Linux audio must be making some headway: they’ve even got sequencer/DAW rivals. MusE is a full-blown DAW / MIDI sequencer / audio multitrack application for Linux, based on ALSA (audio framework), JACK (for interconnecting audio between apps), and LADSPA (open source Linux audio plugin format). It’s got an impressive feature list, with extensive MIDI controller support, integrated soft synths, and even Windows VSTi support (see features. It also looks like it might be more streamlined than Rosegarden, a similar Linux program that also features notation. (Ardour is an audio-only DAW; they’ve been promising MIDI support but right now there’s nothing — though if you like hype, they’ve got plenty of that on their site.)
O’Reilly’s LinuxDevCenter yesterday ran a feature on MusE and its creator.
So is anyone actually using this stuff? I love the concept of Linux audio, but I’ll admit I’m not remotely as comfortable with Linux as Windows and Mac. It’s a little like vegetarianism: I know it’s more ethical and better for the environment, but I still want steak. So let’s leave aside the obvious benefits of open source for a moment:
Are you using Linux now?
Did you try Linux and give up? (or is it sitting dormant on a dual-boot system?)
Linux lovers, is there a killer app that’s part of the reason you go to Linux?
Let us know!