kxstudio repos + which OS? What do you like?

What other apps and distros do you use to round out your studio?

Moderators: MattKingUSA, khz

hudkins
Established Member
Posts: 38
Joined: Wed Jan 20, 2016 2:01 am

kxstudio repos + which OS? What do you like?

Post by hudkins »

Ok, I recently did an update in kxstudio and on restart it couldn't find my root file system and dropped to an (intramfs) prompt. I'm always chasing issues and not making music. I want to change things up but I really love what's in kxstudio's repos. So, I'm thinking about using the repos in a different ubuntu base. My thoughts so far are:

Mint 17.3 + kxstudio repos (would prefer a 16.04 base though)
Mint 18.1 + kxstudio repos
Ubuntu-mate 16.04 + kxstudio repos
Ubuntu Studio 16.04+ kxstudio repos.
another combo, maybe I missed something?

I want to be able to use PPA's and non-multimedia software selection is important. Ease of use, minimum of tweaking and stability would also be nice.

I'm wondering about any experiences people may have had with the above combinations, any caveats, etc. I can't find a lot of about actual user experiences, mostly just tutorials.

Any perspectives are helpful. what do you like?
User avatar
magicalex
Established Member
Posts: 193
Joined: Sun Jan 24, 2016 6:34 pm
Has thanked: 129 times
Been thanked: 7 times
Contact:

Re: kxstudio repos + which OS? What do you like?

Post by magicalex »

I use Elementary OS wirh the kxstudio repos. I've tried various combos before and this is easily my favourite.
rghvdberg
Established Member
Posts: 1067
Joined: Mon May 12, 2014 7:11 am
Has thanked: 15 times
Been thanked: 36 times

Re: kxstudio repos + which OS? What do you like?

Post by rghvdberg »

I'm on mint 18 with KX repos. It's so good and stable it's getting boring.
User avatar
sysrqer
Established Member
Posts: 2520
Joined: Thu Nov 14, 2013 11:47 pm
Has thanked: 319 times
Been thanked: 148 times
Contact:

Re: kxstudio repos + which OS? What do you like?

Post by sysrqer »

Kde neon for me. I'm not convinced any distro is trouble free completely though unless you're a casual user.
User avatar
ufug
Established Member
Posts: 525
Joined: Tue Jan 10, 2012 12:28 am
Has thanked: 71 times
Been thanked: 22 times

Re: kxstudio repos + which OS? What do you like?

Post by ufug »

I switched to Mint 18 as my KXStudio base last fall after six months on Ubuntu MATE.

I have never used an OS on any device that runs so smoothly and without issue. It's gorgeous, responds quickly, and has been completely trouble free.

Kind of weird--I had always been going for low(er) resource DEs like Openbox and XFCE and MATE thinking that was better for audio, but they have really got something going right with Cinnamon. So easy and agile, as much eye candy as you like, totally configurable.

Less futzing=more music making.
listenable at c6a7.org
User avatar
briandc
Established Member
Posts: 1442
Joined: Sun Apr 29, 2012 3:17 pm
Location: Italy
Has thanked: 58 times
Been thanked: 28 times
Contact:

Re: kxstudio repos + which OS? What do you like?

Post by briandc »

I'm currently using AntiX, which is Debian-based. Since KXStudio is now also for Debian, I find this a nice combination. AntiX is ultrafast and so lightweight it fits on a CD. (Many distros these days are filled with lots of extra apps that I don't need anyway.)

I guess it all depends on what your main needs are. For me, speed is crucial when playing in realtime. And I'm fairly comfortable with setting things up now, so although I need a few hours in the beginning, just to install the apps that I want to use specifically, in the end I've got things just the way I like them. To me, that's part of the beauty of linux: setting things up the way you want them.


brian
Have your PC your way: use linux!
My sound synthesis biome: http://www.linuxsynths.com
eric71
Established Member
Posts: 128
Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2009 7:41 am
Location: Finland

Re: kxstudio repos + which OS? What do you like?

Post by eric71 »

MX-16. It's Debian stable + Xfce, and their community repos have useful things like the Liquorix kernel which works very nicely for low latency audio. Combined with KXStudio repos, it is hard to beat.
User avatar
English Guy
Established Member
Posts: 525
Joined: Wed Oct 17, 2012 7:28 pm
Location: England
Has thanked: 8 times
Been thanked: 7 times

Re: kxstudio repos + which OS? What do you like?

Post by English Guy »

eric71 wrote:MX-16. It's Debian stable + Xfce, and their community repos have useful things like the Liquorix kernel which works very nicely for low latency audio. Combined with KXStudio repos, it is hard to beat.
I use Debian stable with KXStudio and the liquorix kernel. I feel it is the best of both worlds. Debian is very stable, performs well and has a long shelf life. KX adds the latest music software (as does backports for many other important packages). The liquorix kernel gives me the best performance of all the options I have tried. I feel I have no need or wish to look elsewhere at the moment.
hudkins
Established Member
Posts: 38
Joined: Wed Jan 20, 2016 2:01 am

Re: kxstudio repos + which OS? What do you like?

Post by hudkins »

Thanks for all the suggestions, people!

Since I don't play live and my PC is fairly new I don't really need a super lightweight distro. I'm not ruling them out yet. Again, software availability is important. I don't go crazy and install a whole bunch of stuff but it's important.

Debian is an interesting base, never thought of that. Was there any trouble with non-free codecs or other proprietary software (Chrome, in particular)?

Would it be better to use the Stable or Testing version in your experience?

Mint is still definitely in the running. Are there any caveats or extra tricks you discovered were needed? Ho do you set your updates so you get the latest kxstudio software as it comes?

I'm still pooling opinions. Thanks all for your feedback :)
rghvdberg
Established Member
Posts: 1067
Joined: Mon May 12, 2014 7:11 am
Has thanked: 15 times
Been thanked: 36 times

Re: kxstudio repos + which OS? What do you like?

Post by rghvdberg »

hudkins wrote:Mint is still definitely in the running. Are there any caveats or extra tricks you discovered were needed?
Only thing you need to be aware of is that Mint by default doesn't install 'recommends'. So when installing packages you might need to install some stuff manually.
I noticed that with installing carla I need to install the bridges and some other stuff manually.
Luc
Established Member
Posts: 741
Joined: Fri Mar 27, 2015 1:04 pm
Been thanked: 1 time

Re: kxstudio repos + which OS? What do you like?

Post by Luc »

Debian has the largest number of packages so you're always more likely to find what you want if you use Debian. I believe it also has the largest user base even if you don't count the spinoffs, which is good for its progress. It is long established and very stable. The main (only?) developer of KXStudio also seems to base his work on Debian or Ubuntu, so I definitely recommend Debian or any distro based on Debian.
hudkins wrote:Debian is an interesting base, never thought of that. Was there any trouble with non-free codecs or other proprietary software (Chrome, in particular)?

Would it be better to use the Stable or Testing version in your experience?
Part of the joy of using Debian is that it is conservative. Not so conservative that you don't get most updates, but conservative enough that you don't need to worry about updating stuff all the time. I loathe that pressure. I've seen falkTX (aka the main-perhaps-only developer of KXStudio) point out instabilities in Testing, so I would recommend Stable.
barbouze
Established Member
Posts: 186
Joined: Tue May 26, 2015 12:26 pm
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 16 times

Re: kxstudio repos + which OS? What do you like?

Post by barbouze »

Mint 18.1 + low latency kernel here, everything is smooth if I don't push latency under 5-10ms.

Speaking of kernels, it is not the first time I see Liquorix mentioned here. Is there a way to try it easily without breaking my current setup? I've seen things like GCC-6, DKMS problems with Nvidia and VirtualBox, etc.
Lyberta
Established Member
Posts: 681
Joined: Sat Nov 01, 2014 8:15 pm
Location: The Internet
Been thanked: 1 time

Re: kxstudio repos + which OS? What do you like?

Post by Lyberta »

Debian Testing + KXStudio repos. Almost no problems.
hudkins
Established Member
Posts: 38
Joined: Wed Jan 20, 2016 2:01 am

Re: kxstudio repos + which OS? What do you like?

Post by hudkins »

Again, Thanks all!

I think I'm going to take a conservative approach and go with Debian-stable. If that doesn't work out then I'll go with Mint 18.

Again, thanks everyone. You gave me some great direction for my research and it comes much appreciated.
finotti
Established Member
Posts: 528
Joined: Thu Sep 01, 2011 9:07 pm
Has thanked: 86 times
Been thanked: 23 times

Re: kxstudio repos + which OS? What do you like?

Post by finotti »

FaTony wrote:Debian Testing + KXStudio repos. Almost no problems.
I about to do Debian Unstable + KXStudio. Your "almost" gave me pause... :-) Could you elaborate?
Post Reply