Hi all,

I've been trying to find info about this for some time now but kinda ended up going in circles... so if anyone has anything to share, please don't hold back

is there any version of W10 that is dedicated to music production?
I know about those guides to deactivate services, all the tips and tricks etc etc... that's not my point.

Is there any "nerd" (or should I call him genius?!) who created a bare, stripped to the bone version of W10, leaving basically only the very essentials? there are tools available to create your own build but you need serious knowledge to be able to use them properly...so that rules me (and plenty of others) out.

I understand that creating a build that works for everyone is most likely impossible but where are all the guys who made those super light versions W7 gone?? isn't it possible to get something similar with W10? something like being able to choose from 2 or 3 setups that would basically cover 90% of users' configs?

getting rid of all those useless services constantly communicating with our CPUs would certainly be beneficial to us all in terms of latency and processing power, regardless of the computer we use... I just don't get why no one is doing it.

well, any info is welcome.

Cheers!

 

did I hear someone cheering in the back?

 

There are bare bones versions of Windows. But havent the alightest why a true DAW os hasnt been created.

 

No one is doing it? Well I think the slim or lite versions already out there serve the job for DAWs as well.
It would be interesting to know if there are any settings specific to DAWs.
The main things are usually freeing up memory and CPU, no matter what type of programs will be used.
There may be certain things that can be further tweaked, but I have a feeling those may vary by DAW.
(# of cores, VST-specific settings, etc)

 

You could argue that Windows is not a good OS for a DAW in general because it is made for the masses with a lot of "useless" consumer functionality and every stripped down version being some kind of wacky hack. In my opinion it would be nice to have a dedicated Linux distribution for it but with vsts not easily supported and a lot of audio interfaces not even supplying drivers and DAWs simply not existent, it might be something that will have to wait for a few lifetimes. Still a dedicated Linux distribution might be the final answer to this question in the future.
Then again with performance just going up all the time, it might not be an issue anymore soon enough.

 

I haven't used Linux for a number of years now (no time to play around anymore), but real-time kernels used to make a huge difference. I do remember seeing some audio specific distros that used a real time kernel. Windows is an equal opportunities employer, and allows anyone to take a slice of the CPU pie.

 

Use a stripped-down Windows 10 with no internet connection.

 

thank you all for your input. Then what stripped-down version have you tried or would you recommend?
I tried a few W10 myself like a couple (or more) years ago and honestly I didn't really noticed any spectacular improvement compared to my current basic W10 install.
If you have tried a good one or have any advice to share, please let me know, I'll give it a go
current CPUs are already more than enough to run the most resource hungry VSTis..that is if useless processes weren't pestering them for no reason!

 

I use a W10 Lite by Oprekin but read his notes before choosing which one to install.

Code:

https://oprekin.com/
https://oprekin.com/windows-10-pro-2004-84-lite/
https://oprekin.com/windows-10-pro-2004-84-lite-plus/

 

So how big is the performance gain then really? Considering a recent system only uses 1-2% of the cpu max when idle, I can't really see how a massive performance gain could be achieved.

 

I've been interested in testing one of those on my NUC! Do you stay offline on the pc with the Oprekin? I guess I would need a good antivirus if I would want to go online with it.

 

Code:

https://ubuntustudio.org/

 

I have both, on line and offline. I never used any AV. You are the best AV that exists. If you are visiting shady sites, downloading what sites claim to have exclusively, bad things will happen. DAW and AV don't mix well.

 

Thanks for that, I hadn't heard of it. So I'm going to look into it I read your last post and I am exactly like you I haven't use an AV in about 15 years now! The only thing I sometimes use is a sandbox. I am mostly offline and AVs would just slow down my machine for no reason...

 

I haven't looked into Linux for a while now, I know it has improved tremendously over the past 5 years or so, but let's say I install this last version of ubuntu studio, then can I just run Cubase or Reaper and my VST/VSTi as I would on W10 or am I going to need bridges and other thingies to make things "somewhat" work? thanks for your input

 

I still am using windows defender but i have excluded nearly every folder by now
I am being serious... I didn't want to have no AV, but over time have made so many exceptions...
If reinstalling it might be easier if I could have it only monitor certain folders for internet browsing, so I really should find some 3rd party replacement.

 

I would say there's always WINE and virtual machines if you want to run Win software on Linux. However many DAWs and apps these days are Linux native.

 

I've had a bit of time and used it to research a few things after I posted that message. Things have definitely moved forward in teh right direction, I even read that Steinberg is releasing tools for linux ...but considering that I have been using Windows all my life, that would defo be too tricky a transition for me (and currently I just don't have time to tamper with it) so trying a lighter build of W10 looks like a better option at the moment. Thanks all the same