[Ruin]

A good distro for audio related tasks is Ubuntu Studio.
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Our aim is to make it more accessible for new users to get into the tools that GNU/Linux has to offer for multimedia creation and production. We also want to spotlight what's out there, and show users tools they might not know to exist.

 

[falis]

Don't be mysterious - tell us why?
 
- Ed
 
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There's a winner for me. MPD + GMPC is what I use and I can't imagine using anything better fo rmy uses.

 

[Welly Wu]

That System76 Serval Professional notebook PC looks mighty tempting to me and I may decide to go with it rather than the Lenovo IBM Thinkpad W701ds.
 
I tried Fedora Project 13 and I think it is a solid release. It's slightly faster than 12 and there are a lot of updates to the latest releases available. Fedora Moblin Remix is a nice touch for netbook users like myself. I still have yet to find a GNU/Linux distribution that can support all of the hardware features of my Toshiba NB205-N310/BN netbook PC including Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR and hibernation.
 
Alas, I might switch back to Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition SP3 and say adios to GNU/Linux altogether because it works with everything. FLOSS is an addictive ideology.

 

[Welly Wu]

I contacted System76 about their Serval Professional notebook PC and I asked them how long the Lithium Polymer battery lasts: it is about one hour. That is with their original configuration; upgrading to top of the line options will further consume more battery life.

 

[Dev Avidon]

Unfortunately, buying NO OS option CPUs is an exercise in frustration...and you're not going to find many that have much in the way of battery life without paying a windows tax and dual booting or just removing Windows 7.  Ultimately, that's what I ended up doing when I purchased an ASUS 1201n, and just dbaned the hard drive and put on Sidux.  Alas, much to my dismay, the then rumors that Flash 10.1 would provide API support for VDPAU were not to be, and I am stuck with a largely useless ion processor.  That said, ALSA does support most drivers, and there are several Linux players that support 32 bit floating point precision up to 24/96 playback.  So as long as flash and dazzle is not the issue and you're not married to a Musiland, NuForce or Apogee DAC solution, there's no reason not to use Linux from the Audiophile's perspective.

 

[brandnewgame]

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Unfortunately, buying NO OS option CPUs is an exercise in frustration...and you're not going to find many that have much in the way of battery life without paying a windows tax and dual booting or just removing Windows 7.  Ultimately, that's what I ended up doing when I purchased an ASUS 1201n, and just dbaned the hard drive and put on Sidux.  Alas, much to my dismay, the then rumors that Flash 10.1 would provide API support for VDPAU were not to be, and I am stuck with a largely useless ion processor.  That said, ALSA does support most drivers, and there are several Linux players that support 32 bit floating point precision up to 24/96 playback.  So as long as flash and dazzle is not the issue and you're not married to a Musiland, NuForce or Apogee DAC solution, there's no reason not to use Linux from the Audiophile's perspective.

Is there really that much great HD content that's only available via Flash? Typically a HD video originally downloaded from elsewhere is uploaded to Youtube/etc. There are some people who record concerts with an HD camera and only upload the resulting video to sites like Vimeo, but the sound quality isn't very good from those that I've heard.

 

[Dev Avidon]

 
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Is there really that much great HD content that's only available via Flash? Typically a HD video originally downloaded from elsewhere is uploaded to Youtube/etc. There are some people who record concerts with an HD camera and only upload the resulting video to sites like Vimeo, but the sound quality isn't very good from those that I've heard.

It depends what you're looking for.  For me, it's mostly frivolous stuff like GT.  It's not just HD video that's the issue though; hardware acceleration is pretty much crucial if you're running an N330 processor...they just don't have the muscle to cope with even 480p content.

 

[brandnewgame]

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It depends what you're looking for.  For me, it's mostly frivolous stuff like GT.  It's not just HD video that's the issue though; hardware acceleration is pretty much crucial if you're running an N330 processor...they just don't have the muscle to cope with even 480p content.

GT?
 
Also, I know what you mean, I have a N230 which barely handles 480p Youtube full screen. I've found it helps to use Flashblock (and potentially adblock for Javascript) to block all those flash ads which consume CPU; just so that my music listening can be interrupted by a funny animal sound or the chance of winning a free iPad...

 

[morfic]

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So as long as ..... you're not married to a Musiland, NuForce or Apogee DAC solution, there's no reason not to use Linux from the Audiophile's perspective.

If Musiland, NuForce and Apogee DACs don't work in Linux (seriously?), then they aren't worth buying, now are they?

 

[Hybrys]

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If Musiland, NuForce and Apogee DACs don't work in Linux (seriously?), then they aren't worth buying, now are they?

I was pretty sure that Nuforce used standard drivers, by the by.

 

[Dev Avidon]

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I was pretty sure that Nuforce used standard drivers, by the by.

As did I until I bought a uDac.  Didn't work.  Checked with NuForce, windows or mac only apparently. 

 

[fjf]

I thought USB DACs would work in any OS.  Are those USB?.  My Aqvox works in linus through USB well, although I use it connecting it to the optical out of my motherboard.  To be shure, get a mobo with digital outs that work well with linux.  As always, it is not a matter of choosing the hardware first.  If you have linux, you do your homework first and find out a way BEFORE you purchase it, if possible.

 

[Hybrys]

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I thought USB DACs would work in any OS.  Are those USB?.  My Aqvox works in linus through USB well, although I use it connecting it to the optical out of my motherboard.  To be shure, get a mobo with digital outs that work well with linux.  As always, it is not a matter of choosing the hardware first.  If you have linux, you do your homework first and find out a way BEFORE you purchase it, if possible.

In theory, most do/should work.  Just not anything that needs specialized drivers.  But the uDAC proves that wrong, oddly enough.

 

[morfic]

If i can make a m-audio transit work in linux, which does more and records too. (Intended as a transport for another dac, it actually doesn't sound too bad for $80, is now finally doing its actual job of sending bits to another DAC)
 
What's in the uDAC? (as in what chip) i can only find "16bit 32-48KHz" doesn't sound very amazing, to tie this to a "driver" is just sad.
 
Why would this junk keep anyone from enjoying music in linux?

 

[Hybrys]

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If i can make a m-audio transit work in linux, which does more and records too. (Intended as a transport for another dac, it actually doesn't sound too bad for $80, is now finally doing its actual job of sending bits to another DAC)
 
What's in the uDAC? (as in what chip) i can only find "16bit 32-48KHz" doesn't sound very amazing, to tie this to a "driver" is just sad.
 
Why would this junk keep anyone from enjoying music in linux?

For one, most USB DACs, including some $2000+ ones, are limited to 16/48 by a previous technical limitation.  So calling it bad just because of that is ignorant.  It doesn't have a specialized driver.
 
The M-Audio Transit is actually a poorly reviewed device, if I recall.  So you being high and mighty about it is kind of funny.
 
Also, the uDAC has a unique pricepoint, and is well reviewed, even against some products over twice the price.  It runs a fairly high quality ESS ES9022 DAC chip.