For producers, beatmakers, composers, and mix engineers
A music production system for Linux with a lean audio-ready base, a curated software installer for DAWs and plugins, and Windows VST support on a system that stays stable over time.
rpm-ostree rebase ostree-unverified-registry:ghcr.io/caracal-dev/caracal:latest
Why Caracal
Moving from Windows shouldn't mean trading one set of headaches for another. Caracal is built so your audio interface, plugins, and DAW are ready on day one — and the system itself stays reliable over time.
Ready on day one
On Windows, getting low-latency audio often means fighting ASIO drivers, buffer settings, and background processes. Caracal arrives already configured for music production — your audio interface works, your latency is low, and you can start a session without touching a single setting.
Lean studio base
Ardour, Qtractor, Carla, Hydrogen, Wine/Yabridge, and a focused plugin set are included out of the box. REAPER, Renoise, Bitwig, Mixbus, extra synths, and larger plugin collections live in the bundled Caracal Software Installer so the base system stays lean.
Focused plugin base
Caracal preinstalls LSP, Calf, Guitarix, Vitalium, DISTRHO DrumSynth/EQuinox, and Carla integration. The installer expands that into Dragonfly Reverb, Surge XT, Cardinal, Decent Sampler, BYOD, AIDA-X, Neural Amp Modeler, TAL plugins, Zam, DPF, and more.
Your Windows plugins come with you
Caracal includes built-in support for running Windows VST plugins on Linux. If you have a plugin library from your Windows setup, you don't have to leave it behind — most plugins load and run without any extra steps.
A system that stays stable
Unlike a traditional Windows or Linux install, Caracal's system files are locked — apps and updates can't quietly corrupt the foundation your studio runs on. Every system update is applied as a clean snapshot, and if an update causes problems, you can boot back into the previous version in seconds.
Workflow
Whether you're building tracks, recording live instruments, or running a plugin-heavy mix, Caracal covers the whole workflow — including the Windows VST plugins you already own.
Ardour's mixer handles large sessions cleanly — all your channels, sends, and plugins in one view, without the clutter.
The core tools you need to write and record are included from day one, and the installer handles the larger DAW and plugin catalog when you are ready.
If you're coming from REAPER or Bitwig on Windows, they install cleanly and work exactly as you'd expect.
Caracal includes built-in tools to run most Windows VST plugins. Your existing library doesn't have to collect dust.
Check plugin compatibility
The Caracal Audio Controller keeps common audio settings close at hand, so you can tune your setup without digging through system panels.
Everyday desktop apps fit naturally into the system, from web browsing to documentation, downloads, and project research.
Distrobox lets you run apps from other Linux distributions, including .deb-based tools, when something you need is not available in the Caracal Software Installer yet.
Bazaar gives you a straightforward way to browse and install Flatpak apps without leaving the desktop.
What's included
Caracal now keeps the base image focused: the audio system, core DAWs, compatibility tools, and a practical plugin set are ready immediately. The larger DAW, synth, effect, and utility catalog is delivered through the custom software installer so you can add what you actually use.
Get started — early access
Choose the early access ISO that matches your graphics hardware. If you're already on a compatible Fedora Atomic desktop, you can still switch in place with the three-step path that follows.
Choose your image
AMD and Intel systems use the same image. NVIDIA systems have a dedicated image with NVIDIA support included.
AMD / Intel installer image
Use this early access ISO on systems with AMD or Intel graphics.
Download AMD / Intel ISO Download checksum fileThis image is not currently available.
If you're already on Fedora Atomic, you can skip the ISO and switch directly.
Already on Fedora Atomic? Switch in place:
If you're already on a compatible Fedora Atomic desktop, one command switches you over to Caracal. Alternatively, install a Fedora Atomic image first, then switch.
rpm-ostree rebase ostree-unverified-registry:ghcr.io/caracal-dev/caracal:latest
A single command sets up everything your audio interface needs — low-latency permissions, Windows plugin support, and a few quality-of-life tweaks.
ujust first-run
Open the bundled software installer to browse, queue, install, and uninstall DAWs, instruments, effects, and utilities. Or install individual apps with the focused helpers.
ujust software-installer
What You’ll See
When you log into Caracal for the first time, you will be greeted with our custom setup wizard. First you can update your username and password if you choose or leave them as they are, then you get a straightforward first-run window that automatically configures the handful of things Caracal needs for audio work and points you toward the software installer for optional DAWs, instruments, effects, and utilities.
If you are coming from Microsoft Windows, this is the part that replaces the usual round of driver installers, permission dialogs, and utility apps.
Verification
Download the ISO and the matching checksum file into the same folder, then run the command for the image you downloaded.
sha256sum -c caracal-latest-amd64.iso-CHECKSUM
sha256sum -c caracal-nvidia-latest-amd64.iso-CHECKSUM
If you're switching with `rpm-ostree rebase` instead of using the ISO, advanced users can still verify the published container image with Cosign.
cosign verify --key cosign.pub ghcr.io/caracal-dev/caracal:latest