diff -ruN a/app/server/ruby/core.rb b/app/server/ruby/core.rb
--- a/app/server/ruby/core.rb	2024-12-16 00:00:00.000000000 +0000
+++ b/app/server/ruby/core.rb	2024-12-16 00:00:00.000000000 +0000
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@
       # define this helper first so we can set the constants below
       def self.wav_from_buffer_file(filename)
         ::WaveFile::Reader.new(
-          File.expand_path("../../../../etc/buffers/#{filename}", __FILE__),
+          File.expand_path("/usr/share/sonic-pi/buffers/#{filename}"),
           ::WaveFile::Format.new(:mono, :float, 44100)
         ).read(441000).samples.freeze
       end
diff -ruN a/app/server/ruby/paths.rb b/app/server/ruby/paths.rb
--- a/app/server/ruby/paths.rb	2024-12-16 00:00:00.000000000 +0000
+++ b/app/server/ruby/paths.rb	2024-12-16 00:00:00.000000000 +0000
@@ -47,11 +47,11 @@
     end

     def self.root_path
-      File.absolute_path("#{File.dirname(__FILE__)}/../../../")
+      File.absolute_path("/usr/share/sonic-pi")
     end

     def self.etc_path
-      File.absolute_path("#{root_path}/etc")
+      File.absolute_path("#{root_path}")
     end
     def self.snippets_path
       File.absolute_path("#{etc_path}/snippets")
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@
     end

     def self.doc_path
-      File.absolute_path("#{etc_path}/doc")
+      File.absolute_path("/usr/share/doc/sonic-pi")
     end

     def self.docs_generated_path
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@
     end

     def self.tmp_path
-      File.absolute_path("#{root_path}/tmp")
+      File.absolute_path("/tmp")
     end

     def self.synthdef_path
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@
     end

     def self.app_path
-      File.absolute_path("#{root_path}/app")
+      File.absolute_path("/usr/lib/sonic-pi")
     end

     def self.html_public_path
@@ -165,11 +165,11 @@
     end

     def self.qt_gui_utils_path
-      File.absolute_path("#{app_path}/gui/utils")
+      File.absolute_path("/usr/share/sonic-pi/gui/utils")
     end

     def self.examples_path
-      File.absolute_path("#{etc_path}/examples")
+      File.absolute_path("#{doc_path}/examples")
     end

    def self.server_path
@@ -211,10 +211,5 @@
     end

     def self.sox_path
-      case os
-      when :windows
-        File.absolute_path("#{native_path}/sox/sox.exe")
-      else
-        File.absolute_path("#{native_path}/sox/sox")
-      end
+      File.absolute_path("/usr/bin/sox")
     end

     def self.scsynth_log_path