Yes, Qtractor is a very cool application, but understand it is still in its relative infancy. Rui has done a fabulous job in maintaining this project, and quickly bringing it into a powerful application, supporting advanced features.
However, this is not all perfect, yet. Only effects plugins can be currently used. If you wish to use instrument plugins, you can still use DSSI-VST (WINE required for Windows VSTs) independently and patch its output directly into an Qtractor channel. You should also have WINE-ASIO installed which allows low latency during the WINE (Windows) emulation. Also, on the Linux side, many LADSPA plugs are very good as well (such as CAPS). Sure, their GUI is not eye candy at ALL, but they work, and they do their job well.
With a decent soundcard (not motherboard sound, for the most part). you should be able to get 2ms depending on your overall hardware.
Linux has a good chance of eventually being an audio choice of professions, and already is in many cases....corporate mainly, and not consumer. :( I have used Windows audio for many years, and have experience with many different Windows DAWSs. Sure, many of those DAW's features seem to make Linux DAWs pale in direct comparison, but, that is only skin deep. Once you start to really understand the power of JACK, it becomes very apparently that Linux is ultimately the best audio platform. What we need are more native Linux plugins, that can compete with their Windows counterparts, and those counterparts doing native VST ports to Linux.
Not only that. but the entire thinking of how it all fits together changes as well. The biggest problem IMO ATM, is the lack of a single application to control and restore the whole thing automatically. Qtractor indeed does take care of a lot of this, but does not auto start external programs, so you need to manually start these before running Qtractor. Then, Qtractor will automagically connect them back to where they were when you last saved your project.
Yes, Qtractor is a very cool application, but understand it is still in its relative infancy. Rui has done a fabulous job in maintaining this project, and quickly bringing it into a powerful application, supporting advanced features.
However, this is not all perfect, yet. Only effects plugins can be currently used. If you wish to use instrument plugins, you can still use DSSI-VST (WINE required for Windows VSTs) independently and patch its output directly into an Qtractor channel. You should also have WINE-ASIO installed which allows low latency during the WINE (Windows) emulation. Also, on the Linux side, many LADSPA plugs are very good as well (such as CAPS). Sure, their GUI is not eye candy at ALL, but they work, and they do their job well.
With a decent soundcard (not motherboard sound, for the most part). you should be able to get 2ms depending on your overall hardware.
Linux has a good chance of eventually being an audio choice of professions, and already is in many cases....corporate mainly, and not consumer. :( I have used Windows audio for many years, and have experience with many different Windows DAWSs. Sure, many of those DAW's features seem to make Linux DAWs pale in direct comparison, but, that is only skin deep. Once you start to really understand the power of JACK, it becomes very apparently that Linux is ultimately the best audio platform. What we need are more native Linux plugins, that can compete with their Windows counterparts, and those counterparts doing native VST ports to Linux.
Not only that. but the entire thinking of how it all fits together changes as well. The biggest problem IMO ATM, is the lack of a single application to control and restore the whole thing automatically. Qtractor indeed does take care of a lot of this, but does not auto start external programs, so you need to manually start these before running Qtractor. Then, Qtractor will automagically connect them back to where they were when you last saved your project.
Lexridge