Is Debian KDE a good minimal setup for audio and video production?
Asked by
MellowPebble42
I've been using Ubuntu Studio for about a year after switching from macOS and Windows, and I've really enjoyed Linux. I originally chose it because it included the creative applications I needed, a low-latency kernel, and KDE Plasma, but the default installation takes up quite a bit of space with many programs I never use.
I'm considering a fresh, more minimal installation of Debian with KDE Plasma, then installing only the software I actually need: GIMP, Inkscape, Kdenlive, Blender, and Bitwig Studio. I assume most of these are available through the standard package repositories, but I'm unsure whether Bitwig's Ubuntu .deb package will also work properly on Debian, since its native package works better for me than the Flatpak version.
I'd also like to know whether backing up my /home directory is sufficient before reformatting, how straightforward it is to set up a low-latency audio environment with ALSA and PipeWire, and whether I can copy Ubuntu Studio's font collection into the new installation.
This will be running on an AMD 8745HS mini PC with integrated Radeon 780M graphics. My current system automatically suggested installing a proprietary driver, so I'm also wondering whether Debian will require any special graphics setup.
Answers
What you want is certainly doable, but Debian may require more manual setup than Ubuntu Studio. KDE Plasma is available on Debian, and the creative applications you listed are generally available through package repositories or the vendors’ own installers. Bitwig’s Ubuntu .deb may work on Debian because both use the Debian package format, but compatibility depends on the required library versions, so it’s worth checking Bitwig’s supported distributions before relying on it. Make a separate backup of personal files, project files, presets, plugins, browser profiles, and application settings rather than assuming that copying /home alone is enough. Also verify that your backup can actually be restored before formatting.
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For audio production, start with the normal kernel and current PipeWire/ALSA packages before adding a custom low-latency kernel. Modern kernels already include scheduling improvements, and low-latency behavior can often be enabled through the system’s audio and scheduling configuration. Debian-based audio guides can help, but check that their instructions match your Debian release instead of blindly running commands. Your AMD integrated graphics should generally use the built-in open-source driver; you usually don’t need a proprietary graphics driver for that hardware. Fonts can be transferred by copying the font files into ~/.local/share/fonts for your user account, or into /usr/local/share/fonts for system-wide use, followed by refreshing the font cache.
SmallOrbit6: Be cautious with random setup guides, especially commands involving sudo. Some guides are outdated or automatically generated, so confirm package names and instructions against Debian’s own documentation and your release’s repositories.
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BlueCedar19: A live USB working is a good sign, but it doesn’t guarantee that every audio, graphics, or suspend-related detail will behave identically after installation. Testing your actual interface and MIDI equipment from the live environment would be useful.