Top reasons why I cant leave Windows behind.

It has been most unfortunate for me that no matter how much I wish for it I cant just use a linux distro and leave windows behind.   This happens due to several reasons but to sum it up real quick, it is because I'm a very particular user.  As an user I have picked up several somewhat different softwares. In my need for this variety (and stability in these softwares) lies my dilemma.  

Now, when I had my first interaction with Linux I was marveled by the idea of a world where I would no longer depend on Bill Gates.   This happened in 2008 with Ubuntu being the one that called for my attention when choosing the most user friendly distro (Now I know this is not necessarily true). I tried it out and was most pleased with the results of my experiment.   However soon enough I learned what meant to use an OS that existed pretty much in a different world from MS Windows.

It turns out that since the OS's structure is so different from one another, you can't use a software from one in the other.  This is pretty obvious for many people and it was even for me, however I thought that I would find more ways to workaround this.  I have tried several different distros but the differences between them lie around the user interface and not so much in other factors that could help me (of course, I'll never abandon hope nor leave Linux).

  

So from now on I am going to number a list of software that I need, and that I have in Windows but cant use on Linux.  

1. Sonar

Cakewalk's Sonar is a digital audio workstation used for recording.   This hints you that one of my hobbies is music,  and so it is.  I enjoy making my own music and therefore I require a software that enables me to record my instruments, add digital midi instruments through plug-ins, and mix the audio.

Sonar is a proprietary software that is quite expensive and requires time in order to learn to use it dexterously.    

Among the main features of this software are:

1. Record and manipulate an unlimited amount of multitrack digital audio (only limited by hardware)
2. Comprehensively record and manipulate MIDI data
3. Apply any DirectX special effects, such as reverb and delay, many versions bundled with included effects
4. Automate the process of mixing audio
5. Utilize virtual instruments, such as software synthesizers, software samplers, software drum machines
6. Connect to other multimedia applications with sample accuracy via Rewire

This software is very demanding on resource, not on graphic rendering but on processing speed. In order to work efficiently with audio, high read/write speed is required.   For example, if you cant process audio fast enough then what you play will be delayed and the recording will fail.   Also it is normal to use lots of plugins that enhance the audio, all of them at the same time.   If you think it is exaggerated it just means that you haven't experienced what is working audio at least at a semiprofessional level.   Anyway this requirements are of course of hardware and as long as the hardware is reached by the software in a timely manner the OS has no fault there.

Since one requires decent hardware performance, running windows in a virtual box would create a giant latency.   I seriously doubt wine will ever be capable of managing a software as heavy and complex as Sonar, therefore leaving me with no choice but to replace sonar in order to stay away from windows.   So here comes the linux options.   The most prominent one seems to be Linux MultiMedia Studio.   Unfortunately due to hardware problems (see 5) I was unable to test it with my audio interface.   There are others out there and in due time I shall explore them in hope for an answer.
   

2. Reason

Propellers Head's Reason is a Rewire multimedia application.  It serves Sonar with sampling arrays.   It uses a midi file and sequences it to synthesize the audio into quite a realistic instrument.   This allows me to incorporate Musical Instruments that I don't physically posses into my music (such as entire orchestras).   Hopefully you will see with just this brief explanation how useful this software really is.  The results are very realistic and each virtual instrument highly customizable.   

This software could perhaps run under wine.   Nevertheless Linux software like Linux Multimedia Studio has no Rewire compatibility.  This means that even if I got LMMS fully working I would still seek out to Sonar because I need Reason.

  

3. Amplitube

IK Multimedia's Amplitube is a VST plug-in that allows me to emulate several different Cabinets, Amps and other effects for my guitar.   LMMS has VST compatibility meaning that there is a high chance I could get the two of them working together.

There is an important detail to take notice at this point.   Sonar, Reason, and Amplitube are all proprietary software.   I'm not on top of the prices now a days but if you are an user who buys all of these softwares then you have probably spent over $2000 on just software!!  Now, who would ever change from Windows to Linux if he has already spent that kind of money on software that would be rendered useless if he switched? Enought said.

  

4. CCCP

No, I'm not a soviet.   The name is Combined Community Codec Pack.   I found out about this codec pack when I started having problems viewing fansubs.   Now that the .avi format is considered obsolete, new ones have emerged with higher quality standards.   Such is the case of the .mkv.   The matroska file is quite advance and has a lot to offer.   

When we hunt for quality we will find videos of high resolution like 720 and 1080 and even higher.   The era of the 480 is pretty dead as well as the avi.   The problem is that the quality out there is more than what an integrated graphic card can handle.   The audio and the video will get out of sync and the charm will be broken.   So I would have to invest on a dedicated graphic card (between $200 and $600) to view what is considered normal quality in these days.   Then I found CCCP which helped a lot and allowed me to view some high bit rate 720 mkv's.   It allowed to join in the world where you get high quiality and dual audio in a single file as well as several different options for subtitles.

So what stops me from using it in Linux??? CCCP uses Direct Show which is MS multimedia framework.   This cant be available for Linux, so CCCP as well can't be. Seems that the only solution is to upgrade my hardware (and yes, I have tried several codec packs out there available for linux. They are not as good as CCCP).

  

5. Hardware, Particular Difficulties 

These can't be avoided, though almost always we can workaround them.   My audio interface which I use to record and work with audio is Firewire, and it has been a huge pain trying to get it working under linux.   For some reason Firewire devices are tricky to get working under Ubuntu particularly.   But well, as I said before this something that needs further time and work. 

6. Games

This one is pretty straight forward.   There are games that are installable with wine, though the result is a rather buggy game... I think that I have the right to have a enjoyable experience with my games.   Well...

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Of course I should just look out for which OS works out best for me... unfortunately this seems to mean that I will keep using both Windows pretty much as often as I use Linux as I still depend on both.   Oh well....