Can Linux really handle all genres of music?

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HeavyDevy-C
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Can Linux really handle all genres of music?

Post by HeavyDevy-C »

I'm new to this and I'm a composer that comes from windows. I have my own YouTube channel and bandcamp, just started something, and now my music has been on hold because my windows blew up for the second time after my last factory reset 2-3 months ago. There's nothing wrong with my computer, it's windows. And I'm refusing to take anymore of this. Idk if it's windows 11 trying to get me to upgrade but I don't want windows 11, my computer is $2000, and I just want to compose. So I have no other option to look to Linux.

But so far I see there are still some things lacking in music production. Because when I research, I don't find good sounding orchestral instruments, and I especially don't find any world instruments. I do all genres of music, I love music, but I don't think Linux has stuff for all genres of music. It has a good metal guitar. I heard some good stuff in metal. Electronic I guess it's easy because I guess everyone loves making synths these days. I guess the reaper JS pack has me covered on the audio engineering side of things.

But my main problem is the orchestral instruments, the choir, and cultural instruments. For orchestral, I need sections split up, not full string combo. I mean 1st violins 2nd violins etc. And the choir is the one that really frustrates me because synth sounds in choir samples, just sound like an absolute disaster. I need realistic choirs like nucleus, preferably with vowels sounds at least. As close as it can get at least, but not synth sounding.

And of course, I literally know of no world or cultural instruments for Linux. So that is a huge problem as well. I need Celtic instruments, japanese instruments etc. On this, I guess I'm not too picky, because these are more soloed instruments, but I can find nothing.

Can anybody recommend me the best instruments for these? Or sample packs for samplers, anything. Any good vst with a Linux version? But I also need the worst because if the best isn't good enough for me then I have to figure out how to layer them all. Or if someone can point me to a list that's not confusing, that would be great and would really help me down the road to switching to Linux. And no, I don't want to use wine, I want to play things safe and easy. I don't trust windows at all. I'm sick of this. Thanks guys.
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Largos
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Re: Can Linux really handle all genres of music?

Post by Largos »

You can record any genre of music on linux. You can record any genre of music on a mobile phone. Genres have nothing to do with the question you are asking which is whether you will find virtual instruments you want to use. There are good samplers so sample packs will work. There are soundfont and sfz players. Sfizz is good for that.

As for virtual orchestras and world instruments in vst, afaik most of the top end ones seem to put themselves in the Kontakt walled garden, which you will need the "unsafe" wine to use.
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Re: Can Linux really handle all genres of music?

Post by Michael Willis »

Virtual Playing Orchestra seems to be the preferred option around here for orchestral samples. It has sections (1st violins, 2nd violins, horns, flutes, etc) as well as individual solo samples for almost any orchestral instrument you want to use. I say "almost any" because it doesn't have some of the more obscure things like contrabassoon or flugelhorn.

Librewave has a few options available for purchase. The Sofia Woodwinds plug-in is fantastic, and the are a few ethnic instruments available.

Of course, if there's some kind of instrument that you absolutely must have, then get a decent condenser mic and record the real thing. When you want a sitar in your music, nothing beats recording the actual sitar, right?
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Re: Can Linux really handle all genres of music?

Post by milkii »

Talking about this from a free culture angle; IMO, folk in educational establishments are best placed to drive projects that require a certain mass of effort/equipment/space/people to build a better and nuanced quality of instrumental sounds banks. Certain efforts have been made already but there is certainly a lot lacking. If you know someone who is running a course or department or who has energy and wants to leave the world a better cheaper place, maybe make a suggestion they think about such a project (or delegating it). Like, make a multilayer etc CC-0 SFZ, name the pack after the establishment and year.

they/them ta / libreav.org / wiki.thingsandstuff.org/Audio and related pages / gh

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Re: Can Linux really handle all genres of music?

Post by glowrak guy »

HeavyDevy-C wrote: Sat Nov 06, 2021 8:21 pm I'm new to this...I love music...

But my main problem is the orchestral instruments, the choir, and cultural instruments.
Welcome to the forum!

Try the AVLinux distro, found at

http://www.bandshed.net/

which has a good wine 6.2 installed by default. Download, extract, and install Native Access and a Kontakt version like:

wine /home/you/Downloads/"Native Access 1.13.5 Setup PC.exe"

wine /home/you/Downloads/"Kontakt 6.4.2 Setup PC.exe"

Note that quotes must wrap paths/item titles containing spaces.

Download and unpack the yabridge plugin wrapper to /home/you/.local/share/yabridge
and as root or sudo, also unpack it into /usr/bin.

https://github.com/robbert-vdh/yabridge/releases

There are yabridge versions for ubuntu, debian, and arch linux. And the documentation is well done.
Run these few commands, filling in your username, and modifying the vst folder location(s) if needed, and again, use the quotes.

yabridgectl add /home/you/.wine/drive_c/"Program Files/VstPlugins"

yabridgectl add /home/you/.wine/drive_c/"Program Files/Common Files/VST3"

Yabridgectl sync

When the last command is done, reboot just in case, and launch an audio setup tool like qjackctl,
and your linux daw, and scan your plugin locations, which should now find the wrapped version of Kontakt, and any other windows plugins in the same locations.

Setup both Kontakt and Reaper (or other) daw to run in single-core mode when using Kontakt.

Good luck, it may seem daunting at first, but both you and linux are more logical
than windows 11!
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Re: Can Linux really handle all genres of music?

Post by christobal »

Michael Willis wrote: Sun Nov 07, 2021 1:41 am Virtual Playing Orchestra seems to be the preferred option around here for orchestral samples. It has sections (1st violins, 2nd violins, horns, flutes, etc) as well as individual solo samples for almost any orchestral instrument you want to use. I say "almost any" because it doesn't have some of the more obscure things like contrabassoon or flugelhorn.

Librewave has a few options available for purchase. The Sofia Woodwinds plug-in is fantastic, and the are a few ethnic instruments available.

Of course, if there's some kind of instrument that you absolutely must have, then get a decent condenser mic and record the real thing. When you want a sitar in your music, nothing beats recording the actual sitar, right?
DecentSampler and samples from Pianobook, while not libre software at least have some great sounding orchestral and piano sample packs.

https://www.decentsamples.com/product/d ... er-plugin/
https://pianobook.co.uk/
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Re: Can Linux really handle all genres of music?

Post by nils »

Short answer: No, you cannot do proper orchestral (sample based music) music in Linux. The instrument market is dominated by Kontakt, as you know if you compose such music. Kontakt does not run on Linux. All "classical" (etc.) instruments that are available for Linux do not come even close in comparison and are on a level around the year 2000, if available at all.

Linux can do anything that is actual recording and sound processing (EQs, compressor, effects) very well and is very good for all kinds of electronic music. There are more synthesizers than one will ever need that are on par with the state-of-the-art stuff on any operating system.
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Re: Can Linux really handle all genres of music?

Post by d.healey »

Give me a few more years and I'll have all the basic orchestral instruments done. Woodwinds already done, brass coming soon (at last), then strings then percussion, plus lots of other little bits in between.
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Re: Can Linux really handle all genres of music?

Post by Largos »

nils wrote: Sun Nov 07, 2021 12:33 pm Short answer: No, you cannot do proper orchestral (sample based music) music in Linux. The instrument market is dominated by Kontakt, as you know if you compose such music. Kontakt does not run on Linux. All "classical" (etc.) instruments that are available for Linux do not come even close in comparison and are on a level around the year 2000, if available at all.

Linux can do anything that is actual recording and sound processing (EQs, compressor, effects) very well and is very good for all kinds of electronic music. There are more synthesizers than one will ever need that are on par with the state-of-the-art stuff on any operating system.
Judging by videos and posts around the net, it is possible to run Kontakt in wine.

https://www.native-instruments.com/foru ... st-2120059


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZ_2PaBmCCU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MIETU9ZCqY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvIs0PLiTD4

Not that I will ever try it first hand personally as it ideologically annoys me. :lol:
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Re: Can Linux really handle all genres of music?

Post by tavasti »

HeavyDevy-C wrote: Sat Nov 06, 2021 8:21 pm But my main problem is the orchestral instruments, the choir, and cultural instruments. For orchestral, I need sections split up, not full string combo. I mean 1st violins 2nd violins etc. And the choir is the one that really frustrates me because synth sounds in choir samples, just sound like an absolute disaster. I need realistic choirs like nucleus, preferably with vowels sounds at least. As close as it can get at least, but not synth sounding.

And of course, I literally know of no world or cultural instruments for Linux. So that is a huge problem as well. I need Celtic instruments, japanese instruments etc. On this, I guess I'm not too picky, because these are more soloed instruments, but I can find nothing.

Can anybody recommend me the best instruments for these? Or sample packs for samplers, anything. Any good vst with a Linux version? But I also need the worst because if the best isn't good enough for me then I have to figure out how to layer them all. Or if someone can point me to a list that's not confusing, that would be great and would really help me down the road to switching to Linux. And no, I don't want to use wine, I want to play things safe and easy. I don't trust windows at all. I'm sick of this. Thanks guys.
For orchestral instruments, there is some free decent options, but sure they aren't on level of best commercial products. Virtually Playing Orchestra, Sonatina and No Budget Orchestra, and maybe some others are stuff that work in linux, but they but compared to $$$ options, they are not that great.

I think Garritan products are SFZ, but I don't know if they use some op codes which aren't supported by native linux sfz plugins.

One possible option is Sonivox Film Score companion, where samples can be decrypted, and it is possible to make sfz from them. And most likely that is possible with most/any sonivox sample base product. In case finding some interesting options from their products, feel free to ask help, I have some sfz and some helper scripts for it.

For choirs, they all have been so expensive for any OS that could not afford.

For world instruments, check pianobook and other options mentioned before here.

But for wider range of options, using Windows plugins with wine provides much more options. Sure, if that can be avoided, life is much easier.

Edit: One more option, https://shop.karoryfer.com/

Looks like most of the posters aren't reading your point 'dont want wine', or are just ignoring. Good quality options are commercial windows/osx stuff, and solutions that work natively in Linux, there isn't many or they are not in top quality.
Last edited by tavasti on Tue Nov 09, 2021 6:45 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Can Linux really handle all genres of music?

Post by varpa »

IK Multimedia SampleTank via wine also works nearly perfectly (AVL-MXE). The "Product Manager" software does not work, but you can install the samples by downing zip files and using the installer.
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Re: Can Linux really handle all genres of music?

Post by asbak »

I'm new to this and I'm a composer that comes from windows. I have my own YouTube channel and bandcamp, just started something, and now my music has been on hold because my windows blew up for the second time after my last factory reset 2-3 months ago. There's nothing wrong with my computer, it's windows. And I'm refusing to take anymore of this. Idk if it's windows 11 trying to get me to upgrade but I don't want windows 11, my computer is $2000, and I just want to compose. So I have no other option to look to Linux
I feel your pain with regards to Windows, it is a sickening environment.
You just want to compose. Totally understandable.

But here's the rub:
You're inexperienced on Linux platform. If you just want to get on with making music, you're going to descend into an audio hellscape unlike any you have encountered before.

Why? Because it's not trivial setting up a Linux audio environment and make it work the way you need it to work, which is a very different animal to getting sound out of the soundcard - which is trivial.

All (or most) of the things you're asking for below are perfectly possible and achievable under Linux, but it's not trivial for a novice and bottom line, you're going to require the services of a specialized consultant who really knows what they are doing, or know enough about the specific kind of environment you require to help set it up for you.

You could go it alone of course, but gaining that knowledge takes years. Things don't just magically work the way one would hope, it's very much a "you can set it up any way you like" environment which is both a blessing (freedom! ) and a curse (complexity, lack of knowledge and a smaller user base.)

But so far I see there are still some things lacking in music production. Because when I research, I don't find good sounding orchestral instruments, and I especially don't find any world instruments.
These do exist, much of it was created back in the early 2000's by VSL (Vienna Symphonic Library) who created a huge Orchestral Library for Gigasampler. It is 100's of gigabytes in size, once uncompressed.

Gigasampler went defunct but the Linux Sampler project re-wrote and implemented sampler gig support. Gigasampler & VSL Libraries (and many others) work with Linux Sampler.

World instruments are scarcer, however there are many old Akai & similar sample libraries floating around that can be converted to gig or sf2 or sfz with tools like CDXtract or ffmpeg or sox or whatever your audiotool of choice is. There will of course be a time penalty involved in performing this work.

And of course, I literally know of no world or cultural instruments for Linux. So that is a huge problem as well. I need Celtic instruments, japanese instruments etc. On this, I guess I'm not too picky, because these are more soloed instruments, but I can find nothing.
Same answer as above - you can roll your own from Akai, Emu, Roland and others sample CD's. Alternatively record your own and convert to gig / sf2 / sfz.

But my main problem is the orchestral instruments, the choir, and cultural instruments. For orchestral, I need sections split up, not full string combo. I mean 1st violins 2nd violins etc. And the choir is the one that really frustrates me because synth sounds in choir samples
Same answers as above. There were commercial giga format choir libraries developed. Alternatively, choirs from Akai, Emu, Roland etc libraries can be converted to work with Linux Sampler.
Some Focal / 20.04 audio packages and resources https://midistudio.groups.io/g/linuxaudio
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Re: Can Linux really handle all genres of music?

Post by tavasti »

asbak wrote: Tue Jan 04, 2022 12:35 pm These do exist, much of it was created back in the early 2000's by VSL (Vienna Symphonic Library) who created a huge Orchestral Library for Gigasampler. It is 100's of gigabytes in size, once uncompressed.
Is that available from somewhere, and what cost?

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Re: Can Linux really handle all genres of music?

Post by asbak »

I doubt it's still available for sale since Gigastudio / Gigasampler went defunct. That leaves the 2nd hand market and the usual internet back streets.
Some Focal / 20.04 audio packages and resources https://midistudio.groups.io/g/linuxaudio
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Re: Can Linux really handle all genres of music?

Post by tavasti »

asbak wrote: Tue Jan 04, 2022 9:43 pm I doubt it's still available for sale since Gigastudio / Gigasampler went defunct. That leaves the 2nd hand market and the usual internet back streets.
Looking their current products, even free ones need usb dongle. I suspect that getting those old ones to work legally is impossible, back streets only possibility. I stay with Sonivox & Miroslav :-)

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