There is NO test tool because Steinberg doesn’t support Linux period. You act as if this is new and people haven’t been whining about Linux this, Linux that for years now.
The majority doesn’t want Linux and the handful of IT nerds that keep popping up to start a new “Linux marketshare is up where’s pro audio?” thread every six months were already tiring even 20 years ago when they were started it then.
@Monotremata is there a reason why you have to be so negative about this topic? What’s happened in your life that makes you so passionately want to try to dash the dreams of some of your fellow Steinberg users? I mean, let it go. Steinberg is not going to release a Linux version any time soon, if ever, so let it be, and let people who care about it and wish for it post whatever they want. It’s no sweat off anyone, and it doesn’t impact you in the least.
There is NO risk that Steinberg will divert precious resources to Linux, since they will ONLY support Linux as a financial decision when/if they think the market will bear the risk of development. If that time has come, then WOW, I’ll be blown away. But I think the time has not yet come. So to anyone who is negative in this thread, there’s no point. Steinberg accountants aren’t dummies. They know the numbers better than anyone. They know the numbers don’t yet add up. If you think this thread actually will be the final deciding factor in Steinberg’s decision to support Linux, it obviously won’t, so there’s no need for anyone to provide what they feel are counter arguments here at this point, there’s nothing new, no matter how brilliant they think those counter arguments are. Steinberg already has all the info, most of us are pretty smart people and we know the score, and there are no new revelations going on, all the good counter arguments have already been said. And again, Steinberg has dozens of input vectors that contribute to their decisions, and obviously a decision of this magnitude will not be relying on this thread. So please let it be and let us live our fantasy. And I sure hope that fantasy will come true.
I’ve got pretty much every Linux-native DAW up and running great in my studio along side Windows (and formerly Mac) machines. And I love Linux. Yep, I’m a Linux nerd. But I’m also a realist and I use the tools I have to use in order to get my work done, and that means I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m also stuck in Windows land (and formerly Mac land) for now. Of course in recent months I will admit I am highly encouraged by Steinberg’s support of Windows on ARM (fantastic news and shows they are doing quite well with their development pipeline, huge kudos once again to Steinberg and to their collaboration with Microsoft!), but we all know that it is highly, highly unlikely that Steinberg will be supporting TWO new platforms at once, so just let it be.
Please let this thread be a place of hope and dreams for those of us who want it. Or not… do whatever you want of course. Cheers, and may your own dreams for Cubase come true one day too!
Yeah TLDR… Is there a reason you have to write a novel every time you comment on it too?
The whole ‘The sky is going to fall if you don’t rush to support this right now, so many people are using it’ argument folks have been trying to use for the last 25 or so years was old even back then…
I’m a writer, I like writing. You don’t need to read it, just skip right over it. Cheers!
@uarte Have you worked with any of the Linux DAWs that are available now? How have they been? Have you created something from start to finish with them?
I love Linux but it’s not for the average person.
Absolutely! I have used or own pretty much every Linux-native DAW on the planet. They work great, especially Reaper and Bitwig, which are the two best Linux DAWs IMO. You can do a lot with those for sure. YMMV, if your needs and projects fit within those two DAWs specifically, then you are all set. There are also a massive number of other great tools on Linux, of course, including other DAWs, and a bunch of outstanding commercial plugin developers too. The ecosystem is surprisingly good. If I didn’t already have the workflows and plugins and apps I have in my studio, I would easily be happy on Linux.
I love Linux, have been a Linux user about 20 years, and I use it as my daily driver now for almost all of my personal stuff, including stuff like using this forum. There are many reasons why I love it, I won’t go into that since it would fill even more pages and no one has time for ALL that, but ONE major reason I love it is because of how the diverse variations of the open source model works.
However, when it comes to music and media production, Linux has been a rough journey for me. Every few years I make another attempt at migrating over to Linux 100% for music production, for example, and I never quite make it all the way. There are many reasons for this, BUT the most significant reason is that there are specific apps, tools, and plugins that I still need that do not exist on Linux, and they also don’t run on Wine/Yabridge.
So I’m stuck in a way. And I have to still use a hybrid set up.
Last year I made my most comprehensive attempt yet at migrating 100% to Linux for music production, and I’ll admit, I got really far. I was almost at the point where I was contemplating saying goodbye to Steinberg TBH. I was very encouraged that Studio One had a Linux beta out, and my hopes were flying high. Go Linux! I thought I saw the light at the end of the tunnel.
Truth is, if I didn’t have clients, and I didn’t need certain creative tools, I MIGHT have been able to do without certain apps and plugins, and I MIGHT have pulled it off.
I can tell you right now, that if my circumstances were different, and if I could have lived without some crucial apps and plugins, and essentially change my mindset/workflows and force the transition, I could have done it. And I probably would have been okay. Maybe even happy.
BUT, here’s what happened… my time became very important to me. I value my time, and life is short. And my old workflows die hard.
So when I needed to work on a post production project that required certain noise reduction tools, for example, or a project with vocal correction and specific kinds of harmony adjustments, or creative projects that needed that certain magical “something” from a cool plugin that I relied upon in my old workflows, or I needed the great notation tools in Dorico… I looked at my TIME and realized that I needed to be realistic, and use the tools to finish the job more quickly.
Yes, I could indeed finish my project in Linux (and I did finish many projects in Linux), BUT it might take me 2X or 4X as long to get to the same rough destination, OR the results might not be frankly as good in some cases, compared to if I just used my old Windows or Mac DAWs and my old favorite plugins and crucial apps that sadly do NOT yet run on Linux… (BTW, this is not a hardware “performance” issue or “quality” issue but more simply a “workflow” issue and “creative tool” issue re: available plugins and tools I needed for specific tasks.)
And so expediency won the day, and my priority was to optimize my time and use the tools I needed to use to get the job done more efficiently.
And that meant I had to postpone my dream of moving 100% to Linux once again.
However, I still keep several Linux DAWs and I’m totally up to date with most of the best Linux DAWs and plugins, with the exception that I’ve given up on the Linux version of Studio One. That’s a different story, but I believe Fender has basically ruined Presonus, and barring some miracle turnaround, I believe Presonus has taken a path that I’m no longer interested in. Their latest release was awful IMO, and I’m now skeptical they’ll ever properly finish and properly support Studio One for Linux. Perhaps they will surprise me one day, but I’ve pretty much lost hope with Studio One. I reserve the right to change my opinion though!
So that means on Linux, the most powerful DAWs IMO remain Reaper and Bitwig, which both work great BTW. And may be perfect for you. I use both. (There are other good ones too of course… I have most of them, so you have OPTIONS, but I would argue Reaper and Bitwig are the best ones right now.) I LOVE Bitwig, and respect Reaper. But they are missing some critical tools that I need in my business and projects, so I can’t build my business around them just yet, until more tools get ported over to Linux OR work with Yabridge/Wine.
However, again, I will say that someone who really, really, really wants to migrate entirely to Linux, it is 100% possible now without doubt, depending on what specific tools and plugins and apps they need. It IS possible, and it IS pretty cool and fun. I PERSONALLY just can’t YET make the final leap.
Complicating ALL of that, to my surprise, is the fact that Steinberg is really kicking ass right now, and Cubase 14 (and no doubt Nuendo 14 when it comes out soon) will be very hard for me to discard. They upped the game, simple as that. What can I say? Blame Steinberg for being excellent right now. I will be totally honest, and also very realistic, that Steinberg hit a home run with C14, and they added features I’ve been asking for over many years.
This is frustrating in one sense because Steinberg’s great work on C14 combined with Presonus’ lousy work with Studio One 7 (and messy business model crap distractions), have resulted in DELAYING my move to 100% Linux for music production.
I still dream of it, and I still hope for it, but when Steinberg had one of the best releases in many years, with tools I have wanted, and simultaneously when the big alternative on Linux I had been hoping for – Studio One – jumped the shark and is a mess IMO, that means I’m stuck primarily with Reaper and Bitwig as the two best DAWs on Linux. And don’t get me wrong, they are great DAWs too. But C14, and with N14 coming soon, are very much things that will help me in my projects even more AND… SAVE TIME… SO… it’s a bit of a reality check for me… Time. Time. Time.
Then on top of that, Steinberg comes out with Windows ARM support, and my hopes that Steinberg would be secretly developing a Linux version too were frankly dashed. Steinberg will not support two new platforms at once. So Windows ARM support was the last straw in helping me to REALISTICALLY determine that I’m going to be stuck on Windows for a while longer. I will still hope and wish and ask for a Linux version, but I think TBH, Windows is where Steinberg is investing some critical resources, now with the ARM support, etc.
The silver lining to all this, is that Steinberg is showing their development pipeline is top-notch, they know how to support new platforms, and I’ve gained renewed respect for the Steinberg developers. Seeing Cubase run on Windows ARM machines is pretty amazing, and Steinberg’s obvious collaboration with Microsoft is resulting in some pretty cool results TBH. So I have to give huge kudos to Steinberg for pulling this off, in all fairness.
And while I don’t want to be fatalistic about any of this Linux stuff, since I love Linux and someone can DEFINITELY make the leap for music production, I have decided to postpone my 100% leap to Linux for the time being, and I’ve decided to refocus on Windows for now, despite my MANY issues and criticisms of Windows.
One other reason why I decided to refocus on Windows for now (vs. Mac, which I’m completely phasing out), is that Steinberg is working well with people at Microsoft like @Psychlist1972, and I believe the push into ARM support is the real deal, not to mention MIDI 2.0 and real-time issues being worked on at Microsoft and Steinberg, not to mention the other tools I need aren’t yet on Linux… so it seems that Windows is going to be my current platform for a few more years, co-existing with my Linux DAWs, until some other breakthrough happens.
I’m still hoping for Linux and I keep my Linux stuff updated (and I still use it of course!) but when I need my full toolset and plugin library, I currently use Windows.
Again, this is a case of being realistic in my personal situation and business. YOUR situation may be very different, and your needs may fit perfectly with what already exists on Linux, which is pretty dang cool. The beauty of it is that you are NOT limited to using just one platform. You can use both, which is exactly what I do. I still use Linux and plan to continue using Linux, but I’ve adopted a realistic, more patient, more balanced approach as the market evolves. I’m still optimistic in the long run, but I’ll do what I need to do right now to get the job done too.
I have already made the switch to Linux on one machine with great results.
The only reason I still keep my Windows machine is because of Cubase (which I love and have used since the late Atari days). However, I will eventually be leaving Windows completely (just like I did with companies such as Adobe) and hopefully I will be able to do it together with Cubase.
That would be awesome. From Atari (TOS) to PC (Windows) to PC (Linux) - and always with Cubase. I have a handful of friends who have already made a full switch to Linux, who will never return to Windows. They do both video and music.
Congrats! Good times ahead! What distro and DAW are you using?
Yes, Cubase would be hard to let go of if you do the 100% jump before Steinberg sees the light! Or you can continue to run both Windows and Linux like I do, until the day when Steinberg decides to join the Linux party! 
Cheers man!
It’s important to note that someone who would like to have a Linux option is not necessarily anti-Windows or anti-Mac.
For the moment (until there is a Linux version of Cubase) after October I’ll be keeping my Windows 10, but disconnected from the internet other than when absolutely necessary for things like product activations etc.
The ultimate problem is I believe that eventually, the Windows world will be a pay-to-play environment. A day may come when Cubase will only be supported on a subscription-only OS.
I can only speak for myself, but I feel about ready to ditch Windows at this point. Apple is for me not a valid alternative, since a big reason I don’t like where Windows is going, is because its slowly turning into a top-down operating system much like Apple products. Where my computer feels more like Microsoft property I’m privileged to use, rather than my own PC that I decide how to run. One major frustration being having to reapply settings after Windows updates, because Microsoft has decided to reset it yet again. I just want to work already and not be on a Microsoft schedule! Cubase not running on Linux is one of the major reasons I’ve not made the jump to Linux Mint yet. So a version of Cubase that runs natively on Linux would be extremely welcome in my book. A major relief!
FYI in the meantime I’ve moved all my non-audio activities over to a laptop running Debian 12 and KDE Plasma, which I can highly recommend. The next task is to work out the networking around the Windows 10 machine so that I can isolate it, but allow traffic to and from Steinberg resources for updates and activations.
A Linux option for Cubase would save me a lot of trouble, and would be an option I would pay extra for, as I would not expect Steinberg to do this for free.
Steinberg is not fixing the bugs that have been there for years and is going to create a version for Linux…yes…I wouldn’t get my hopes up
I’m in the process of making the switch to Linux. I’ve been using windows forever (yes I pay for Pro), my new laptop came with Win11 that I upgraded to pro. The taskbar and other issue prompted me to install Win10Pro. With support ending later this year and a few other reasons I’ve decided to make the switch. Right now Cubase is one of the main reasons why I need to keep a windows box. I hope Cubase on Linux will become a thing.
Sometimes I am wondering how many people on this planet that are not IT-Freaks use Linux as a desktop OS.
I privately and professionally have to do with some thousand people and if I include the sudents at my wife’s university it might sum up to some 10000 in the meantime - I am talking about non-IT-people. THere is NO SINGLE ONE using Linux on desktops or notebooks.
But of course it could be that among Cubase-People there are only IT-freaks?
I dont mean “freak” as a negative thing, I am just missing the proper word to describe those who in former days were screwing around with their motor-bikes and nowadays are screwing around with their Desktops/Notebooks. Those are a special breed and not relevant for consideration when it comes to consumer products.
I know people who get on better with linux than windows, it’s just what you’re used to and what requirements you have. For many it’s about putting trust into a system that’s not spying on them, and either deliberately bloating or obsoleting their hardware.
I know plenty of Linux users, and many aren’t your typical geeky/IT types. I know that viewing adult material with less risk of getting infected is a big driver for some people too.
Cubase / Nuendo doesn’t qualify as a consumer product. It’s a tool for professionals.
It perhaps used to be but not so much anymore. I’m willing to bet money that the majority of sales goes to hobbyists these days.
It might be but it would still be a tool for professional.
I’m a sound engineer but i like wood working as a hobby. I also like to have good tools and therefore will spend the money on a professional saw. This saw could be sold to pros as well to hobbyist, no matter the proportions. What matters it that this saw was made to a higher quality standard than a consumer tool.
It’s the same for Cubendo, it’s a tool made to the highest quality, responding to professional need.
Que the Underwater plugin…
Desecrating the most powerful and beautiful plugin the world has ever seen is a sin. Please, where are your manners? 