Seems their site’s having some issues…
I’d say: forget about Ubuntu Studio: it’s just another distro with tons of software… get your Kubuntu copy, possibily optimize the kernel for audio, and download what you really need, which may be simply Renoise in the future 
My main problem with linux is that I can never find the apps I need… When I wanted a multitrack software, I could never find one… even though it seems there is one now… and when I tried to find an ft2like tracker, I couldn’t find one either… obviously milky has now filled that void… either way, this studio distro might be useful for people like me who don’t know about all the multimedia software they can get for linux
My problem is, whenever I find the apps I want, they’re only in source code form and I have to compile it. Anyone who has compiled programs knows what this can entail. It’s not always as simple as typing three or four commands.
I think that a lack of standardization is the problem with Linux. If there was a program with a nice gui that helped people compile programs to their system (that interprets the source intelligently and converts library syntax usage to current versions, etc) it would help a tremendous amount. I give linux a chance every other year, hoping they’ll finally MAKE compiling easier. Okay, that was a bad pun.
I don’t think someone should have to be a mechanic to effectively drive a car, just as I don’t think someone should have to be a computer expert or know c++ to effectively use a computer, but I may end up switching one of these days, if certain things happen.
I sure love the new gui options, the xgl–Compiz, Beryl, etc.: To me they blow away both OS-X and Vista. They’re taking great steps forward in so many areas—now if they only made installing programs (compiling in most cases) easier. Drivers as well–getting m-audio cards working–whooooeee that’s a doozie.
this is really not true anymore:
in most cases (even driver), installing stuff under modern linux distros (e.g. Ubuntu) is as easy as using “Add/Remove programs” in Windows, except you normally install them from Internet instead of having a CD or similar.
Most popular programs, as in mainstream, are easy to install. The Gimp, web browsers, Audacity–all easy. Start getting into emulators like Vice (c64), Mame32Plus!, UAE, Stella–and they all pretty much require you compile the source, the absolute nightmare being Vice (4 pages of instruction on how to compile it, with many references to the word “easy”).
The same thing goes for hardware and drivers. If you have a Creative Labs audio card, no problem. If you have an M-Audio card (particularly the delta 66), you can spend 8 or more hours researching and typing commands in a shell and get limited compatibility OR pay 50 bucks for a driver from a 3rd party company that M-Audio supplies a link to because they don’t have any official drivers.
I guess my beef in this area is with M-Audio, not Linux. I’ve had a lot of problems with M-Audio, even in Windows.
Are there any studio-grade cards under $300 (U.S.) with a decent I/O that would be fully compatible right away with Linux?
Hmmm…
I use my M-Audio Audiophile 2496 with no problems at all under Ubuntu Linux. it has recognized it and installed proper drivers during installation
Must be the Delta 66 thing then. It was a living hell–I never got full functionality. I last tried it (Ubuntu) about 10 months ago. Maybe Ubuntu has more native support of more cards now? When did you install Ubuntu?
maybe you should give Ubuntu 7.04 a try. it has been quite improved since 6.10, and I was even unable to install 6.04 one year back, with the same hardware I have now.
Are you using JACK with that?
I’ve spent the last five days testing Ubuntu Studio and I had the same lack-of-drivers experience I’ve had with all versions of Linux I’ve tried. It worked fine with the onboard via audio chip (with both ALSA and JACK) but my semi-pro Novation Speedio and my pro ALSA supported RME soundcard won’t talk to JACK at all.
All three of three of these devices work fine with XP.
Cheers,
Malcolm.
I can’t get my external drives to work with Feisty (7.04), which is quite a bummer since I travel around a lot with my laptop for audiowork. I saw the Ubuntu Studio site yesterday, started downloading the ISO via torrent and will see how it’s like soon.
Other than that, I don’t know jack about Linux, so a simple GUI is a must for me. But still, I’d gladly go there if Renoise was in Linux. Compile and stuff.
Yes, I use JACK in Linux. Everything was quite straightforward for me, though I must say I have some experience with text-only Linux.
I did not have to install any driver for audio: the one which has been chosen during installation worked flawlessy. To use JACK in a simple way, I suggest you to download qjackctl, a GUI based JACK controller.
I have to spend some more words about Ubuntu Studio, which I have finally managed to install yesterday: it is not simply a set of software: it also let you install a low-latency kernel, which really improves audio experience in Linux; I had lots of dropdowns with generic kernel which now seem to have disappeared, and the mysterious music composition software which I’m using under Linux is behaving much better.
I couldn’t even get Skale working. Didn’t find an executable, didn’t find any explanation anywhere as of how to actually START that thing…
sigh
Sucks to be n00b.
You are lucky then. Maybe one of the devs has some M-Audio gear. I was thinking of testing my FW1814 with Ubuntu Studio (before I ran into all of the problems) but it turns out that the FW1814 is definitely not supported.
Ubuntu Studio comes with Qjackctl, so there’s no need to download anything. Just doesn’t work with my gear.
RTFM 
from Skale.html:
“Don’t forget to set the executable permission on the Skale.x86 file!”
But seriously: The only reason for me to run windows is Renoise and some VST-stuff. For gfx I use gimp (exists for linux), audio-editing is done in audacity (linux, too). Webstuff is done in WAMP but I installed LAMP some time ago and so I could easily switch to that.
Browsing is done in Firefox, Mails are read with Thunderbird. My instant-Messenger is trillian and my soundplayer is VLC.
So, the only app I need windows for is renoise… Damn, if I could only be better in C++
Oh, herm… Okee! 
Marc Shake: Isn’t Trillian Win32 only though (might work under Wine though)? I would recommend Pidgin otherwise, which is available at both platforms.
Otherwise I’m more or less using the same programs, but after pending for a while, I’m back in WinXP. Also I think it would take a great while before the library of VST-instruments/plugins we know today will be available in some amount on the Linux-scene. I wouldn’t mind working only in Linux-environment at work though, to gain even more experience with it.
Oops - I actually thought of pidgin resp. GAIM which I used a long time. Now, as I am in Windows, I use Qip for the ICQ-Protocol and sometimes MSN…