Win VS. Linux

[Manne]

I'm a new Mixbus user but an old veteran who really loves the analog mixer look interface. Now I have intended to invest fully in Mixbus after first running Soundscape for many years and then well over to bitwig & protools but now found a home, I hope. Therefore, my important question is now to be answered; should I go for Linux or Win. Does anyone have the knowledge to tell about advantages and disadvantages between these two systems? For me, it doesn't matter as long as I invest in the right OS for the future, but also what is most reliable.

I think that the kernel is from Linux, so it would be crossing the river for water to bet on something else. The simple should be the best, so isn't it Linux??? which is to just scoop up water from the river without having to walk across it? Or is Win a better choice for the long run.   all best to you Mixbus user's    /manne

[jeff_sloan]

I would like to piggyback on your question...

Does a Linux distro with the realtime or low latency work better than Windows or Mac when it comes to round trip monitoring and plugins?

[Manne]

I would like to piggyback on your question...

Does a Linux distro with the realtime or low latency work better than Windows or Mac when it comes to round trip monitoring and plugins?

You may know, tell me?

[Jostein]

I'm a Linux user and around 30% of my income comes from mixing in Linux. Linux has been my main OS for more than 25 years now.  Despite that,  I believe the answer to your question is: -It depends on your needs, knowledge, and why you consider Linux as a Windows user.


Do you need Adobe products, do you play games? Do you need programs like Melodyne or maybe a mastering suite that can't run on Linux? Then I suggest you continue to use Windows.

That said, I run Superior Drummer 3 and occasionally run the wonderful PG8X (a JX8P VST plugin for Windows) flawlessly on my Linux machine (via Wine) and I'm so lucky that I work with good musicians. So the need for programs like Melodyne is small, and when I need it, I fire up my laptop and select WIndows during the boot. I also need Windows to edit my Line 6 products and, for example, upgrade firmware in my Faderport2.

You really must know what you are doing if you want to use Linux professionally for music, but there's an increasing number of vendors that make DAWs, plugins, and other stuff for Linux. I'm a Linux fanatic, or should I say a pragmatic one, and I never recommend Linux to anyone unless they know how to handle it.

Program-wise, applications disappear or get the abandonware status on Linux too, but I find Linux to be much more future-predictable than both Windows and macOS. But all these operating systems are good, so you should choose the one that best covers your needs and realities.

If I can speak for myself, it's Linux all the time, but for music, Linux is still not for everyone.

[Manne]

I'm a Linux user and around 30% of my income comes from mixing in Linux. Linux has been my main OS for more than 25 years now.  Despite that,  I believe the answer to your question is: -It depends on your needs, knowledge, and why you consider Linux as a Windows user.


Do you need Adobe products, do you play games? Do you need programs like Melodyne or maybe a mastering suite that can't run on Linux? Then I suggest you continue to use Windows.

That said, I run Superior Drummer 3 and occasionally run the wonderful PG8X (a JX8P VST plugin for Windows) flawlessly on my Linux machine (via Wine) and I'm so lucky that I work with good musicians. So the need for programs like Melodyne is small, and when I need it, I fire up my laptop and select WIndows during the boot. I also need Windows to edit my Line 6 products and, for example, upgrade firmware in my Faderport2.

You really must know what you are doing if you want to use Linux professionally for music, but there's an increasing number of vendors that make DAWs, plugins, and other stuff for Linux. I'm a Linux fanatic, or should I say a pragmatic one, and I never recommend Linux to anyone unless they know how to handle it.

Program-wise, applications disappear or get the abandonware status on Linux too, but I find Linux to be much more future-predictable than both Windows and macOS. But all these operating systems are good, so you should choose the one that best covers your needs and realities.

If I can speak for myself, it's Linux all the time, but for music, Linux is still not for everyone.

This is a great informative answer for a novice like me. Extremely grateful. I was thinking of dedicating a new computer to work only with Mixbus so no problems with other software. Want to do Mixbus totallt fully in a new setup. Which platform is best for the future with a dedicated computer/server?

[BSchmitty]

I would like to piggyback on your question...

Does a Linux distro with the realtime or low latency work better than Windows or Mac when it comes to round trip monitoring and plugins?

You may know, tell me?

I run win 10 and Ubuntu 22.04 LTS.  Using ALSA as the sound backend, it seems on my system I can see a 1% to 5% decrease, meaning better,  in CPU usage when using in Linux.  

Windows tends to 'interrupt' more than it should, by causing CPU spikes. I have set several settings in windows to specifically optimize it for audio use, only to find that a Microsoft 'Update' reverts them to what Microsoft thinks they should be after some time passes.  There are interruptions by the Windows Defender and 'Telemetry' that can also cause CPU Spikes.  Linux has none of those issues.

The benefit to using Windows is the availability of VST plug ins.  There are some very good Windows only VST's.

On my system, Mixbus has some bugs on Windows that are not preset in Linux.  It has been my experience that Mixbus on Linux using ALSA  ( a standard sound server in linux) as a backend is AMAZINGLY STABLE.  On Windows, I feel like I am pressing my luck if I don't save.  I have lost some progress because of random Windows Mixbus crashes using Windows.  To be fair, MOST of the Win Problems are VST3 based.   There are also issues in Linux with plugins that have some sort of online registration built into the plug-ins.  You cannot register them in Mixbus.   I have to use another linux DAW to register them.  It can be a pain.  Maybe there is a workaround  to get it to work in Mixbus ? 

The XT plugins are excellent and may suite your needs.  They are free to try and definitely worth a go.  They do not create noise when they are not registered.   They are installed with Mixbus.

Overall, I still dual boot Win10 and Ubuntu 22.04 LTS.  I do like recording with Mixbus in Linux because of its stability and no interruptions.   If you want even less CPU usage, you can download Ardour.  The Ardour projects are compatible with Mixbus to a degree.    The availability of plugins in Windows is what makes me boot into Win.  I know that doesn't help decide which is best, but, they have pros and cons of each system.

Linux can be a little difficult to set up, but once it is, it works very well.  You may need to do a little google research and find out if there are issues with your audio / midi hardware before attempting linux.

[madmaxmiller]

This is a great informative answer for a novice like me. Extremely grateful. I was thinking of dedicating a new computer to work only with Mixbus so no problems with other software. Want to do Mixbus totallt fully in a new setup. Which platform is best for the future with a dedicated computer/server?

Oh, with this information: it's Linux all the way. It uses hardware resources, namely RAM, more efficiently and as Jostein mentioned, there's a great and growing number of native softwares for all kind of purposes, including audio production. For example, Bitwig is available for Linux, too.
Plus, you will appreciate that Linux only updates when you feel you need to and you initiate it yourself - as opposed to Windows/Mac which will nag you to death or even update without asking and you'll be occasionally left with a broken system because of that.
I personally use Linux exclusively (except for my day job haha) for around 25 years.
Some 18 months ago I helped a guy overseas with advice on components for his new audio computer and then he assembled it and then we installed Linux over the phone - he was and is over the moon with it and happy to have made the step. He was 70 at the time, will say it's never too late

Welcome to Mixbus btw!
Cheers, MMM

[johne53]

This is a great informative answer for a novice like me.

I'm a new Mixbus user but an old veteran

Setting up Linux isn't for the faint-hearted (it won't be long before you need to start launching text windows and typing lots of cryptic commands...) It's a reasonable OS once you get it working but from my experience, Linux isn't a good OS for novices - and esp. not older novices!  

[johndev]

If considering using Linux then I recommend checking out AVLinux. A lot of the work has already been done there in regards to setting up Linux for audio work.

It was perfect for me on a separate PC only for audio purposes, with limited Linux knowledge myself.

[Dingo]

This is a great informative answer for a novice like me.

I'm a new Mixbus user but an old veteran

Setting up Linux isn't for the faint-hearted (it won't be long before you need to start launching text windows and typing lots of cryptic commands...) It's a reasonable OS once you get it working but from my experience, Linux isn't a good OS for novices - and esp. not older novices!  

I would echo johne53's advice - Linux requires a higher level of computer skill - even though I have been working with computers since 1979 I still find Linux daunting... I am far more focused on creative aspects and am happy to put up with the corporate games that Mac and WIN play.....
I tried to use WIN for a longtime (Windows NT era), but the stability was just not happening for me... very happy being a Mac user.
Also there are applications like iZotope RX and Harrison MPC Channel plus so many great reverbs that just do not easily exist in the Linux world...
I can not cope without those tools today.