What's good to make Ubuntu a daily driver? Also, just installed Ubuntu for SQ reasons

[Millennium]

Hi there

TLDR: Switched to Linux for audio quality reasons. I would like to know what to do with my new Ubuntu system to make it my daily driver for my tasks.

I am into computers and hifi, having spent a lot of money on second hand amp (Primare A30.1) and USB DAC (M-DAC) and splurged on new speakers recently (Triangle Borea BR08). I also have another setup in the other room with a vintage valve amp.

I used to use Windows 10 with WASAPI and Fidelizer, foobar2000 or Tidal, now Fidelizer is a program that is designed to reconfigure your computer and remove background tasks to improve audio quality, I could certainly hear a difference with earlier versions. However, on switching back to Ubuntu earlier this week, this sounds even better, treble is more full and fidelity is increased.

Unfortunately my main DAC (M-DAC with PSU) has a slight incompatibility with Linux, you will occasionally hear a little quiet popping in the stream, it's not too bad but certainly something you can notice. On windows or apple the driver is loaded and there is no popping but for linux there is no fix since it is deemed to be a firmware or controller issue with the DAC. I have the latest Lake West firmware on my dac. Never the less, I much prefer the sound on Linux with the DAC.

You might think this is all placebo but Windows is known to have some problems with sound:

-kernel not optimised for streaming audio it does a lot at once and does not priorities well (hence Fidelizer)

-APIs for sound creating quality problems (DirectSound and windows default mixer outputs do not produce bit perfect sound. WASAPI and Kernel Streaming do)

-Generally bad upsampling of audio within the windows mixer framework. For example, you are playing a CD FLAC, for some reason it might output 48khz and the upsampling algorithm is 'bad'


I am sorry for all the windows details just stuff I know about. I am so happy now I am on Linux that I get very nice sound quality and feel this has made my investment in Hifi a lot more pleasing to the ear. The only problem I have is that Tidal Desktop is not available for Linux so I don't get Master quality streaming which is full quality no compression like FLAC (though it is DSD so err). Even then, playing an album on Windows with master quality via Tidal does not for some reason sound as good as the same album played via Linux with HiFI quality (tidal is good - Hifi is I believe 320kbps compressed so it sounds nice).

Can anyone recommend coming from Windows 10 programs or Ubuntu features that you have found handy when switching from a fully working productive up to date Win10 setup? I have installed Zoom-client (via Snap) and some other webcam stuff just to have a play around. Most of my use comes down to Tidal, foobar and a web browser but I would miss things like Paint.Net, TF2, and windows is so easy to use for me coming all the way from Windows 3.1 originally.

I am dual booting so I can always return to my Windows environment if I have to play a game or something. Just looking for tips.

If you read all of that thank you!


Nav

[kalniel]

I remember a few years back playing with realtime and low-latency versions of Ubuntu for audio purposes. Have you looked at Ubuntu Studio which comes configured for low-latency (and of course, a bunch of audio tools)?

https://ubuntustudio.org/

[spacein_vader]

I remember a few years back playing with realtime and low-latency versions of Ubuntu for audio purposes. Have you looked at Ubuntu Studio which comes configured for low-latency (and of course, a bunch of audio tools)?

https://ubuntustudio.org/

Agree with this.

The default answer for image editing on Linux tends to be GIMP but a few people who I know who used Paint.net now use Pinta which seems to match the look of paint.net closely. I'm nowhere near as into sound quality as you are but find Lollipop a good audio player. If TF2 = Team Fortress 2 then the good news is that it runs natively on Linux, as do most Valve games. Steam launched a system called Proton a couple of years ago which almost seamlessly allows many games to be played on Linux. www.protondb.com lists them and you can even link it to your Steam library to see which ones are either native or "gold" (run flawlessly,) rated.

[Output]

I don't have an answer for your question, but if you don't mind me hijacking it slightly, I've got a question of my own that seems to align with yours (which I'm wanting to know for future reference).

That question being: What is the closest thing to COMODO Firewall on Linux?

Mainly as I enjoy the granularity of per-application rules, so that things can be open for one (or more) application(s) (in whatever direction may be desired, depending upon the specific aplication's circumstances), but not others, and on a per-port, per-network interface, per-direction (for example, only outgoing, but not incoming other than what response may need to be returned from the created outgoing attempt - or perhaps not even then) or per-IP etc. basis if applicable. With the additional ability to have it behave in a certain way that if something happens that doesn't match the rules in place for a certain application, it asks me what to do and uses the resulting choice as an additional rule for the application, or have it ignore and block (or allow, depending upon how the rules might be structureed for the application) anything that doesn't match the existing rules for that application.

[Millennium]

Output: what you want to do is certainly doable in Linux with ipchains / iptables (chains probably), I just haven't tried it myself. If you start your search with GUI for firewall rules for linux you might find something suitably easy to use, however, there is a possibility you won't since Linux people seem to REALLY like the command line and text configuration files.

Thanks for the help so far folks, I have installed Ubuntu Studio on top of 20.04 standard and I'm really liking the kernel so far. I haven't really had a chance to listen to it yet but I suspect it will sound as good as my previous kernel if not a little better somehow. Hoping for the near impossible, there, though.

[matts-uk]

Output: what you want to do is certainly doable in Linux with ipchains / iptables (chains probably),

IP tables / chains is old hat. Firewalld brings a new paradigm and a new learning curve. Personally I think firewalld is more intuitive once you are over the learning curve but I have plenty of colleagues clinging to tables and chains as that is what they leant 20 years ago.

however, there is a possibility you won't since Linux people seem to REALLY like the command line and text configuration files.

GUIs are restrictive while conf files are expressive Most of the distros have a web based management interface available. I'm a fan of Webmin but it is more aide memoir than control panel

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

OP - some nice musical gear too. Have listened to some Triangles myself - they make lovely speakers. BTW,regarding image editing - Darktable is the Linux equivalent of Lightroom.

I recently built a second rig with Kubuntu myself - Linux gaming has certainly evolved since I last tried it,so its worth a go. Managed to get Fallout:New Vegas working under Proton in Steam,and Firewatch working.

[RuskinF]

If you are using Ubuntu for Audio reasons then head on to Ubuntu Studio.
It is geared to edit your audio files the way you want to.
Also, it has a lot of tools for all kinds of audio editing and enhancing.