And what about Linux audio?

Yeah, what about it? Well, not much really. I have acquired the linuxaudio.org domain name since that is more practical when it comes to DNS changes as I am one of the root admins of the linuxaudio.org servers. When it comes to making music I’m still exclusively using Linux but I’ve shifted to a monolithic approach. I bought a Mixbus32C license a couple of years ago, clicked on ALSA as Audio System and never looked back.

My interest also shifted to the analog domain. Having a busy job in the digital domain I found myself more and more avoiding computers outside of work. In the same time I got more involved in making music and I’ve also dived into the world of analog electronics. I’ve always wanted to know how guitar effects and tube amplifiers work so I just started building effects a few years ago and by now I can also bias my own amps and do simple mods. I’m also learning how to get the most out of my guitars when it comes to intonation, action, pickup height and electronics, that kind of stuff. It’s very gratifying to be able to do those kind of things yourself, to pick up a guitar you’ve serviced yourself and that it plays and sounds like a dream.

So next up is building my own amp, got all the parts and I have two weeks off around Christmas so hopefully I can start the new year with a screaming solo from my own amp. Building my own guitar would be awesome too. A complete DIY setup, I’d love that.

And what about Linux audio?

New job

Working at home during the Intelligent Lockdown got me thinking about a lot of stuff, including my job at Cyso. I started weighing the many positive aspects against the negative ones and unfortunately the balance tilted too much towards the negative side. So when I got contacted by Evidos I decided to bite the bullet because their offer just ticked so many boxes. Started there in August and I’m now at the point where things are starting to roll. I’m hired as a cloud engineer but as a jack of all trades I already find myself meddling with all kinds of things. Besides maintaining the current cloud platforms, which are mainly used for testing purposes, I’m also heavily involved in the upcoming migration of the current setup into the cloud. And I offer a fresh outlook on a wide variety of subjects that could be done better in my opinion. Think of monitoring, automation and security but also how operational work could be organized better, how existing processes could be improved and I’ve made a start with setting a proper standard for documenting all the things we do.

Evidos itself is a company that does digital signing. Think of all kinds of contracts, deeds or other official documents that need a signature. So no need to go to a notary office, estate agent or your new employer physically, just add your signature in a digital way to the official documents and end up with documents that have been fully signed by all involved parties with a solid judiciary basis. This just saves a lot of time, paper and physical encounters that should be avoided as much as possible these days.

For me this means improving my skills when it comes to encryption standards and methods, security awareness and compliancy. And a great opportunity to make good use of the knowledge I’ve amassed over the years. So far I’m happy about the decision I’ve made, it’s quite a step to change jobs, especially when you already work for a great company with a permanent contract and also given the current circumstances. But sometimes you’re just forced to step back and reconsider. I’m glad that happened, I’m regaining my enthusiasm to work with Linux and open source software in general which is a good sign and I’m starting to find more focus and peace in my current job. A good thing, not just on a professional level but also on a personal level.

New job