[ardour-users] Newbie sick of windows!

[Jason Russler]

If you're frustrated with Windows DAW software then you haven't seen 
anything yet.  Linux is not, and will not be for some time, a suitable 
platform for any kind of production work.  If you're interested in 
development, experiment or you're a hobbyist, that's another thing.  
Otherwise, you're in for a world of hurt.  A week using nothing but Ardour 
and other Linux software will make even  entry-level DAW software on Windows 
a good idea again.  That said, I do a lot of useful audio work using some 
audio tools on Linux - including Ardour.

Go 32-bit and save yourself some possible trouble, there are still some 
LADSPA plugins that won't compile to 64-bit binaries.  My setup is 64-bit 
but there's little practical reason for it and it does take some extra 
effort.
Since you're using FC3 you'll want to make some kernel alterations, I think 
the PlanetCCRMA kernel is still 2.4 but Fernando has some notes on the site 
somewhere.  You'll need to recompile the kernel to be able to use “real 
time” scheduling as a normal user rather than root.  If you want, I can send 
you some instructions if you can't google up anything with “realtime lsm 
linux kernel 2.6” or some combination of similar terms, just let me know.

I don't own a Delta 1010, but I understand that it's one of the best cores 
out there for Linux support.

I use an XFS on my audio drive – it's a very fast filesystem but has a bit 
more CPU overhead associated with it – my system is an Athlon64 3200 as well 
and it's been nothing but good to me.

Without a network connection, you will be spending a lot of time getting 
this thing running, as you will need to download a lot of software – 
seriously consider some sort of network connection if you can afford it.  
Sneeker-netting everything from work will become a problem.
-Jason


>From: lewis.jon at att.net
>To: ardour-users-ardour.org at lists.ardour.org
>Subject: [ardour-users] Newbie sick of windows!
>Date: Thu, 31 Mar 2005 04:30:03 +0000
>
>Greetings,
>I  just bought a new system for my DAW. I am currently windows based 
>(excuse my profanity), and am VERY interested in going Linux. I have to 
>confess that I am new to Linux, and I do not know where to start. Reading 
>the documentation at Planet CCRMA only made me more confused. The questions 
>that I know of at this point are: Which distribution of Linux? Should I go 
>64 bit? What file system should I use? And, how necessary is the Planet 
>CCRMA RPM? This is my system configuration:
>
>AMD Athlon 64 3200 939 pin (single)
>Gigabyte K8NS mobo (nForce3)
>1 gb DDR 400 (2-matched Kingston 512 mb)
>2-80 gb Segate 7200 rpm sata drives (1-os, 1-audio)
>Matrox G550 32 mb dual head video card
>M-Audio Delta 1010 audio card
>
>I had originally thought to go with the 64 bit version of Fedora 3 to 
>maximize my processor's capabilities, but reading some of the threads here 
>makes me think that it may not be up to par. Also, I do not have a way to 
>access the Internet from my new machine (short of taking it to work) and 
>CCRMA does not offer an ISO for Fedora 3. I intend it to do NOTHING BUT 
>audio so it does not have a modem and I only have dial-up.  Even if I could 
>take it to work, I would have to transport it every time I needed to make 
>an upgrade.
>
>Concerning the file system, my consideration is mostly that I need to (at 
>least until I get Linux working) have a dual boot system with windows. This 
>is due to the fact that I need to keep my studio running, and realize that 
>it will probably take quite a while to get Linux up, especially with my 
>limited time and knowledge. I have read a few threads about Linux file 
>systems and realize that the best option will not be compatible with 
>windows. Should I also partition my audio drive to accommodate both 
>platforms until I am ready to completely scrap windows (just the thought 
>assures me that there is a God)?
>
>Thanks in advance,
>Jon
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