[linux-audio-user] DAW Dillema -- Seeking Advice

[Mark Knecht]

Eric Dantan Rzewnicki wrote:
> (disclaimer: take this all with a grain of salt. I've been a bit giddy
> all week. 8) -edrz)
> 
> On Wed, Sep 29, 2004 at 06:02:34PM -0400, Peter Lutek wrote:
> 
>>thanks for your thoughts, greg!
>>i am in a very similar position to you, and agree with most of what you
>>have to say. irrespective of ardour's current status, it IS a shame that
>>there is not at least one other viable professional
>>multitracking/editing package nearing completion. 
> 
> 
> Am I just a complete nut? (which I'm ready to admit is entirely
> possible ;) ) or does no one else see ecasound as an alternative for 
> getting work done? it is stable and fairly complete, reasonably well
> documented ... it's just different ... Why is it that having a "viable
> professional <foo> package" means having a GUI that looks like something
> from the commercial world? Just because it's the dominant paradigm for 
> 96, or whatever, % of computer users doesn't have to mean it has to be a 
> requirement for "professional" use. I much prefer mutt to any lookout 
> clone, for example.
> 
> Paul himself has repeatedly said that the ardour gui is easily twice as
> much of the codebase as the engine. ecasound has been available to do
> much of what ardour makes possible for far longer with greater stability
> in large part specifically because Kai has not burdened himself with 
> providing a gui. 

Erik,
    I can only speak for myself, but when I work with audio, I'd say 
about 50% of my work is decising what piece of audio goes where. What 
take of a certain bridge as played by which bass player is going to 
during the second bridge in a song, etc. three's a lot that starts 
happening when you mix togther 50-100 different pieces of audio in a 
song. Being able to see it in the GUI is important. Being able to 
visualize the mixing, the crossfades, etc. is important and helps me 
work faster. This stuff I use all the time and I just cannot imagine how 
I'd do all of this in a text based application.

    I'm not saying it cannot be done. I just don't know how I'd do it.


<SNIP>
> 
> yes! yes!! yes!!! woohoo! I am not alone. thank goodness! :)
> 
> /me began to doubt his own sanity.
> 

Don't. You may be the only sane one. After all. You're happy!

- Mark