Article:		Review: Fervent Software Studio To Go!
Subject:		A couple of notes from the makers
Date:		2005-09-04 02:16:01
From:		cannam
A very nice review - thank you! One thing I'd like to ask about. On page 2, you write: In my case, STG recognized my M-Audio USB MIDISport 8x8 interface with no problem, but did not automatically turn on audio — although it did recognize my M-Audio Delta66 audio card. Judging from of the rest of the review, it sounds as though Studio to Go! has correctly identified the card and started the JACK audio server, so you should have been ready to go with any of the audio applications included with Studio to Go!. What it didn't start for you is the desktop audio server, which provides the bleeps and bloops you would normally get from your KDE desktop. This is deliberate, as in most cases desktop bleeps are undesirable on a machine used for recording or mixing. I hope I understood the article correctly, and I'm not missing your point! Incidentally, although you're absolutely right to say you can't upgrade the live CD, we do provide specialised Fervent upgrade packages for many of the audio applications for users who have installed the live CD to hard disk, as well as making newer versions of the CD available at reduced cost. Chris

Showing messages 1 through 2 of 2.

• A couple of notes from the makers
  2005-09-05 10:23:13  Brad Fuller | [View]
  
  
  Thanks for clarifying, Chris.
  
  I chose this method to familiarize readers with the KDE Control Center. One of the unique advantages to Linux is you can get from point A to B in many different ways.
  
  Here's a quicker way to check the health of audio playback:
  
  * Stop JACK (right click the JACK icon in the panel and select Stop)
  * Open a terminal (just select the bottom panel icon that looks like a monitor)
  * type: 'aplay /usr/share/sounds/KDE_Startup.wav' (w/o the quotes) and press ENTER
  
  You should hear a bit of music.
  
  ----
  Chris: Can you explain the difference between the specialized Fervent upgrade packages and the free versions obtained from the usual places on the net?
  
  Thanks again for your comments!
• A couple of notes from the makers
  2005-09-10 14:10:32  cannam [View]
  
  
  You write:
  
  Can you explain the difference between the specialized Fervent upgrade packages and the free versions obtained from the usual places on the net?
  
  Certainly. Briefly, our packages are simple to install, predictable, optimised for the system, and easier to support.
  
  Studio to Go! is based on a Debian subsystem, and an installed version of Studio to Go! can be upgraded or augmented from any Debian package repository (among other places). The Debian package system handles dependencies, so if you try to upgrade to a package that requires newer libraries, it will go and get those libraries as well.
  
  However, if you want a low-maintenance reliable audio system, you don't necessarily want a newer version of some application going and upgrading all your libraries and infrastructure for you. You don't want the risk that this will break some other application, and you might not want to have to download all the dependencies in the first place.
  
  What we provide is a set of Debian-compatible packages that are designed to have as few dependencies as possible and to be as simple as possible to install.
  
  So, for example, you can upgrade a big application like Rosegarden from your installed Studio to Go! 1.0 up to the version found in Studio to Go! 1.50 just by installing a single Debian package file -- with no dependencies at all. No risk of breaking any other software, no potential incompatibility with the current JACK version in the Debian unstable branch, no complications about the ongoing change of C++ compiler version in the Debian repositories that make for far more dependencies than you'd expect, and of course you get the Fervent Software build of Rosegarden which we pretty much guarantee is the best currently available. The upgrade is still compatible with the Debian way if you want to use Debian repositories as well. And because the version you upgraded to is the same as the one in the latest Studio to Go! release, you can use the Studio to Go! support forums and expect the support you get to be actually applicable to the packages you have.
  
  We only offer Fervent upgrade packages for certain audio applications; they can easily be mixed with other applications from the usual places, so you can still install any other things you need and upgrade as appropriate.
  
  
  Chris