it!

Except for the fact that I like to make music. Mobuntu is a nice name, and 64 and Rosegarden gave their try, but when it comes to quality of sound, they are no option. I do like the visual effect in Linux but my trained ear can hear that Linux have no support, neighter skills to make it right. I know this has to do with hardware support and I will seek out hw that can make my work happen in linux. And also I'm a gamer. Suddenly the dual-boot wave changed from my beloved linux to the rip curl called XP. I used "df" to see whats space left for the sakes of Gods...

I am sorry, it was not my choise.....I just love music more...

:guitar:

[mips]

Try http://ubuntustudio.org/ when it is released, about the same time as Feisty I think.

[teaker1s]

in feisty repositories now

[tubasoldier]

Well, the Creative XFI cards will be releasing closed source drivers for linux. Now wait! Before you boo the closed source driver let me share something with you.

I sent an e-mail to the driver devs at creative asking exactly what this means. Does it mean that linux will get the same treatment it always had except the drivers will now be closed source? and this is the response I got:


Thanks for your note. With the closed-source drivers, the intent is to provide support essentially the same as under Windows -- speaker configuration control, full EAX support, full EFX support, accelerated OpenAL, etc.

Garin


So it may not be long before sound in Linux is up to speed. Being a musician myself I understand what you mean. I have a soundfont compatible sound card and use wine to run NoteWorthy Composer. This way I'm able to still write music. RoseGarden just sucks in its notation interface and NoteEdit is slightly better, but development has stopped. :(

[FaceorKneecaps]

Wait, and more wait is not my game. Is there an development on hardware support? Ubuntustudios is a big leaking ship, beeing in the repos making no difference. Music production in linux is still not an option... I'll rather deal with viruses then bad sounds.

[23meg]

Well, the Creative XFI cards will be releasing closed source drivers for linux.I suggest you don't trust Creative regarding their promises, especially for drivers, and especially if it's critical to you. They're notorious for making promises and not delivering.


I do like the visual effect in Linux but my trained ear can hear that Linux have no support, neighter skills to make it right. Are you getting bad sound out of every application? If so, there's probably something wrong with the way your sound card is configured.

Or is it that you don't like the way the audio software you tried sounds? I don't really understand what your complaint is.

[Tomosaur]

Dunno about you - but my sound card (Creative Audigy 2) is better under Linux than it ever was on Windows. I have more apps - more configuration options, and more nice little 'hacks' that I can do. Once you realise how linux handles sound, you can really start to see the benefits. I occasionally tune my guitar using linux (and that means actually plugging it in and using a little app). Not that I need it, I just think it's awesome to show off. I could probably do it in Windows, but Ubuntu just makes it so easy.

[Hendrixski]

I do recommend ubuntu for the average user and it is a superior OS. I love the apt-get to ease the command-fear for someone who never saw Dos, and the middle click to copy anything is brilliant. And then I have all my favorite programs from the XP that I like: Openoffice, firefox, azureus, amarok is great, vlc, nicotine is my soulseek, and thunar gives me all the features I need in a simple interface. And no viruses! It's like heaven eeeeey! and I do love it!

Except for the fact that I like to make music. Mobuntu is a nice name, and 64 and Rosegarden gave their try, but when it comes to quality of sound, they are no option. I do like the visual effect in Linux but my trained ear can hear that Linux have no support, neighter skills to make it right. I know this has to do with hardware support and I will seek out hw that can make my work happen in linux. And also I'm a gamer. Suddenly the dual-boot wave changed from my beloved linux to the rip curl called XP. I used "df" to see whats space left for the sakes of Gods...

I am sorry, it was not my choise.....I just love music more...

:guitar:

Face, That's a good observation. If you have a trained ear have you thought of collaborating with some of these music projects for Linux? you don't have to be able to code, just tell the developers what you noticed, and that you'd like to help them test, or help them in other non-technical ways. It's very important and a lot of us who use these programs would be very thankful for your efforts. :)

[caintona]

Yeah any input on this kind of quality can be documented for those that are working on such a thing. Just try it out every once in a while. I don't have this high a fidelity of reason. But i am having problems getting my sound card to work. I haven't found a good guide on how to set up my audigy card correctly.

Anyone got any ideas?

[mustang]

Well, the Creative XFI cards will be releasing closed source drivers for linux. Now wait! Before you boo the closed source driver let me share something with you.

I sent an e-mail to the driver devs at creative asking exactly what this means. Does it mean that linux will get the same treatment it always had except the drivers will now be closed source? and this is the response I got:


Thanks for your note. With the closed-source drivers, the intent is to provide support essentially the same as under Windows -- speaker configuration control, full EAX support, full EFX support, accelerated OpenAL, etc.

Garin


So it may not be long before sound in Linux is up to speed. Being a musician myself I understand what you mean. I have a soundfont compatible sound card and use wine to run NoteWorthy Composer. This way I'm able to still write music. RoseGarden just sucks in its notation interface and NoteEdit is slightly better, but development has stopped. :(

That's great news. I hope they deliver. Would you happen to know if they're doing the same for the EMU line as well? For the audiophiles, you're pretty much reduced to an external DAC or ESI Juli@ if you're on linux. It would be great to run an EMU card on linux.

[damu]

when it comes to quality of sound, they are no option

Either you didn't take the time to have a look at what can be produce with linux, or you didn't have the chance to find the right places. I am sorry to say this,but there couldn't be something more false than this assumption.

Any serious musician can produce audio and music to high professional standarts with linux : it is just a fact, that can be verified by :

listening to some production made with linux tools like this one (http://www.telefonica.net/web2/pinojazz/open_horizon.mp3) and others (http://lam.fugal.net/songs/list)
a review of tools for audio production available for linux

Ardour has been funded by SSL last year
Jamin (mastering tool) has been desinged by Ircam
more than 300 ladpsa plug-ins
best audio configuration ever with jack (and jackdmp), etc


Ubuntu doesn't offer yet anything to do some serious audio work out of the box. You can find my 2 cents about the right tools for audio prod on linux here (http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=2205697&posted=1#post2205697)

[FaceorKneecaps]

The song you presented, Damu, was nice to hear but I sounded to me like a recorded song. Thats not what I want to do since I make Breakbeat and DnB beats.. Mixing is not a problem in ubuntu, but a drum machine and a sequenser is. I have tried Hydrogen and liked it, but when you have a Drum-machine that does not accept .wav files, then what are you going to do?.
I want to make breaks and basslines, and ubuntu cant help me. That is not a problem for the OS, but for those who make the software.

[damu]

FaceorKneecaps, I am glad that you show an interest for linux, ubuntu, and open source tools.

I must say though, that you don't get your facts right, as far as audio on linux is concerned.
As mentioned earlier, audio production with professional standards and state of the art audio quality is within your hand on a linux system (it will actually mostly depends on your hardware : sound card, pre amp, monitoring, etc.).

As for hydrogen (http://www.hydrogen-music.org/?p=features), from their website, I quote :

Sample-based stereo audio engine, with import of sound samples in .wav, .au and .aiff formats.

There are different tools available on linux which you might find more useful for your style of music like lmms (available through synaptic) and others (http://linuxsound.atnet.at/)




That is not a problem for the OS, but for those who make the software.
Here again, this statement is not accurate. For now, the kernel of Ubuntu is not optimized for real time, therefore , Ubuntu is not yet ready for music production.

For example, you will have a hard time trying to run Rosegarden on Ubuntu(audio/midi sequencer that you could use to record/play bass lines with a synthetiser, or a soundfont via fluydsynth) .
As mentioned earlier, other distributions, like Studio-to-go, comes with an optimised kernel and most of the audio applications are already installed and working.

Have fun

[doobit]

Or dyne:bolic
http://dynebolic.org/

[FaceorKneecaps]

I did not mean the that the sound quality is any worse in ubuntu, that just came out wrong.

Thanks for the links to linuxsound and dynebolic, I havent seen those sites before and I will check them out.
And last time I tried Hydrogen it did not have support for .wav, and their changelog say that it was resently added. I also found a nice guide to install my beloved Reason in wine, so I'll give it another go.


*****
Edit:
I didnt find wine user friendly at all and havent managed to install any programs that works smoothly, and the Linux software I found was OK but would be unefficiant for my use. The thing that came to my rescue was Virtualbox. That way I dont have to dual-boot into XP and can work with windows programs and still download in Azureus (that was my reason for going back to windows in the first place). So then I am free to do all the things I want in Ubuntu, except gaming ofcourse, but thats a dualboot sacrifice I am willing to make. I am learning new things every day and soon I have the setup I am aiming for (Ubuntu with Virtualbox, in dualboot with a microwin XP installation), and when that is complete I will make a guide for other musicians/gamers that comes from windows and are new to Ubuntu. Thanks for all the input. This forum rocks!!!!! :guitar:

[*daniel]

The song you presented, Damu, was nice to hear but I sounded to me like a recorded song. Thats not what I want to do since I make Breakbeat and DnB beats.. Mixing is not a problem in ubuntu, but a drum machine and a sequenser is. I have tried Hydrogen and liked it, but when you have a Drum-machine that does not accept .wav files, then what are you going to do?.
I want to make breaks and basslines, and ubuntu cant help me. That is not a problem for the OS, but for those who make the software.

You may want to try the program LMMS. While it's not as polished as what it's obviously trying to mimic (Fruityloops), you'll find it quite adequate for making beats and baselines.

Here's something I threw together in about ten minutes a while back, after I had first downloaded the program, having never used it before: http://rmfo-blogs.com/daniel/audio/drumsandviolin.mp3