Wow. After 4 days of struggling, I finally have a functional DAW free of any Micro$oft influence. It's Ubuntu Studio (a Linux system). I had all kinds of trouble getting it loaded due to Fake Raid (Promise Fastrack) on my computer. It's still not quite right since on boot up, it drops to a shell where I have to key in "dmraid -ay" every time so it recognizes my raid disk setup. There's tons of stuff written on the problem on the web, but I have yet to find THE solution that will work for me. If anyone knows the trick, I would *REALLY* appreciate hearing it.
Anyways, Ubuntu Studio is pretty darned SEXY. She looks real good with the lights kind of low, soft music playing, a bottle of wine...
The package is loaded with software for audio, graphics and video production. It's strongest in the audio aspect, really aimed at professional studio use. Because of that, it looks to have a bit of a learning curve that comes with it. Should keep me busy for a while.
If anyone has any experience with it, or any words of wisdom on it, I'd like to hear it. Thanks!
- Bruiser
Ubuntu Studio
Re: Ubuntu Studio
Yes, there is a certain "vibe" to Linux and Ubuntu in particular that I really enjoyed. I think you should find my free plug-ins there, and sounds too 
However, countless hours spent on getting things to work, as well as a lack of high quality software really made me think of moving up, which I did. Mac OS X is still a UNIX system and has a lot of software shared with Linux behind, so it's at least as robust in terms of stability and security. But in terms of software - all of it's GUI and hardware communication technologies are miles away from Linux, and well standardized and improved over the years. So there is a real lot of great software, all of which follow the same UI design guidelines, which brings one consistent feel through the OS and all apps - so the learning curve is almost non-existent. I am not a Mac evangelist but I am totally digging the concept of minimizing routine work and letting you actually realize your ideas and inspiration instead of dealing with the technical size too much.
You are hearing this from someone who spend around 5 full years with Linux, hoping it will become what it aims at and there will be above-average software quality, taking part in several free projects (KDE, Hydrogen, my own free plug-ins, testing...). But even now, it's progressing very, very slowly. And what can you expect if the end user software is developed mostly by people who do this as their hobby?
Don't get me wrong... I like this whole idea of a free OS, and a free OS and apps for a musician on a budget is cool. But somehow it just doesn't work like I wish it did.
However, countless hours spent on getting things to work, as well as a lack of high quality software really made me think of moving up, which I did. Mac OS X is still a UNIX system and has a lot of software shared with Linux behind, so it's at least as robust in terms of stability and security. But in terms of software - all of it's GUI and hardware communication technologies are miles away from Linux, and well standardized and improved over the years. So there is a real lot of great software, all of which follow the same UI design guidelines, which brings one consistent feel through the OS and all apps - so the learning curve is almost non-existent. I am not a Mac evangelist but I am totally digging the concept of minimizing routine work and letting you actually realize your ideas and inspiration instead of dealing with the technical size too much.
You are hearing this from someone who spend around 5 full years with Linux, hoping it will become what it aims at and there will be above-average software quality, taking part in several free projects (KDE, Hydrogen, my own free plug-ins, testing...). But even now, it's progressing very, very slowly. And what can you expect if the end user software is developed mostly by people who do this as their hobby?
Don't get me wrong... I like this whole idea of a free OS, and a free OS and apps for a musician on a budget is cool. But somehow it just doesn't work like I wish it did.
Re: Ubuntu Studio
Artemiy -
I agree with you totally. I have been craving a Mac for a while now. I used to be a hardcore PC fan (ever since the early days of MSDOS). Over the years, however, I have become very disgruntled by where Micro$oft has taken that platform. It has become so bloated, with constant security updates, service packs, etc. I have had to completely reload my Micro$oft Window$ environment numerous times due to some of these "fixes". I used to always insist on spending the dollar$ to keep my systems loaded with the latest and greatest stuff, but I have stopped that. I WILL NOT spend another dime on a Window$ platform. What I have works fine in XP. Vista would probably not even run some of our older software (such as my wife's embroidery design stuff).
Linux is still a hackers environment. It can take a lot of research and persistence to get things set up right. I found my experience over the last several days to be a labor of love, however. I certainly have a significant amount to learn about my new DAW setup, but it's so cool that I have no problem burning my time on it.
One of these days, I'll spend the buck$ on a Mac. Until then, Linux should keep me happy.
-- By the way. Any idea on how to get me out of having to key in "dmraid -ay" (to recognize my fake raid setup that I can't get rid of...) in the initramfs shell that comes up after selecting the environment through Grub? What happens is, the Ubuntu Studio splash screen comes up for a while, and then dumps to the initramfs shell where I have to key in the "dmraid -ay" command followed by an exit command before it continues booting. I have tried numerous things I found on the web, but nothing seems to work. It's really annoying!
Thanks,
- Bruiser
I agree with you totally. I have been craving a Mac for a while now. I used to be a hardcore PC fan (ever since the early days of MSDOS). Over the years, however, I have become very disgruntled by where Micro$oft has taken that platform. It has become so bloated, with constant security updates, service packs, etc. I have had to completely reload my Micro$oft Window$ environment numerous times due to some of these "fixes". I used to always insist on spending the dollar$ to keep my systems loaded with the latest and greatest stuff, but I have stopped that. I WILL NOT spend another dime on a Window$ platform. What I have works fine in XP. Vista would probably not even run some of our older software (such as my wife's embroidery design stuff).
Linux is still a hackers environment. It can take a lot of research and persistence to get things set up right. I found my experience over the last several days to be a labor of love, however. I certainly have a significant amount to learn about my new DAW setup, but it's so cool that I have no problem burning my time on it.
One of these days, I'll spend the buck$ on a Mac. Until then, Linux should keep me happy.
-- By the way. Any idea on how to get me out of having to key in "dmraid -ay" (to recognize my fake raid setup that I can't get rid of...) in the initramfs shell that comes up after selecting the environment through Grub? What happens is, the Ubuntu Studio splash screen comes up for a while, and then dumps to the initramfs shell where I have to key in the "dmraid -ay" command followed by an exit command before it continues booting. I have tried numerous things I found on the web, but nothing seems to work. It's really annoying!
Thanks,
- Bruiser
Re: Ubuntu Studio
That is totally the same thing I had, countless problems with software. Each install rendered itself useless in 6 months or so. Linux does work almost forever, although it was not perfect 3-4 years ago. In general, you do get a more stable environment, and with GNOME interface it's also easier to use than Windows.
In any case, Mac is THE thing. I do not want you to see me as Apple advocate, but man, you can't beat a computer which does all you want without any hassle at all. Many things you get used to are like magic. After a few months on a Mac, any Windows machine feels so damn ridiculously hard to use!
In any case, Mac is THE thing. I do not want you to see me as Apple advocate, but man, you can't beat a computer which does all you want without any hassle at all. Many things you get used to are like magic. After a few months on a Mac, any Windows machine feels so damn ridiculously hard to use!
What I'd do is put this command in the system startup script. I can't recall where it is exactly, but should be in the /etc directory, maybe named "init" or like that. Put that line at the very bottom of that script.Any idea on how to get me out of having to key in "dmraid -ay"
Re: Ubuntu Studio
Finally gave up on the Micro$oft Window$ and the PC. Also trashed Linux. I now have a beautiful 24-inch iMac. What a machine. I am tickled pink now.
Re: Ubuntu Studio
LMAO!!! 
Welcome to the real world, Bruiser! Now you know that paradise is actually on Earth.
Please contact me now for a little gift
Welcome to the real world, Bruiser! Now you know that paradise is actually on Earth.
Please contact me now for a little gift