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Pipewire has pretty much unified the userland linux audio stack (+ supports video as well as bonus). Kernel side it has always been alsa. There's TinyAlsa so you don't have to use libasound to interface with the kernel alsa. (userland alsa is quite PITA)
Well you probably didn't mean it in a literal sense, but it was OSS up to kernel 2.4 and 2.6 had both OSS and ALSA
I hear many complaining (even here) about "the mess" of linux audio. First, in the article, [1] shows in one single diagram where the complexity is coming from; the audio system has to handle a good deal of different hardware on many different systems and also provide extra functionality for multiplexing, network features, wireless headsets and their codecs, etc. All this: open source. Second: linux is the only platf…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Pipewire is a major development that's especially important for Wayland desktop. It was hard to miss unless you haven't used Linux in a long time.
I don't know what Pipewire is as well. I've used Linux daily for 10+ years, but I've never bothered to use Wayland.
By itself it's essentially grand unification of audio servers that actually works better and is way less... opinionated about the only true way some things works, which was a problem with pulseaudio at times.
I hear many complaining (even here) about "the mess" of linux audio. First, in the article, [1] shows in one single diagram where the complexity is coming from; the audio system has to handle a good deal of different hardware on many different systems and also provide extra functionality for multiplexing, network features, wireless headsets and their codecs, etc. All this: open source. Second: linux is the only platf…
And then there's the whole new suite of programs you have to learn where their implementation is constantly in flux so the documentation isn't exactly accurate. pw-record for instance. That "--list-targets" option it tells you to use is long gone (that princess is now in the "wpctl status " castle). You gotta check the date of everything written online because the month it was written matters. It's still far from great.
I used an Amiga about 30 years ago to do similar things. Now that was something that genuinely just worked. People are still using it. That's how functional it was.
But like all these things, I should find the motivation to shutup the complaining and get to cracking on the code to make it suck less.
When it comes to linux and things are broken, your assumption on how many people have seen it and who is working on the section of code it's caused by is invariably an order of magnitude or two too high. That's why you can't find any fixes on the web. You're one the first to see it. Exciting, isn't it?
> ALSA is the core layer of the Linux audio stack. It provides low-level audio hardware control, including drivers for sound cards and basic audio functionality. > ... > Ulike PuleAudio and JACK, PipeWire does not require ALSA on a system, in fact if ALSA is installed the output of ALSA is very likely pushed through PipeWire I don't get this part. If ALSA represents the kernel level hardware drivers for audio, how do…
I was also confused by this bit. If ALSA is part of the kernel, how can it not be installed?
I hear many complaining (even here) about "the mess" of linux audio. First, in the article, [1] shows in one single diagram where the complexity is coming from; the audio system has to handle a good deal of different hardware on many different systems and also provide extra functionality for multiplexing, network features, wireless headsets and their codecs, etc. All this: open source. Second: linux is the only platf…
Right now after coupling I have to restart mpg123.
1. I have to modify my audio settings every time I start a call in Teams on Linux because it keeps losing my audio device.
2. In my audio settings UI, half the time I switch my devices the speaker test doesn't work.
3. In my audio settings UI, whenever I switch my mic I hear myself. The mic feedback only disappears 30 seconds after I close the settings UI.
4. My work headsets have a robotic sound (likely caused by an incorrect bitrate or buffer size). I can only use work bluetooth headsets via their dedicated dongle.
This was my default experience on a popular debian based distro. And it mirrors the general experience I see online. Things are unstable and a mess.
I started reading this article and it's embelished with phrases like: "is a professional-grade audio server", "widely used in professional audio production environments", and general language that sounds like a sales pitch. This does not fit with anything I'm familiar with.
I would have preferred a neutral and semi technical approach, with 10% of the buzzwords. As written, I trust nothing.
Here's my background 1. I have to modify my audio settings every time I start a call in Teams on Linux because it keeps losing my audio device. 2. In my audio settings UI, half the time I switch my devices the speaker test doesn't work. 3. In my audio settings UI, whenever I switch my mic I hear myself. The mic feedback only disappears 30 seconds after I close the settings UI. 4. My work headsets have a robotic sound…
