User support now available

I would like to speak with someone about my application on 64 studio to make sure that I can accomplish my requirements with this distro. I have 3 primary requirements that I would like to accomplish: 1) use a DAW such as Ardour to record multiple tracks(approx 8 at a time) 2) use the vst - NI's B4 organ simulation 3) play large giga sounds from Linux Sampler Is it possible that I can do all 3 points above with a reasonably spec'ed PC ? I know that wine and fst would be needed for the B4 to run, are these already included in the package? As I am not experienced in adding Wine and FST. I do not mind paying for support to get set up initially, please email me as soon as possible and let me know if this will work Thank you for your time, Richard Shiflet

Hi Richard - in answer to your three questions... 1. Ardour can record a virtually unlimited number of tracks at once. The limitation is usually the amount of inputs on your audio interface and the speed of your hard drive. Eight inputs are no trouble at all on a modern PC, using an interface such as the M-Audio Delta 1010. 2. The B4 plugin can be made to work on Linux, but VST support on 64-bit platforms is incomplete. If you rely on VSTs, you may be better off using the 32-bit build. Even then, not all VSTs and VSTis work reliably on Linux, but there are several good native Linux soft synths that you can use. Wine is not included in 64 Studio by default, but we're looking at ways of making VST support easier to set up. 3. LinuxSampler and its Qsampler front-end are included in 64 Studio. LinuxSampler has a GigaSampler compatible engine. Cheers!

As Daniel said, wine is not included by default in the 2.0 release, but it is available for i386 in our custom APT repository. Unfortunately fst is not distributable in binary form due to legal issues, however I do have it on my machine and works good with the B4 plugin. If you I could possibly send you instructions about how set it up.

Thanks Free, You guys are great. I would like for you to send the instructions to setting up fst and wine in my system. You mentioned that wine was available in your custom APT repository, how do I go about getting it? Is it an add on or a complete package including 64 studio? I have just downloaded the 32 bit 2.0. Will this stil work? or do I need to discard and download something else? Thanks again Richard Richard Shiflet

Yes, the 32-bit version of 2.0 is the best place to start if you depend on proprietary, binary-only VST instruments like the NI B4. When companies like Native Instruments have more confidence in 64-bit Windows Vista, I expect we'll see more native 64-bit VSTs. Of course we don't have this problem with the free software instruments and plugins, because we have the source code and can theoretically port them to any processor platform that can do the maths involved.

I want to create a new account and give it the same menu as an existing account. I know how to adduser but I can not find any documentation on copying the desktop menu.

I would gladly pay the support fee, if I had confidence that I would end up with a working system. I am hesitating because I have had so much help already with no success. Here is the problem: I have an M-Audio Ozone Academic MIDI/Audio/keyboard interface, that I have been trying to set up to work under various Linux distributions for about six months. I have been on many forums, a couple mail lists, and connected with various people who know Linux audio, including developers for Ardour and Rosegarden. In all this time, no one has been able to figure out why *my particular* device won't work, while others with M-Audio Ozone keyboards have both audio and MIDI working under Linux. This thing is plug-and-play with Pro Tools, so I know the hardware is not broken. To get an idea of what you're up against, try this thread, where I post as Aurora: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=148467&page=5 I am running 64 Studio on an AMD 64 CPU with 1 GB RAM. I also have Ubuntu Studio and Musix installed on other partitions. Please tell me if you think you could solve this conundrum. --Paul in Seattle

Hi Paul, I suspect that your particular Ozone is slightly different from the one on which the firmware/ALSA driver was written and tested. It's quite common that hardware manufacturers make small changes to their products without changing the model number. Have a look for a sticker underneath your Ozone which says something like Revision:, specifies a firmware version or a manufacturing date. In my own experience, it is often more cost-effective to purchase USB class compliant hardware than to struggle with earlier devices which require proprietary drivers or special firmware uploads. Cheers!

Is this the means of obtaining support? Do you have chat or phone? There must be some limitations on what one gets for your price of 10 pounds per month. Can you provide a few details? Thanks Gary Nelson

There are three levels of support: Manual, Community and Developer. If your want community help, please ask your questions in the forums, where many of us look everyday. Your questions not as visible here or in the Manual pages. Here you will find the collective of what is possible under 64studio today, as we have collectively tried just about everything... Developer support is a hotline to Daniel and Free's ears, and this basically guarantees a quick turnaround for the solving of your problem, especially if you are not so computer minded as some of the other users of 64Studio. The Paid support also helps during initial set-up of the software to your needs, as Daniel and Free is extremely knowledgeable on Debian systems, and in particular audio systems. Cheers,

I paid for a support. I'd have some questions. Where is the email for support ? thanx :)

Hi Pascal, An email address for private support is mailed to subcribers within 24 hours of subscription. Cheers! Daniel

Hello, this is an excellent project. Do you accept postal money orders contributions? Let me know.

Hello I am setting up a computer with a PC Chips motherboard. It is: A13+ V3.0 AM2 socket. with CPU: AMD Sempron 3800 FSB= up to 1000 DDR2 800 sdram It also has on board video, ethernet, sound, and so on. The info is at the pcchips website. I have tried most of the new distos (64studio), and none seem to detect the CPU. It has 2 gig DDR 2 800 fsb sdram installed. 80 gig IDE hd with 80 pin IDE cable. One floppy. Since this is an experimental, it has nothing important on it. The project is underway, if I can make it run with 64studio. Please respond with some help, if any. Thanks,

I just checked. The sempron is a 64bit processor, so it should accept both flavours of 64 Studio. Download the 32bit flavour as well, to see if this will temporarily get you going while we sort out the problem. I will forward this to the development list. In future, please post your queries in the Forums, where things get checked more frequently. Cheers, Quentin

I just wanted to say that this is a great product and it is good to know that there is support available if we ever need some. - Bertrand