Having now spent a couple days with Windows 11, I can fairly say it’s the absolute worst for musicians. Save yourself the trouble — just get a Mac and avoid Windows hell.
I’ve been working on assembling a live, hybrid electronic rig. My aim is to use both hardware synths and Chapman Stick for live performance. I’m not precious about so-called “DAW-less setups” since a DAW can efficiently solve some problems. So, the basics:
- Sound coming to the computer via a Zoom L6 mixer
- Elektron Digitakt II sound going into the mixer
- Elektron Digitone II sound going into the mixer
- Chapman Stick going into some hardware (Line 6 HX Stomp, Empress Zoia) and then into the mixer
- MIDI control via a Novation Launch Control XL 3 and an ESI Xjam
- A computer to run vocal effects and mixbus/mastering chain for sweetening (hosted in a DAW)
I had a not-terribly-old extra Dell laptop (Core i7, totally capable of Windows 11) hanging around. So I decided to see if it would run the DAW portion. That would keep me from having to take my critical MacBook Pro to gigs. I don’t love the idea of my studio brain also being the live brain, risking damage or disaster.
Note that despite the long list above, the computer’s part in the rig is fairly minimal. It has to host a digital interface, and run a DAW. That’s it. But even that proved incredibly frustrating.
First, making the interface work was a whole ordeal on its own. I had to download special drivers because Windows has substandard audio. I also had to force the hardware to do tricks so Windows would recognize it, as part of the fun. Then in order to keep the L6 from randomly disconnecting, I had to dive into the OS and turn off various power management options. Windows apparently isn’t smart enough to figure out that maybe, just maybe, you want sound to work, even when not actively blaring 100% of the time.
Even after I did all that, the connection wasn’t predictable. The interface still cut out at random times. This would cause the DAW (I run Pro Tools) to halt because it could no longer guarantee audio delivery. Of course, this is catastrophic and unacceptable for a live show.
Compare and contrast to my MBP that literally Just Works™. It’s mind boggling that people spend $200 less on a laptop to avoid the “Apple tax,” and then go on to spend a ludicrous amount of extra time dealing with the pain of a crappy OS, as if their time is worth nothing. The same setup took me no time or effort at all on Mac OS. So I see no reason to live in Windows hell.
(Note: I love Linux for general computing, where it excels, and I use it daily. When it comes to pro audio, however, it’s a special circle of hell. It’s marginally better than Windows, in that I don’t have to license it for the privilege of suffering at its hands. But again, I prefer not to devalue my creative time.)
Photo by Clint Patterson on Unsplash.