Linux anyone?

[Nayrb]

I guess this could go in the Technology section, but since it's not necessarily only related to music, it could impact other things too (like gaming etc.).

Are there any Linux users here? I've been thinking for awhile about switching over from Windows on my next build. But there appear to be a lot of compatibility issues. Reaper will work, I know that. But Native Instruments' stuff requires something called "Wine," and even that isn't a guarantee things will go well. What about other plugins? I know FL Studio is not compatible with Linux, or so they say.

I'm not going to hold my breath that developers who aren't on board will get on board, so I'm exploring options. I figure I have a few years before I absolutely HAVE to make a choice as to whether I'll switch or not. It all seems very complicated: which version of Linux to use, which version of whichever version you choose, the necessity of "wine" (which I'm guessing is a kind of wrapper?) and so forth; but it seems like it could be worth the effort. All the info I find online is pretty chaotic, though. Some people have no problems, others have all sorts of them.

I figured I should just use an old laptop for experimentation. Anybody know where to start with Linux?

[Terry93D]

I've thought about switching to Linux a lot but I were to do so my thinking is that I'd have to have two drives or a dual-boot drive or something - keep Windows for any music production work because figuring out how to get everything to function with Linux seems like a massive pain in the ass; and then some distro of Linux for everything else - probably ElementaryOS on the basis that it's very clean and pretty and aesthetically pleasing.

[Nayrb]

(11-18-2021, 04:35 PM)Terry93D Wrote: I've thought about switching to Linux a lot but I were to do so my thinking is that I'd have to have two drives or a dual-boot drive or something - keep Windows for any music production work because figuring out how to get everything to function with Linux seems like a massive pain in the ass; and then some distro of Linux for everything else - probably ElementaryOS on the basis that it's very clean and pretty and aesthetically pleasing.

Yes, it really does seem like a PITA. On one hand, I like learning more about computers and getting better at using them; on the other, I just want to make music. I guess my best bet is probably to just do whatever works best for the main rig, whether that's Windows 11 or whatever at the time of the next build, and just practice on an old laptop with Linux until I figure out what works. It's going to be an ongoing experiment like anything else.

One thing I've heard is that running NI stuff in wine on Linux is a huge burden on the CPU, but with every situation being different, it's hard to tell whether that's always the case or just someone's particular situation based on their own setup and choices. I'm guessing that's one reason why NI hasn't made a Linux version of their stuff yet: they can't standardize it or account for all the variables. But I don't know. It seems to work just fine for Reaper, so what could be the issue? Probably just internal politics and money, as usual.

[Michael Willis]

I use Linux. Yes, Reaper has a well supported Linux native version these days. Yes, there are ways to run Windows VSTs on Linux, but it may be hit or miss.

Your best bet for running Windows VSTs is probably yabridge, and it even has specific instructions for getting Native Instruments to work. Search for "Native Instruments" on the github page and you'll find it.

You should take some time to decide which flavor of Linux to use, but not too much time. I would suggest avoiding the trap of always exploring yet another distro.

If you want a batteries-included kitchen-sink kind of setup for making music, try AV Linux. It comes already customized for realtime audio production, along with a whole pile of audio apps and plugins already installed. The maintainer, Glen "GMaq" MacArthur, is very friendly and willing to help. He uses AV Linux to record his guitar band.

Right now my music machine has Elementary OS with some customizations to facilitate realtime audio production. I use Elementary OS mainly for the reasons that Terry mentioned, and I would rather start out with a more minimal OS install and add only the apps/plugins/instruments that I actually want to use.

I have to warn you to throw a lot of your expectations out the window (pun not intended), because Linux does things very differently than what you're used to and it can be a really frustrating experience learning to use it. With that said, the ability to produce audio on Linux has gotten much much better over the last ten years or so, and after you surmount the initial learning curve you might find that you actually like it. I'll keep an eye on this thread and do my best to answer any questions that come up, but you might be better off joining the Linux Musicians Forum and asking technical questions there.

[Nayrb]

(11-19-2021, 05:49 PM)Michael Willis Wrote: I use Linux. Yes, Reaper has a well supported Linux native version these days. Yes, there are ways to run Windows VSTs on Linux, but it may be hit or miss.

Your best bet for running Windows VSTs is probably yabridge, and it even has specific instructions for getting Native Instruments to work. Search for "Native Instruments" on the github page and you'll find it.

You should take some time to decide which flavor of Linux to use, but not too much time. I would suggest avoiding the trap of always exploring yet another distro.

If you want a batteries-included kitchen-sink kind of setup for making music, try AV Linux. It comes already customized for realtime audio production, along with a whole pile of audio apps and plugins already installed. The maintainer, Glen "GMaq" MacArthur, is very friendly and willing to help. He uses AV Linux to record his guitar band.

Right now my music machine has Elementary OS with some customizations to facilitate realtime audio production. I use Elementary OS mainly for the reasons that Terry mentioned, and I would rather start out with a more minimal OS install and add only the apps/plugins/instruments that I actually want to use.

I have to warn you to throw a lot of your expectations out the window (pun not intended), because Linux does things very differently than what you're used to and it can be a really frustrating experience learning to use it. With that said, the ability to produce audio on Linux has gotten much much better over the last ten years or so, and after you surmount the initial learning curve you might find that you actually like it. I'll keep an eye on this thread and do my best to answer any questions that come up, but you might be better off joining the Linux Musicians Forum and asking technical questions there.

Thanks for the info, Mike!

I would probably want to start simply as well, and only add what I need. I'm all about going that sort of route if I can. I just don't know enough about it all to know what I'll need. My brother uses Linux, but he's not much help because he doesn't do music or audio.

[Michael Willis]

(11-20-2021, 05:40 AM)Nayrb Wrote: I just don't know enough about it all to know what I'll need. My brother uses Linux, but he's not much help because he doesn't do music or audio.

To get started, all you really need is a spare laptop and a Linux install image on a DVD or a usb flash stick. Go through the OS install, accept the default settings, and explore the operating system a little bit. You don't even really need to do the realtime audio customizations that I did, unless you're going to be recording and you are particular about low latencies. Get your brother to help you with some basic navigation, like installing third-party apps and such.

Then install Reaper, get a native SFZ plugin and maybe a native reverb, like sfizz and Dragonfly Reverb. Make a quick arrangement with Virtual Playing Orchestra, just to verify that Reaper and your sound hardware are cooperating.

After that, you can try doing the more advanced stuff like using yabridge to run Windows VSTs, and you can switch to NI and Valhalla.

Oh, I should mention that there's a REAPER for Linux section on the Reaper forum, it looks like it would be really helpful.

Just curious, what sound hardware would you be using? I've used a couple of different Focusrite interfaces without any trouble, and I know that other Linux users are successfully using a variety of class-compliant USB sound interfaces.

[Nayrb]

(11-20-2021, 02:44 PM)Michael Willis Wrote: Just curious, what sound hardware would you be using? I've used a couple of different Focusrite interfaces without any trouble, and I know that other Linux users are successfully using a variety of class-compliant USB sound interfaces.

I'm using a NI KA6 that I got in 2013 (so an older one than the one that is available these days). My MIDI keyboard is an Oxygen 49 (Blue version, probably MKII, also circa 2012-13).

[Michael Willis]

(11-21-2021, 06:00 AM)Nayrb Wrote: NI KA6, Oxygen 49

From a cursory look around some forums, it seems like both of those should work without any trouble. A long-time venerated member of the Linux Musicians forum that goes by "folderol" uses a KA6. Several people are using different Oxygen midi controllers. From what I can tell, both should just be a matter of plugging in and picking them from REAPER's device menu.

[Nayrb]

(11-21-2021, 03:23 PM)Michael Willis Wrote:

(11-21-2021, 06:00 AM)Nayrb Wrote: NI KA6, Oxygen 49

From a cursory look around some forums, it seems like both of those should work without any trouble. A long-time venerated member of the Linux Musicians forum that goes by "folderol" uses a KA6. Several people are using different Oxygen midi controllers. From what I can tell, both should just be a matter of plugging in and picking them from REAPER's device menu.

Ah, very good to know! It's the sort of thing that is going to take some experimenting, the real challenge is finding time to sit down and get started, ha! I've had so little time for anything recently that I'm primarily interested in just using my rig to make some music already! But it's good to know that all this stuff CAN work on Linux.