Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

venn wrote:

Shipping Linux drivers for professional sound devices is a solved problem. Ubuntu LTS and RHEL releases are maintained for 10 years and that's what Digigram and Audioscience use for driver releases. Less of a moving target than any version of Win/Mac in the history of ever.

On the video side you have Blackmagic, Magewell, and AJA shipping Linux drivers using the same formula.

I agree to the point I'd sticky that post!

venn wrote:

I bought a RME AIO Pro last year for personal use, unfortunately the gentlemen developing the driver passed away https://github.com/PhilippeBekaert/snd-hdspe/issues/13.

Thanks for pointing out this github issue. Missed it before, now I got an explanation why my email to him was left unanswered...

102 (edited by effluxion 2023-08-23 01:09:59)

Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

venn wrote:

Shipping Linux drivers for professional sound devices is a solved problem. Ubuntu LTS and RHEL releases are maintained for 10 years and that's what Digigram and Audioscience use for driver releases. Less of a moving target than any version of Win/Mac in the history of ever.

On the video side you have Blackmagic, Magewell, and AJA shipping Linux drivers using the same formula.

RME cards would (probably) work great in production but good luck convincing work to run 24/7 services on Windows.

I bought a RME AIO Pro last year for personal use, unfortunately the gentlemen developing the driver passed away https://github.com/PhilippeBekaert/snd-hdspe/issues/13.

That is sad to hear. I'm currently right in the middle of setting that driver up on Arch Linux.

I created an account here just to respond to this thread.

I have an RME HDSPe AES with a Mytek 8x192. I have been using that in a thunderbolt external box on an old Mac Mini 2011 server version. I have a faster PC with latest Bitwig version which I can't upgrade to on OSX. With pipewire, Linux is now a great system for all things audio. The insane thing is that the crappy motherboard sound chip on my Linux system utterly outperforms my Mac with RME and Mytek in terms of latency. This is a terrible situation given how great Linux now is for audio and don't forget video production with DaVinci Resolve.

I see many more people wanting to make the move to Linux now. Who is going to buy an ultra high end Mac for video production when you can build a PC and why use Windows for this when Resolve runs on Linux?

Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

We also have those great U-He synths on Linux and they have developed the Clap open source plugin format with Bitwig. Bitwig is running on pipewire now.

Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

I came here to cast my support in for a GNU/Linux driver. It's sad that we Linux users often get treated like second-class citizens, having to rely on a class-compliant mode which is slower, having to be told to use WINE when most Linux users eventually learn to wish that WINE doesn't exist so that developers would actually develop for Linux. I hate it. I hope that RME strongly considers native Linux support. I would even be willing to pay for it if need be.

105

Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

You are willing to pay for it.
What do you think it cost to develope ?
And wich interface should be supported for wich Linux ?
Babyface Pro on Ubuntu ? Or for Debian ?

M1-Sequoia, Madiface Pro, Digiface USB, Babyface silver and blue

Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

waedi wrote:

And wich interface should be supported for wich Linux ? Babyface Pro on Ubuntu ? Or for Debian ?

I don't think it would work like that... but my answer: all of them, in the kernel. Then the "which distro" question wouldn't matter much.

107 (edited by cupakm 2023-09-15 13:30:35)

Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

idimata wrote:

I came here to cast my support in for a GNU/Linux driver.

Welcome to the club.

idimata wrote:

...having to rely on a class-compliant mode which is slower...

I personally wouldn't call stable and x-run-free round-trip-latency around 3 ms "slow"...

Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

I am seriously considering Focusrite in the future when I have/need/want to buy a new interface. https://github.com/geoffreybennett/alsa-scarlett-gui makes a GUI that makes it possible to even enable/disable proprietary functions. It does seem right now, but might change,  that I will not buy an RME interface in the future which is sad because my Fireface 802 works great (all functions) on Windows 10/11 but appearantly not on Linux that I would like to use it on.

109 (edited by cupakm 2023-09-21 12:06:57)

Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

cupakm wrote:
idimata wrote:

...having to rely on a class-compliant mode which is slower...

I personally wouldn't call stable and x-run-free round-trip-latency around 3 ms "slow"...

Well that was the previous generation, tried UCX II which achieves stable performance at around 2 ms RTL in CC mode at 48 kHz with a preempt-kernel... hence I won't call CC mode slow in any way.

Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

punkrockdude wrote:

I am seriously considering Focusrite in the future...

I'd suggest you wait for (or help) him with the 4th gen.

There are Linux drivers for HDSP and HDSPe series. (Actually community-written drivers for some RME interfaces were there since like 2 decades ago...)
Excluding MADI FX, all the other cards should just work. (Can confirm AIO and RayDAT.) As for GUI there are hdspmixer, hdspconf and/or alsamixer to control them.
But you might need USB because of laptop for example, then either external PCIe box for HDSPe or the CC mode + on-device operation is the only way to go.

Yet another possibility are stand-alone recorders usable as audio interfaces, for example SoundDevices, where you can also update firmware from SD-card. No proprietary drivers, hence the same story: CC mode + on-device operation, incl. mixer control, presets, connecting USB keyboard, DAW-controller(s)...
Some of this functionality can be covered with RME ARC, but SoundDevices are more advanced in this regard, as the units were developed as a field-recorders in the first place.

111 (edited by ramses 2023-09-21 13:00:29)

Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

cupakm wrote:
cupakm wrote:
idimata wrote:

...having to rely on a class-compliant mode which is slower...

I personally wouldn't call stable and x-run-free round-trip-latency around 3 ms "slow"...

Well that was the previous generation, tried UCX II which achieves stable performance at around 2 ms RTL in CC mode at 48 kHz with a preempt-kernel... hence I won't call CC mode slow in any way.

3ms is not slow, depends perhaps what you measure (using which buffersize and sample rate).

If you look simply at the values that the driver tells the application via ASIO for the on board analog ports:
https://www.tonstudio-forum.de/blog/ent … cts-en-de/

RTL = round trip latency =
- time for A/D
- transport to PC via XXX
- processing on PC
- transport back to recording interface ..
- time for D/A

BR Ramses - UFX III, 12Mic, XTC, ADI-2 Pro FS R BE, RayDAT, X10SRi-F, E5-1680v4, Win10Pro22H2, Cub14

Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

it seems presonus is releasing a Linux version of Studio One.
Would this change your mind? i have a digiface USB and would love to use that in linux.

Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

rupertt wrote:

it seems presonus is releasing a Linux version of Studio One.

No kidding https://support.presonus.com/hc/en-us/a … ng-Started
Did they get Revelated? (pun intended)

Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

I'd suggest you wait for (or help) him with the 4th gen.

I have actually already donated a small sum of money to him even though I do not have any Gen3 or 4. If things don't change with RME I might actually jump to a Focusrite interface in the future. That is if the community and Geoffrey continue their great advances. It would "hurt" though since I have really enjoyed my current and past RME products.

115

Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

I luv my Fireface 800 unit.
But it's a shame i can't run Qjack or FFADO in Linux with it correctly.

116

Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

MFS90 wrote:

I luv my Fireface 800 unit.
But it's a shame i can't run Qjack or FFADO in Linux with it correctly.

Do you want to say that RME should have shame because it is not working correctly ?

M1-Sequoia, Madiface Pro, Digiface USB, Babyface silver and blue

Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

Focusrite will fund Linux development: https://linuxmusicians.com/viewtopic.ph … 33#p160833

Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

punkrockdude wrote:

Focusrite will fund Linux development: https://linuxmusicians.com/viewtopic.ph … 33#p160833

Focusrite is a big corporation that has very big resources for marketing and PR, and much of its revenue comes from consumer products. RME is a small company with a different target market, the professional recording studios. And over there is no significant demand for Linux support. The OS choice is dictated by the tools being used, not vice versa.

Moreover, on the forum that you linked here, it looks like Focusrite only agreed to cooperate with the developer community, not to provide full official Linux support for their products.

Fireface UCX II + ARC USB > ADI-2 Pro FS R BE > Neumann KH 750 DSP + MA 1 > KH 120 A

Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

unpluggged wrote:

there is no significant demand for Linux support.

Yeah, our needs are so insignificant all the years...

unpluggged wrote:

The OS choice is dictated by the tools being used, not vice versa.

Thats a chicken-egg problem. The OS and its SW themselves are tools too.

120 (edited by baermathias 2023-10-20 12:43:33)

Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

Professional DAW ‘Studio One’ is Now on Linux (Public Beta):
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2023/10/pro … orts-linux

Presonus will also create Linux drivers for their devices with this step.

Also Bitwig gets more and more traction (they also have a Linux version)

I think this is the most visited thread on RME forum, but there is no need for Linux drivers ;-)

So far I have a Babyface, but as soon as either Presonus or Focusrite have proper Linux support, I will sell this thing and buy their device.

Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

baermathias wrote:

Professional DAW ‘Studio One’ is Now on Linux (Public Beta)

Fair enough, suggests Presonus may support Linux properly in the future...

But there are enough DAWs already, like https://ardour.org/ which is mature (developed for decades), completely free, and open-source, so I guess the Linux community really needs drivers made by manufacturers, not another DAW.

122 (edited by cupakm 2023-10-20 23:35:07)

Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

Oh, you edited your post...

baermathias wrote:

So far I have a Babyface, but as soon as either Presonus or Focusrite have proper Linux support, I will sell this thing and buy their device.

I used BF for almost 10 years, then upgraded to UCX II + QuadMic + ADI-2 combo, USB or via RayDAT.
I've asked several times about the drivers (including my personal involvement) as there were posts considering it an option. Sadly, no new answers.

I'm using Sound Devices MixPre 10 II for a couple of years. Before I thought RME has very good on-device operation with ARC, but actually comes nothing near to SD, with attaching keyboard and DAW controllers directly, both for class-compliant and stand-alone operation. One can get it to work with Linux with a simple configuration step https://linuxmusicians.com/viewtopic.ph … 35#p159735, plus the SD is more power-efficient (doesn't heat up), can run on bats, has presets how many you want (not only 6 or 8), routes anything-to-anywhere including USB streams, has built-in limiters, low-cut filters, reverb, delay, phase, mute, solo, P48, WC, LTC, digitally controlled gain, back-up record on SD (better than DURec), user-definable shortcuts (kind of key remap on UCX II), built-in metronome and tone generator and whatnot...
On the other hand, it isn't expandable in terms of I/O, no MIDI or digital I/O, and one has to use HW-monitoring + DAW's latency compensation, but covers my needs.

This led me to apply for returning the UCX, which got accepted by retailer and am about to consider for the last time, probably send it back and sell the rest.

123 (edited by waedi 2023-10-20 14:21:41)

Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

cupakm wrote:

better than DURec

How ? What exactly ?

M1-Sequoia, Madiface Pro, Digiface USB, Babyface silver and blue

124 (edited by cupakm 2023-10-20 16:05:36)

Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

waedi wrote:

How ? What exactly ?

You can connect a USB drive and have auto backups, so in stand-alone mode you get 1x redundancy, in audio-interface mode you can get 2x redundancy.
Or, connect a USB hub and to it the USB drive, simultaneously with MIDI DAW controller, plus a keyboard for menu navigation, hotkeys and shortcuts (programmable keyboard possible too for macros). ARC can dream of such flexibility, even in Win/Mac where you can customize keys. I've asked RME if we could get a FW update for UCX/UFX to get ARC keys configurable in stand-alone / CC mode, but sadly no answer.

The SD-card slot is used for firmware updates, in stand-alone mode, so no driver for a FW update needed. DURec can't do this.

And so far I know you can't connect a USB hub to UCX II for having both DURec to drive and ARC at once. (UFX does this providing 2 separate slots.)

Another feature are Q-marks and exporting the whole project, not just the audio data.

Yet another is overdubbing in stand-alone and possibly bouncing tracks.

Yet another one is exporting presets (in XML format). I don't know if you can store TotalMix presets to a USB drive and load it from there - correct me if I'm wrong.

125

Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

Thank you for this explanation.
Glad you are happy.

M1-Sequoia, Madiface Pro, Digiface USB, Babyface silver and blue

126 (edited by sjzstudio 2023-10-21 11:46:51)

Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

I had already decided that I would not add anything to this topic. But the situation has changed so much that I will comment briefly.

The world is changing and resisting the introduction of Linux to audio production is foolishness. Now we are seeing the snowball effect start. The merging of SSL and Harrison consoles is also a point. Linux is probably also coming to SSL's products at some point. Everyone will eventually follow. Now there would still be skilled workers available for work. It may be too late when the best Linux experts have been hired by other companies. That's why RME should really start considering the issue.

If I were the decision-maker at RME, I would contact the Ardou DAW developers. They are pioneers of Linux audio and have a very deep knowledge of how support should be planned.

Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

sjzstudio wrote:

If I were the decision-maker at RME, I would contact the Ardou DAW developers. They are pioneers of Linux audio and have a very deep knowledge of how support should be planned.

There was an archival RME web page, like 20 years old, mentioning Paul Davis completing Hammerfall driver into ALSA "in a near-olympic record time". Can't find it any more.
Guess who is -the- chief developer behind Ardour. Hence I think they would know each other already... pity the cooperation didn't last for some reason.

We're now fooling around in forum threads like these instead.

128 (edited by ramses 2023-10-22 09:21:48)

Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

You may wonder now, but I wholeheartedly agree; especially in these uncertain times, when it's unclear where Microsoft is headed, having Linux support would be highly desirable.

The developments of recent years have raised concerns for me. I fear that Windows is increasingly moving in a direction that doesn't align with my preferences. Perhaps even transitioning to a subscription model for Windows. Why else would there be mandatory online accounts in Windows 11, even in the Pro version? This, along with the inconvenience of having to discard good and performant hardware, is troubling. While tools like Rufus can currently address these issues, there's uncertainty about how things might evolve in the future.

Apple could be an alternative, since many DAW products and third-party offerings have historically been available for Apple systems. I've explored Apple's hardware offerings with the intention of acquiring a current test system to become familiar with Apple over the next two years and prepare for a potential migration, all in a leisurely manner. The Apple ecosystem isn't necessarily something I require.

No matter how I look at it, I keep coming back to the (unsatisfactory) conclusion that Apple is simply too expensive and not sustainable enough; in fact, it's quite the opposite. Even with refurbished systems, the entry prices are too high, and you're charged exorbitant fees for capacity upgrades in all the interesting and necessary areas (CPU, GPU, DRAM, storage). It's unreasonable to pay these exorbitant prices upfront ("into the blue") without being able to anticipate one's future needs. And it's even more frustrating with the new Mac Studio, where hardware upgrade options exist but are blocked by Apple in the operating system.

Upon further inspection, I've been using my current PC since 2014 (9 years), and I can keep upgrading it to make it compatible with 10Gbit LAN in the near future. Due to rising DRAM prices, I'm also upgrading to 64 GB of DRAM to be prepared for the next 2–3 years, or possibly even longer. Recently, I was able to switch to an 8-core processor for €150 on eBay, which used to cost €1750 (!) some years ago. A new graphics card allows me to play the latest games and the slim, two-slot-width graphics card (RTX 4070) even leaves an available PCIe 3.0 x8 slot, where I will install a 10Gbit LAN card to upgrade my LAN to 10Gbit. When dealing with high data loads, 1Gbit is simply no longer sufficient. Even USB3 hard disks for backups are significantly faster than Gigabit to a NAS.

At the moment, transitioning to Linux isn't feasible for me because I cannot imagine giving up TotalMix FX. I might be willing to make other sacrifices, but not my RME recording setup. While I'm not a fan of Studio One, it would provide a functional base. Moreover, there are rumors that Steinberg intends to release Cubase for Linux, as they surely wouldn't want to lag behind Presonus.

Perspectives change with the circumstances. Despite my previous understanding for all manufacturers, not just RME, about the potential challenges of distribution diversity, I'm gradually shifting my stance and concurring with others that Linux support is crucial.

In summary, having drivers and TotalMix FX for Linux would be a great asset in these times when one seeks protection from ever more voracious monopolists and a viable, particularly affordable, alternative. RME is indispensable for me. This is what concerns me most if Windows takes a wrong turn. Unfortunately, Apple doesn't present an economically viable solution for me.

I would be delighted if RME could find a way to provide drivers and TotalMix FX for Linux, thus at least laying the groundwork for the possibility of transitioning to Linux if the need arises soon.

BR Ramses - UFX III, 12Mic, XTC, ADI-2 Pro FS R BE, RayDAT, X10SRi-F, E5-1680v4, Win10Pro22H2, Cub14

Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

You covered exactly the things that I have thought about myself. Relying on Microsoft's and Apple's products may be risky already in the near future. This year I have been using AvLinux MXE together with UFX+. Mixbus 32C DAW. Everything has worked fine even without Totalmix FX. However, it would be great to get it on Linux. Then all the goodies would be available. You CAN always download AVlinuxMXE or even Ubuntu Studio to a USB stick and try its functionality even with Ardour at no cost. Nothing needs to be installed. Your current system will remain intact. And if Cubase eventually makes a Linux version, you'll be ready right away, because you know how to act. I hope it will.

Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

sjzstudio wrote:

[...]Your current system will remain intact. [...]

And not only that, you can keep your current HW and have no extra HW costs.
It could even be the case, that the Unix kernel runs the HW more efficient.

For this reason, I would even be willed to pay for a Linux port of drivers and TotalMix FX
(and maybe also DIGIcheck NG) if some more developer resources would be required for such a migration project.

As plenty of customers would certainly have interest, I wouldn't expect too high costs for everybody.

BR Ramses - UFX III, 12Mic, XTC, ADI-2 Pro FS R BE, RayDAT, X10SRi-F, E5-1680v4, Win10Pro22H2, Cub14

131 (edited by sjzstudio 2023-10-23 09:39:17)

Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

A reasonable fee for Linux drivers and Totalmix fx could be just fine. In time, when there were more users, it would return to normal support, such as Mac and Windows support.

"It could even be the case, that the Unix kernel runs the HW more efficient."
I can confirm this from experience. With Linux, my machine runs smoother than Windows 10. And it seems to be even more stable in use. Although there is no major problem in Windows either. For example, Linux does not use nearly as much memory as Windows.
There is a link to the Linux I use https://www.bandshed.net/avlinux/
An even lighter version is coming.

More information:
https://linuxmusicians.com/
https://forum.mxlinux.org/viewforum.php … 365b47f364

Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

I also would like RME support for Linux !!
A little tired of -- still in these days -- after 20 years of Pro Audio, -- problems with Cubase/Nuendo on Windows, well, and apple too.

How about this suggestion for the mix ? .. I haven't researched it, but as an experienced systems engineer, I'm thinking this would be a relatively cheap and smoother starting place.

It seems with Class Compliance, and several people working on audio driver support, there's actually no problem getting audio in and out of Linux for most of the RME interfaces.
The sticking point is access to Total Mix.

I am just about to buy an RME interface, and one of the things I was wondering about, was running Total Mix Control on another, older PC to have e.g. my monitoring controls separate from the DAW.

I see that RME have USB3 audio interfaces, also with total mix.
Reasons:
--> So There must be a serialized protocol to total mix.
--> So it *could* be streamed over Ethernet.
--> So, without revealing the protocol itself, what about giving Total Mix Windows app the possibility to connect to a remote IPxx:Port# on a Linux PC ? (Steinberg do it for app and monitoring control .. I can control it from my Ipad via Wifi)
--> Then on the Linux PC, whoever is writing drivers, needs to rx/tx that protocol from an IP socket, and merge it with the audio.
Ohh its only software after all :-/

Of course, the nitty gritty is more complex, but from the commercial discussions, in this scenario, RME keep all the secrets of Total mix and its protocols.
All that's needed (?) is the knowledge of the protocol routing to and from the soundcard via USB or PCIe.

OK OK, so we still have to run total mix on Aghhh windows, .. but it would bridge the temporal gap, and maybe RME would see if the linux user count was worth further investment.

I guess the high speed bit for total mix, is the monitoring levels for each channel which would occupy some bandwidth over ethernet, but as long as the audio was not affected, I can't see this as a big problem, especially if a 10G ethernet interface was thrown into the mix.
Its possible to compress metering data efficiently with range coding (like FLAC), if indeed that is not already the case in the RME protocol.

How about this one RME ??

133 (edited by cupakm 2023-11-11 19:13:28)

Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

Guys, nice to see you colleagues around, but I somewhat doubt RME analyses elaborate posts in this thread... for Linux there simply is CC (which primarily targets iPads), no TM / TMFX, no DigiCheck, no firmware updates, on-device operation only, eventually a little eased by inconfigurable ARC.
Thats it.

There are alternatives to TMFX and DigiCheck, to a degree...
Pity are the FW updates and, although pretty good, but still limited on-device operation.

Make FW upgradable in stand-alone mode, let us configure ARC in stand-alone too, and life would be another bit better.

Another option is someone with appropriate skill-set coming around and willing to write a lot of software for free. I'm optimistic and expect RME to be supportive.

Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

Subscribing for updates. I'm new to the ecosystem - dipping my toes in with a Babyface Pro FS after years of putting off upgrading from a Gen 1 Focusrite 18i20 - and would love to see full Linux support. Currently on Mac OS, but since switching over to Reaper as my primary DAW, migrating to Linux is starting to make a lot of sense. However, RME incompatibility is a major Achilles heel (Class Compliant mode is cool, but insufficient). The lack of support strikes me as inconsistent with their clear commitment to long-term technical support for all their devices. I'm absolutely ignorant about what kind of technical lift it would take to port everything (drivers, TotalMix FX, DigiCheck, etc.) over, but I can't imagine any OS outliving Linux.

135 (edited by Hexspa 2023-11-23 22:42:20)

Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

+1 Linux support. I’m not educated in these matters but it seems like RME could just “follow the leader” to some extent given that other developers are already successfully supporting Linux. At a minimum, RME could just support one Long-Term Service (LTS) distribution of a single family. From there, it could follow community feedback and open-source or license relevant components to expand coverage of distributions.

I think the majority of users would be satisfied with an “as-is” conditional agreement as in “no official support other than what’s required for the aforementioned participation (open source, licensing)”.

This is not a dealbreaker for me at this point but, in principle, I support options, open software, and principled choice with regard to supporting companies that align with user values.

I take issue with many companies but RME is not one of them. All they can do for me in this matter is simply become greater than they are. Thanks.

EDIT: I'd like to see a big collaboration among the audio companies. Together we can do this! (CS quote). What's stopping RME, Focusrite, Bitwig, U-He, Cockos and others from collaborating on this like Ikutaro Kakehashi and Dave Smith did with MIDI? We don't have to be beholden to Microsoft and Apple - they don't care about us! lol Let's use Morton's fork to dig ourselves out of this mess. And, of course, by "we" I mean those of you who know about these things haha. Thank you.

Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

Hexspa wrote:

+

EDIT: I'd like to see a big collaboration among the audio companies. Together we can do this! (CS quote). What's stopping RME, Focusrite, Bitwig, U-He, Cockos and others from collaborating on this like Ikutaro Kakehashi and Dave Smith did with MIDI? We don't have to be beholden to Microsoft and Apple - they don't care about us! lol Let's use Morton's fork to dig ourselves out of this mess. And, of course, by "we" I mean those of you who know about these things haha. Thank you.


There is already a ready-made organization. The parties involved just have to join.
http://linuxaudio.org/

Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

Hi,

I too am concerned about MS direction and I would be happy to pay 100€ to get an official Linux driver for my UCXII. Maybe a successful fundraising could solve the case?
ATM, I'm using a dual boot Win/Linux and even if my UCXII is class compliant, it's annoying to have to configure it each time I boot. Maybe there is something to automate the process though.

Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

Here's a happy RME Linux user. I use my UFX and ADI-8 DS MkIII in CC mode, but would still like to see native Linux support. I'd like to be able to use TotalMix for example. It is great that the units can be controlled without software, just from their front panels, but it can be a bit annoying at times. wink BTW: Have a look at https://linuxdaw.org, a rapidly growing directory of native Linux audio software.

Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

I have the Fireface UFX II, running Ubuntu. Voting for the native driver, obviously.

For now I get by using the onboard controls - if not for that, I wouldn't have even considered RME. Other brands that solely rely on proprietary Windows/Mac software to control the units are deal breakers. So yeah, RME, whatever you do - don't get rid of the onboard controls for all the features of the device.

There's a curious case with another brand that developed on Linux Musicians forum. A guy started writing native Linux driver for his Focusrite interface and people started sending him their units to reverse engineer and add compatibility. This has snowballed so much that eventually someone from Focusrite contacted this guy and pledged their support for the cause. This is all that it takes. Food for thought.

Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

HardRock wrote:

I have the Fireface UFX II, running Ubuntu.

Congrats!

HardRock wrote:

...A guy started writing native Linux driver for his Focusrite interface...

There already were (like 20+ years ago) and still are such guys in RME context too. Does something prevent you from joining in and help with "the snowballing" you mention?

141 (edited by baermathias 2024-03-28 14:09:19)

Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

Just sell your RME hardware guys. Focusrite development seems to be done for the newest gen 4 on Linux:

https://github.com/geoffreybennett/alsa-scarlett-gui/

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/geoffreybennett/alsa-scarlett-gui/master/img/demo.gif

Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

Is that an official Focusrite project? I'm still not selling my RME devices. RME will come to Linux sooner or later...

Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

sjzstudio wrote:

Is that an official Focusrite project?

No. But they are aware of and do support it.

sjzstudio wrote:

RME will come to Linux sooner or later...

The most recent initiative I know of https://github.com/michaelforney/oscmix

144 (edited by sjzstudio 2024-03-27 13:08:00)

Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

Both are good things. I'm really looking forward to oscmix working on my 802 and UFX+. It makes a lot of things easier

If @MC is reading this, take a tip from this and help them with that project. It would be in everyone's interest. Show your support to the Linux community. You win a lot with it.

Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

ramses wrote:

You may wonder now, but I wholeheartedly agree; especially in these uncertain times, when it's unclear where Microsoft is headed, having Linux support would be highly desirable.

The developments of recent years have raised concerns for me. I fear that Windows is increasingly moving in a direction that doesn't align with my preferences. Perhaps even transitioning to a subscription model for Windows. Why else would there be mandatory online accounts in Windows 11, even in the Pro version? This, along with the inconvenience of having to discard good and performant hardware, is troubling. While tools like Rufus can currently address these issues, there's uncertainty about how things might evolve in the future.

Apple could be an alternative, since many DAW products and third-party offerings have historically been available for Apple systems. I've explored Apple's hardware offerings with the intention of acquiring a current test system to become familiar with Apple over the next two years and prepare for a potential migration, all in a leisurely manner. The Apple ecosystem isn't necessarily something I require.

No matter how I look at it, I keep coming back to the (unsatisfactory) conclusion that Apple is simply too expensive and not sustainable enough; in fact, it's quite the opposite. Even with refurbished systems, the entry prices are too high, and you're charged exorbitant fees for capacity upgrades in all the interesting and necessary areas (CPU, GPU, DRAM, storage). It's unreasonable to pay these exorbitant prices upfront ("into the blue") without being able to anticipate one's future needs. And it's even more frustrating with the new Mac Studio, where hardware upgrade options exist but are blocked by Apple in the operating system.

Upon further inspection, I've been using my current PC since 2014 (9 years), and I can keep upgrading it to make it compatible with 10Gbit LAN in the near future. Due to rising DRAM prices, I'm also upgrading to 64 GB of DRAM to be prepared for the next 2–3 years, or possibly even longer. Recently, I was able to switch to an 8-core processor for €150 on eBay, which used to cost €1750 (!) some years ago. A new graphics card allows me to play the latest games and the slim, two-slot-width graphics card (RTX 4070) even leaves an available PCIe 3.0 x8 slot, where I will install a 10Gbit LAN card to upgrade my LAN to 10Gbit. When dealing with high data loads, 1Gbit is simply no longer sufficient. Even USB3 hard disks for backups are significantly faster than Gigabit to a NAS.

At the moment, transitioning to Linux isn't feasible for me because I cannot imagine giving up TotalMix FX. I might be willing to make other sacrifices, but not my RME recording setup. While I'm not a fan of Studio One, it would provide a functional base. Moreover, there are rumors that Steinberg intends to release Cubase for Linux, as they surely wouldn't want to lag behind Presonus.

Perspectives change with the circumstances. Despite my previous understanding for all manufacturers, not just RME, about the potential challenges of distribution diversity, I'm gradually shifting my stance and concurring with others that Linux support is crucial.

In summary, having drivers and TotalMix FX for Linux would be a great asset in these times when one seeks protection from ever more voracious monopolists and a viable, particularly affordable, alternative. RME is indispensable for me. This is what concerns me most if Windows takes a wrong turn. Unfortunately, Apple doesn't present an economically viable solution for me.

I would be delighted if RME could find a way to provide drivers and TotalMix FX for Linux, thus at least laying the groundwork for the possibility of transitioning to Linux if the need arises soon.

I totally agree with Ramses here. And for me, I choose Linux because it's just better than MacOS and Windows. I still use Windows, but my heart is with Linux and the free & open philosophy. It's just a better operating system. It also gives me more control. Also, the software available on Linux are just better through and through. It's also more stable than Windows. I came to the same conclusion and hope that RME can one day to a native port of TotalMixFX and the drivers.

Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

ramses wrote:
sjzstudio wrote:

[...]Your current system will remain intact. [...]

And not only that, you can keep your current HW and have no extra HW costs.
It could even be the case, that the Unix kernel runs the HW more efficient.

For this reason, I would even be willed to pay for a Linux port of drivers and TotalMix FX
(and maybe also DIGIcheck NG) if some more developer resources would be required for such a migration project.

As plenty of customers would certainly have interest, I wouldn't expect too high costs for everybody.

I agree, I would also be willing to pay. If anything gets started, I would like to chip into it.

Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

Olletram wrote:

I also would like RME support for Linux !!
A little tired of -- still in these days -- after 20 years of Pro Audio, -- problems with Cubase/Nuendo on Windows, well, and apple too.

How about this suggestion for the mix ? .. I haven't researched it, but as an experienced systems engineer, I'm thinking this would be a relatively cheap and smoother starting place.

It seems with Class Compliance, and several people working on audio driver support, there's actually no problem getting audio in and out of Linux for most of the RME interfaces.
The sticking point is access to Total Mix.

I am just about to buy an RME interface, and one of the things I was wondering about, was running Total Mix Control on another, older PC to have e.g. my monitoring controls separate from the DAW.

I see that RME have USB3 audio interfaces, also with total mix.
Reasons:
--> So There must be a serialized protocol to total mix.
--> So it *could* be streamed over Ethernet.
--> So, without revealing the protocol itself, what about giving Total Mix Windows app the possibility to connect to a remote IPxx:Port# on a Linux PC ? (Steinberg do it for app and monitoring control .. I can control it from my Ipad via Wifi)
--> Then on the Linux PC, whoever is writing drivers, needs to rx/tx that protocol from an IP socket, and merge it with the audio.
Ohh its only software after all :-/

Of course, the nitty gritty is more complex, but from the commercial discussions, in this scenario, RME keep all the secrets of Total mix and its protocols.
All that's needed (?) is the knowledge of the protocol routing to and from the soundcard via USB or PCIe.

OK OK, so we still have to run total mix on Aghhh windows, .. but it would bridge the temporal gap, and maybe RME would see if the linux user count was worth further investment.

I guess the high speed bit for total mix, is the monitoring levels for each channel which would occupy some bandwidth over ethernet, but as long as the audio was not affected, I can't see this as a big problem, especially if a 10G ethernet interface was thrown into the mix.
Its possible to compress metering data efficiently with range coding (like FLAC), if indeed that is not already the case in the RME protocol.

How about this one RME ??

Now we have our thinking caps on. What would be even easier is if RME implemented an API and published a specification. Then anyone with our skills could code up a community-driven TotalMixFx that is able to talk to the interfaces through the API on the Linux side. They would then not have to develop a new application or maintain the code, just make controlling the interfaces possible/accessible on the Linux side, and publishing any new changes to the API specification. This would be the least ideal situation, as a native application and support would be the most desired solution. Anything in between these two approaches would also be welcomed.

Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

zachvalenti wrote:

... would love to see full Linux support. Currently on Mac OS, but since switching over to Reaper as my primary DAW, migrating to Linux is starting to make a lot of sense. However, RME incompatibility is a major Achilles heel (Class Compliant mode is cool, but insufficient). ... but I can't imagine any OS outliving Linux.

Great points. Linux is trusted to run most of the internet and half the mobile phones in the world, and it's going nowhere anytime soon. The longevity of Linux: Windows and MacOS would sooner end development before Linux would stop being updated. Linux isn't going anywhere.

Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

cupakm wrote:
sjzstudio wrote:

Is that an official Focusrite project?

No. But they are aware of and do support it.

sjzstudio wrote:

RME will come to Linux sooner or later...

The most recent initiative I know of https://github.com/michaelforney/oscmix

sjzstudio wrote:

Both are good things. I'm really looking forward to oscmix working on my 802 and UFX+. It makes a lot of things easier

If @MC is reading this, take a tip from this and help them with that project. It would be in everyone's interest. Show your support to the Linux community. You win a lot with it.

Wow, that looks like a very promising project. This is the first time I'm seeing it. For anyone that has missed this, take a look at the WASM front end: https://michaelforney.github.io/oscmix/
It looks like a re-created TotalMixFX. Interesting work-around.

Re: Official Linux drivers/tools a possibility?

https://forum.rme-audio.de/viewtopic.php?id=38917

Feel free to contribute ;-)

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