Studio To Go is a Knoppix-based Linux musical software environment that allows Windows users access to linux-based open-source software tools, without having to install Linux onto the Windows PC.

Knoppix is a Linux that runs completely from a CD-ROM, although it probably takes some RAM and turns it into a ram disk for housekeeping duties and temporary files. Knoppix supports a number of external devices, such as USB thumbdrives, network interface cards, and modems.

According to the FAQ on the Studio to Go website, you can boot into the musical environment, and then create songs, and mix music. It is setup to not write to the hard drive (linux and NTFS can corrupt each other), but will export just fine to other devices.

So, what exactly is Studio to Go? It is a collection of open-source software and a Digital Audio Workstation. It supports lots of soft synths, VST, and VSTi, and other audio editors. Here is a sampling from their website:

Rosegarden 1.2: Audio and MIDI sequencer, score editor
LilyPond: score typesetting and notation output
ALSA Sound drivers
QAMix, HDSPMixer, envy24control
Ardour
LADSPA plugins

Because the package is running Linux, they have also included a web browser, email client, and PDF viewer so that the computer can connect to the internet, and access online materials.

I am not a musician, and cannot therefore judge the package as an artist. But looking at the features, and the ability to have a portable music system without modifying the installed Windows system, I have to say that this is a powerful tool. I'd love to hear from folks who have "tried this at home".

Christian