Studio 13.37 3.1 is out

[10wt3ch]

Just a minor update, with kernel 4.13.13-rt5 (32 and 64 bit), Ardour 5.12, Guitarix 0.36.1, etc, various bug-fixes.

*******

The latest commercial release of Studio 13.37 is available, with the latest and greatest of everything, a new realtime kernel, and compatibility with Ubuntu packages.

Studio 13.37 can now run almost all commercial Linux apps and plugins. It comes with WINE-rt and PlayOnLinux for compatibility with Windows software, and includes an autoinstall script for downloading and installing REAPER to use VST plugins natively. Under the hood, we've got a new 4.9.35-rt kernel, with tested compatibility with newer Line6 devices such as the POD HD500X. Everything's configured out of the box for a realtime pro audio studio, including rt-irq and the usual performance tweaks. Easily boots on EFI-enabled computers. It comes with a slick UI built on openbox, the JACK Software Suite, the usual selection of great apps, including Kdenlive and OpenShot video editors, Firefox, etc.

For those wanting Cadence/Carla from KXstudio, I've packaged an sfs, which you can download here (md5sum).

Oh, and uh, source.

This is the best Studio 13.37 yet! Check it out at:

studio1337.pro

[glowrak guy]

This is good news, so much has improved in linux audio choices since the 2.3 release,
and it looks like you're on top of it. Using sfs files to add bundles like Carla is
a good idea. Might be good to do the same for wine-staging, as their releases
seem to be moving ahead nicely every few weeks, and when coupled with
dll over-rides, and LinVst or Airwave vst wrappers, there's a wide choice
of plugins that work well.

I'm still an occasional 'victim of your systems speed, when using rox filemanager. I double-click a folder,
and I've inadvertantly launched whatever was under the mouse-pointer in the newly
opened folder. Wish I could shred that fast

I'll get my order in after the extended weekend.
Cheers

edit: I see this is based on 'xenialpup', thats a good puppy-linux base to build on.
I've got a frugal install of it, but having the custom/RT system running the show
will make a huge difference in the era a cpu munching plugins!

[Nachei]

Hi, I've just used the free versions that you generously posted at the Puppy forum in the night of times, so if it does not earn me the right to provide feedback just ignore me. I'm happy to see that the project is still alive.

Point 1 -- Re: latency.

I started using this distro when it was called Puppy Studio; it was rocksteady and I stuck to it as long as I could, but I finally have to move on because the software was too obsolete (Ardour 2), and it missed some plugins and software I needed (e.g. Calf).

Then I moved to the free Studio1337 version, which shipped with Ardour 3 and more plugins, but to my surprise in it latency, using the same parameters and hardware as in Puppy Studio, moved from 5.8ms to 12ms. This is a drag for recording and forces you to the horrible system of recording things through DI and then apply effects later.

I assumed this difference in latency was due to the different kernel. I assumed that, as with all things software, it seems, the higher the version the more bloat.

I mention this issue because, sadly, it eliminates me as potential customer; after my past experience, the fact that Studio1337 3.0 ships with a supermodern kernel to me is a red flag: does it mean that it will be more demanding on my hardware, and therefore latency will become even worse? Furthermore, I have no way to find out unless I check the distro, but I'm not willing to buy something just to check if it works for me, and other people with not so new hardware can be in the same situation...



Point 2 -- Software suggestions

Given that Studio 1337 is a "closed system" (at least it is my repeated experience that installing new packages, or even trying certain customizations doesn't end very well), I'd like to suggest a couple of programs that I've always missed in the bundle...

* A virtual midi keyboard. The one I've got familiar with is VMPK (Virtual Midi Piano Keyboard). Just whichever it is, make sure it has several octaves. A Midi keyboard of some sort is a requirement for certain programs (for example the Petri-Foo sampler), and some of us don't have, or don't have at hand, a physical one. I guess it wouldn't take much to implement one and it would be a great benefit for many laptop warriors out there.

* Option for at least one tiled manager. It's all well and good for those who like the bling, but some of us prefer effectiveness over appearance (and also have more humble hardware features). I personally -and I know of others too- have got to a point where I find the maximize-minimize window stuff hard to stomach. Aren't computers supposed to automate things for us? So it would be great if 1337 included at some point an option for a tiled wm. I suggest i3wm because its wildly customizable and also has a non-tiled mode, useful for certain programs.

Anyways, these are a few ideas that I had about your product, and I didn't really know where else to put them, take whatever seems useful to you and ignore the rest... Thank you for your work and good luck with the distro!

[10wt3ch]

@nachei -

Lots of changes this time around. It's based on an Ubuntu-packaged based Puppy microlinux, and you have access to the Ubuntu repositories, and can install whatever you want, using the Synaptic-like Package Manager app.

You're right about the size of software increasing over the years. QT used to be tiny, and now it's huge. Ardour, too. I do my best to keep it small, and the Studio series was kept at a size of under 400 MB for many years. But that's impossible nowadays, keeping the same selection of software.

Those early versions were all released for free, when new versions came out. They all still work, too, because they had cutting-edge kernel versions for their time, and it's pretty amazing watching those old versions that were under 400 mb boot on modern computers. So unbelievably fast.

All I sell is the latest and greatest version of Studio 13.37, the rest is hosted all over the Internet by fans, released for free.

Thanks for the feedback. Always appreciated.

[hmollercl]

...with tested compatibility with newer Line6 devices such as the POD HD500X

How did you do that? Support for POD HD500X is included in kernel 4.13.- and you are based on 4.9.-

[glowrak guy]

Our green-energy utility can't keep up with summer demand for AC,
and we've started having brown-outs.
In the last one, our power vanished while two drives were doing backups,
and when it surged back to life, the system was not unscathed.

Fortunately, a Studio 1337 dvd was able to boot, and provide fsck services
to repair my drives with damaged partions.
Cheers

[thetotalchaos]

I noticed that Studio 1337 is a commercial product. I didn't quite understood, what am i getting for my money. Probably OEM support? Technical support? What exactly, and for what period? Is there something in this flash drive, that is superior to the free alternatives? On first look around the website, it looks like i am buying one very expensive USB stick. Also i don't think that putting the phrase "pro" alongside an open source product is a good advertising.

[asbak]

Our green-energy utility can't keep up with summer demand for AC,
and we've started having brown-outs.
In the last one, our power vanished while two drives were doing backups,
and when it surged back to life, the system was not unscathed.

With a power setup like yours you may want to consider investing in some industrial sized UPS's. Check EvilBay, there are often older model high capacity APC UPS units going dirt cheap because their batteries are done for. With a bit of *creative re-engineering you could attach deep cycle (truck / marine) batteries which should be more than sufficient to keep things going through any kind of power interruption & surges.

Surges and dropouts kill IT gear real quick.

*Disclaimer... don't attempt this if your electrical skills are sub par. Don't do something that could lead to shorts, fires, electrocution etc.

**Keep in mind that these units are designed to run for only a couple of minutes at high load (by which time their standard batteries would have run flat) and are not intended to be run at max for extended periods. So if the idea were to run for longer periods, additional re-engineering & cooling would be required. Alternatively, the UPS needs to be run at no more than 1/2 of its rated capacity when used for extended periods.

[glowrak guy]

Thanks for the very good advice. (In troubleshooting the mess, a dead or missing cmos error
flashed, so I bought a new cmos battery, to no avail, but I can run OK without the battery,
using early boot menu.) Maybe Santa will bring me a UPS, instead of the richly deserved coal.
Cheers

[10wt3ch]

...with tested compatibility with newer Line6 devices such as the POD HD500X

How did you do that? Support for POD HD500X is included in kernel 4.13.- and you are based on 4.9.-

Sorry I didn't realise this thread was moved, I thought it was deleted.

They SAY that there is support, but later Line6 devices are not supported by the kernel without manually hacking the source code. Try it, if you don't believe me.

[10wt3ch]

I noticed that Studio 1337 is a commercial product. I didn't quite understood, what am i getting for my money. Probably OEM support? Technical support? What exactly, and for what period? Is there something in this flash drive, that is superior to the free alternatives? On first look around the website, it looks like i am buying one very expensive USB stick. Also i don't think that putting the phrase "pro" alongside an open source product is a good advertising.

I think the website does a pretty good job of explaining what it is and what it does.

If you think 50 dollars is expensive, you should look around in your local instrument store sometime, where 50 bucks will get you a little cloth for cleaning your guitar strings with the name Fender on it.

[thetotalchaos]

I think the website does a pretty good job of explaining what it is and what it does.

If you think 50 dollars is expensive, you should look around in your local instrument store sometime, where 50 bucks will get you a little cloth for cleaning your guitar strings with the name Fender on it.

The website promotes a 50$ USB Sticks. It is not the amount, that is the issue here. 50$ is the cost of Suse Enterprice Linux, if i am not mistaking. But for this money i am getting support by Suse. Again nobody says anything about a support, that logically should come with a commercial product, especially in Linux where the product is free at cost by default, and the support is the only thing one can sale. I myself is thinking about a businesses possibilities around Linux Audio products, but 50$ USB Sticks that include a free product, sounds too much like a scam, if the USB stick is all i offer. Doesn't sound serious to me. I am not questioning the quality of Studio 1337 here. Its not the point.

Mr. Lowtech. I hope you understand this and the above post as a constructive criticism. As a genuine interest around what you have done. Whatever you took notes or not, i wish you good luck with your Studio 1337

[10wt3ch]

I generally try to help my customers, but I don't officially include it in the sale, because then people will feel they have a right to demand it. And abuse it.

There's a Studio 13.37 forum on LinuxQuestions. And besides, it's pretty much a turn-key operation, by design. There's pretty much nothing a user has to do to have a full-fledged pro quality audio studio on Linux with Studio 13.37. And that's kind of the point!

Some of my customers don't know anything about computers. They don't know which audio card they have, or how to enable it, for example. Studio 13.37 makes it easy for them. They just put the stick in, switch on their pc, and everything's configured and ready for them. Realtime kernel, all the OS tweaks, wine-rt, etc. etc.

Of course it's great for advanced users as well. But making ease-of-use right out of the box a priority eliminates the need for support in most cases.

Thanks for your questions.

[ssj71]

the support is the only thing one can sale

I don't really agree that its the ONLY thing. Its just the thing that seems to work for more businesses than anything else. Ardour sells binaries of its software (though official support comes with the official binaries too), but for the most part they are selling convenience of having it all set up for you. I see 13.37 in a similar vein. I'm not personally interested and may not recommend it to others, but it doesn't bother me that he offers it for sale. And lowering the price may just make it perceived as lower value (consumers are funny that way).

's all around.

[10wt3ch]

As noted above, just a minor update, with kernel 4.13.13-rt5 (32 and 64 bit), Ardour 5.12, Guitarix 0.36.1, etc, various bug-fixes.