State of Hard Disk Recording in Linux?

Madfishmonger asks: "I'm putting together a live computer rig for a band to play back backing tracks as well as simultaneously transmit MIDI program and control changes to various synthesizers and digital mixers. Are there any Linux-based apps (especially Linux PPC ^? , since we'll be running an older PowerBook) which can replace software like Logic, Cubase and ProTools for simpler tasks like managing MIDI ^? program changes and audio playback simultaneously, or which are even capable of rudimentary hard disk recording tasks, and will also work with the more common multi-IO MIDI interfaces from makers like MOTU and Emagic? I haven't heard of anything comparable to the current Mac and Windows-based technologies like TDM ^? , VST ^? , RTAS and ASIO, but is there anything in the works which could give the music community a third platform to work on, or do I have to wait for the big name proggies to come out on OS X?"

Comments

Stick with cubase ...

[OmegaDan]

There really isn't much out there ... There is a decent hard disk recording package (x86 only?) -- but it has no midi functionality ... how many channels of audio do you think a *powerbook* can record simultaneously? :) Im gonna guess its a small integer under 5 :)

For years, suffering with win98 and cubase 3.5 ... the hourly crashes, unstable midi I wished cubase ran under linux ... But, cubase runs like a *dream* under Win2k. *rarely* crashes (won't say never), midi accuracy/percision is dead on...

This being said, even if there was a cubase clone *today* it still wouldn't be that usefull ... Cubase is your bread and butter, but DX/VST plugins make the cake (to use a bad pun). Im going to speculate wildly that there are probably less then 1000 people in the world with the knowledge to write *professional quality* effects ... And they're pulling 6 figure salaries from Steinberg, TC, Antares, Roland, Novation, KORG, GEM, etc :) They're not writing free plugins for a plugin architecture that dosen't exist on an OS that dosen't have a decent sequencer.

Anyways, thats the state of things as they are ...

For a second oponion, pose your question to the linux audio developers mailing list:
http://www.linuxdj.com/audio/lad/
they may tell you differently, but remember, they're advocates ...

dan
thg music group