26 Sep
2005
26 Sep
'05
4:17 p.m.
Hi, everyone. This is my first time posting, so here's a quick introduction...
I've been using Linux since about 1998, but I only really started
using it on a regular basis in 2000. Since then I've been a sysadmin
and a user to varying degrees using Red Hat, then Mandrake, with a
brief (happy) stop in SUSE-land. I'm currently using Mandrake (10.1)
and I've started playing around with the friendlier Debian-derived
distros (Kubuntu, Kanotix, etc.).
Audio has never really been super-important for me, but I was always
annoyed when whatever distribution I was using failed to configure
sound properly. That hardly happens anymore, so I have very little
experience actually tweaking sound in any way. Anyhow, now not only
do I need to know Linux sound really well, but I need to be able to
construct a "pro sound" environment. It needs to be easy to use, too,
so the people running the studio don't have to think about the OS.
They just use their tools (Ardour, etc.) and get the job done. Fear
not. I'm not looking for hand-holding through the entire ordeal. I
can RTFM.
Here's the situation: I've been with the Toledo Area Linux Users
Group (http://talug.org) for several years now and some of us have
become involved with a local community effort called ToledoHipHop.org
(http://toledohiphop.org). They've already released one CD (CC
licensed, proprietary produced), but they want to put together their
own studio before starting to record the second and they want to do it
with Linux (they're philosophically down with the movement and the
freedom and all that). They've chosen a small room and there is a
team working on getting it ready. I'm on the team that is working on
the software-hardware components. We have three knowledgeable guys on
the studio recording side and a couple on the Linux side. We recently
had a visit from a nearby Linux audio guru who helped translate
between the two technical vocabularies and we're excited about getting
the project rolling. We're somewhat on our own, though.
We have a small budget (I don't know how much). The guys with studio
knowledge have looked at the linux-sound website and done some
searching and are asking whether they can use one of the following two
devices with Linux:
Tascam DM-300 (FireWire; new model)
Yamaha 01V96
So, for now all I'm looking for is advice about which device to
acquire that will give us a "pro sound" and relatively little trouble
on Linux for a meager budget.
Thanks in advance,
Jason
27 Sep
27 Sep
8:35 p.m.
On Mon, 2005-09-26 at 14:17 -0400, Jason Bechtel wrote:
We have a small budget (I don't know how much).
The guys with studio
knowledge have looked at the linux-sound website and done some
searching and are asking whether they can use one of the following two
devices with Linux:
Tascam DM-300 (FireWire; new model)
Yamaha 01V96
the answer, as far as i know, is either "no", or "yes, but you don't
want to deal with the hassle at this time".
if they want to get (lots of) audio in/out of a linux system, they
should be considering RME hdsp interfaces or M-Audio Delta 1010's.
these are both high quality devices used by professional studios.
some of the hdsp configurations will also need external digital/analog
converters, which is where you can pay whatever you want and get
whatever quality you can afford.
--p
29 Sep
29 Sep
5:45 a.m.
On Tue, Sep 27, 2005 at 06:36:13 -0400, Paul Davis wrote:
On Mon, 2005-09-26 at 14:17 -0400, Jason Bechtel
wrote:
I think paul is talking about the tascam here, the yamaha is (I believe) a
mixing desk, and somewhat platform neutral ;) You can fit ADAT and/or
mLan cards, but a ADAT mixer card + RME soundcard would be my
recommendation.
I use a (non 96) 01v with an RME card, and its a great combo.
We have a small budget (I don't know how
much). The guys with studio
knowledge have looked at the linux-sound website and done some
searching and are asking whether they can use one of the following two
devices with Linux:
Tascam DM-300 (FireWire; new model)
Yamaha 01V96
the answer, as far as i know, is either "no", or "yes, but you don't
want to deal with the hassle at this time". if they want to get (lots of) audio in/out of a linux
system, they
should be considering RME hdsp interfaces or M-Audio Delta 1010's.
these are both high quality devices used by professional studios.
some of the hdsp configurations will also need external digital/analog
converters, which is where you can pay whatever you want and get
whatever quality you can afford.
- Steve
27 Sep
27 Sep
11:28 p.m.
On Mon, Sep 26, 2005 at 02:17:28PM -0400, Jason Bechtel wrote:
Fear not. I'm not looking for hand-holding
through the entire ordeal. I
can RTFM.
Actually, I'd be worried that what's going to bite you is the kind of
stuff that you can't put in the FM.
Here are some random suggestions from my experience that may or may
not be in some document somewhere, but are my take on building a
quality free software studio at a reasonable cost:
1) Hardware specs are important, but not that important. I mean, be
smart about buying a fast computer. Get a big fast disk, but don't
pay a premium for the best - remember that you care most about the
sound. The number and quality of your channels is a much better
place to spend the dough. Audio can be taxing, but don't drop an
extra $200 on a workstation with a 5% faster CPU. That $200 will
buy you an RNC!
2) Speaking of RNC, if you don't know about fmraudio.com, check them
out. They make some killer gear for cheap.
3) If possible stick to a 2.4 version kernel. While others have
probably found ways to totally trick-out 2.6 into being
smoother-faster-awesomer, I'll guarantee that it was much more of a
headache. Get a 2.4 kernel with the low latency patch and forget
about it.
4) Experiment with different software! There's a lot of really cool
software out there. I'm the kinda person that gets in a rut kind of
easily. But anytime I look around, I find some pretty neat things.
linux-sound.org is a great list.
5) If you don't have pretty decent Unix-like OS skills, and
specifically, GNU/Linux knowledge, it will be hard. If you're off
running when someone suggests (for example) you reload your ALSA
modules with a few tweaks, you'll be much happier than if you need an
explanation of how driver modules work, how to interact with them,
etc, etc.
6) Have some kind of redundancy plan in place for the data. A tracked
session cannot be easily reproduced if it's accidently deleted, lost
in a fire, or sacrificed to the disk-death gods. The ability to
backup large audio sessions will probably be out of your price range,
so you might be looking at buying an extra disk to store backups, or
maybe a DVD burner.
--
Ross Vandegrift
ross(a)lug.udel.edu
"The good Christian should beware of mathematicians, and all those who
make empty prophecies. The danger already exists that the mathematicians
have made a covenant with the devil to darken the spirit and to confine
man in the bonds of Hell."
--St. Augustine, De Genesi ad Litteram, Book II, xviii, 37
28 Sep
28 Sep
5:53 a.m.
Jason Bechtel wrote:
asking whether they can use one of the following two
devices with
Linux:
Tascam DM-300 (FireWire; new model)
See http://freebob.sf.net/, but this is currently more "no" than
"yes".
Yamaha 01V96
ALSA supports MIDI-over-USB with this device.
If there is some utility that controls this device over MIDI, it
probably won't run under Linux, so you'd have to send SysEx's
manually.
HTH
Clemens
11:28 a.m.
Thanks, Clemens. That link was spot-on. Unfortunately, as you say,
it's not really all there, yet. Things look promising for the future,
though.
By the way, there is no DM-300. They were interested in the DM-3200. Sorry.
On 9/28/05, Clemens Ladisch <clemens(a)ladisch.de> wrote:
Jason Bechtel wrote:
asking whether they can use one of the following
two devices with
Linux:
Tascam DM-300 (FireWire; new model)
See http://freebob.sf.net/, but this is currently more "no" than
"yes".
Yamaha 01V96
ALSA supports MIDI-over-USB with this device.
If there is some utility that controls this device over MIDI, it
probably won't run under Linux, so you'd have to send SysEx's
manually.
6793
days inactive
6796
days old
linux-audio-user@lists.linuxaudio.org
5 comments
5 participants
participants (5)
-
Clemens Ladisch -
Jason Bechtel -
Paul Davis -
ross＠jose.lug.udel.edu -
Steve Harris