What are the options for a decent / lightweight Linux distro to run Ardour on .
I would be using this combo / config for simultaenous multitrack recording @ 96KHz, 32Bit, Mono .
I wouldn’t be using any plugins during the recording, just multitracking my acoustic drumkit using a 8 to 16 mic-setup … and leaving the mixing / processing to a dedicated machine .
My audio hardware is a TASCAM US-16x08 external box … so there pretty much has to be support for it .
The Laptop’s Specs ;
Fujitsu-Siemens Amilo La1703 ([Amilo L Series]
Processor
AMD Mobile Sempron 3200+
Graphics adapter
[VIA S3G UniChrome Pro] - 128 MB
Display
15.4 inch 16:10, 1280 x 800 pixel, WXGA
Mainboard / Chipset
Intel 945PM
Main / System Memory : 2GB
I’m currently “running” Windows 8 x64 on this laptop, but it’s very, very sluggish .
Would Puppy Linux / Puppy Studio be worthwhile checking out ? if so … Does Ardour run on it and what is the latest version of Ardour for that platform ? I’ve seen this one … ardour-4.7.0.sfs
And then there is always the Debian based very lightweight distro for older hardware: Antix Linux: https://antixlinux.com/
I used it for a while a couple of years ago and liked it.
From Antix FAQ: 192MB RAM is the recommended minimum for antiX. 256MB RAM and above is preferred especially for antiX-full. antiX-full needs a 3.8GB minimum hard disk size. antiX-base needs 2.6GB and antiX-core needs 1.0GB. antiX-net needs 0.7GB.
AV Linux is also Debian based, uses XFCE, designed for older hardware (but runs great on new fast hardware too!) and comes with everything set up for audio and video production work, including some tweaked low latency and realtime kernels.