The best thing in life is free and that is why Linux is great as the operating system of your DAW. Being not able to spend even a single dime for your recording software and operating system is one of the biggest benefits of Linux home recording studio.
However bear in mind that for every benefits, there is always a some disadvantages.
Other benefits of using Linux as your OS
1.) All software that runs on Linux needs to be licensed in open source. Open source means that you can use the software for free. Now the good thing is that not only the OS is free but the ENTIRE software that runs on Linux as well.
This means to say that you do not need to spend a thousand dollars to buy audio recording plugins and accessory software in Linux because they are also free.
2.) Want something to be upgraded for your favourite plugin or software? You simply need to ask the authors and if it’s commonly requested it will be updated in the future. Of course, showing a little love of their work by making a kind donation can be a strong contributing factor to the long term success of the open source project.
3.) Commonly available hardware can run Linux without any issues. If you have a Windows machine you can simply re-use the hardware for installing Linux. This means to say that you do not need to spend a single dime on the hardware if you would like to change your operating system to Linux.
4.) Linux is a super-secure operating system, so no need for an antivirus or to freak out every time you insert your client USB flash drive to your PC.
5.) An increasing user community for Linux musicians. You can meet them in most Linux or Ubuntu forums. They are willing to help for free.
6.) Some complex hardware including Firewire audio interface which is crucial for quality recording can run in Linux. You can read this tutorial for details.
7.) You won’t fear about software becoming obsolete. In Linux, software are continually updated even the main Linux kernel and distribution (such as Ubuntu). When an update is released, you can upgrade for free. And you will never feel that you have an obsolete setup because you can always upgrade it without paying anything.
This is different with Windows. If you have a Windows XP recording system and DAW, the software and drivers could become obsolete as Windows would release more modern OS such as Windows 7 and Windows 8. You cannot take advantage of these new releases unless you pay for a software license.
2 Responses
Great post! Thanks for the information it was definitely helpful. You give me insights about the compatibility of audio interface in Linux. Probably I would do some research on this matter and come up with a standadr list o audio interfaces that are supported by ALSA or FFADO. This would be helpful to a lot of the readers of this blog who are using Linux as the OS or their DAW.
A couple points to help understand things…
First, Audio interface support in Linux has nothing at all to do with Jack. Jack is simply a combination timeline-synchronization tool and analog-style signal redirector, meaning that you can use Jack to connect the outputs of devices and/or programs with the inputs of other devices and/or programs. This is probably closer to ReWire than ASIO. If your audio interface is supported by ALSA or FFADO, Jack will have no problems using it. As for latency, the only thing about Jack is that it attempts to keep a small enough buffer to balance low latency and lack of dropped frames.
In Linux, sound devices, such as audio interfaces, are handled by the sound drivers available in the Alsa (for PCI/USB devices) or FFADO (Firewire Audio Support). You can find the lists of supported devices on the following websites:
* http://www.alsa-project.org/main/index.php/Matrix:Main
* http://www.ffado.org/?q=devicesupport/list
DAW-wise, there are several available DAWs in Linux. These programs are Ardour (like you mentioned), Traverso, QTractor, and Rosegarden (the latter two are also also MIDI sequencers). If you want to spend a little, there’s also Renoise and Harrison Mixbus (the latter is based in Ardour, but with a Harrison-specific mixer control).
I hope this helps somewhat. I also give much more information on my own website, if you want to check it out: http://linuxhomerecording.blogspot.com.