[LAU] Tests of Linux DAWs

[David Baron]

How I work:
1. Produce highly articulated MIDIs, premixed.
2. Import into DAW.
3. Record voice and any live instruments.
4. Remix all and mix analog output to stereo audio

or:

4. Digitize all the MIDI tracks to audio tracks
5. Mix all to stereo audio.

Windows Tools:
1. Soundtrek Jammer Pro -- arranging aid. Works mostly with Wine. No native 
GPL equivalent.
2. Ntonyx Style Enhancer -- enhances MIDI, can produce phenonemal or medicore 
results. Works somewhat in Wine. No native GPL equivalent.
3. Cakewalk Home Studio -- (Sonar's little sister, much more bang for the 
buck) works 100% and recording audio over MIDI is perfectly on time (others 
failed here). Newer versions require newer windows. Does not work with Wine.
4. Cakewalk Express -- their el cheapo, 2 tracks audio only but last of their 
programs to work with Wine. Good for first alternative.

Trying Linux Tools:
1. Rosegarden, probably most well developed.
2. Muse (unfortunately, 1.0Pre1 segfaults). More oriented towards softsynth 
rendering.
3. LMMS. No so new any more, but MIDI output still does not work. Has own 
softsynth.
4. Qtractor. New boy on block. 

Test 1: Import of MIDI outputs of Jammer/Style Enhancer

1. Rosegarden imports it 100% Must select option to preserve initial pan, etc, 
on playback. All the controller (there are a lot of them) are there. Has 
event lists and controller "rulers" in the piano rolls to show them. They do 
not show on track graphics.

2. Qtractor seems to import just fine. Have not found equivalent option for 
initial panning but these are not critical since things are remixed either 
way. Cannot confirm within the program as of yet if all those controllers 
came in. Had crash but this is still under initial development.

3. Muse. Not currently working. Have tried earlier version which seemed to 
work but this program is more oriented to soft synths.

4. LMMS. Imports the file but then tries to route through its internal synth. 
CPU power and be the problem doing this. Such things did work is some cases 
in older Muse.

5. Traverso -- audio only

6. Ardour -- audio only

Stay tuned for audio recording tests in Rosegarden and Qtractor.