Computer performance and LMMS

[dave2002-lmms]

I have a variety of computers, some old. I hardly use Windows at all now, and I don't really want to go back to it.

I have several Apple Macs. Yesterday I tried out LMMS on one of the older Core 2 Duo models. It didn't do very well compared with my i7 based laptop. Many years ago though, around 2002, I noticed that Linux was able to run some programs much faster than the same or similar programs running on other computers - which I think were Apple Macs at the time.

So my question is - does LMMS run well on older machines with Linux - where it might not run so well on an OS such as MacOS?

Of course - (asking this has just jerked my mind) - it's possible that for running on older machines that changing the buffer sizes could make a significant improvement - so trying to gain an improvement by switching to a different OS may not be the way to go. I need to check that. It may be that if I stick with the old machine and MacOS and change the buffer sizes I will get an improvement.

I do have, or have access to, machines which I could probably now dedicate to Linux, rather the currently installed OSs, though that isn't necessarily going to make them much faster or more usable.

[dave2002-lmms]

I think I fixed that issue on my Core 2 Duo iMac by setting the buffer size to 75ms. Before it was set at the minimum level, and caused quite a lot of poor sound quality. I suspect I can reduce the buffer sizer further, but not take it down to the minimum level on that machine.

[Now tried it with a buffer size of 1024 - which brings the latency down to around 24 ms. However this still gives problems if other things are done on the same machine. If only playing LMMS files is required then 1024 works, but if more complex things are to be done at the same time, then 1024 is too small. I'll have to check again for robustness with other work being done on this machine at the same time.]

This resolves a possible immmediate need to install a permanent Linux partition on that machine, or to try another unused machine with Linux. It would neverthelss be interesting to know if Linux does run faster with equivalent programs on that or similar machines, but that can be a project for later on.

[musikbear]

So my question is - does LMMS run well on older machines with Linux - where it might not run so well on an OS such as MacOS?

Yes, if you can run a distro of linux on one of your old pc's, then you will have a better lmms installation. MAC is still a project-in-devellopment, alone the fact that you can use VST in Linux (through wine) is a huge advantage over MAC
https://lmms.io/wiki/index.php?title=In ... l_on_Linux

[dave2002-lmms]

Looks like Macs have really been left behind a bit in this project, which is a bit of a shame. The 1.2.x stable release version seems to work, with some glitches, but is usable (for me) with instruments which work in the sf2 instrument. The 1.1.3 version seems to lack "real" instruments, though has a bunch of synthesisers which do work, as shown for example by the Greippi - Krem Kaakkuja test file.

For me the slight annoyance is that the 1.2.x release seems to require HIgh Sierra as a minimum, so it won't work on some of my older machines until/unless I upgrade them to High Sierra - which I think is possible, but it's extra work.

In the earlier documentation for the 1.1.3 versions there are suggestions that it's possible to get passable sounds of regular instruments using the synthesisers, but I can't see easy ways to do that right now. It might be a curiosity, but unless someone has already done this it's perhaps something I don't want to spend much time on. I like to know how things work, but sometimes it's best to cut my losses and move on. I will probably abandon trying to get 1.1.3 to do anything other than work with synthesisers, and actually do the OS upgrade to allow me to run 1.2.x version - but this is likely to take some while - depending on if I find a drive to back up this machine, or a clone I made some while ago, as I don't want to attempt the upgrade without an adequate backup.

However, I would like to do this in the not too distant future, as I have ideas for other test projects - such as getting a good rendering of Beethoven's 5th Violin Sonata, based on files from MuseScore - if only to satisfy my curiosity re feasibility.

[Gps]

Well its simple to some extent, Linux and Windows are for now better supported.

If I recall right, one of the problems is that that need more people on macs to test he program.

If you can install Linux on those pc, that will probably be the easiest solution. ( then download the appimage file)