KX Studio at the End of Standard Support - what now?

[MGdesigner]

TLDR: Where do I go for a stable music production/recording STABLE distro?

I think my current options are:
1 - Use the old KXStudio ISO
2 - Ubuntu Studio
3 - Use Debian KDE?
4 - I noticed Puppy does a Ubuntu based flavour... would I be able to put the KXStudio distros on a Puppy distro??!

I suggest 5- Ubuntu Mate 18.04 +KXstudio repos.

It's very stable. Even you can turn on compiz eye candy with pro audio working well just like using macOSX. Now Mate can change layout to imitate other DE or system. For example it can imitate OSX,Windows, Unity... and etc. UI is not big issue.

[Linuxmusician01]

@Count: are you using the latest KXStudio repo (link: https://kx.studio/Repositories)? I've used KDE one or twice cannot imagine it to be unstable. But if you want a stable distro then use Debian Stable. Not some sort of KDE, XFCE version of Debian, just plain old boring Debian Stable. It should be stable. I found some Debian Stable releases not even to be stable because it's included software is very old. If you want something more cutting edge, use plain ol' Ubuntu. NOT the latest Ubuntu, but the current LTS (Long Term Release).

Good luck!

[Count]

The problem with installing the KX Repo onto another system is that it just does not work as it used to in the ISO. Jack does not bed into the system correctly. For instance Jack will crash if the machine goes to sleep.

Also I have found that when I add the repos it doesn't fully recognise my MAudia interface and I CANNOT get Audacity to work.

KDEnlive WILL NOT work on my Kubuntu install at all.

Why all the instability? Why does it seem pot luck now to get some stability, where 18 months ago all was stable, now all is broken? Why?!?! Is it all the musical chairs of dev kits every few years? Why do they have to keep breaking stuff? This is not progress!

Will using another system like Debian or Mate actually work with the KXStudio repos? I mean PROPERLY work, giving me the solid studio I used to have before with a solid Jack?

After such great productivity for years all I have done for the last year is manage systems trying to find that holy grail of KX Studio again like it used to...

[Count]

@Count: are you using the latest KXStudio repo (link: https://kx.studio/Repositories)? I've used KDE one or twice cannot imagine it to be unstable. But if you want a stable distro then use Debian Stable. Not some sort of KDE, XFCE version of Debian, just plain old boring Debian Stable. It should be stable. I found some Debian Stable releases not even to be stable because it's included software is very old. If you want something more cutting edge, use plain ol' Ubuntu. NOT the latest Ubuntu, but the current LTS (Long Term Release).

Good luck!

Hi there, yes, I used the latest repos from KXStudio.

I found KDE to be solid as a rock for the last ten years.

Now it is a broken mess. Kubuntu is a disaster really!

What KDE are you using to get such stability?

Do you have the KXStudio repos? Do you have a SOLID JACK? Does KDEnlive work?

[Michael Willis]

I'm using Elementary OS 5.1 with kxstudio repos added. I'm pretty happy with it after doing the typical recommended optimizations for audio production. I have also used xubuntu for a while and didn't have any issues with stability or performance.

[sysrqer]

I found KDE to be solid as a rock for the last ten years.

Now it is a broken mess. Kubuntu is a disaster really!

What KDE are you using to get such stability?

Do you have the KXStudio repos? Do you have a SOLID JACK? Does KDEnlive work?

I use Neon and KDE is stable for me, can't even remember the last time I had a problem with it.
Jack is solid for me but I haven't used sleep or hibernate for a while. I think you can add hooks to the systemd process to stop jack on sleep and restart it on resume, if it is indeed needed.

Did you use one of the packages from here? https://kdenlive.org/en/download
Using one of the 'Cross distribution packages' might be best if you have problems because the libraries should all be self contained if I understand these packaging systems correctly. I think unfa made some videos about using kdenlive as well, might be work checking out on youtube or messaging him here.

[Linuxmusician01]

@Count: are you using the latest KXStudio repo (link: https://kx.studio/Repositories)? I've used KDE one or twice cannot imagine it to be unstable. But if you want a stable distro then use Debian Stable. Not some sort of KDE, XFCE version of Debian, just plain old boring Debian Stable. It should be stable. I found some Debian Stable releases not even to be stable because it's included software is very old. If you want something more cutting edge, use plain ol' Ubuntu. NOT the latest Ubuntu, but the current LTS (Long Term Release).

Good luck!

Hi there, yes, I used the latest repos from KXStudio.

I found KDE to be solid as a rock for the last ten years.

Now it is a broken mess. Kubuntu is a disaster really!

What KDE are you using to get such stability?

Do you have the KXStudio repos? Do you have a SOLID JACK? Does KDEnlive work?

Haven't used KDE as my default DE for years. Am using a very old Linux Mint version at the moment (Cinnamon + Xorg).

[Count]

I found KDE to be solid as a rock for the last ten years.

Now it is a broken mess. Kubuntu is a disaster really!

What KDE are you using to get such stability?

Do you have the KXStudio repos? Do you have a SOLID JACK? Does KDEnlive work?

Did you use one of the packages from here? https://kdenlive.org/en/download

I did all of that yes, was following this more closely on a thread last year

However whatever path/method I've tried along that route, whatever issues may also crop up, AUDACITY WILL NOT PLAY BALL... just no... I cannot ever get it to recognise the M-Audio interface... it runs as system, and so far have not been able to plug it into my external instruments using JACK... and JACK itself crashes pretty often.

I have 2 fundamental problems:
1 - Audio production/recording as a permanent solid studio (KXStudio ISOs)
2 - General desktop/office/internet productivity (Linux Mint KDE)

Both are currently fundamentally broken horrible messes atm, I am worse than 20% productivity...

1 - JACK crashes, and Audacity cannot see external inputs... worked fine with the ISO (SOLUTION - go back to that ISO?)
2 - Internet crashes and takes the desktop with it, on almost every flavour of KDE I have tired atm, it is a horrendous experience. If I use internet video, IT IS GUARANTEED to crash. So, the solution will have to be to NOT USE THE INTERNET FOR VIDEO, I will have to invest in breakout Pis or Kodi boxes and watch video ON A THIRD SCREEN...

KUBUNTU - is a washout for me, a bad experience all round. Browsers playing video crash and take the desktop with it. Almost guaranteed to need to HARD POWER DOWN the laptop at least once a day now... so am using SSDs to mitigate the physical damage to the drive!

KDENLIVE - Will not work on Kubuntu, so it's a 100% failure for me, I have to wipe and use something else.

It's like being on Windows in the bad old days!!

This is all RETARDED from 2 years ago... technically retarded.

2 years ago I had been using Linux Mint KDE out of the box for nearly ten years, sometime entire desktop sessions would last months, all productivity on one laptop!

I used to show off to my friends, a desktop cube, with videos playing seamlessly on the sides of the cube.

I used to recommend Linux to friends, but no longer do. I used to talk people thru putting Linux Mint on an old laptop and they used to love it, but I can't anymore.

If I go back to Linux Mint KDE Sarah/Sylvia, the internet video is an even worse horrible mess...

WHAT IS GOING ON!??!?!

WHAT HAS FUNDAMENTALLY CHANGED?!?!

And more importantly, how can I find a working system? Do I have to ditch KDE and go to Ubuntu?

I think I've tried every latest KDE distro/release and they are all broken in some way... I tried MATE and I lasted 5 minutes with that distro, please don't make me go back to that!!

Your's in utter desperation and frustration...

And before you
a) start going into fine technical details or
b) call me whinging whining...

REMEMBER, the main point here is that I had trouble free computing for ten years, now it is troublesome... something out there must have changed, bearing in mind I have also update my hardware so I have 2 new Lenovos, having used LINUX on Lenovo for ten years TROUBLE FREE!!!

[Count]

I found KDE to be solid as a rock for the last ten years.

Now it is a broken mess. Kubuntu is a disaster really!

What KDE are you using to get such stability?

Do you have the KXStudio repos? Do you have a SOLID JACK? Does KDEnlive work?

I use Neon and KDE is stable for me, can't even remember the last time I had a problem with it.
Jack is solid for me but I haven't used sleep or hibernate for a while. I think you can add hooks to the systemd process to stop jack on sleep and restart it on resume, if it is indeed needed.

Did you use one of the packages from here? https://kdenlive.org/en/download
Using one of the 'Cross distribution packages' might be best if you have problems because the libraries should all be self contained if I understand these packaging systems correctly. I think unfa made some videos about using kdenlive as well, might be work checking out on youtube or messaging him here.

I will probably just go back to using the last ISO for KXStudio for the dedicated sound studio pc

I may give NEON another try as a general desktop rather than as a sound studio... the new Activities/Desktops set up was too unworkable for me...but that was as a sound studio,

If I only stick to desktops it might be okay, although I seem to remember the internet was still very crashy in terms of watching video...

[Linuxmusician01]

@Count: this will probably be a bummer for you (because you seem to like KDE so much), but have you tried an out of the box version of Ubuntu yet? Just to test and to go back to KDE afterwards! Ubuntu uses Gnome per default nowadays if I'm not mistaken. If std. Ubuntu also crashes on your PC then it might be your computer or a specific configuration of yours...

If I were you I'd solve the Linux stability problem first. For example by going to another forum for this problem (is https://www.linuxquestions.org still any good?). I could help you with the Jack problem, for instance, but that's of no use if the Linux system itself is unstable on your PC.

Sorry for the bummer...

[sysrqer]

Crashing while watching videos sounds like a video driver problem and nothing to do with the desktop environment.

[Count]

Crashing while watching videos sounds like a video driver problem and nothing to do with the desktop environment.

Granted...

But what has changed?

I'm on the same hardware, both my old and new Dells and Lenovos, ten years of perfect computing, then this...

the software has changed...

[sysrqer]

Kernel, video drivers, systemd...a lot will have changed. Are you using free or proprietary video drivers and which one is recommended for the card you have?

[endsormeans]

Simple Answer to this whole issue.

'buntu can crash, avlinux can have the same probs...both can have serious issues in fact.
It depends.
Low low resource consumption is best in the distro..
So rule out your top heavy DE's and WM's ...Hell...I think xfce is too resource heavy.
Keep away from systemd as well..if possible ..having a single daemon trying to juggle everything while doing audio work..
Not the best idea..
Need a rock solid platform as well, with as little superfluous crap in it to weigh it down.
And a proper real time kernel.
And all you need quick and easily installed.

My answer ....for the last umptine years now ...and will be for umptine years to come...
Is:
antix OS
Liquorix Kernel
KX Studio repositories

The only thing I could ever foresee happening is KX Studio repos disappearing , since it is just 1 fellow doing it all.
In which case it will be utilizing multiple repos instead of a 1 stop shop..
So don't look forward to that day, but unless things change then KX repos will also one day in the future fall to the wayside.
Until then the KX Distro may be behind and possibly disappear in the near future...but the repos are fine, and unlikely to disappear anytime soon.

[mk1967]

Need a rock solid platform as well, with as little superfluous crap in it to weigh it down.
And a proper real time kernel.
And all you need quick and easily installed.

I need exactly the same

Perhaps you might give LibraZiK 2 studio http://librazik.tuxfamily.org/base-site-LZK/english.php a try. It's based on Debian 9 and I have been using it for a long time (for professional radio work) without problems.
At the moment (after also checking out AVLinux 2020, UbuntuStudio 20.04, Gentoo Studio, QStudio64 and Apodio GNU/LInux) LibraZiK seems to me the most reliable, non-complicated and pretty fast audio distribution.

Michael