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VoRS: Vo(IP) Simple Alternative to Mumble

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21–30 of 77 posts

Re: VoRS: Vo(IP) Simple Alternative to Mumble

#21
post #3

This is great but would need to run on windows for the typical mumble use-case of gaming. It would also be great to have this running on ESP32 or similar, so you could make dedicated IP desk intercoms - I envisage a star-trek style intercom, with each button being a channel that you can join by pushing it in (can join multiple simultaneously).

> This is great but would need to run on windows for the typical mumble use-case of gaming. You can game on Linux just fine.

You can certainly play a number of popular and/or high quality games on Linux, but it's hardly ubiquitous. If you're interested in a given specific game I would say your odds of it having a viable Linux experience are worse than 50/50 yet, and if it's a AAA title I'd say it's closer to 10-25% IME.

If not for Valve/SteamDeck this would be even more dire, and many of those experiences are still emulation-based i.e. Proton.

If you want to be able to play any given computer game being sold this year, that's only reasonably certain on Windows. Gaming is the only reason I still have a Win10 install.

Re: VoRS: Vo(IP) Simple Alternative to Mumble

#22
post #13

This is REALLY important software nowadays imho. I'm old enough to have spoken to people on analogue land lines: the sound was crisp, you could hear small background noises, you could hear someone breathe. Nowadays we usually speak to people on digital lines that are highly compressed (to the extend that is messes with the sound quality), low freq range (no bass, very high sounds) and cut up (without enough sound or…

> I'm old enough to have spoken to people on analogue land lines: the sound was crisp You're old enough to have forgotten what land lines sounded like. They intentionally dropped frequencies from the audio signal so that they wouldn't have to carry the data contained at those frequencies. This is why nobody ever sounded like themselves over the phone.

> They intentionally dropped frequencies from the audio signal so that they wouldn't have to carry the data contained at those frequencies. This is why nobody ever sounded like themselves over the phone.

I remember switching from early GSM phone to a landline because I like to hear my love breathe

Re: VoRS: Vo(IP) Simple Alternative to Mumble

#23
post #13

This is REALLY important software nowadays imho. I'm old enough to have spoken to people on analogue land lines: the sound was crisp, you could hear small background noises, you could hear someone breathe. Nowadays we usually speak to people on digital lines that are highly compressed (to the extend that is messes with the sound quality), low freq range (no bass, very high sounds) and cut up (without enough sound or…

> I'm old enough to have spoken to people on analogue land lines: the sound was crisp You're old enough to have forgotten what land lines sounded like. They intentionally dropped frequencies from the audio signal so that they wouldn't have to carry the data contained at those frequencies. This is why nobody ever sounded like themselves over the phone.

Old phone signals (Plain old telephone service or POTS) cut off frequencies above 4 khz. You cannot hear the difference between f and s, as these are higher frequency sounds at around 8 to 12 khz. You'd have to say f like in Fred or s like in Steve? Cause you literally could not hear the difference.

This is the reason broadband internet (ADSL) is called broadband. Because dial up internet used the POTS frequency band below 4 khz, and broadband used the (broad) frequencies above.

It's also the reason you'd have to get a technician out to your house in order to get ADSL. They would install a frequency cutoff filter on the phone line into your house, and hookup the landline to the below 4 khz side and the ADSL modem to the above 4 khz side, so the POTS signal would not interfere with the ADSL signal.

Re: VoRS: Vo(IP) Simple Alternative to Mumble

#26
The _biggest_ selling point with mumble (though I've not used it in anger in about a decade) was the way it tied in with the game you were playing and gave you in-game spacial audio.

Stand next to someone in game and they came through loud and clear. Move away from them sideway and it's now quieter and only through one headphone... I found it extremely novel and immersive when I used to play FPS games; everyone on mumble but absolutely not like being in a chatroom.

Re: VoRS: Vo(IP) Simple Alternative to Mumble

#27
post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's so nerd-sad to see Ukrainian Army doing just fine with Discord screen sharing on Windows[1], realistically obsoleting a large bulk of proper intercom solutions. I want to have to have a working RTS KP-32 on my desk! 1: https://i.redd.it/hjcg9hdnqvqa1.jpg

It's clown world level to see any military using a consumer chat application for sensitive operations, especially one made by a foreign cooperaton. They really don't seem to take opsec seriously even when leaks have already cost lives.

They made very successful use of consumer-level tech to defeat military-grade tech, e.g. various uses of drones to deliver munitions, and GSM networks as beacons over enemy territory. No wonder: given their constraints, they jump on every solution that can work right now, with near-zero effort. While using a foreign-controlled tech is usually frowned upon, the US is not the side from which they particularly need to hide. I would rather see them using Signal though.

Re: VoRS: Vo(IP) Simple Alternative to Mumble

#28
post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'm old enough to have spoken to people on analogue land lines: the sound was crisp You're old enough to have forgotten what land lines sounded like. They intentionally dropped frequencies from the audio signal so that they wouldn't have to carry the data contained at those frequencies. This is why nobody ever sounded like themselves over the phone.

> They intentionally dropped frequencies from the audio signal so that they wouldn't have to carry the data contained at those frequencies. This is why nobody ever sounded like themselves over the phone. I remember switching from early GSM phone to a landline because I like to hear my love breathe

Remember what you like. The facts are that sound over landlines was not crisp, and in fact was a train wreck.

It's particularly ridiculous that you're complaining about digital lines having a low frequency range.

Whatever you remember, it isn't reality.

Re: VoRS: Vo(IP) Simple Alternative to Mumble

#29
post #13

This is REALLY important software nowadays imho. I'm old enough to have spoken to people on analogue land lines: the sound was crisp, you could hear small background noises, you could hear someone breathe. Nowadays we usually speak to people on digital lines that are highly compressed (to the extend that is messes with the sound quality), low freq range (no bass, very high sounds) and cut up (without enough sound or…

> I'm old enough to have spoken to people on analogue land lines: the sound was crisp You're old enough to have forgotten what land lines sounded like. They intentionally dropped frequencies from the audio signal so that they wouldn't have to carry the data contained at those frequencies. This is why nobody ever sounded like themselves over the phone.

I wonder if it was more of an issue with the mic and/or mic placement on phones? Old landline phones had a large mic right by your mouth, whereas cell phones have little pinhole mics near the bottom of the phone.

I feel like I've actually noticed the opposite. My parents still have a landline, although it's basically VoIP (through their cable company) but it's connected to the analog lines in their house. I've noticed they generally sound clearer on their cell phones than they do on the landline.

Re: VoRS: Vo(IP) Simple Alternative to Mumble

#30

> users tend to complain about [Mumble's] newer client versions quality and convenience. I have never heard anyone complain about Mumble's UX. Especially not that it has gotten worse. Or it's resource usage, which is practically unnoticeable on any average system sold past 2005. It's the best-in-class and has only gotten better.

And even if I had, I'm quite sure they wouldn't have meant they wanted it in the terminal instead.
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