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Old 10-28-2020, 09:52 PM   #1
bleak
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Default checking on stuff for linux reaper laptop

Hi, I've got an old Asus AMD64 4GB that I want to repurpose for Reaper. It's got the latest Mint and I uninstalled some programs. All I need is a USB audio interface and a hard drive (the internal is only 500GB). I want to record my Roland TD-17KVX ekit via MIDI and audio from a synth and beatbox.

Looking at the Scarlett 4i4 which is supposed to work with Linux.

The only question that I have for the 4i4 is does the Focusrite Control software for INST/AIR/PAD etc work on Linux? I'm guessing that this is a potential problem since Focusrite doesn't seem to support Linux so I'm asking up front.

Also, I want to get a USB HD for Reaper projects including audio. I bought a lot of WD Element drives in the past for different things (using one for a TimeMachine backup drive on this laptop) but I want to be able to take a USB drive from laptop to my Windows 10 desktop to do Reaper editing. So how does anyone format a USB HD for this?
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Old 10-29-2020, 08:02 PM   #2
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well then, Behringer U-Phoria UMC204HD it is. such a helpful forum btw.
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Old 10-29-2020, 08:23 PM   #3
JamesPeters
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I have a 2i2 (3rd gen) that works fine, and I've heard 4i4 works fine as well from someone else. No, the control software won't work, at least "natively". You might be able to get it to work with Wine, I guess. I bought the 2i2 knowing that there wasn't anything in the control software that I needed (since it has switches on its panel for air/inst/monitoring), so it's never bothered me. But if you have a unit with the air/inst/pad switches you can't change from the front, it may frustrate you to have to load Windows to do it (or try to get it to work in Wine).

The same can be said for any control panel software that's manufacturer-specific, for any device. There are a few exceptions and even so it's a matter of Linux software which is used as a replacement for the Windows or Mac control panel applications for the devices. Those apps are only written for Windows and/or Mac, not for Linux. So you should try to get a device which doesn't require any control panel software to accomplish what you want (or you can try making it work in Wine etc.)

I've tried that Behringer. Its headphone amp is weaker, and so is the line out. Plus it has more noticeable noise, and doesn't sound quite as "squeaky clean" as the 2i2. It's not a bad interface, but keep that in mind.

I have no comment about any USB drives specifically since I don't use them. I only use "flash drives" on USB for backup, and in that case I format for FAT32 (LBA) for 100% compatibility across all my devices (including a laptop which still has Windows 7 for now, and my Android phone). I would recommend considering the compatibility of the file system, if you plan to move the drive from one OS to the next. Expecting Windows to work well with EXT4 might be a bit of a stretch or require you to install some extra software/drivers. You could format it for NTFS and give that a try.

About your snarky comment: You have to realize there aren't many Reaper for Linux users. This forum will be much slower than the others. You'll notice the majority of the posts here at the moment are from me and Glennbo. Unless you're willing to hire me, I can't be expected to be here 24/7. Plus the last time I tried helping you, it didn't exactly go smoothly. You didn't report back what you did, and when I asked you to clarify what you did, you just left the forum entirely. You'd catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.

Last edited by JamesPeters; 10-29-2020 at 08:35 PM.
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Old 10-29-2020, 10:06 PM   #4
bleak
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JamesPeters View Post
I have a 2i2 (3rd gen) that works fine, and I've heard 4i4 works fine as well from someone else. No, the control software won't work, at least "natively". You might be able to get it to work with Wine, I guess. I bought the 2i2 knowing that there wasn't anything in the control software that I needed (since it has switches on its panel for air/inst/monitoring), so it's never bothered me. But if you have a unit with the air/inst/pad switches you can't change from the front, it may frustrate you to have to load Windows to do it (or try to get it to work in Wine).

The same can be said for any control panel software that's manufacturer-specific, for any device. There are a few exceptions and even so it's a matter of Linux software which is used as a replacement for the Windows or Mac control panel applications for the devices. Those apps are only written for Windows and/or Mac, not for Linux. So you should try to get a device which doesn't require any control panel software to accomplish what you want (or you can try making it work in Wine etc.)

I've tried that Behringer. Its headphone amp is weaker, and so is the line out. Plus it has more noticeable noise, and doesn't sound quite as "squeaky clean" as the 2i2. It's not a bad interface, but keep that in mind.
My sincere thanks for replying to my current inquiry, James

I can't use the 2i2; no MIDI. I think I can live with those Behringer limitations. It's the control panel that's needed with 4i4 and I guess my suspicions were correct. No Wine or anything; stone cold Linux/Reaper is what I need.


Quote:
Originally Posted by JamesPeters View Post
I have no comment about any USB drives specifically since I don't use them. I only use "flash drives" on USB for backup, and in that case I format for FAT32 (LBA) for 100% compatibility across all my devices (including a laptop which still has Windows 7 for now, and my Android phone). I would recommend considering the compatibility of the file system, if you plan to move the drive from one OS to the next. Expecting Windows to work well with EXT4 might be a bit of a stretch or require you to install some extra software/drivers. You could format it for NTFS and give that a try.
"Flash drives": Do you mean SD cards? Should I get a 128GB SD card? Doesn't FAT32 have a 1GB limit? I tried NTFS using GParted and it's doable but def not pnp. NTFS partitions need to be mounted and I think some special programs are needed IIRC. I once had a WindowsShare working with this laptop so I guess I'll try that and just format a USB HD for EXT4?

Quote:
Originally Posted by JamesPeters View Post
About your snarky comment: You have to realize there aren't many Reaper for Linux users. This forum will be much slower than the others. You'll notice the majority of the posts here at the moment are from me and Glennbo. Unless you're willing to hire me, I can't be expected to be here 24/7. Plus the last time I tried helping you, it didn't exactly go smoothly. You didn't report back what you did, and when I asked you to clarify what you did, you just left the forum entirely. You'd catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.
Ouch. It was only half snarky. This is a great forum. We're all going through massive shit right now so let's end the bickering. I guess you're referring to my Keith Mac keyboard problems. I didn't feel there was anything for me to add after I said...

"OK, I figured it out... I am happy to have Reaper back. Thanks to all for your help!"
https://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=209224

I don't have that problem after finally moving to Windows 10 and I forgot about my post here. My apologies.
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Old 10-29-2020, 10:56 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bleak View Post
well then, Behringer U-Phoria UMC204HD it is. such a helpful forum btw.
I have the UMC1820 and it rocks in Linux. I'm running it extremely low latency (1.3/2.6ms on REAPER's display and less than 10ms full round trip loopback tested). Midi works great on it with my Keystation 61 keyboard.

As for using a portable drive and sharing projects between Windows and Linux, I'd format it NTFS which Linux has no problem using. My DAW was dual boot at first and I had a second internal drive formatted NTFS so I could access it with Windows and Linux.
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Old 10-29-2020, 11:23 PM   #6
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FAT32 (LBA) handles file sizes up to 4GB and partitions of 2TB.

Here's some explanation that's easy to digest:

https://www.howtogeek.com/177529/htg...stead-of-ntfs/

If you're going to use an external HDD or SSD, I'd probably choose NTFS as the file system and test it with Linux as well as Windows to see that both computers could access it properly. If for some reason either OS has problems accessing it, I'd format it to FAT32 (LBA) but then I'd have to be wary of exceeding the 4GB file size limit (which rarely comes up for me).

I don't recommend recording audio to a "USB stick" (aka "flash drive") in general. It'll write more slowly than a HDD or SSD. It may work fine for some things but I wouldn't rely on it regularly. I use them for backups only.
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Old 10-30-2020, 01:10 AM   #7
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The 4i4 does work on linux, I have one plugged in right now, but it doesn't have the software for it. However, it has been added to alsamixer so you can do the same stuff as you can with the software although it is not as pretty or as easy to use. There are several threads on linuxmusicians.com about it, depending on which generation you get, with more information.
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Old 10-30-2020, 01:44 AM   #8
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That's great news! The more things like this added to ALSAMixer (and I assume QasMixer as well), the better it is for people's choices of interfaces in Linux.
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