@fernesto – Thanks for your detailed response. Unfortunately, I am several years too far into this and also too familiar with Windows to make any change to Linux. What can I say about Linux? It seems that OS will never ‘catch up’ to the real world of audio software, despite the many admirable efforts and bits of software created. It might interest to know that I use Linux on an older machine for most all of my internet travels – not having to worry about viruses is swell – but that’s the extent of it. For me, it’s Windows and Windows-compatible software all the way.
I only embraced Ardour, particularly Mixbus, as it is now offered for Windows use. And I must say, to my mind the jury is still out on whether I’ll continue with Mixbus past the end of this year. Sadly, it has been one headache after another, each I have figured out in turn, but it’s not smooth sailing yet. My biggest disappointment has been my contact with Harrison via email. I know how everyone here says how good the customer support is with them, but, aside from a prompt reply, I could not manage to get so much as one straight answer out of them. It seems no matter what I asked, the blanket response was ‘follow the forum at Ardour’, which I have been and am doing anyway.
All I really asked was, When can we perhaps see Mixbus upgraded with the latest from Ardour v3.3, and will it address such things as the complete lack of MIDI and ease at using 3rd-party plugins in the Windows version? I realise Ardour was first made to run on other systems and not Windows, but Mixbus has changed all of this. However, I distinctly feel we Windows users are getting the short end of the stick with Mixbus. It is a crashy, troublesome and, to my mind, very incomplete DAW in Windows. Personally, if it were my call, I would have never offered Mixbus for Windows at this point; it simply needs much more improvement first.
When I asked about when we might expect an upgrade to a Mixbus v3, I was not concerned with actual dates and specific promises. But you see, they have us recent purchasers as monthly subscribers now, and all I’m getting in response from them is almost weekly offers to buy their plugins. Additionally, if you go to the Mixbus sections of the Harrison site, there is almost nothing but one huge sales pitch to see there. I would hope for at least a little news – you know, progress reports, specific issues being tackled, perhaps beta-testing offers, perhaps a short blog, at least some suggestion of what is currently going on. Instead, I’m sent HERE, and I must say you have a very nice forum here but not a lot about Mixbus.
As much as I like Ardour and that nice Mixbus mixer, I’m afraid if I don’t hear or see any obvious efforts to fix this mess within the next couple of months that I’ll be forced to pitch the entire setup and return to what I already use that works well enough. Naturally, this would mean I would be communicating my displeasure and rejection of Mixbus far and wide, especially on the Net. I can see this Mixbus Experience becoming a true nuisance and time waster. As is, I’ve spent entirely too much time fixing one little Mixbus ‘fit’ after another. Jack is still somewhat foreign to me. I know ReWire, ReaRoute, MIDI via MidiYoke and MidiOx and have dabbled with other cable software. Aside from the old drag and drop, am I going to be able to make any other DAW ‘see’ and get along with this Jack? I can’t do an easy imports yet! The tutorial regarding this deals only with Pro Tools, a system that doesn’t have a lot in common with the DAWs the rest of us use every day. I find it unlikely as well that anyone familiar and equipped with Pro Tools would bother adding Mixbus/Ardour in the first place! As you might sense, my frustration is growing, because I feel Mixbus was essentially dropped onto Windows users when they knew full well that there are all manner of issues that have not been professionally dealt with. What gives here?
