[linux-audio-user] Opening up the discussion

[John Mulholland]

Hi Jono,

> - do you all feel that it is fairly simple to get stated with Linux
>and recording? Am I smoking crack? :)
>
Surely to compare the Cubase to Linux is like comparing a drinks cup 
holder, to a car. Although, it is an easy comparison to make, because 
there is no clear comparable brand to put Cubase up against. People like 
brands, and credibility creates expectation. The second Myth TV is 
advertised on telly, most of my friends'll ditch Sky Plus.
The econonmy works on bundles; what you dont want pays for what you do. 
It is easier to sell a brand than a concept. And so it is with audio 
software.

I could sing the praises of any number of Linux audio distributions at 
my local music shop, but the majority of the people will care little for 
tech specs or architechtural concepts. They want to keep things simple, 
and so they are interested in brand recognition. There is not much 
mention of Linux audio in the music tech press at the moment is there?

It is easy to get started with Linux and recording, and crucially it is 
getting easier every day. The pace of development in this community 
amazes me. The speed at which the development of proof concept 
applications become feedback orientated is just breath taking. So much 
so that the audio distribution 'brands' AGNULA, CRMMA, etc.... struggle 
to keep up. A position that whoever now owns Cubase, would surely 
welcome. The measure of success is not the position you stand in, but 
the direction you face.

> - do you feel there is a seperation between a professional and an
>amateur? So, the software would 'just work' for the amateur, but the
>professional should really know the specifics of the system and how to
>set it up.
>
>  
>
The distinction between pro and amateur probably comes down to a 
dedication of learning how to use the tools. Therefore I would expect 
any pro to be involved with the specifics of a system. As someone who 
considers themselves an amateur yet one day hopes to be a pro, I 
consider an open ended system worth more interest than a closed branded 
system. It's kinda like a mechanical apprenticeship.

> - if you do feel it is a bit tough to get up and running without
>reading up on all of this, what do you feel are the barriers, both
>technical and socially? I am curious to see whether these barriers
>could be solved.
>  
>
This is a really good question, and one I have been thinking about a lot 
lately. As I am not a ninja programmer I think the biggest barriers are 
not programming related. For all I know though it could be the case that 
one chip set type or protocol is the real barrier. As a user I feel the 
biggest barrier is the distribution of information. I am sure as the 
community grows we will see more and more useful information available 
to a wider audience, in an ever increasing variety of ways. This is all 
just guesswork, but I expect sooner or later googling for a solution to 
a problem will return blog entries, and then perhaps 'for user by user' 
type pages, and then who knows, maybe a wiki, and very probably a 
thousand other new and groovy things.

Cheers,
John