Have been running various freebie Unix versions of late.

Issue has been though hardware and plugin compatibility, notably having problems running Reason and NI Plugins, as well as FireWire multi-channel analog I/O racks which I use for recording live bands etc.

So I’m now running Win7 on my new PC, software wise, ProTools 11, Reason 8 and NI Komplete.

I’m quite amazed at the similarity between Ardour on Linux and Windows PT, essentially the only difference is the version, Ardour is about 7 versions behind ProTools, although it’s a hell of a lot more efficient and dare I say it DSP quality seems better on the freebie. I’m happy with the dongle protection system, it’s less restrictive than online-based registration/authorization and allows me to switch between laptop and desktop by moving the dongle around. It’s a piss-off having to buy two copies of a program when I’m only using one at once.

Another issue with PT though is it seems to only work with external soundcards, though that’s fair enough due to noise issues. I’ve still got 3 or 4 discontinued Terratec EWS-88 analog multitrackers but they connect using proprietary PCI interfaces as opposed to FW and modern PCs seem to have abandoned PCI.

However, other than the more evolved version (and the annoying different key shortcuts), I’ve found Windows PT and Ardour practically the same in use, the only real upper is the greater compatibility and more evolved MIDI support.

Worst thing though about the Windows platform is the security (it is a total joke) and the incredibly bloated installer packages. The GUI’s for the commercial plugins and control routings are much improved, but dare I say it, the sound quality on the Linux plugs is better and more authentic to the original hardware which I have, such as the DX7 and JX3P.

Still, in my new studio which will be doing commercial as well as (mainly) CC based work, it’s a case of maximum compatibility with a lot of kit. I’ll be using both systems side by side and keep folk here up to date on compatibility between the two systems!

Happy new year from Andrew, Twiggy, Phil, Mark, Marie and Cathy!