Will Ableton ever... EVER be made available on Linux, with equivilant quality to OSX & MS?

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RoloMaae
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Joined: Mon Nov 26, 2018 1:45 am

Will Ableton ever... EVER be made available on Linux, with equivilant quality to OSX & MS?

Post by RoloMaae » Fri Apr 08, 2022 7:46 am

Perhaps this should have gone in the wish list part of this forum, oh well.

I've just been wondering this for a long time now. I've long preferred Linux to basically any operating system since around the time Windows XP hit the scene. I went to Debian, and really loved it, and basically didn't look back until I found myself wanting to game on PC. This meant for years I was always running dual operating systems, which is a pain in the ass, and honestly... just seems so unnecessary after years and years of doing it.

I haven't played any video games at all really for about 4-5 years... about the same time as I started making music with Ableton.... however I found myself in the exact same problem as before. Dual boot, using Windows for Ableton and my plugins, and thats about it. Beyond that, I have no use for it. I want to go back to Linux so bad.

I've mucked around with all the newest distro's that are available. They have really come a long way. Its hard for me to believe that Ubuntu, or Linux Mint, or Debian, or Arch, etc etc can't run this piece of software.

There are people who try. Try running it WINE, or with VMware or whatever. Some people have switched to BitWig, as it was Linux friendly right out the gate... However, as I expected, it seems absolutely everyone who has made this shift has experienced the same thing everyone else has. Issues with plugins, VST's not functioning properly. I dunno. It all just seems so troublesome.

All I want is to run Ableton 11 suite on Linux... Even if its one of the easier more popular distros like Ubuntu or Mint. Shit... Mint is really really nice. A lot nicer than windows 11 thats for sure.

So like... is this ever... EVER going to happen? Is it even being worked on do you think? I know Linux users are probably less than 1% of the overall PC user base... but I'm also confident that there are THOUSANDS of people out there in my exact position that would appreciate some compatibility with open source operating systems.

Will it ever happen?

miyaru
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Location: The Netherlands

Re: Will Ableton ever... EVER be made available on Linux, with equivilant quality to OSX & MS?

Post by miyaru » Fri Apr 08, 2022 11:13 am

For years I wanted this too.
I really hoped for a distro, specially made for music software - light and fast.

But he, it is 2022, and still not there, why?

I guess the community is to small to develop and port the software (DAW and plugins) for any given Linux distro......

Altough I love Linux, I use Windows for the most part, just because most software is for Win platform or the Mac platform.

Still I hope you enjoy working with Live and other music software with Windows, 'cause enjoyment is the most critical part in making music!!!!

Cheers!
Greetings from Miyaru.
Prodaw i7-7700, 16Gb Ram, Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 3rd gen, ESI M4U eX, Reason 12, Live Suit 10, Push2, Presonus Eris E8 and Monitor Station V2, Lexicon MPX1,
Korg N1, Yamaha RM1x :mrgreen:

DunedinDragon
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Re: Will Ableton ever... EVER be made available on Linux, with equivilant quality to OSX & MS?

Post by DunedinDragon » Fri Apr 08, 2022 1:21 pm

I wouldn't hold my breath on this one. The market size of users that would be interested in a full DAW like Ableton would be very limited, and given the cost not only to develop it, but maintain it and upgrade it would never pay off. Not to even mention converting plugins.

[erm]
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Re: Will Ableton ever... EVER be made available on Linux, with equivilant quality to OSX & MS?

Post by [erm] » Fri Apr 08, 2022 2:03 pm

Magic 8 Ball says…. Highly unlikely.
Ableton Forum Administrator

altgraymedia
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Joined: Tue Jul 07, 2020 2:19 am

Re: Will Ableton ever... EVER be made available on Linux, with equivilant quality to OSX & MS?

Post by altgraymedia » Sat May 21, 2022 8:53 pm

Buying Bitwig seems to be the only option if you want a flow similar to Live. I am seriously considering it lately with the last few years of putting up with Windows. I usually have to spend a few hours creating a custom ISO with all the dumbass features like Cortana removed. Then, every time my computer decides to do a feature update (ON ITS OWN!) it reinstalls all the shit I painstakingly removed without any say from me... I'm not really a hardcore open source nut who believes that every piece of software should be open or else, but I am someone who believes in owning and controlling the computer you rely on. It does suck that I spent all this money on Live 11 Suite and built an entire sound library within it, but it might just be a sacrifice I'll have to make because Windows and Mac are becoming absolutely intolerable.

kamiza
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Joined: Sat May 27, 2023 8:42 am

Re: Will Ableton ever... EVER be made available on Linux, with equivilant quality to OSX & MS?

Post by kamiza » Sat Sep 09, 2023 9:52 am

I would even pay a higher price for an Ableton on Linux if I could forego Windows.

Matt Rhys-Roberts
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Joined: Mon Sep 11, 2023 2:01 pm

Re: Will Ableton ever... EVER be made available on Linux, with equivilant quality to OSX & MS?

Post by Matt Rhys-Roberts » Mon Sep 11, 2023 2:09 pm

I cannot agree more with the wish to get Ableton running on Linux.

M$ just sucks in so many horrible ways, and now my old Win7 box is falling to pieces (the OS, not the hardware), I stand to lose a lot of work.

I'm actively researching posts from people who have really managed to get A. running on Linux. It seems to require Wine and a number of additional tweaks.

If I can find the ultimate setup guide I will post it on the forum.

Good luck everybody. I do think that if enough of us put our heads together, we'll crack it. Ableton as a company will not suffer one little bit, in fact they may well gain additional customers who have so far been marginalised.

matyas47
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Joined: Sun Oct 08, 2023 7:14 pm

Re: Will Ableton ever... EVER be made available on Linux, with equivilant quality to OSX & MS?

Post by matyas47 » Sun Oct 08, 2023 7:29 pm

Meanwhile, PreSonus has announced a Linux build of Studio One, proving yet again that in 2023, a lot of the old objections to developing for Linux are no longer relevant. Configuring a Linux machine for audio is no longer a difficult task requiring systems-level expertise; in fact, with modern desktop-focused distributions, it it often less difficult than tweaking a Windows box. Distros are, on the whole, more compatible with each other than they were in the past, and Ubuntu and its derivatives have emerged as the de facto standard target for audio development. There is a rich and growing ecosystem of both commercial and free apps and plugins for audio and music. And, contrary to popular belief, Linux users are not all a bunch of open-source zealots hostile to commercial software; most are willing to pay to support their favorite OS. And, as has frequently been noted, the Push runs Linux, so at least some of the code has already been ported.
I've been a Live user for a decade, a Linux user for longer than that, and a Max user for even longer than that. I still keep a MacBook around for Live and Max, but my main OS these days is Linux. I use it not just because I dislike Apple an MS. I genuinely love Linux and think that Ubuntu and its derivatives offer the best user experience. Live and Max are the only apps I miss having on Linux. I can tell you right now that if a native version of Live for Linux were to appear tomorrow, I would absolutely install it, even if it were a paid upgrade, and even if it were released first as a public beta with minimal support.

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