To celebrate my return to the best O/S in the world (Debian GNU/Linux) I'll be posting a few articles on howto setup a 100% free (or as close as possible) Home Studio setup.
In this firs article I'll be giving a list of what's needed and a list of commonly used words.So let's begin :
1. say what ?
- Linux : Linux is the name of the "kernel" that's used. It was and is developed by Linus Torvalds and it's based on the UNIX O/S (hence the name which is a combination of Linux and Unix).
- Kernel : The kernel is the core of every O/S (operating System) this is what makes it possible for your hardware to "communicate" with each-other. But a kernel alone is nothing since there is no software included.
- Distribution or Distro in short : The distro is basically the entire package of the Kernel with GNU Software. There are hundreds of distributions out there but the old and big ones are :
-- Debian GNU/Linux
-- RedHat (Fedora Cor)
-- SuSE (openSUSE)
-- Slackware
One of the most common ones these days is Ubuntu (Ubuntu is based on Debian but geared more towards the average user and desktop use).
I personally prefer Debian over Ubuntu but Ubuntu Studio is a good option for what we are trying to do here.There are also variations of Ubuntu (Ubuntu Studio is already mentioned above) like
- Kubuntu (used KDE over Gnome)
- Edubuntu (educational targeted)
- ...GNU :
- Gnu stands for GNU is Not UnixGnome :
- Gnome is a DE (Desktop Environment) this determends the look & feel of the desktop. Gnome is more apple-ish
- KDE : (the K Desktop Environment) unlike Gnome KDE is more Windows-ish
--There are some more like Mate, XFCE, LXDE, ... but Gnome and KDE are the most common
- GPL : Gnu Public License (this is the license that most Linux software uses). It's written by the FSF (Free Software Foundation)
- CLI : Command-Line Interface or Terminal : This can be seen as the MS-DOS from the past, but unlike DOS the CLI is still used a lot
- FOSS : Free and Open Source Software
A lot of people are confused but "Free Software" is not always "at no cost", this is generally explained by saying "It's free as in Free Speach not as in Free Beer" but most Free software is also at no cost.
- D.A.W. : Digital Audio Workstation
- Ardour : Ardour is a popular D.A.W. for Linux and Mac.
There is no windows version, BUT there is "Harrison Mixbus" this is based on Ardour and is available for Windows, Mac and Linux (some reviews may claim that there is no Linux version of Mixbus but that's not correct).
Mixbus is also a commercial program so you'll need to purchase it if you want to use it, but it's similar to Ardour (but has a "better" mixer) so you might be happy with Ardour instread.
- Root : Root is the username of the "Administrator"
NEVER do normal work on a linux system as root !!
Linux will assume the root user to be aware of what he/she is doing. If you on windows (for example) try to format the harddrive windows will ask you if you are sure. If you do the same on a linux system, it will NOT ask if you are shure, it will just execute the command.
If you decide to install Ubuntu there is no problem since that distro has disabled the root account and SUDO is needed.SUDO :
- sudo is the command to execute 1 command as root. For example "sudo apt-get update" will ask your password and then update the APT Package list.APT or APT-GET :
- apt is the software used to remove/install software on your system (Debian and Debian-based) others like Redhat use a different system.
Most software you'll need is already present in the apt Repo's so there is little need to search software online, unless you need some non-free or commercial software).
- Repository or Repo : This are basically servers on the internet where your distro can download software from.
Others might be explained in more detail in on of the other articles.
Now let's continue with what you need.
2. What you need :
- A computer that can run Linux (Debian is available for a wide range on hardware so this should be no big problem)- Linux Compatible hardware, This can be tricky since not all Manufacturers provide Linux drivers or the information needed to build your own drivers. Big-brand hardware is generally better supported than some unknown brand.
- A linux compatible audio interface (not all are supported so you might need to investigate a bit) my Yamaha Steinberg CI2+ is supported but the Propellerheads Reason interface will NOT work.
I would advise to download the Ubuntu Studio ISO from http://ubuntustudio.org/Ubuntu Studio (as most modern distro's) uses a LiveCD/Installer combination so you can burn it to a Disk (or USB Flash drive if your computer supports it) and boot from the DVD, next you can start the LiveCD to see if your hardware works and if you want to install you just install from within the LiveCD or reboot and select install from the DVD menu.
If you don't have an interface you can also use a build-in mic or a desktop mic connected to your PC's soundcard but in my experience that's not ideal for recording a bass guitar.
Well that's it for now.If you have some questions about this article just reply and I'll try to answer in more detail.
Stay tuned for part 2 (Installing Debian Stable).
Bookmarks