Hi, I agree with you David, but I don't think an "old system" will have the grunt to record audio, in anything like a multitrack tape machine.

And a virtual machine would typically require even more grunt.

But at least the writer tried, yes.

Well i tried linux wanting to try something new and see what it was like compared to windows. I also just found a really old computer and i thought linux may run well on it, knowing its speed over windows. Glenn i've tried using both audacity and ardour, both programs seem okay the only problem im having on them is the recording... which is a bit of a hold back. On both programs supprisingly i can record a first track then when i add another on audacity the second track refuses to record on and on ardour i can still record the first track but when i add a new track, click to set record, click record and play on the toolbar, it says theirs no input, but there obviously is as i recorded track one :S so im a bit confused here. Im recording via the line in. And to the dual boot option i did think about that but the machines so old im not sure it run both windows and linux. I think ill give linux another go, caus if i can get this reocrding going it be great, can anyone help with the above problems?

H_TeXMeX_H, I wanted to try out linux just to see what it was like compared to windows. And seeing as ive got a really old desktop putting linux on it compared to windows be a better option. Glenn i have installed audacity and ardour but neither of them seem to work properly, i can record the first track on both but on audacity when i add another track it decides to ignore the the second one and not record it, and on ardour the first track works and records, i add another then set the second to record not the first and it doesnt sense any input, but there obviously is as i've recorded a first track :/ I'm using a direct input via the line in. And i did think about dual boot but this computer is seriously old and im not sure windows XP would run too well on it, thus wanting to use linux. If i can get these programs to record properly id be happy, anyone who's used them have any ideas?

Hi, I can understand your problems are confounding.

as a side point, dual booting the 2 operating systems is really just a matter of disk space.

And what ver of win the old machine will run.

As for selecting the inputs for the recorder....

If you get Qjackctl (and jackd) you can setup a patch bay so that your hardware input is connected to the ardour inputs. Then from ardour(simple patchbay pic) or audacity all you have to do is activate the tracks as you need them, as you described above.

The same is true for monitoring the outputs.

It's not simple, but if it was, everybody would be doing it. lol.

I see your main problem, when this works, is you will have a delay between hearing your live signal and the signal it's self, but this can be got around if you are close to the machine, you won't (may not) need to monitor the live signal through the machine as you record.

Jackd...
http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/8354
http://qjackctl.sourceforge.net/
http://jackaudio.org/files/docs/html/index.html

Some online tutes....
http://www.out-of-order.ca/tutorials/ardour/
http://jamin.sourceforge.net/en/tutorial.html
http://www.ubustu.com/globe/2007/09/...oop-in-ardour/

I know there is a lot of info here, but you will need to become an expert with your system to get the most from it.

Also, I'll plug my realtime tute....

regards Glenn.

Thanks Glenn, ill go through the steps you've left and reply back with what happens. And the problem was that the HDD i have at the momment is only 20GB so im not sure after fitting Ubuntu, with programs ,files etc there will be enough room for another OS, but im going to try and get the recording on ubuntu going first. Thanks

No worries.

20gig will not be enough to dual boot and record, try to keep your ubuntu install slim,

to leave room for audio files, they can get pretty big really fast.

cheers Glenn