Jim Roseberry

Set-up is indeed important... but not the crux of what I'm describing. Fender passive style basses sound weak/anemic when run thru cheap DI boxes. Run the same exact bass thru a Neve Shelford or Portico-II... and the sound is just there (larger, more aggressive - no struggle). If the source DI bass track sounds weak/anemic, it's harder to seat that in a mix. Bass>Neve>1176 results in a bass track that requires little to no post processing. BTW, the Klark Teknik 1176 clone sounds/works great (inexpensive). Lots of folks use the A-Designs Reddi Box for similar reasons. Sounds similar to using an Ampeg B15.

Bloatware is generally defined as unwanted software. Since Win10 was released, I've yet to have a single client who's wanted Cortana enabled/running. Ironically, a friend of mine worked on Cortana. Tim Noonan is a great guy, great musician, and super sharp.

In the end, it doesn't matter "why"... the reality is the same. It can't be done. All those top-notch virtual instruments/effects are simply not available. One could fantasize about an OS far more dedicated/optimized for DAW purposes. BeOS was one such promising OS. No profit. No development. No future. The DAW using market is extremely small. The Linux DAW using community is a tiny percentage of that. It's not economically feasible for companies like Native Instruments, UA, Line-6, etc to spend massive development hours on such a small niche.

FWIW, You don't have to convince me about the virtues of Windows 10. 😉 I'm quite aware of them... I've built custom Windows DAWs professionally for going on 30 years. As a Cakewalk user, I go all the way back to Pro Audio 4.0 (first version that could record audio). As to "bloated" and "dumbed-down", that's a matter of opinion/perspective. To cover such a vast user-base, Win10 (by default) has to be more broad-based compared to OSX. Note, I'm not an Apple fan... so no need to get into the downsides of OSX. How many folks complain that they can't disable Automatic Updates? How many people complain about Cortain, OneDrive, etc (extraneous, annoying components)? Less tech-savvy users often don't know/realize these things can all be disabled. Once reined-in, Win10 is a fine DAW platform.

Can you run Helix Native under any Linux kernel at 96k using a 16-sample buffer size (sub 1ms total round-trip latency)? The answer is, no. You may have 2000 plugins... but you don't have anywhere close to the best plugins available. Can you run Keyscape, Omnisphere, Kontakt with advanced/scripted libraries, Waves plugins, UAD plugins, SSL plugins, etc (all native)??? The answer is, no. Without profit/competition, you're not going to see massive development. Witness the recent CPU boom we're encountering. Competition is bringing out the best in AMD and Intel.

Can't disagree with anything you're saying... I've done "Hackintosh" builds... for the fun of it (like solving a puzzle). We have clients who are still running RME Fireface 400/800 audio interfaces... which are ~15 years old. The issue most folks have with Windows 10 is that it's a "universal" (all encompassing) OS. Supporting such a wide group of end-users, it's bloated and a bit "dumbed-down" (for less tech-savvy users). Thus, (by default) we have Cortana, Automatic Updates, lots of applications running in the background, etc. Of course, the flip side of being a more universal OS is that it drives prices down (OS, hardware, software, etc). Microsoft grew into a massive company... with massive (over) exposure... generating massive revenue. The "man with the big cigar" (in their realm)... Regarding Linux: If you take most of the profit away, you also take away competition and desire to develop. Competition drives development. (Look at the CPU progress were now encountering). You've got wide-open potential... with little structure/oversight A bit like the Wild West

FWIW, I really don't get the fascination with running a DAW under Linux. It's literally like taking a 20+ year step back in time. We waited for decades to have the processing power, plugins, and virtual-instruments currently available under Windows.

If you're dealing with large number of large files (and especially if you're not running 1Gb Internet), Cloud based storage is a bit impractical. Also note that scheduling and sync services constantly running is not ideal on a DAW.

What a legacy! RIP Mr Neve

I struggled for years to get good DI recordings of Fender style (passive) electric-bass. The sound was clean/clear... but "anemic". Tried numerous SansAmp racks/boxes, Solo-610, and many other DI options... but the sound was never what I had hoped. Finally decided to invest in a couple Neve channel-strips. Boom! There's the sound I struggled so long trying to achieve. The bass has clarity/definition... and authority.

There was a massive rush this holiday season (along with Covid). Almost impossible to find higher-end video cards (and power-supplies) actually in-stock. Huge demand and almost no supply results in unusually high cost.

I agree with that line of thinking. 😄

Crazy. The RTX-3090 is over $2k. If a distributor/store gets 10 of them, they're gone in less than 30 minutes.

LOL! You got that right. 😂

Minecraft isn't demanding. That'll run on anything. Games requiring high FPS is where it gets expensive.

I don't disagree with what you're saying. There's just no way to build a "healthy" gaming PC for under $1k. RTX-3070 is $750 RTX-3060ti is $500 Right now, it's hard to find any mid/high level GTX/RTX video card in-stock. FWIW, I just got done building a high-end gaming prototype machine. It's got the best of everything in it. Cost as much as a nice PRS guitar. 🤪

Totally agree... A fast CPU and Video card will chew thru $1k

For a gaming machine, clock-speed is the single most important factor. Intel is currently offering higher clock-speed than AMD. Clock-speed (and extremely low latency) is Ryzen/Threadripper's (3xxx series) Achilles Heel. The new 5950x (Vermeer) is a much better performer at ultra low latency... but it's extremely hard to find in-stock... and it's an $800 CPU. Aside from CPU, video card is extremely important. Right at this moment, it's hard to find high-end GTX/RTX video cards actually in-stock. If you find one, grab it immediately. Our distributor received a shipment of 140 RTX-3070 video cards ($750 each)... and they were gone in two days. As a point of reference, running Forza Horizon 4 (racing sim): 1080p at 60-fps - RTX-3070 running ~30% 4k at 60-fps - RTX-3070 running ~50%

One advantage to being "late to the game" is knowing the strengths/weaknesses of competing devices. Neural has "cherry picked" some of the best features from Helix, Kemper, Axe-FX, and HeadRush. To my ears, it sounds like their "capture" procedure may result in even more realistic "profiles" than the Kemper. Keep in mind the Kemper is what... 11 years old?! Amazing that it's still viable.

Sad to know he's gone. What a nice tribute he wrote (describing his life and being thankful for both his career and those he's worked with). Think about the talent level in the Elektrik Band. At the time, the best modern jazz players on the planet.

QC seems to be a nice "cherry-picked" feature set of Helix, Axe-FX, Kemper. I'll grab one from Sweetwater (when they're actually available). The Mooer G300 can also load "profiles/captures". You have to use an iPad to create the captures (a bit of a pain)... but it works. Our local SamAsh had one used for $550... so I grabbed it to test. Sounds a whole lot better than you'd expect (given cost and being MIC).

AMD has finally gotten their ultra low latency performance together with the new Vermeer (5xxx) series. I've got a 5950x based DAW (I'm typing on it right now). The 10900kwill out-perform the 5950x when it comes to ultra low latency performance (example below). In heavily multi-threaded scenarios (video rendering), the 5950x will significantly best the 10900k. Lets say you want to run Helix Native (plugin version of the Line-6 Helix guitar processor)... at latency equal to or lower than the hardware version (which is 2ms). When it comes to ultra low round-trip latency, the Presonus Quantum is as good as it gets. Set Quantum to 96k using a 32-sample ASIO buffer size. This results in 1ms total round-trip latency. Load Helix Native and create a significant patch using two 2048-sample Cab IRs, delay, reverb, etc. The 5950x is the first AMD CPU to be able to sustain this ultra low latency scenario completely glitch-free. With the Threadripper 3970x, you'll experience glitches. Needless to say, this is excellent performance. With the 10900k, you can actually set the ASIO buffer size down to 16-samples (sub 1ms round-trip latency)... and it'll sustain the load glitch-free. It's the first CPU we've tested that could actually do this... The 10900k is a $500 CPU. The 5950x is a $800 CPU. Competition benefits all of us.

Unless you're a beta-tester or "influencer", you don't have a Quad Cortex (haven't started shipping). Pete Thorn has done an excellent demonstration video...as has Rabea Massaad. The QC is going to be another great guitar modeler/profiler option (along with Helix, AxeFX, Kemper, etc).

That's not what I'm saying in any way/shape/form. 😉 We deal with many Mac users who simply can't get the speed/configuration they need to run large scoring templates. The solution is a well-configured custom PC DAW. Exactly what they need... nothing more... nothing less Windows 10 is a fine DAW platform... once fully reined-in. If you watch any popular TV series, you're hearing scoring work that's using a PC. Danny Lux, Timothy Wynn, Fred Coury, etc... The top LA based composers meet once a month for dinner... to discuss all things technology and music.

Performance is slightly better with B550 vs X570... and no additional noise. I'm not interested in lower-end Vermeer CPUs... as the clock-speed is slower.