I run pipewire and let me offer some generic tips:
* Make loopback devices that are always there for headphones/mic -- software doesn't handle connection/disconnection well
* Keep all your processing in carla (i load it with systemd as a user unit on login)
* You still need some way to control "pulse audio" (even though it's pipewire provided) for per-app volume control, profile selections, etc, so you probably want pavucontrol for that.
* Make loopback devices that are always there for headphones/mic -- software doesn't handle connection/disconnection well
* Keep all your processing in carla (i load it with systemd as a user unit on login)
* You still need some way to control "pulse audio" (even though it's pipewire provided) for per-app volume control, profile selections, etc, so you probably want pavucontrol for that.