Ubuntu Live questions.

[dwmitch]

In an effort to regain MIDI connectivity for my keyboard I tried setting up a Linux box out of one of my old systems. However, mice seem to have bitten through the cables so my only working computers are my primary (running Windows Vista) and a laptop (WinXP but no joystick/MIDI port).

I'm currently using an Ubuntu Live disk. It works as I'm running Linux on my Vista box as we speak, but I'm not sure what limitations I'll have using this method so I have a few questions.

1. If I download a program for Linux while running Linux will it remain when I go back to Windows? I expect to have to reinstall it every time I boot back to Linux but I don't know if this system is capable of writing to the hard drive or if it's just an emulation.

2. Can I install programs and write files to the hard drive while running from the Linux CD?

3. If I can write files to the hard drive will they be available when I'm back in Windows? In other words, if I record a MIDI file in Ubuntu, switch back to Windows, and start my DAW will I be able to load the MIDI file?

I've checked into setting up a dual boot system but I only have 3.xx gigs left on a 150 gig hard drive, already deleted and uninstalled everything I can afford to, and I'm not proficient enough to comfortably partition a hard drive with an OS already on it without fear of having to reinstall Vista and starting from scratch.

[merlinblack]

Did you figure this out? It's been a month - so I guess you may have. Otherwise reply and I can probably answer your questions now I'm back on the net. I now use Ubuntu at my new job, so I'm more immersed in it than ever!

[dwmitch]

Did you figure this out? It's been a month - so I guess you may have. Otherwise reply and I can probably answer your questions now I'm back on the net. I now use Ubuntu at my new job, so I'm more immersed in it than ever!

Got it worked out. I just burned several gigs of files onto DVDs, repartitioned, and did a dual boot with Ubuntu Studio. If you know of any distros where setting up a MIDI program doesn't require more steps than launching the space shuttle I wouldn't mind hearing them, and I also haven't figured out if Linux can use VST plug-ins without wine.

[xavier]

Hmm my only experience with VST plugins was with Ardour -- what MIDI programs do you mean? I didn't seem to have any issues with the plugins themselves (in Ardour anyway) but then I wasn't really doing anything with MIDI.

[merlinblack]

I personally haven't played with MIDI since Fast Tracker II was newish. But I have some friends at work that use Renoise, and are always saying how cool it is. It works on Linux, Mac, and Windows.

http://www.renoise.com/

[dwmitch]

Hmm my only experience with VST plugins was with Ardour -- what MIDI programs do you mean?

The one I currently use is Muse, but the problem is present when I use any application that has MIDI out. Seems like I have to spend about five minutes configuring Jack when I don't want to loop the output back to my keyboard, then reconfigure it if I launch JackBeat or a similar program.

I don't need to worry about VST compatibility anymore. My only concern was when I was recording something that relied heavily on portamento (think Moog or Arp 2600 leads). I found out how to get that feature in one of the softsynths that come with Muse so I can stick with my method of recording in Linux and applying the VSTs, mixing, and mastering on Windows with Cakewalk.

[reptor]

Some Linux & dual-boot tips:

1) Install most of the system via network.

For example, Debian GNU/Linux project gives out "netinstall" cd images. The current one is 150 MB for x86. It works so that it first installs a "base system", then it asks what else would you like to install, and it downloads the rest from a server with a Debian repository.

Chances are good that the next time you would want to install Linux, the distro has moved on significantly since you burned the installation disk so you may want to use a later version which means the old disk becomes useless. This is the primary reason why I use a netinstall image nowadays - I just hate to see my CDs go wasted. Installing more from network (no CDs required) would be even better but I've considered so far that that's too much hassle for me - maybe I will look into that some time.


2) Backup MBR.

If you are unsure about installing Linux after having installed Windows, you can backup the Master Boot Record (MBR) of the hard disk drive onto a diskette for example. Then if you somehow mess it up (unlikely) you can return the MBR from the diskette and then your Windows will load just as it did before you messed up the installation somehow.

This is also good if you need to re-install Windows after having installed Linux. Windows doesn't care about Linux so it will overwrite the boot loader Linux has placed in the MBR. Having the MBR backed up on a diskette is a quick way to restore it after Windows wrote over it on the HDD.

In the many recent times I've installed Linux, I've had zero problems having the installer configure the boot loader correctly. It finds Windows and puts it in the boot menu just fine every time. Having the MBR backed up is a habit from the time when I was a bit unsure of my skills related to this and the Linux installers were not as nice as they are nowadays.


3) Always have a "live" disk available for fixing your system if you break it.

Download and burn it to a CD before you start messing with your system. It's nice to have one around so you will always have a way to start an operating system even if the installation is seriously messed up.


4) Print out important information about your system, and guides.

For example, I have my hard disk drive partition information on paper always nowadays. For example, if you re-install Linux, this is very handy. You can re-use the old partitions easily when you have printed out what they originally were.

It may also be a good idea to print out some manuals or tutorials. If you have more than one computer then this is probably not so crucial but if you are like me and have only one computer to use a desktop environment on, then this may be very handy. I didn't even have Internet connection at home... so if something went wrong with the installation I was screwed until I could get to another computer to read some help pages.

One guide to obviously print out is the guide for the tool you use to backup your MBR.

[dwmitch]

Thank you for your advice, everyone.

When it comes to Linux I don't need to be cutting edge. Just the ability to record MIDI is enough for me. In fact, my install of Ubuntu Studio is probably outdated already but it will do everything I need until I get a computer in an era where the DVD drive has gone the way of the Commodore 64 tape deck.

[marty9063]

Did you figure this out? It's been a month - so I guess you may have. Otherwise reply and I can probably answer your questions now I'm back on the net. I now use Ubuntu at my new job, so I'm more immersed in it than ever!

I sure wish that I had a job where I could use Ubuntu. I have played with it quite a bit, but really don't have the time to dive in. There are a few applications that keep me from using it full time. You are quite a lucky guy.