[ubuntu-studio-devel] Virtual Instrument Gap

Sat Aug 15 15:20:09 UTC 2020

On 8/15/2020 7:34 AM, Peter Reppert wrote:
> TLDR: The inability to run a wide spectrum of music software on Linux
> is getting worse to the point many will throw in the towel. 
>
>   I know this is an old saw and may be the wrong forum to even mention
> it, but here goes.  I am a keyboard player and I like virtual
> instruments (VST plugins). As nice as all the other capabilities of a
> DAW are, the ability to use VST synths is possibly the best feature. 
> There are hundreds of free ones, and while very few run natively, it's
> possible to use them via Wine. I think you know where this is headed...
>   The latest VSTs, both free and commercial ones from companies like
> Spectrasonics and Arturia, do not run on the older versions of Windows
> supported by Wine (Vista is the latest).  I have encountered other
> problems listed below, but the inability to run up-to-date plugins is
> getting to be a show stopper for any keyboard player who wants to move
> beyond vintage sounds and outdated sample libraries. This isn't just
> gear lust - the newer instruments are /demonstrably/ better with
> richer sounds, better interfaces, etc.  Running Ubuntu Studio feels
> like being walled off from a cornucopia of options, whether or not one
> takes the plunge with this or that product or freebie.  
>
> *Other issues*
>
>   * Can't run the 64-bit version of (non-Linux) VST plugins. 
>   * Using - even brushing against - the mod wheel or anything other
>     than volume on the controller crashes Carla.That did not used to
>     happen.  Not to mention almost always having to configure MIDI CC
>     mapping for each new VST (and I've never had any luck storing
>     these, so add "on every session") 
>   * GuitariX hums like a cheap tube amp the second you plug in a guitar.
>   * Numerous other annoyances, crashes, and general clunkiness, some
>     degree of which we can all put up with (and can of course happen
>     in Windows or MacOS). 
>
>
> Now I am looking to get an 88-key controller, and there again, any
> bundled software won't run on my Ubuntu Studio laptop.  MIDI
> controllers often map onboard knobs, faders, and transport controls to
> a handful of popular DAWs - never Ardour (luckily Reaper is supported).  
>     If I want to run any contemporary commercial music software, they
> are recommending 8 GHz, which means it's time for a hardware upgrade.
> I don't need to be on the cutting edge of everything, and appreciate
> all the work that's gone into Ubuntu Studio, not to mention the
> seemingly limitless free/shareware out there. But I am going to hold
> my nose and at least start out running Windows. I suspect the same
> chain of reasoning is going to happen for a lot of other keyboard
> players as they upgrade their systems.  
>    Again my apologies if this is old news. I'm sure musicians have
> been switching operating systems as long as digital recording has been
> around. It just feels like Ubuntu Studio is going obsolete vis-a-vis
> current not-terribly-expensive yet mind-blowing software, especially
> for keyboard players and music producers.  
>   Hobbyists and non-musicians can do a lot on their phones and you can
> even run a DAW on a tablet. Pro and semi-pro musicians and engineers
> are going with ProTools or similar without giving Linux a moment's
> consideration. If you can afford a computer, you can almost certainly
> afford a commercial DAW without the need to change OS.  Who is Ubuntu
> Studio for?  
>
> Is there the remotest hope that more software will come out in three
> flavors?  
>   My guess is the software companies can't justify supporting Linux. 
> Has anyone approached them?  Is there anything on the horizon to solve
> the problem of running recent Windows/Mac applications, maybe without
> a bridge?
>
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>
Peter,

You of all people should know this: if you're having trouble with
software, such as your issues with Carla or Guitarix, report bugs. This
is stuff that the developers need to know. For Carla, for instance,
report your issues with the VST plugins and the mod wheel issues to
https://github.com/falktx/Carla. For guitarix, report that to
https://sourceforge.net/p/guitarix/bugs/.

I understand your frustration, but you're seriously barking up the wrong
tree here. You need to go to the source of the software, not the people
who distribute it. Ubuntu Studio is a *distribution* of software, not a
*developer* of software. I don't understand where the myth comes from
that we, Ubuntu Studio, develop the software we include. This couldn't
be further from the truth. The truth is, we develop two pieces of
software: Ubuntu Studio Installer and Studio Controls. That's it. Yes,
Len helps with developing Ardour, but he is far from the main developer.

My best suggestion to you is to try the Linux-native software. For
instance, for a DAW, I *highly* recommend Ardour, which is
cross-platform and mostly funded by Harrison Consoles. Harrison has been
the mixing consoles behind some of the top recording artists of our
time, so it's a quality product. If you want to go a step further,
Harrision derives Harrision Mixbus from Ardour as a commercial product
with a different DSP to simulate that of an analog console.

Additionally, I am trying *desperately* to get more audio and instrument
plugins included, but I'm running up against a huge wall: the Ubuntu
archive review process. I had 8 packages recently take a whole *month*
to get through the process to be included in Ubuntu Groovy Gorilla
(future 20.10), the majority of which are audio plugins.

Moreover, you do know that Ubuntu Studio is a 100% volunteer-driven
product. Nobody, not even myself, gets paid anything for working on this
distribution. None of us really have the time or the clout to be going
to software developers and requesting Linux versions of software.
Believe it or not, they want to hear from the users, not distributors.

To summarize, you're telling us stuff we already know and have zero
control over. I guess I don't know what you expect us to do, because
there's nothing we can do beyond tell you how you can get involved.
You've done great stuff with the Audio Handbook, and it would be nice to
get an updated version. However, if your frustration level is what it is
and you're ready to throw-in the towel, then use what works best for
you. I'm not telling you that Ubuntu Studio is the best out there, but
we are trying hard to get it that way.

Thanks,
Erich

-- 
Erich Eickmeyer
Project Leader
Ubuntu Studio

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