I'm also a long-term Ubuntu user, and I've been using the ubuntu-studio releases in my main music studio DAW for years now. As far as I can tell my experience has been completely opposite to yours - the desktop works like it should, and I have all the advantages of Ubuntu (minus Unity), same as it ever was.

Maybe you'd consider moving to another of these 'splinter Ubuntus' - like Mint, or UbuntuStudio - as well? Seems quite a viable alternative - at least my music DAW machine has been running, very stably, for years now.