Should I go Linux?

[Nemo08]

Originally Posted by Cosmic

Go back to Win 7 if you've got any sense OP.

Best OS for audio I've ever used.On any platform.Super stable.

Sure NOT!
I have been using Reaper-Wineasio Linuslite 4.8 for 3 years and its far much better than Win 7 that i was using before , almost all my windows plugins are working fine.Linuxlite4.8 is based on ubuntu 18.04 , DO NOT UPGRADE TO A NEWER VERSION OR you'll get problems with the windows plugins.i am using Kontakt 6.6.1 with a lot of libraries.

[richie43]

I love linux and use it for almost everything...but not music. After many MANY attempts, my most stable and robust DAW is a Windows 10 Reaper setup.

[norbury brook]

Originally Posted by richie43

I love linux and use it for almost everything...but not music. After many MANY attempts, my most stable and robust DAW is a Windows 10 Reaper setup.

this ..... or mac OS....... Linux isn't ready still for the seamless experience you get with windows or OSX.


M

[richie43]

Originally Posted by norbury brook

this ..... or mac OS....... Linux isn't ready still for the seamless experience you get with windows or OSX.


M

Unfortunately, I agree. I have tried and have wanted it to work so much. I have even taken the time to relearn, thinking that just maybe I was not giving it a fair chance.

[ivansc]

I sort of agree. I installed Ubunutu studio 21 with no issues at all, put reaper in & added a bunch of Linux plugs and it all worked great with my little RME Babyface on a laptop, so I started looking at how to add my large collection of windows and mac based VSTs, etc. This was where I hit a stumbling block & could not get any of the WINE stuff to work properly (or at all afaik) so I then tried AV Linux (same problems, plus some extras) & finally Manjaro.

I then fell out of a tree & have had to shelve all the Linux stuff, but until I can get ALL my plugins up & running in whatever Distro actually works for me. I am sticking to windows 10 and OSX.

[richie43]

Originally Posted by ivansc

I then fell out of a tree...

Did I miss a joke....Or did you actually fall from a tree?

[Mcgiver69]

Originally Posted by ivansc

I sort of agree. I installed Ubunutu studio 21 with no issues at all, put reaper in & added a bunch of Linux plugs and it all worked great with my little RME Babyface on a laptop, so I started looking at how to add my large collection of windows and mac based VSTs, etc. This was where I hit a stumbling block & could not get any of the WINE stuff to work properly (or at all afaik) so I then tried AV Linux (same problems, plus some extras) & finally Manjaro.

I then fell out of a tree & have had to shelve all the Linux stuff, but until I can get ALL my plugins up & running in whatever Distro actually works for me. I am sticking to windows 10 and OSX.

Goodness have you tried to install your Mac plugins into Windows or viceversa? You are trying to use a software written for a totally different architecture, feel lucky some of them will work very well in Linux under LinVST or Yabridge. If you say you can't live without them then fair enough but you can't say you tried to install win and mac plugins and because they work like they work in the intended OS that's why Linux sucks. Geez.

[serr]

I'm still dragging my feet...
Probably because OSX is still doing the "just works" thing and all my software is still OSX based. MacOS is looking pretty disastrous in recent times though. The brick bug Catalina. Big Sur OS XI abandoned after the first version. I'm camped out in 10.13.6 for the most part and I still keep a 10.6.8 install on hand. At least I'm familiar with actual Unix command line from OSX. It should be more or less familiar and some of the OSX plugins and apps should have a chance to run in Linux without Wine when I finally jump into it.

[Glennbo]

Originally Posted by serr

I'm still dragging my feet...
Probably because OSX is still doing the "just works" thing and all my software is still OSX based. MacOS is looking pretty disastrous in recent times though. The brick bug Catalina. Big Sur OS XI abandoned after the first version. I'm camped out in 10.13.6 for the most part and I still keep a 10.6.8 install on hand. At least I'm familiar with actual Unix command line from OSX. It should be more or less familiar and some of the OSX plugins and apps should have a chance to run in Linux without Wine when I finally jump into it.

If your current setup works, don't fix it! For me it was the Intel CPU flaw Meltdown, then Spectre, Rowhammer, Etc. that was never going to get a Microcode update in Windows 7 that was the catalyst for me jumping ship from Windows to Linux.

It was a choice between Windows 10 or Linux, both which would load updated microcode to address chip exploits. I'd had enough of Microsoft's heavy handed approach and chose Linux knowing full well it was going to be a lot more difficult than just sticking with Windows. I hit snags and threw some plugins out, but I was determined to get Microsoft out of my life.

Now, three plus years of running Linux exclusively later, and I'm still totally happy I switched. I'm not a plugin junkie so the fact that most plugins are not available in native Linux doesn't bother me, and the Windows plugins I wanted to run have been running fine for the entire duration.

[uksnowy]

Originally Posted by DjMilktoast

a rock-solid Windows 7....is this a joke?
I've been suffering from multiple BSOD's after this last miserable Windows update.NO it is not a Memory or hardware problem so let me stop you now.
I have uninstalled the update,applied Fixes and did several system restores but it is WINDOWS....I WISH Reaper and LINUX would get it together .I have Ubuntu on dual boot any enjoy the GUI and stability.If I was'nt so dam poor I would get a MAC and say goodbye to Microcrap forever.

That has to be machine related rather than OS. I run WIN 7 on my 2013 i7 laptop and I can't remember having had a BSOD. I'll be running the same code as your are. My experience is that WIN 7 is so reliable I have completely bypassed the WIN 10 upgrade. Windows 11?? Jury still out on that one. I have considered the conversion to Linux many times. I have no beef with Linux. I simply am not adept enough nor have enough planet years left to learn how to administer the beast. Also, I have invested significantly in windows VSTs. If Linux worked out of the box, like Windows does, and supported the VSTs, I would jump tomorrow.

[PMan]

The OS discussion threads...

Everyone says the OS they use is the best, most stable etc. - and everyone is correct. People use what they use because it works for them. People are different, have different budgets, needs and skill sets, and that's a good thing.

What you should do, is investigate your options *with an open mind*.

When you find what works for you, go for it! Get busy! Make music!

[TonE]

8 years later. Of course Linux is best. Thanks to internet you can solve (possible) problems easily and learn new stuff during this process. Then enjoying better timing and better everything. As a non-musician Linux is anyway best. As a musician, for me, for example I need only: Reaper, redux, hackey trackey and a working sound card, RME Hammerfall 2.

[ivansc]

Originally Posted by richie43

Did I miss a joke....Or did you actually fall from a tree?

No joke. I fractured my T12 vertebra when I landed on my back.
Hospital said it would take 6 weeks to heal but it hasn`t MY doctor says I will need to take some meds to help the bones get over it & I would probably be off my feet for at least another 2 months.
What a pain in the ass oops BACK.

[ivansc]

Originally Posted by Mcgiver69

If you say you can't live without them then fair enough but you can't say you tried to install win and mac plugins and because they work like they work in the intended OS that's why Linux sucks. Geez.

I cant live without them, mostly because I am a beta tester for several of the plugin developers.

As far as the Mac goes, I have only Mac versions of the Windows ones I test, because I haven`t used my mac Mini in several years for serious music production. I bought it to help a dear friend of mine finish his album before he finally gave in to cancer & I hated having to use Logic Pro9, but it was all knew how to use.

[richie43]

Originally Posted by ivansc

No joke. I fractured my T12 vertebra when I landed on my back.
Hospital said it would take 6 weeks to heal but it hasn`t MY doctor says I will need to take some meds to help the bones get over it & I would probably be off my feet for at least another 2 months.
What a pain in the ass oops BACK.

Yikes! Ouch!
Ironically, a back injury is what brought me to reaper (I call it my obscene and perverse blessing"). I had been a busy performer, studio monkey (session musician), and my non-music gig was as a professional gardener. I ended up injured and had a spinal fusion surgery, which took me out of hard core touring, gardening, and much of my session work for almost a year. After being out a year, as I was able to consider session work, I lost some of my "cred" and had been replaced. That also happened to be a time when this area saw a huge drop in session work anyway, as more and more people could do more and more on their own because of awesome things like reaper. So I jumped in!!
Take care of that spine!!

[ivansc]

Originally Posted by richie43

Yikes! Ouch!
Take care of that spine!!

I was lucky but it turns out not quite as lucky as I thought... Hospital had told me I would be up and running in 6 weeks. Seventh week & I spoke with my doctor, who told me I could expect at least another month or two of hobbling round like the Lunchpack of Notre Dame. (joke alert)

But she also said that I was doing well & could expect a full recovery.

[richie43]

Originally Posted by ivansc

I was lucky but it turns out not quite as lucky as I thought... Hospital had told me I would be up and running in 6 weeks. Seventh week & I spoke with my doctor, who told me I could expect at least another month or two of hobbling round like the Lunchpack of Notre Dame. (joke alert)

But she also said that I was doing well & could expect a full recovery.

"....Lunchpack of Notre Dame...."
ha ha......

"Of course I note the dame..." (said in Groucho Marx or Rodney Dangerfield voice...)
I am glad that you were as lucky as you were still.

[sostenuto]

Truly sad to hear of fall and ongoing painful issues! Recently feel down stairs, hard landing, but only rib pain and now recovered. Scary stuff. Get healed soon !

Posting cuz Desktop PC-DAW(2) needed Win10 Pro clean-intall due to pathetic Insider preview Update to Win11 Pro. Does not qualify for full release. Some posts here caused attempt to install Linux Mint-Cinnamon. Running now, yet no clue what must be added to run Reaper v6.40. Now hesitant to go further after reading these current posts, by trusted Reaper Users.
Lots of time getting going again with Win10 Pro, and now co-installed but changed from ntfs to nts4. Looks like another Win10 Pro clean install to recover.
Good to see this info before proceeding with Linux Mint /Reaper. THX !

[ivansc]

Originally Posted by sostenuto

Posting cuz Desktop PC-DAW(2) needed Win10 Pro clean-intall due to pathetic Insider preview Update to Win11 Pro. Does not qualify for full release. Some posts here caused attempt to install Linux Mint-Cinnamon. Running now, yet no clue what must be added to run Reaper v6.40. Now hesitant to go further after reading these current posts, by trusted Reaper Users.
Lots of time getting going again with Win10 Pro, and now co-installed but changed from ntfs to nts4. Looks like another Win10 Pro clean install to recover.
Good to see this info before proceeding with Linux Mint /Reaper. THX !

Welcome to the club.
I had to do a total reinstall of win10 a while back for exactly the same reasons. Talk about Microsoft being grateful to all the alpha & beta testers

... and then not bothering to tell us the version we had been using was not compatible with the "full" version!

[Glennbo]

Originally Posted by sostenuto

Posting cuz Desktop PC-DAW(2) needed Win10 Pro clean-intall due to pathetic Insider preview Update to Win11 Pro. Does not qualify for full release.

Maybe it qualifies for a half release.

Some posts here caused attempt to install Linux Mint-Cinnamon. Running now, yet no clue what must be added to run Reaper v6.40. Now hesitant to go further after reading these current posts, by trusted Reaper Users.

Are those the trusted Windows users who also gave up on Linux?

To install REAPER on Linux, you click the big GREEN button to the right of the text that says "Linux x86_64", unzip it to your Downloads, then open a terminal to the folder you just unzipped and run the file install-reaper.sh with the syntax:

bash install-reaper.sh

which you then answer the questions as such,

I
2
Y
Y

and then REAPER is ready to run. Takes all of 30 seconds once you've done it a time or two.

[ivansc]

Originally Posted by Glennbo

Maybe it qualifies for a half release.



Are those the trusted Windows users who also gave up on Linux?

To install REAPER on Linux, you click the big GREEN button to the right of the text that says "Linux x86_64", unzip it to your Downloads, then open a terminal to the folder you just unzipped and run the file install-reaper.sh with the syntax:

bash install-reaper.sh

which you then answer the questions as such,

I
2
Y
Y

and then REAPER is ready to run. Takes all of 30 seconds once you've done it a time or two.

I agree 100%. I have tried so many distros & every one has happily run reaper with my Babyface. If I could only figure out getting something installed that will recognise my Windows-based plugins, I would definitely switch to Linux. It transformed the cheesy little i3 laptop I was testing it on,. This is now running Win10 and is way slower and clunkier. What a waste!

[Cosmic]

Originally Posted by Nemo08

Sure NOT!
I have been using Reaper-Wineasio Linuslite 4.8 for 3 years and its far much better than Win 7 that i was using before , almost all my windows plugins are working fine.Linuxlite4.8 is based on ubuntu 18.04 , DO NOT UPGRADE TO A NEWER VERSION OR you'll get problems with the windows plugins.i am using Kontakt 6.6.1 with a lot of libraries.

Apart from the fact that you are replying to an 8 year old comment...

I'm setting up an old laptop to give reaper on linux another go. See how things have progressed.

[ivansc]

Originally Posted by Cosmic

I'm setting up an old laptop to give reaper on linux another go. See how things have progressed.

If you get WINE or similar working, let us all know what distro & what you had to do to get WINE working properly, including what version(s)
Please...

[Mcgiver69]

Originally Posted by ivansc

I agree 100%. I have tried so many distros & every one has happily run reaper with my Babyface. If I could only figure out getting something installed that will recognise my Windows-based plugins, I would definitely switch to Linux. It transformed the cheesy little i3 laptop I was testing it on,. This is now running Win10 and is way slower and clunkier. What a waste!

Try Yabridge, I have a ton of Win plugins working with my AV-Linux desktop. Do a minimal install and try it. The only ones that I haven't been able to port are the ones that use iLok.

[Glennbo]

Originally Posted by ivansc

If you get WINE or similar working, let us all know what distro & what you had to do to get WINE working properly, including what version(s)
Please...

What I did when I built my Ryzen 3700X . . .

1. Installed Manjaro (was previously running Xubuntu)

2. Opened the Add/Remove Software app

3. Clicked the magnifying glass search icon and typed in "wine".

4. In the results of the search I clicked wine-staging and Winetricks and installed them. I did NOT install wine-gecko or anything else.


After that you would need to go into Winetricks and select "create a new wineprefix".

I didn't do this step because I had already setup WINE on Xubuntu, and just copied the .wine folder over to my new Manjaro install where all the Windows plugins instantly worked again on the new OS.

[serr]

My computer knowledge is a solid level of "knows enough to be dangerous".

What Linux distro is the best fit for audio?
What is the most Mac Core Audio-like option? (If there are options.)
What is the most OSX-like desktop environment?

So most OSX apps are already Unix based? The file system looks the same and command line stuff appears to work the same at any rate. What's the track record for running OSX apps natively in Linux? Or with some slight modification? I understand that Wine is an option just like in OSX but I'm not going to be running any Windows apps.

Those are my first questions.

So here we are with the big OS XII introduction! After the big OS XI introduction was scrapped after less than 1 year. After the last OS X version that introduced the brick bug. This doesn't look good.

[Glennbo]

Originally Posted by serr

My computer knowledge is a solid level of "knows enough to be dangerous".

What Linux distro is the best fit for audio?
What is the most Mac Core Audio-like option? (If there are options.)
What is the most OSX-like desktop environment?

So most OSX apps are already Unix based? The file system looks the same and command line stuff appears to work the same at any rate. What's the track record for running OSX apps natively in Linux? Or with some slight modification? I understand that Wine is an option just like in OSX but I'm not going to be running any Windows apps.

Those are my first questions.

So here we are with the big OS XII introduction! After the big OS XI introduction was scrapped after less than 1 year. After the last OS X version that introduced the brick bug. This doesn't look good.

Ubuntu Budgie is supposed to have a desktop like a Mac. I've never used it.

That said, I have used Xubuntu, which is Ubuntu with the XFCE desktop, and the core elements of Ubuntu worked great for audio production in REAPER. I have since switched to Manjaro Linux, and see no performance difference in REAPER, but have access to newer kernels, core components, and software which was my reason to switch.

As for running OSX apps in Linux, there is something called "Darling", but I know nothing about it.

https://ostechnix.com/run-macos-soft...using-darling/

I came from Win7 to Linux and run a lot of my instrument plugins from Windows, as well as a few programming tools and languages that are Windows based. With WINE, once you have it installed and have setup a wineprefix, you can just double click Windows executables, like installers, and they run like they did in Windows.

[serr]

Thanks Glennbo!

I did a Wine install on my old 10.6.8 system (which I still keep around). I can just double-click a native Windows app and it runs. Never revisited that with newer OS installs.

I'm going to give the new OS XII a fair trial. Looks like we are to install a new boot loader now (Open Core) as well. Getting more DIY intensive. Looks like there is more blacklisting of compatible hardware once again. So business as usual I guess.

If I get pissed off enough at any point I'm going to start playing with Linux. (Or perhaps just getting back to work in 10.13.6 like I've been doing.)

[Held]

Originally Posted by PMan

Everyone says the OS they use is the best, most stable etc. - and everyone is correct. People use what they use because it works for them. People are different, have different budgets, needs and skill sets, and that's a good thing.

I never thought of it that way. I'll remember that for the next time my friends argue about their operating systems.

[Glennbo]

Originally Posted by serr

Thanks Glennbo!

I did a Wine install on my old 10.6.8 system (which I still keep around). I can just double-click a native Windows app and it runs. Never revisited that with newer OS installs.

I'm going to give the new OS XII a fair trial. Looks like we are to install a new boot loader now (Open Core) as well. Getting more DIY intensive. Looks like there is more blacklisting of compatible hardware once again. So business as usual I guess.

If I get pissed off enough at any point I'm going to start playing with Linux. (Or perhaps just getting back to work in 10.13.6 like I've been doing.)

Glad you finally got a functioning WINE to mess with.

One of the coolest things with using WINE for Windows plugins is when you decide to either reinstall the OS or switch distros like I did.

The entire Windows compatibility world all lives in the .wine folder, so unlike reinstalling Windows where all the plugins will need to be reinstalled and reauthorized, with WINE in Linux, you install Linux and WINE and then just copy your .wine folder onto the new install of Linux, and instantly all the Windows plugins work.

I only installed my Windows plugins *once* way back in 2018, yet I've reinstalled Xubuntu twice from scratch, and moved to Manjaro once. In each instance I just copied the .wine folder from a 2018 backup, and all my plugins became activated and functioning again.

[ivansc]

Thanks for the advice, Glenn - I will give Manjaro XFCE another go today & see if I can follow your instructions & get WINE (and hopefully Yabridge) working.

I just figured out what had been causing my laptop`s keyboard to play up, so I now have both the studio PC, the laptop and a spare i3 laptop with 8gb of ram & a 500gb ssd to play with Linux on, so less stress.

[Glennbo]

Originally Posted by ivansc

Thanks for the advice, Glenn - I will give Manjaro XFCE another go today & see if I can follow your instructions & get WINE (and hopefully Yabridge) working.

I just figured out what had been causing my laptop`s keyboard to play up, so I now have both the studio PC, the laptop and a spare i3 laptop with 8gb of ram & a 500gb ssd to play with Linux on, so less stress.

Good luck. If you hit a snag, pop over to the Linux forum. There are several others besides me who are running Manjaro to also chime in.

[ivansc]

FFS! So I downloaded Manjaro KDE and XFCE, thinking I could compare them both.
Went to install XFCE and discovered I could no longer get my little i3 to accept a bootable Linux DVD.

Checked & they both work on my studio PC, but I don`t really want to install a new toy on the workplace. And my other laptop has 2 SSDs and no DVD drive!

Talk about one step forward & two steps back!

[Glennbo]

Originally Posted by ivansc

FFS! So I downloaded Manjaro KDE and XFCE, thinking I could compare them both.
Went to install XFCE and discovered I could no longer get my little i3 to accept a bootable Linux DVD.

Checked & they both work on my studio PC, but I don`t really want to install a new toy on the workplace. And my other laptop has 2 SSDs and no DVD drive!

Talk about one step forward & two steps back!

You might have to go into the bios on the laptop, and change the boot order to try DVD first. Another angle would be to make a bootable flash drive, which would probably also need the bios boot order to look to flash before looking at SSDs to boot.

[serr]

I've read a few tutorials about re-flashing video cards to include boot screen capability. When said card doesn't come that way with the stock firmware. Some of these use a Windows install to avoid some copyright issues. Then you see instruction to burn the Windows installer to a DVD to prevent it from writing to the installer volume to work around copy protection with that. (None of this is probably technically OK to do.) If there are no shenanigans going on, just make a USB installer.

I don't know how the stock bootloader works in Windows. I understand there are 3rd party options. Not sure what the favorite might be for Linux installs. We're getting a new Open Core bootloader with MacOS now, moving forward. This is all DIY right now. Everything MacOS is suddenly DIY right now...

[GooseYArd]

Some random anecdotes about my very recent experience with Reaper on Linux.

I've been programming for a living since the early 90s and have been working on some flavor of Unix for the entire time, started with Linux around 93-ish. For my work, Linux is ideal in most ways, but I use command line stuff for just about everything because I know how to make it work and I'm quick with it. Audio and Video has historically been kind of a pain in the ass, but that stuff is a hobby for me so I use windows or osx, no big whoop.

Anyway since the pandemic, suddenly audio and video are a big deal for me at work. I got annoyed about stuff like automatic gain controls in the software, really lousy loudness matching between people in a call, etc. I ran into the PulseEffects tool for Linux and loved it, but the latency with PulseAudio sucks a lot and that made it a little worse. So I blew a little money on some used outboard gear, some eq and compression, everything works pretty well.

Then Pipewire shows up, PulseEffects moves to it, I start using that and although there some rough edges since its new and moving fast, very promising. Anyway for my job, I need to teach a recorded class, its mostly slides and voice-over. I kinda ripped off the Dan Worrall youtube style as a reference. Since I've got my nice outboard stuff on the Linux box I thought this will be a perfect time to finally try Reaper on Linux, worst case it'll suck and I plug my interface into my macbook instead.

I wound up finishing the whole project, about an hour of audio, on the Linux box using Pipewire with Jack enabled (very easy to set up). I typically only use stock plugins since I'm cheap AF and I'm really comfortable with using them now, and with the exception of a declicker I had everything I needed.

I really had only one image, which was that the mouse pointers I'm using (I'm still not sure whether these were the built-in pointers or my own) don't line up accurately with controls in the UI, so it was hard to hit small controls with the pointer. Eventually I figured out where the real pointer was with respect to the arrow, and I just stopped thinking about it. I expect that's probably an easy problem to fix, I was just in a hurry to get the class done and didnt want to fool around with it.

So anyway, I am seriously impressed at how usable Linux Reaper is. I never wanted to set up Jack on my work machine for fear that I'd foul up audio somehow, but with Pipewire in the picture that's not much of a problem. It's just now starting to show up in the distros, so I think over the next 18 months or so it'll land in the Debian-derived distros and jack will just kinda work everywhere.

If I used a lot of non-stock plugins I don't think I'd have the patience to set up the stuff to use Windows vsts, but if you're a hobbyist like me and don't have thousands of $$$ in plugins to worry about it feels pretty natural.

[ivansc]

Originally Posted by Glennbo

You might have to go into the bios on the laptop

That is the problem. I can`t get into the bios from startup.
According to the Toshiba site I can use f2 or f12 & neither opens the boot setup.
Today I am going to try removing the hard drive & seeing if it will automatically pick up on the DVD. What a pain. The little Toshiba was DOA when I got it & has been working perfectly since I repaired it, but I am beginning to wonder if I missed something.
Sorry to get off topic....

[Glennbo]

Originally Posted by ivansc

That is the problem. I can`t get into the bios from startup.
According to the Toshiba site I can use f2 or f12 & neither opens the boot setup.
Today I am going to try removing the hard drive & seeing if it will automatically pick up on the DVD. What a pain. The little Toshiba was DOA when I got it & has been working perfectly since I repaired it, but I am beginning to wonder if I missed something.
Sorry to get off topic....

I would also try hitting <Del> or <F4> on a boot up, *before* any text is displayed on screen.

[ivansc]

Originally Posted by Glennbo

I would also try hitting <Del> or <F4> on a boot up, *before* any text is displayed on screen.

No luck. Looks like I missed something when repairing. Odd, as I have tried using regular dvd and cd disks with programs and data on them & they all work fine.

Anyway this is all way off topic, so I`ll get back to this once I have a computer that will install Manjaro!

[Glennbo]

Originally Posted by ivansc

No luck. Looks like I missed something when repairing. Odd, as I have tried using regular dvd and cd disks with programs and data on them & they all work fine.

Anyway this is all way off topic, so I`ll get back to this once I have a computer that will install Manjaro!

It's an eeevile Windows 10 strangle hold!!!

Hehe, you could also try making a bootable flash install disk. Your BIOS might possibly be set to look at flash media before HDDs/SSDs.