I'm impressed. I was just about to write a flamebait post about how the Ardour source code is a mess and lacks the GUI/engine separation and how these thing are hard to add afterwards etc. But then I actually took a look at it and, indeed, according to their website it doesn't lack these things any more. The guys have been doing some progress there.
It's nice to notice OS X is supported better now. After all, OS X completely avoids the two most prevalent problems that makes Linux unsuitable for real music production:
a) Hardware support. Most of the pro level RME Hammerfall cards aren't manufactured anymore or there isn't pci express versions and the rest like M-audio stuff is not so accepted quality wise. Freebob firewire driver can change some of that, as at least Apogee X-FW seems to be supported by it. The hardware side is almost a minor problem, however.
b) The plugin situation is a completely different story. Unlike some Linux folks seem to acknowledge, the DAW cost and the amount of code is actually far less than the cost and amount of code for the plugins. Waves $7,500 Mercury native bundle is just the extreme example, but you get the picture. Even the average studio has loads of expensive plugins. Modern music production just don't happen without the quality plugins and software instruments, that's just the way it is.
Don't get me wrong. I hate working with commercial DAW software. I know all the major flavors, and they all suck. They're buggy and the speed of development is unbelievably slow. (eg. how many years have we been waiting to get flexible routing in Cubase. Similar examples are to be found everywhere. Most user forums seem have a top 'feature request' fix the fucking bugs.) It's almost like there is no real competition on the market regardless of the number of competitors and the eyecandy 'features' they print on the advertising.
Just add a native Aqua GUI to Ardour and it's getting closer to be a real competitor on the market.
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I'm impressed. I was just about to write a flamebait post about how the Ardour source code is a mess and lacks the GUI/engine separation and how these thing are hard to add afterwards etc. But then I actually took a look at it and, indeed, according to their website it doesn't lack these things any more. The guys have been doing some progress there.
It's nice to notice OS X is supported better now. After all, OS X completely avoids the two most prevalent problems that makes Linux unsuitable for real music production:
a) Hardware support. Most of the pro level RME Hammerfall cards aren't manufactured anymore or there isn't pci express versions and the rest like M-audio stuff is not so accepted quality wise. Freebob firewire driver can change some of that, as at least Apogee X-FW seems to be supported by it. The hardware side is almost a minor problem, however.
b) The plugin situation is a completely different story. Unlike some Linux folks seem to acknowledge, the DAW cost and the amount of code is actually far less than the cost and amount of code for the plugins. Waves $7,500 Mercury native bundle is just the extreme example, but you get the picture. Even the average studio has loads of expensive plugins. Modern music production just don't happen without the quality plugins and software instruments, that's just the way it is.
Don't get me wrong. I hate working with commercial DAW software. I know all the major flavors, and they all suck. They're buggy and the speed of development is unbelievably slow. (eg. how many years have we been waiting to get flexible routing in Cubase. Similar examples are to be found everywhere. Most user forums seem have a top 'feature request' fix the fucking bugs.) It's almost like there is no real competition on the market regardless of the number of competitors and the eyecandy 'features' they print on the advertising.
Just add a native Aqua GUI to Ardour and it's getting closer to be a real competitor on the market.