[linux-audio-user] The best distro for music creation

[Nigel Henry]

On Saturday 03 December 2005 21:02, Brian Dunn wrote:
> The possibility of using and contributing to studio
> quality audio software is really what first sparked my
> interest in linux.  So I installed Mandrake 10.1,
> because someone gave it to me and it sounded cool.
> Since then i've had a lot of fun with it, using their
> mm kernel and running jack with seq24 and trying to
> come up with something cool enough to use ardour for,
> and everything ran relatively reliably.  BUT...  The
> lan componets of the distro simply don't work, the USB
> plug and play is more like
> plug-and-if-i-feel-like-it-play, and the printer
> suport is also compleatly unreliable.  So, just use
> mandrake for when i'm feeling musical and reboot to
> Micro$oft whenever i need to do anything else, right?
> well, that's getting old.
> So i took a friends advice and started playing with
> gentoo.  After all, it's well documented. and it was
> fun writing all those config files and oh so neat to
> DIY, but then i tried to install Gnome, and after like
> a 7 hour compile that i can't yet figure out how to
> use i'm thinking, what have i gotten myself into...
>
> So does anybody out there have the best of all worlds?
> good free documentation, reliable hardware support,
> binary packaging, a fast audio kernel, and config
> files that don't get re-written by some user friendly
> script somewhere that would be oh so convinient except
> for the whole doesn't work thing?
>
> If your system works the way you want it too most of
> the time, i want to hear your opinion.
>
> gratefull,
> Brian

Hi Brian. Having seen everyone join in on this post, I thought I may as well 
join in the fun.

I started off working with computers in July 2003. Soon after I tried my first 
Linux install, MDK 9.2 which proceeded to fry my LG cdrom drive. Fixed that 
with a new drive, but no sounds. Then went with FC1 (MDK 9.2 was still there, 
as I don't like trashing anything) which installed just fine. A short time 
later I found by accident planetccrma. Apart from a few problems getting ALSA 
to work, this went ok, and the music apps available from planetccrma are just 
fine. I now have, FC1, FC2, FC3 (which has a problem with KDE's kicker 
crashing each time I logout, but ALSA works out of the box with this). I also 
have Slackware 10.0. Couldn't get ALSA going on this until I got mm kernel 
from Audioslack. After that it was no problem. Debian too, I'd had problems 
with, but with help from folks on the lists the ALSA problems were resolved, 
and there are plenty of music apps available. I would not suggest a Debian 
Etch install at the moment. I have 2 Debian Sarge installs with music apps 
and no problems with upgrades, but the Debian Sarge/Etch install (all a bit 
experimental) is trying to remove a lot of my music apps when doing an 
aptitude dist-upgrade. I've already lost Cheesetracker, Wavemixer, and Seq24, 
from a previous aptitude dist-upgrade, and didn't want to lose any more music 
apps. I'm just waiting at the moment for the apps on the remove list to be 
upograded, and turn up on the upgrade list. Gotta be patient with the cutting 
edge stuff. Now we really go into the Twilight zone. GENTOO. Man. Perhaps 
it's just me, but it took me months to get Gentoo up and running, with help 
from a couple of folks posting to this thread. I admit it wasn;t months 
continually. I got a bit frustrated, and left it partially installed on the 
drive, going back to it from time to time, as it wasn't going to beat me. Now 
it's working just fine, music apps and all.

To conclude Brian. I'd probably suggest a Fedora install. Perhaps FC2 or FC3. 
Even though FC2 is now only getting security updates from Fedora Legacy, it 
still works well. If you have the harddrive space, I'd also have a go at 
either Debian Sarge or Gentoo. Debian Sarge is probably the easier. This 
means you can work on making some music, while messing about with the more 
difficult distro when you feel like it. 

Personally, I've painted myself into the corner. I now have so many different 
distro's that need upgrading that I've hardly any time to try and make any 
music. I'd suggest one distro, easy to install, that you can work with for 
your music, another, perhaps more difficult distro to experiment with, which 
might work out better for you in the long run.

Just an on the side to Mark, or Christoph if your following this thread. I'm 
redlining for the second time on Gentoo's / partition. Got rid of some of the 
bytes by removing some kernel sources from /usr/src from the first 100%+ 
redline. The latest one caused by some heavy updates had me remove the 
remaining 2 uninstalled kernel sources to my home partition to give me a bit 
of space. / is 7.3GB and 98% full. Please. Any suggestions apart from 
reinstalling. Off list, as this ain't audio stuff. Nigel.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch to Brian's problems.

Start with an easy to install distro. FC2, or FC3, with planetccrma support. 
if you have enough harddrive space, install another distro, Debian Sarge or 
Gentoo. You can play around with these without being stopped from working 
with making music on your reliable working distro. Looking forward to seeing 
some of your music on the list. Nigel