FreeBSD for music production

Hi guys, i would like to give bsd a go on my thinkpad (t490). Im actually using slackware, tend to switch between kde and xfce and have a pretty minimal system. Now i need 3 programs: Ardour, Vcv RACK and SuperCollider. Obviously everything is connected via jack. Are these available in bsd?
 
They are available. I found that the majority of music programs worked the same for me when I switched from Linux. You should post an update here with your experience.
 
hi mate

i did a tutorial about using ardour with jack and obs studio

 
I don't have a dog in this event.
But, I have to ask why one wants to use a different platform than that which his required app was developed on?
 
I don't have a dog in this event.
But, I have to ask why one wants to use a different platform than that which his required app was developed on?
The Linux audio stack is not very good and the solution in their community is to keep kludging new band-aid additions onto the rube goldberg machine. I have to flat out remove pulse audio to ensure it won't ruin a recording session, regardless of what the JACK/pipewire fans want to claim about bugs being worked out. Once there's a standard process to get Reaper running on here without WINE i doubt many people will ask about Ardour anymore :)
 
I use Cakewalk which has been on the Windows platform for the last 30 years.
The free version released by BandLab is more than adequate for all my tracking and mixing needs.
My current project has 13+ tracks in two separate song files.
There are literally endless numbers of free VST plugins again for Win and Mac platforms.

The 64-bit version makes full use of RAM and processor cores.
I feed it from a MOTU M4 which is also many years on the Windows platform.
MOTU also stays very current with drivers.

I like FBSD just fine, but not for this use.
 
The Linux audio stack is not very good and the solution in their community is to keep kludging new band-aid additions onto the rube goldberg machine. I have to flat out remove pulse audio to ensure it won't ruin a recording session, regardless of what the JACK/pipewire fans want to claim about bugs being worked out. Once there's a standard process to get Reaper running on here without WINE i doubt many people will ask about Ardour anymore :)

Did you try the Linux version of Reaper in the Linuxulator?
 
Did you try the Linux version of Reaper in the Linuxulator?
On my FreeBSD desktop, I installed Renoise with wine to test it and it runs very smooth. I tried Reaper in wine and it had some issues. I would love to try Renoise with Linuxulator, but it felt like too much to get it going. I followed chapter 12 in the handbook but somehow I got lost with it. I mainly use my Arch/Mint and OSX/Windows for audio so I am ok with wine Renoise on FreeBSD and the old school trackers, My FreeBSD audio work is just to have the ability to work on the beginnings of ideas in the event I happen to be using a FreeBSD install without having to go to my main rig or grab another laptop.

When I get into a tinkering mood again I will try the Linuxulator approach again.
 
The Linux audio stack is not very good and the solution in their community is to keep kludging new band-aid additions onto the rube goldberg machine. I have to flat out remove pulse audio to ensure it won't ruin a recording session, regardless of what the JACK/pipewire fans want to claim about bugs being worked out. Once there's a standard process to get Reaper running on here without WINE i doubt many people will ask about Ardour anymore :)
Sorry to hear you have issues with pipewire, I honestly don't have issues. I don't patch programs together though. I run a DAW and use native VST3 or LV2 plugins within the daw. Pipewire is not perfect though but it will mature and become the defacto IMO.

I have had a love hate relationship with Ardour, I remember back in the days thinking to myself, once you can edit midi I am all in, But I work faster in other DAWs, workflow is the main factor for me, "don't stop the music"

I have been giving Ardour another go recently and it really is a great DAW. I like to work with different programs with the mood I am in, for me it breaks the routines of go to approaches to make music. Keeps it fresh for me.

Thanks for your feedback audioeric, do you use FreeBSD full time for audio or do you use another OS as well?
 
They are available. I found that the majority of music programs worked the same for me when I switched from Linux. You should post an update here with your experience.
Thanks LibreQuest, are you using FreeBSD as your only audio OS? what programs do you like to use?
 
NapoleonWilsOn I followed your very helpful github guide, I got me father with jack on FreeBSD then ever before, Ardour launches without any warning issues, but the audio is no good no matter what buffer size I use. One day when I feel like getting it running nicely on FreeBSD I would love to pick your brain and ask some questions, I will start a thread the day it happens.
 
Thanks LibreQuest, are you using FreeBSD as your only audio OS? what programs do you like to use?
I use LMMS, Audacity and Ardour works as well but I've not needed it for anything lately. I don't have any place to record instruments set up. So I just make songs on LMMS sometimes when I feel like it. :D I've not really done a lot with audio in many years other than lmms.

I used LMMS to make this tune. It's not properly mixed and I wouldn't say it's a completed work. I get more enjoyment out of making tunes with LMMS than gaming if I'm wasting time. :D

https://ethchat.net/542175888/1880331576.php8

EDIT: And yes, I only use FreeBSD on my systems.
 
Did you try the Linux version of Reaper in the Linuxulator?
Not yet but I intend to soon. I'm still playing around with some various audio interfaces to see how compliant they are but once I settle on one of those that's the next stop.
Thanks for your feedback audioeric, do you use FreeBSD full time for audio or do you use another OS as well?
I use Windows 7 with an audio specific services/registry configuration for my studio recording stuff, not even joking lol. Its rock-solid and minimum latency systemwide, but its ancient and won't be a great solution forever. I was dabbling in Linux audio again recently and as above it wasn't great but not due to anything with Reaper's Linux build as near as I could tell. I certainly don't have any beef with Ardour either, I think it's great and I'll be using it extensively as well.

I've been interested in tinkering with audio on FreeBSD for a long while now and I'm finally getting around to it. I'm lurking on the desktop mailing list and associated monthly video conferences and if I come across anything interesting I'll certainly share it. I'm not much of a coder though, I chose the electrical career path and I'm a lot more comfortable with a multimeter than I am a compiler but I'll evolve hopefully :)
 
Sorry to hear you have issues with pipewire, I honestly don't have issues. I don't patch programs together though. I run a DAW and use native VST3 or LV2 plugins within the daw. Pipewire is not perfect though but it will mature and become the defacto IMO.

I have had a love hate relationship with Ardour, I remember back in the days thinking to myself, once you can edit midi I am all in, But I work faster in other DAWs, workflow is the main factor for me, "don't stop the music"

I have been giving Ardour another go recently and it really is a great DAW. I like to work with different programs with the mood I am in, for me it breaks the routines of go to approaches to make music. Keeps it fresh for me.

Thanks for your feedback audioeric, do you use FreeBSD full time for audio or do you use another OS as well?
Had to reply a second time to address this part. I do agree with you that pipewire will likely become the go-to solution for using audio interfaces on Linux. Its literally just reinventing the Windows experience though when you have to rely on trying to just bypass the regular audio system to make your audio device work...it creates layers of band-aids. The reason audio interface drivers from the reputable companies are so good on Windows definitely is in spite of Windows itself and not because of it...those devs are wizards working close to the assembly level to bypass garbage. You don't hear much about it because those folks have to sign NDAs but they are geniuses quite frankly.

Its fine and all but it basically means best case scenario is I'd have to spend as much, but probably even more time setting up a Linux replacement for my current Windows 7 solution. Its good to have a backup at least! I have had "plugin fatigue" for a while now and think the commerical market is overaturated...I have the full Voxengo catalog and thats pretty much all I use besides some Reaper built-ins. I'd also say it would be preferable to try and handle the plugin support issue via Reaper instead of through FreeBSD. Some kind of WINE layer build into Reaper Linux edition makes a lot more sense than trying to hodge-podge plugin support here. Just my two cents.
 
LibreQuest thanks for sharing, sounds cool, some good ideas going on there. If you made all that with LMMS then I tip my hat to you sir. Good Job. LMMS is good and it does run nice on FreeBSD, my dream was always that the LMMS instruments would become available as Vst or Lv2 to run in other DAWS. I fire up LMMS from time to time but I never really dug deep into it.
 
audioeric, right on in many ways we are the same! I have a Win 7 machine just for audio as well and I suffer from plugin fatigue too. I am tired of chasing the latest and greatest, and know there is no magical plugin that will make your music so much better. The SNL skit with the DJ and the bass drop button always makes me laugh.

I like to time lock and computer and stop upgrading, I hate being forced to update with a new OS version, The OS is not what makes the music, I have a OSX computer that I stopped upgrading when the next version of OSX stopped supporting Logic 9. I hate "modern" Logic X, plus they killed the greatest of them all Ultra beat drum machine...

I grew up with the mentality of it is not what you have but how you use it. my first set up was a Atari ST running Cubase with the Steinberg Key (which I still have), A Roland DJ 70 sampler, HR 16 drum machine and a Mackie 1202 mixer.

I would like to one day set up a FreeBSD rig running Ardour and use just external hardware. Start with my ESX electribe and Dave Smith Mopho, add others when needed.

Nice to meet others in the FreeBSD audio realm like yourself, LibreQuest, noise, NapolenWilsOn and bgavin
 
LibreQuest thanks for sharing, sounds cool, some good ideas going on there. If you made all that with LMMS then I tip my hat to you sir. Good Job. LMMS is good and it does run nice on FreeBSD, my dream was always that the LMMS instruments would become available as Vst or Lv2 to run in other DAWS. I fire up LMMS from time to time but I never really dug deep into it.
It's only LMMS. LMMS has a lot of stuff built in that I don't use too. It's a good program.
 
audioeric, right on in many ways we are the same! I have a Win 7 machine just for audio as well and I suffer from plugin fatigue too. I am tired of chasing the latest and greatest, and know there is no magical plugin that will make your music so much better. The SNL skit with the DJ and the bass drop button always makes me laugh.

I like to time lock and computer and stop upgrading, I hate being forced to update with a new OS version, The OS is not what makes the music, I have a OSX computer that I stopped upgrading when the next version of OSX stopped supporting Logic 9. I hate "modern" Logic X, plus they killed the greatest of them all Ultra beat drum machine...

I grew up with the mentality of it is not what you have but how you use it. my first set up was a Atari ST running Cubase with the Steinberg Key (which I still have), A Roland DJ 70 sampler, HR 16 drum machine and a Mackie 1202 mixer.

I would like to one day set up a FreeBSD rig running Ardour and use just external hardware. Start with my ESX electribe and Dave Smith Mopho, add others when needed.

Nice to meet others in the FreeBSD audio realm like yourself, LibreQuest, noise, NapolenWilsOn and bgavin
miscreant, funny enough I started on the Cakewalk software but moved to Steinberg because I found it superior. Man I still have a soft spot for Nuendo, I considered it to be the actual greatest DAW, much better than ProTools in the pre-Reaper days. Many a flame war were had in the 2000s over that opinion.

Indeed I am also of the school of thought to just build a good working audio rig that will be fine for several years and pull the internet cable and not mess with anything until necessary. Less is absolutely more at a certain point...there's a youtube channel Freaking Out with Billy Hume that has some great videos about exactly that. Cheers!
 
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