Linux for Music Production.

[mintprod]

Hello! I have a problem.

I decided to change my OS from Windows to Linux. I think that Mint will be the best for me because I want something like Windows with better performance and security. I don't know what's better Debian Edition or Standard.

But I need to work E-MU 0404 USB, Microphone, Synths, VST plugins and Ableton to work PERFECTLY.

I've read that this is possible but I need to be 100% sure.

And that's why I need your honest answer: Mint, other Distro or maybe it's better to stay on Windows.

[xenopeek]

Hello! I have a problem.

I decided to change my OS from Windows to Linux. I think that Mint will be the best for me because I want something like Windows with better performance and security. I don't know what's better Debian Edition or Standard.

If you are very new to Linux, I would suggest you don't use the Debian Edition just yet.

But I need to work E-MU 0404 USB, Microphone, Synths, VST plugins and Ableton to work PERFECTLY.

I've read that this is possible but I need to be 100% sure.

Apart from Ableton you are talking gibberish too me I'm assuming E-MU 0404 USB, Microphone, Synths and VST plugins are all hardware or software that goes into Ableton? See this thread on Ableton: http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=78072&start=0 You can run Ableton on Wine, which is a Windows compatiblity layer on Linux.

And that's why I need your honest answer: Mint, other Distro or maybe it's better to stay on Windows.

Having no experience with any of the things you mentioned, which you want to run perfectly, and you want to give Linux Mint a shot to see if you can migrate to that, I'd say install Linux Mint alongside Windows in a dual-boot configuration. Then follow the guides on Wine and Ableton and see if you can get everything to work as you want.

If you want to do media creation, but don't need the Windows software, you may want to look into Ubuntu Studio. They have loaded their distro with Linux native media creation software.

[ThistleWeb]

Musical hardware vendors create for a small subsection of PC users, almost all of them will never have heard of Linux. You may find that some of the hardware won't work on Linux. Jono Bacon uses Windows 7 in his studio for that reason. Of the small number of Linux users who do record music, a small subsection of those will have the same equipment, or have tried it with Linux, an even smaller subsection will have tried it with the same distro.

If I was using a PC as a recording studio, I'd first be trying Ubuntu Studio, but resigned to the fact that in all likelihood, I'm gonna have to use Windows.

[mintprod]

Wow, thank you for your response.

I am thinking about installing Mint, Windows and Ubuntu Studio. I will try Ableton on Mint and if it won't be working then I will have to install DAW on Windows. Maybe I will try to re-wire (with this JACK program) these two DAWs (Ableton and Ardour)

I want to have Windows ans Ubuntu Studio for media works and Mint for everything else. If Ableton will run on Mint/Ubuntu Studio perfectly then I will be very happy.

How about installing one of the systems on external drive, hm?

EDIT: How about XP on Virtual Box? Maybe this will be enough.

[hozomean]

Hello,

I've done audio stuff for years in the mac world and have toyed with doing projects on Linux. Ardour is a very capable sequencer, though like many is not always super intuitive. It can very easily handling the types of tracking that you would throw at pro-tools or most other sequencers, IMHO. Where it would be lacking is in automation and plugins. There have been a few efforts over the years to get VST plugins running on linux through various "wrappers". I haven't had a chance to test any of these personally (yet)... a couple examples:

http://www.breakfastquay.com/dssi-vst/
http://jvstwrapper.sourceforge.net/ (last release was in 2009)

You'll see there are various ratings for running Ableton under wine at its page on the wine appdb:

http://appdb.winehq.org/objectManager.p ... n&iId=2113

Looks like folks have had luck with the EMU 0404 PCI on ardour here:

http://ardour.org/node/4061

Seems like there's good luck with the USB version as well,

http://www.linuxmusicians.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2880

However, as fun as cool as these solutions are, I would not count on anything emulated to work PERFECTLY as you say, even inside virtualbox. I would never use these solutions for a production environment with paying customers. You can buy a more than capable used mac for $500 or (gasp) use windows (which I say more as an audio nerd than a linux nerd, though I guess I qualify as both).