paul-e-mann
Well-Known Member
As you know you can take any old PC and load Linux, I highly recommend Xubuntu a light weight distro that will work speedy fast even on a 12 year old PC.
Running Linux live
- Thread starter ibmorjamn
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paul-e-mann
Well-Known Member
Go to https://distrowatch.com/ if you want to see what distributions are out there and their popularity. I was surprised to see my favorite only at 39 cuz its awesome and I cant imagine anything else being better.
Hi Pedecamp et al.
The Linux thread lives!
(With a jump from 2015 to 2019.)
"Anybody else enjoy monkeying with this stuff?"
If you mean VNC...
I haven't used VNC for years. I probably should: I could look after my wife's LinuxLite without moving from my office chair.
Meanwhile, I am thinking about recording lately. I put some research into choosing a distro for that. I have settled on MX.
I love it.
It's Debian without System D. Mepis heritage plus Antix heritage. It excels at being a persistent live system. I have not used it as a live system except for my season of reviewing distros but it does seem to excel at that.
I am very happy to be away from Ubuntu land.
I have not undertaken any measures to reduce latency. We are not much into midi, so latency has not been a problem so far. It is nice to know that if latency becomes a problem there is a lot I can do to overcome it - since I have done nothing at all so far.
I am using Ardour for recording. Also Hydrogen - kinda as a fancy metronome.
But I notice that Ardour is far from my only option now. As of 2018 some of the other well known brands of DAW are available on Linux.
Calf plugins with Ardour are cool. Now we Linux guys can have plugins with cool GUIs - instead of the generic LADSPA GUIs.
I bought a Behringer 16 chan interface. It can use USB, Firewire or optical. I bought this one because it has nothing inside that needs software to control it.
Those that need software usually only want Windows or Mac software.
But even that is changing: some interfaces now use browser-based/network-based control.
I was very tempted to go with something from M-Audio for this reason.
This is a welcome development for anybody who prefers a OS-agnostic interface.
Yep - a lot has changed since 2015...
The Linux thread lives!
(With a jump from 2015 to 2019.)
"Anybody else enjoy monkeying with this stuff?"
If you mean VNC...
I haven't used VNC for years. I probably should: I could look after my wife's LinuxLite without moving from my office chair.
Meanwhile, I am thinking about recording lately. I put some research into choosing a distro for that. I have settled on MX.
I love it.
It's Debian without System D. Mepis heritage plus Antix heritage. It excels at being a persistent live system. I have not used it as a live system except for my season of reviewing distros but it does seem to excel at that.
I am very happy to be away from Ubuntu land.
I have not undertaken any measures to reduce latency. We are not much into midi, so latency has not been a problem so far. It is nice to know that if latency becomes a problem there is a lot I can do to overcome it - since I have done nothing at all so far.
I am using Ardour for recording. Also Hydrogen - kinda as a fancy metronome.
But I notice that Ardour is far from my only option now. As of 2018 some of the other well known brands of DAW are available on Linux.
Calf plugins with Ardour are cool. Now we Linux guys can have plugins with cool GUIs - instead of the generic LADSPA GUIs.
I bought a Behringer 16 chan interface. It can use USB, Firewire or optical. I bought this one because it has nothing inside that needs software to control it.
Those that need software usually only want Windows or Mac software.
But even that is changing: some interfaces now use browser-based/network-based control.
I was very tempted to go with something from M-Audio for this reason.
This is a welcome development for anybody who prefers a OS-agnostic interface.
Yep - a lot has changed since 2015...
paul-e-mann
Well-Known Member
Monkeying with Linux in general is what I mean, I haven't gotten into recording that much but I have monkeyed with Audacity for recording tracks and Hydrogen for drum tracks, and I haven't experienced any latency at all, the PC I use is a million years old too that had XP on it, that's why I like Linux so much cuz it will run on anything.
Do you mean Xubuntu?
I think people dislike it because it lacks desktop eye candy.
When I installed Ubuntu in 2014 - under conditions of pressure and haste - I later tried tweaking it to my liking.
I soon realized that I was actually attempting to make it into Xubuntu.
But why stop there?
I also realized, during my most recent distro choosing episode - that I have Linux From Scratch impulses. But who's got the time for that?
paul-e-mann
Well-Known Member
The reason I chose Xubuntu was through online research for a lightweight distro that could run on the oldest of old PCs, this was the winner and have been using it since with no problems. It is very robust and simple to use. All I need it to do is have good speed to surf the internet, do mail, do some word processing, the audio recording was a bonus in my eyes that it could handle that with no problem.
I am with you Tubes on getting away from Ubuntu.
There are way to many distros based off Unbuntu. Seems like they do all the hard work and it is piggy backed. Not that it matters. Creativity is a blast. I stared years ago with pclinux , it was simple. Also I used Ultamate for a few years but what I was waiting for is finally out. Elive 3.
Right now since moving a year ago my linux box lies dormant. Mainly because it has no Wi-Fi , I would have to run a cat cable.
paul-e-mann
Well-Known Member
Elive 3? I gotta look that up. What is it that you like about it?
Its 71 on the list, the distro tubes is using is 2 on the list, mine 39 LOL. Its a popularity contest!
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I noticed another distro from a online community that was called Mepis and then came antix now they are combined , mxlinux.
Interesting they are #2 and Debian stable based. The Mepis site was fantastic for beginners.
Duh , I missed that Tubes was using MX totally.
Elive has a nice feel to aesthetically on the desktop but it is quite different from most other distro's. I tried back on 2.0 and it was cool. Used the menu like Apple kind of when you mouse over it pops up.
I don't know how it plays with Windows and seems to be important to most people.
I am kind of out of the loop now but soon I will fire up the old box.
Interesting they are #2 and Debian stable based. The Mepis site was fantastic for beginners.
Duh , I missed that Tubes was using MX totally.
Elive has a nice feel to aesthetically on the desktop but it is quite different from most other distro's. I tried back on 2.0 and it was cool. Used the menu like Apple kind of when you mouse over it pops up.
I don't know how it plays with Windows and seems to be important to most people.
I am kind of out of the loop now but soon I will fire up the old box.
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Cheers ib.
I'm not one to chase a distro popularity contest but I had a good reason to choose MX.
A knowledgeable person on the Linux Musicians forum made a low-latency, musician-aimed, studio-type spin of MX.
I was too afraid to install his particular spin but I reasoned that if HE thought MX was worth tweaking to be studio and live music gear then it was good enough for me.
As for wi-fi...
One of my gripes about Ubuntu was that I could not GET RID of everything related to wi-fi.
I am all cable around here. With Ubuntu I wanted to get rid of anything related to wi-fi because I don't use it and it might amount to some overhead during recording (and consequently create latency).
But with Ubuntu you can only go so far with eliminating all wi-fi. At some point - while removing software - I would run into a message saying (more or less), "well... if you want to remove THAT we will also be removing a huge portion of the OS and desktop..."
So far I have not had latency problems enough for me to rush towards the real time kernel for MX.
But I am developing confidence with MX now. Users report that they experience no issues with changing to the real time kernel so I am optimistic that it will work for me if I need it.
For what it's worth, here is the way I see the latency issues.
I am thinking about recording people and sending them a monitor mix while they play or sing.
Less than four milliseconds is not a problem.
If there are a few more milliseconds it will probably be experienced in the monitors as a 'reverby' sound.
If latency gets above 8 to 10 milliseconds then people sensitive to the groove will moan: it's messing with teh groove.
I have not mentioned midi yet: that's a whole nother world of worrying about the system clocks and latency.
Man I'm long-winded sometimes.
Long-winded, maybe, but the information is incredibly valuable.
Latency issues will always exist, but only some of them are related and solvable by tinkering with the software. Many times, distros are installed on machines that are not really suitable for certain tasks... i.e. older machines with slow processors or slow busses.
Most times, if you have a decent maching it will already have Win10 or MacOS already installed, and most people are not gonna throw away a valuable OS in favor of an obscure Linux distro that is probably unproven, and most definitely unnecessary on a new machine. Here is where dual boot OS's are nice.
If you have the wherewithal to install your favorite distro in a dual-boot situation on a new computer with a fast processor and a decent amount of RAM you can minimize many of your latency problems before even starting to measure them.
Having done this with Ubuntu, along with every seemingly modern convenience such as wi-fi and all, 2 milliseconds would be a big latency for me.
Now if I could just iron out the storage and update issues, I would be fine.
Latency issues will always exist, but only some of them are related and solvable by tinkering with the software. Many times, distros are installed on machines that are not really suitable for certain tasks... i.e. older machines with slow processors or slow busses.
Most times, if you have a decent maching it will already have Win10 or MacOS already installed, and most people are not gonna throw away a valuable OS in favor of an obscure Linux distro that is probably unproven, and most definitely unnecessary on a new machine. Here is where dual boot OS's are nice.
If you have the wherewithal to install your favorite distro in a dual-boot situation on a new computer with a fast processor and a decent amount of RAM you can minimize many of your latency problems before even starting to measure them.
Having done this with Ubuntu, along with every seemingly modern convenience such as wi-fi and all, 2 milliseconds would be a big latency for me.
Now if I could just iron out the storage and update issues, I would be fine.
paul-e-mann
Well-Known Member
Most distributions have a "try" feature where you don't actually have to install the OS and can just run it off a CD, another way is to install a VM of an OS on VMWare or VirtualBox, or as Micky suggested dual boot.
Or another easy way is keep a spare hard drive you can swap out in your favorite machine to try a new OS on.
You all are right , Micky right on about having a computer with Windows 10 and changing it out.. My DAW is Windows based and the old lap top compter I got from you still does ok for recording with Windows 7.
I don't want to mess with my Dell Windows 10 , not even going to dual boot it.It has wifi which I like , I just got my first wifi printer (ink was getting expensive on my old one)
I have wondered about trying Virtual box but I plan to get another Windows I laptop. I bought one for my grandson. It was a gen 3 core 5. Something like that would e cool.
I don't want to mess with my Dell Windows 10 , not even going to dual boot it.It has wifi which I like , I just got my first wifi printer (ink was getting expensive on my old one)
I have wondered about trying Virtual box but I plan to get another Windows I laptop. I bought one for my grandson. It was a gen 3 core 5. Something like that would e cool.
paul-e-mann
Well-Known Member
Get a 2nd hard drive to fool around with.
I could take the one out of my Linux computer. It's fairly new but not that I want to tackle it at the moment. I have lots of other pressing issue right now.
Well that reminds me of one of the cool features with MX-Linux: it's updatable and persistent on a USB stick.
Personally I don't want to use a studio that's on a stick but...
... I have two homes at present: I can imagine I might want to fire up the Linux music software when I'm away from my main PC.
Evidently I'm an MX fan-boy now.
Nik Henville
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NO windows, NO gates
Started way back when on Unix 3 or 4, around Unix 9 I had a spell with SunOS 3 and 4 alongside HP-UX 6 and 7 and a little Solaris for good measure... Through most of that time (early 1970's to early 1990's) I had a few Windoze jobbies (From DOS to '98...). Then I went freelance doing setups and repairs which was mainly Gate's crapfest (Vista, 2000, 7, 8, 10 etc.) so had to run the shit myself. A few years back I knocked the IT work on the head - now the kit chez moi is Linux - Lubuntu on a couple of old, tired boxes, and Ubuntu Bionic Beaver on the main box.
Compared to Microsoft stuff it's a no-brainer. Does what you want it to, no more, no less. Never does anything you don't ask it to, and will do exactly what you DO ask it to do regardless of how stupid the request is. The help and guidance available from the gurus in the wild is astonishingly good, and totally freely given. And the best of it is they never, ever start out with "have you cleared your caches and rebooted your computer?"
Started way back when on Unix 3 or 4, around Unix 9 I had a spell with SunOS 3 and 4 alongside HP-UX 6 and 7 and a little Solaris for good measure... Through most of that time (early 1970's to early 1990's) I had a few Windoze jobbies (From DOS to '98...). Then I went freelance doing setups and repairs which was mainly Gate's crapfest (Vista, 2000, 7, 8, 10 etc.) so had to run the shit myself. A few years back I knocked the IT work on the head - now the kit chez moi is Linux - Lubuntu on a couple of old, tired boxes, and Ubuntu Bionic Beaver on the main box.
Compared to Microsoft stuff it's a no-brainer. Does what you want it to, no more, no less. Never does anything you don't ask it to, and will do exactly what you DO ask it to do regardless of how stupid the request is. The help and guidance available from the gurus in the wild is astonishingly good, and totally freely given. And the best of it is they never, ever start out with "have you cleared your caches and rebooted your computer?"
paul-e-mann
Well-Known Member
It really is a no-brainer, especially if you don't need any of the specialized Windows packages, and then there always is an alternative to those packages if you look hard enough and its not even that hard to look LOL. I will probably never buy another Windows PC for myself ever again, its been about 12 years or more as it is!
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In all reality, it boils down to 'what type of tool do I need for this job'?
In my world, I hate Java. It is nothing but a virus in my mind, enabling a back door into millions of systems. Yet almost every type of control program (from routers to switces) requires Java for their graphic interface. What is an Administrator to do?
With as many machines available to me as I have, it is easy to set up just a couple that can do this type of control, and use others without Java for browsing. Much like you would use a wrench to tighten a bolt, not a screwdriver.
Linux is well suited for many things, my most recent example is my mother-in-law's new computer. She is around 80 years old, and very under-educated, especially about computers and technology. She can barely operate the TV remote, much less understand the technology behind its operation. Yet with a Linux machine setup to do her Internet access, all she needs to do is manage passwords. Now this is as difficult as anything she has done, but operating the computer for video calling and browsing the internet is easy in comparison.
Certainly all the little nuances of Internet life are lost on her, but to receive an email from her asking a seemingly technical question from her about things brings a smile to my face. When an OS can remove the limits of use like that it is certainly worth consideration. A Windows PC would certainly overwhelm her, the operation alone would have her packing the thing up and throwing it out.
My idea of multi-tasking has always been a seperate tool for each task, and I consider myself very lucky to have enough computers around to do the things I do. Linux, MacOS, and Windows machines all live happily together at my house...
In my world, I hate Java. It is nothing but a virus in my mind, enabling a back door into millions of systems. Yet almost every type of control program (from routers to switces) requires Java for their graphic interface. What is an Administrator to do?
With as many machines available to me as I have, it is easy to set up just a couple that can do this type of control, and use others without Java for browsing. Much like you would use a wrench to tighten a bolt, not a screwdriver.
Linux is well suited for many things, my most recent example is my mother-in-law's new computer. She is around 80 years old, and very under-educated, especially about computers and technology. She can barely operate the TV remote, much less understand the technology behind its operation. Yet with a Linux machine setup to do her Internet access, all she needs to do is manage passwords. Now this is as difficult as anything she has done, but operating the computer for video calling and browsing the internet is easy in comparison.
Certainly all the little nuances of Internet life are lost on her, but to receive an email from her asking a seemingly technical question from her about things brings a smile to my face. When an OS can remove the limits of use like that it is certainly worth consideration. A Windows PC would certainly overwhelm her, the operation alone would have her packing the thing up and throwing it out.
My idea of multi-tasking has always been a seperate tool for each task, and I consider myself very lucky to have enough computers around to do the things I do. Linux, MacOS, and Windows machines all live happily together at my house...
