Re: [linux-audio-user] Opening up the discussion

Hi Jono,

> - do you all feel that it is fairly simple to get stated with Linux
>and recording? Am I smoking crack? :)
>
Surely to compare the Cubase to Linux is like comparing a drinks cup
holder, to a car. Although, it is an easy comparison to make, because
there is no clear comparable brand to put Cubase up against. People like
brands, and credibility creates expectation. The second Myth TV is
advertised on telly, most of my friends'll ditch Sky Plus.
The econonmy works on bundles; what you dont want pays for what you do.
It is easier to sell a brand than a concept. And so it is with audio
software.

I could sing the praises of any number of Linux audio distributions at
my local music shop, but the majority of the people will care little for
tech specs or architechtural concepts. They want to keep things simple,
and so they are interested in brand recognition. There is not much
mention of Linux audio in the music tech press at the moment is there?

It is easy to get started with Linux and recording, and crucially it is
getting easier every day. The pace of development in this community
amazes me. The speed at which the development of proof concept
applications become feedback orientated is just breath taking. So much
so that the audio distribution 'brands' AGNULA, CRMMA, etc.... struggle
to keep up. A position that whoever now owns Cubase, would surely
welcome. The measure of success is not the position you stand in, but
the direction you face.

> - do you feel there is a seperation between a professional and an
>amateur? So, the software would 'just work' for the amateur, but the
>professional should really know the specifics of the system and how to
>set it up.
>
>
>
The distinction between pro and amateur probably comes down to a
dedication of learning how to use the tools. Therefore I would expect
any pro to be involved with the specifics of a system. As someone who
considers themselves an amateur yet one day hopes to be a pro, I
consider an open ended system worth more interest than a closed branded
system. It's kinda like a mechanical apprenticeship.

> - if you do feel it is a bit tough to get up and running without
>reading up on all of this, what do you feel are the barriers, both
>technical and socially? I am curious to see whether these barriers
>could be solved.
>
>
This is a really good question, and one I have been thinking about a lot
lately. As I am not a ninja programmer I think the biggest barriers are
not programming related. For all I know though it could be the case that
one chip set type or protocol is the real barrier. As a user I feel the
biggest barrier is the distribution of information. I am sure as the
community grows we will see more and more useful information available
to a wider audience, in an ever increasing variety of ways. This is all
just guesswork, but I expect sooner or later googling for a solution to
a problem will return blog entries, and then perhaps 'for user by user'
type pages, and then who knows, maybe a wiki, and very probably a
thousand other new and groovy things.

Cheers,
John
Received on Sun Jul 24 16:15:10 2005