Thinking about using Linux? Read this first!

[lmv]

Should you use Linux to make music?

Yes and no.

If you don't like Linux of if you don't care at all what operating system you use, stay the hell away from Linux. While it's POSSIBLE to make music on Linux, it's really not ideal. Far from that.

If you hate any operating system that is not Linux, which is my case, if you absolutely insist on using Linux, then there are certain things you should know before you migrate and get busy.

First off, the quality of music software on Linux is overall low, quite noticeably low. There are good things that can be pointed out, but most of the landscape is poor, underdeveloped.

Let's begin with the DAWs. Only one native DAW really shines: Bitwig. But I could cite quite a few reasons for someone not to like it. I certainly have my own. At any rate, one single choice is never good. I would like Tracktion/Waveform a lot if it didn't crash every two or three minutes, and many people just don't like its GUI and workflow at all. Ardour can be very capable if you just record, mix and/or master. For composers, it is disappointing. Qtractor and MusE seem interesting, but I don't think they're good enough to be taken seriously. LMMS is usable, but has some bad limitations. For example, it doesn't support VSTs. On Linux, you're kind of stuck with Bitwig if you want a really good DAW.

Talk about VSTs, they exist in Linux, but they're not the official standard. The official standard on Linux is LV2, which only Linux uses. Most of them are not very good although a few shine. Some plugins are available in many formats, but others just flat out refuse to support VST because they only care about LV2. It's the standard on Linux. That puts you in isolation. Not good.

But there is an even worse, MUCH MUCH worse problem: dependencies. Welcome to hell.

If you use Linux for one or two years, you'll eventually learn that Linux software expires. Lots of Linux programs require additional libraries to run. Those also have to be installed. These are called "dependencies." Here is the big, big problem: programs and dependencies don't get updated at the same time. That's especially true when you upgrade the entire operating system. You get a brand new version of GNU/Linux running, but some of the software to which you've grown attached just simply won't run anymore. The program hasn't been updated and refuses to play ball with the new dependencies. Sometimes, you can install an older version of the dependency, but that is not common at all. Different versions usually conflict and the software installer won't let you have them. So you can't install the old dependency that you need to run the software you thought you could take for granted. Or maybe you can, but the dependency itself has some other dependency that won't coexist with older versions of itself, and you're back to square one.

The correct way to fix that would be for software developers to update their programs according to recent changes in the operating system. But... which one operating system? There are literally hundreds if not thousands of Linux distros. Developers can't possibly keep up with all of them. It's up to each distro's team of maintainers to alter the code in the program's source so it can handle the newer dependencies. But those teams are also understaffed and can't afford to update everything. Some programs will just simply be left out. Compiling source is often difficult, most people don't even know where to begin. You're on your own.

There is also the opposite version of this problem: suppose you're not ready to upgrade your Linux distro version. There are many possible reasons for that. It doesn't matter what it is, it's your business and no one else's. New software comes along. It won't run on your old distro. Nobody cares. You don't upgrade, you're immediately some kind of outlaw.

Due to that problem, anything that goes missing and has been used in any of your existing projects will be missing from those projects. Your track will likely sound very different from what it used to and is still supposed to sound like. The effect or instrument plugin is gone, so you can't fix it except by replacing it with another plugin that... might go missing one day too.

This is a good time to tell you that Linux can actually run many Windows applications thanks to an emulation layer (that claims not to be an emulator) otherwise known as Wine. Not all of them will run, but I'd say that at least 80%, more likely 90% will run just fine. Well, it's sad and ironic but also a compelling fact that nearly all Windows applications never expire, even on Linux. As long as you have Wine, which is a very large and popular project and won't go away anytime soon, you can rest assured that all those Windows applications that run on Linux today will still run many years later. That applies to plugins, too.

Wine will let you run, for example, Reaper and FL Studio on Linux. Both run very well and can load most DLL plugins directly.

If you run a native Linux DAW, you still can load Windows DLL plugins with a compatibility bridge such as LinVST. But again, LinVST is native Linux software. Linux software can always be abandoned at any time. What if LinVST is abandoned? What are you going to do?

So here comes my final advice: use Windows software all the way, as much as you can. Use a Windows-based DAW and use Windows plugins. You can count on them for a very long time. You can't count on native Linux software for a long time. Also, make sure you backup your Wine installation directory. Do it often. If something ever goes wrong, restore the backup and move on with your life.

Look at this very relevant situation. Most of music production in Linux works at all thanks to the phenomenal work of Felipe Coelho, aka falkTX. He is the one and only maintainer of the KXStudio project, which provides a lot of its own software and Debian/Ubuntu packages of a lot of third-party software that is not officially supported by those distros. Without Coelho, the Linux music software landscape would be very barren. Coelho put a freeze on the project for a long time due to undisclosed personal problems which really don't matter now, the point is, he is back, but not everything is supported anymore. This is not supposed to criticize Coelho. On the contrary, we ever had and still have quite a lot thanks to him. However, we don't have nearly as much software as Windows and Mac users have, and we were out of Coelho's work for some time and we WILL be out of it permanently sooner or later. I don't suppose Coelho is immortal. He doesn't have to die either, he could just get sick of it all or have some new personal problem or life and work schedule that prevents him from maintaining the project. Whatever. He is a single point of failure and WILL "fail" one day.

Another situation: there is this synth I really like. It runs on Windows. But hey, there is a new version out, and it has a Linux version now! Cool! Oh, wait. Because of ONE DEPENDENCY that is newer than the one I have, it won't run on my machine. Maybe they could have used an older version of the library for the dependency, but the upgrade culture wants to ensure that everyone is always using the latest. Or maybe they just couldn't because something wouldn't work. Either way, I am really not ready to upgrade yet. It would be quite a headache for me. Am I wrong? Am I being stubborn? OK, maybe I am. But lookadis: the same synth runs on Wine. It runs fine, dandy, beautifully and smells of roses. No worries whatsoever! Is that tragically ironic or what?

If you've been using Linux for long enough, you're very familiar with this feeling: Microsoft has released a new version of Windows and many people are worried that they will have to pay for Windows again. You don't care. Some new virus is making the rounds and everyone is very worried about the new virus and terrified of being infected. You don't care. Windows Update hijacks people's machine at the most inconvenient moments and may even make people lose unsaved work. You don't care. Now, if you use Linux to make music, how do you secure that same level of you-dont-care peace of mind? Well, you run Windows software on it! As long as you have Wine, you're safe and sound. A newer version of the DAW may stop working, but that version that you have now and works now will likely last until long after you're dead. 100% the same about the plugins. You can count on them forever. You may not be able to use newer versions, which is really rare with Wine, but the old version, the one you used in your projects, will always be there. When I'm finally ready to upgrade my distro, none of that aspect will change for me at all. Dependencies? Library versions? Missing plugins? I couldn't care less! Wine is my shepherd and I shall not want.

I think it's sad and tragic for Linux, but it is what it is.

Why did I write all this? Because it's a very important aspect of making music on Linux that hardly anyone will talk about. Many Linux users will actually hide this from you because they behave like militants. Many will say that Windows software on Linux is unstable. Pish tosh. It's FUD. I've run a lot of Windows plugins and very few ever caused me any problem. And people need to know. If I had known this years ago, when I started, I would have done everything a lot differently. Now I have plenty of experience and I share these thoughts so you don't waste your time like I did. Are you considering migrating to Linux? Well, I love Linux. Come in, the water is fine. But do you consider using native software? DON'T. Use Windows software on it and save yourself a lot of trouble.

Currently, only Reaper and FL Studio run well on Linux AFAIK. Reaper now has a native Linux version, but I recommend against it for the reasons stated above. The Windows version runs just fine. Bitwig's Windows version doesn't. Not that many choices, sure, but I do think you'll be better off picking Reaper or FL Studio for Windows than running native Linux software. Think about the future. It may not be an issue now, but it will be when you open an old project and it won't work anymore because parts of it have been "deprecated." Who knows, maybe other DAW developers will consider fixing newer versions so they're Wine-friendly in the future? Unlikely, but not impossible. Meanwhile, play it smart. Steer away from the trouble of certain, guaranteed obsolescence. It's a fundamental flaw in Linux that won't go away anytime soon. I am sure that some Linux advocates will be mad at me for posting this, but I think nobody has the right to hide or omit facts and make people waste their time.

I hope this helps someone. You're more than welcome to share it wherever you think is appropriate.

[Forgotten]

What’s the tl;dr?

[lmv]

What’s the tl;dr?

Here it is: Move along. It's not written for people like you.

[roman.i]

Linux is built around free software for enterprises, and the reason it shines in this area is the co-authoring of base layer software between big companies. There is no such model for music software industry in Linux. So why a potential VST/DAW developer will spend his time on supporting Linux? There are much more attractive alternatives - Windows, MacOS, these two covers 99.9% of his potential clients. Windows has a huge user base, and MacOS has a smaller user base of "rich" customers and Linux... has nothing to offer.
So there is no a single reason why someone would force himself to use a less supported OS, instead of a well supported one.
Just use Windows or Mac.

[kvotchin]

Linux is about as compelling for music production as Android.

Well, not *quite* that awful, okay, but close enough that I’ll lump them in together anyway.

Yeah, just don’t.

[Forgotten]

What’s the tl;dr?

Here it is: Move along. It's not written for people like you.

[imrae]

If you actually wanted to develop your own platform for recording, low-latency processing etc. Linux would be the best choice. If you want to use a bunch of existing software aimed at consumers and Mac-based studios, along with official support, then it's not so practical.

I think this thread title is inappropriate and divisive. There's plenty to BEWARE with every OS choice.

[lobanov]

What’s the tl;dr?

Here it is: Move along. It's not written for people like you.

Ahaha!

+1 to you, lmv

And thank you for your post.

[Hink]

What’s the tl;dr?

Here it is: Move along. It's not written for people like you.

excuse me?...people like? I'm gonna be blunt, we got a report complaining that your topic title was trollish but after reading the post and seeing how long it was I figured I would give it the benefit of the doubt. Then I get to this post and I'm just gonna say, if this is how it's gonna be it wont last.

[CasualHobbyist]

This post is so much full of wrong: "Ardour is good but disappointing for composers" while not listing a reason, argument or even technical features to state why, so I can only assume you're lying or stating FUD, "MuSE and Qtractor seem interesting but can't be taken seriously", again, why? That isn't a good counter-reason, that's just your impression/opinion, nothing backed up here. "LMMS is full of bad limitations, doesn't even support VST!", it does supports native VST Linux plugins since...a long while ago, and has an active and friendly development as well. "The only really good/usable DAW is Bitwig!" that sounds more like an opinion than what an informed user would say, also nice of dismissing all those that you mentioned plus Radium and Soundgarden, guess they don't "matter" in your radar.

I could go on but honestly...I can't take this post seriously. The lack of research and facts in it hurts, so I can only assume you're trolling (Doesn't help your attitude against other users as well)

[Winstontaneous]

This, my friends, is what you call a first-world problem!

[bmanic]

Eh? Not at all. @lmv wrote a really good informative post for people potentially looking to use Linux as their OS of choice for music production. Yes there's quite a bit of ranting going on but the overall gist of the post was clear in my opinion.

TL;DR: For a sustainable long term music production system on Linux, use Wine with a Windows DAW and plugins, not the native Linux stuff. Useful info.

[CasualHobbyist]

Eh? Not at all. @lmv wrote a really good informative post for people potentially looking to use Linux as their OS of choice for music production. Yes there's quite a bit of ranting going on but the overall gist of the post was clear in my opinion.

TL;DR: For a sustainable long term music production system on Linux, use Wine with a Windows DAW and plugins, not the native Linux stuff. Useful info.

What? That's wrong. He was mostly ranting, if it was informative, he would've done deeper research or fact-checked what he said. There is a difference between ranting and a "good informative post", which he totally fails on the latter.

Also, if one is coming to another OS just to use something that belongs to another OS, then they shouldn't move from that OS to begin with. Wine is nothing short of a miracle on Linux (and a very impressive technical feat) but by no means it should become your daily driver, sure the occasional plugin here and there is fine. But running DAWs and all sorts of software like it? While they may work, you'll lose all support and FAQs you get due to it being ran on a compatibility layer.

Linux is not a Windows clone. If someone isn't prepared to accept Linux native, then they shouldn't use it and stay on their platform of choice, that's just how it is.

[BertKoor]

If you hate any operating system that is not Linux, which is my case, if you absolutely insist on using Linux, then there are certain things you should know before you migrate and get busy.

Well, if you hate any other OS, then Linux is the only OS you have, hence you don't migrate but stick to it.

What’s the tl;dr?

These sentences stand out:

the quality of music software on Linux is overall low, quite noticeably low.

Only one native DAW really shines: Bitwig. I would like Tracktion/Waveform a lot if it didn't crash every two or three minutes. Ardour can be very capable if you just record, mix and/or master.

[rant on dependency hell, well known to seasoned Linux users that take it for granted]

[advice on Wine which seasoned Linux users should already know about]

So here comes my final advice: use Windows software all the way, as much as you can.

My final advice: get a Mac. Under the hood it's Linux, but usable for people that want to get things done and not spend 90% of the time on the terminal dabbing with fancy command aliases you get used to so any other machine than your own is totally foreign.

[chk071]

What’s the tl;dr?

Here it is: Move along. It's not written for people like you.

Excellent. Next time put it in the topic title, so i don't waste precious seconds of my life, clicking the link. Just kidding.

Otherwise, i fully agree with your post. Or... at least with the parts i read. If fiddling with Linux is already masochism, fiddling with Linux for audio is like... a BDSM studio.