gswitz
Ubuntu Studio is an awesome build for recording music.
 
http://ubuntustudio.org
 
It comes with all kinds of great tools. My interface works with it and I have USB Hard Drive I boot my work laptop to and use that when I'm out of town for recording and practicing. I don't use it for gigs I really care about because I don't practice with it enough.
 
You cannot install Sonar on Linux yet, but there are people struggling with it.
 
IMHO it's not worth it. You can have plenty of fun doing music on Linux without Sonar.

Thankyou! I wiped my old Linux desktop OS and replaced it with this... Worth knowing about...
Linux rules! (and Cake Forums Admin please note Firefox/Linux works fine it seems!).

Welcome to the party, Alex.
 
This is one of the big things that keeps me from spending on Plugins. I know I will be increasingly using Linux. Currently I boot to a USB hard drive with Ubuntu Studio on it.
 
If I ever switch my main OS to Linux, I'll be saying goodbye to Sonar and whatever other Windows investments I have, because Microsoft doesn't allow you to install Windows on a removable hard drive. Consequently, I'll be giving up Windows.
 
I'm in no rush. I think I have a clear view of my future, but I don't know how far the distance is between where I am now and where I think I'll end up. In other words, how long will it take for me to be comfortable letting go of Windows? Sonar, RME TotalMixFX and RME DigiCheck are not available on Linux and I depend on them.
 
 

I've been using Linux since 1994 I think... Whilst it is an amazing OS I still feel it isn't polished enough for power/multimedia based apps and I do feel with are in the Windows NT4 era when it comes to running desktop software other than the usual office apps - the stability and simplicity just isn't there (configuring a firewire audio interface was fiddly to say the least for instance). Of course when running server applications.... one could argue nothing can beat it. And as a games system it's moment may have just arrived with Steam......
 
That still doesn't stop me from using it ... And one day it's time will come for desktops, it's already taken over the cellphone market (with android).

I have a class compliant interface, and it couldn't be easier to use with Linux. I just plug it in and it works.
 
That said, I am missing the vendor specific software for the device. Basically, I can't justify giving up key tools to work with Linux.
 
But I'm only missing a handful of really critical tools. RME DigiCheck is one of them. It's great to be able to make recordings without using a DAW. Just using an interface. DigiCheck enables this. It also writes all the Waves to a single file making it much more efficient.
 
I need to be able to use TotalMixFX to control the device.
 
These are show stoppers in my opinion. So, for now, I just use it for practice recording. I suppose if I chanced upon something good I could move a wave from Ubuntu Studio to Sonar. Here's to hoping.
 
:-)
 
 

cowboydan
Hi all

Has anyone tried ubuntu operating system with sonar. I see the program a lot and was wondering if its better than Windows.
I thought I could get an answer here.

You will find things basically NEVER work better under emulation/simulation/virtualization as they do in their native environment. You can hopefully get them working near as well, but better isn't going to happen. Thus Sonar, being a Windows program, is going to work the best under Windows. If you run it either under a VM or something like WINE, it'll suffer in performance, compatibility, or both. Might not be much, you'd have to test, though I imagine it would be significant.
 
That aside, there is nothing fundamental about Linux that would make it better for audio production. Don't believe the fanboy hype/FUD, Microsoft makes a very good OS. While Windows 8 has a rather ugly, silly, interface under the hood it is an extremely competent, modern, OS. It is a good platform for media production. Linux can be as well (depending on kernel, and drivers) but there's nothing about it likely to make it better than Windows. Also Linux on a desktop can be a bit... difficult. It is workable certainly, but you want to know what you are getting yourself in to. I do computer support professionally, and I've seen more than a few of our grad students get themselves in trouble trying to use Linux on their desktop because they think it'll somehow be better for them, but not understanding how to operate it.
 
If you want an improvement, the biggest thing would be to step up to 64-bit. You are running a 32-bit OS with 16GB of RAM. What that means is that you are actually only getting to use about 3.2-3.5ish GB of your RAM due to 32-bit addressing and PCI address needs. A 64-bit OS will be able to address all 16GB (I'm presuming you mean 16GB, not 16GHz, RAM doesn't run that fast). Even running 32-bit applications it makes things better since there's more room for caching, and multiple programs at the same time, but of course Sonar supports 64-bit, so it can use as much RAM as you throw at it.
 
So look at getting on a 64-bit OS, before you worry about anything else, unless you have a piece of hardware that prevents it. In that event, I'd seriously consider ditching the hardware. Nearly everything has 64-bit drivers these days.

Your main question is ... will Sonar work in UBUNTU.  The answer is a firm and resounding NO.  Cakewalk is written specifically for Windows 7 and up. 
 
WINE (Windows Is Not Emulated) is designed to help Windows 95/NT and XP/2000 programs run in Linux.  There is a commercial version of WINE called Codeweavers Wine.  It does a mediocre to poor job of that for various office softwares.  UBUNTU is a flavor of LINUX.  Windows and Linux are just two totally different critters.  Just as Windows has taken years to catch up with MAC in the arena of quality multimedia creation, LINUX is just as far away today as Windows was once against MAC. 
 
My problem with LINUX operating systems has been hardware specific.  One piece of hardware may work fine with linux, another piece may not.  Many of the drivers are broad based and generic.  Whereas we bellyache when Maudio takes a year to release vista asio drivers, but we stay silent when no driver exists in linux for the same item ten years after release.  This is because linux code writing is primarily voluntary.
 
Cakewalk, as well as most commercially viable companies, steer clear of linux.  Suppose Cakewalk WANTED to work in LINUX, they could review the code.  Spend hours working to interact with the code.  EVEN go as far as rewriting a line here or a line their in the linux code to make Sonar work better within Linux...but THEN... Cakewalk would have to submit their changes to the code back to the repository for review by anyone and could/would be subject to showing their own code and why the change was necessary thereby giving up a trade secret.
 
I LOVED Linux.  I started back with Red Hat 6.0.  I gave it up and stopped fooling with it altogether when I made up my mind to work in Multimedia.  I took months agonizing over going with a MAC or WINDOWS system.  When I CHOSE Sonar as my primary DAW, I stopped Dual Booting and testing and playing in Linux.  I've not wasted anymore of my time with Mac.  I'm satisfied with Windows 7 pro and Sonar X series.  I'm on X3 as of now and see no reason to change or want to attempt to work in another OS.

I'm going to agree with Sycraft.  Go to 64 bit, you'll have to doublecheck about swapping out your processor, I don't think (could be wrong) that the I-3 pentiums are 64 bit capable.  Your computing will be a drastic change.  Also, IF YOU CAN, swap out that I-3 for an I-5 processor or even better yet, an I-7.  I-3 is like a Celeron processor, it's dumbed-down for cheapness's sake.  I don't know why someone built a computer with an I-3 and 16 gb of memory, they ought to be whipped.

The Core i3-3220 is 64-bit capable, and also supports SSE 4.2 and AVX. It is actually a fairly capable processor. You can check Intel's ARK page on it for more info. They aren't really dumbed down, they are just dual core. The i5s are where the quad core CPUs start. However they don't lack many features. Only things they don't have that I know of are AES-NI (encryption acceleration), VT-d (IOMMU for advanced virtualization, nothing really uses it yet) and turbo boost (increase in clock speeds when less cores are in use). It's not a Celeron, those still exist and are below Pentiums. The lineup goes Celeron -> Pentium -> i3 -> i5 -> i7.
 
Otherwise an i3-3220 is functionally equivalent to an i5-3550, just with 2 less cores.
 
Also in terms of 64-bit support, everything except Atoms has that now from Intel. Even a lowly GT1610, a $42 part, supports 64-bit and 32GB of RAM.