The "mess" of Linux audio is due to ONE reason:
single-client ALSA driver model.
every other layer is a coping mechanism and the plurality and divergence of the FOSS community responds in various ways:
- Jack
- PulseAudio
- PipeWire
I am unclear why Jaroslav Kyocera chose to make ALSA single-client, but Apples CoreAudio multi-client driver model is the right way to do digital audio on general-purpose computing devices running multi-tasking OS'es on application processors, in my opinion.
Current issues this article does not address that actually constitute large parts of the "mess" of Linux Audio:
- channel mapping that is not transparent nor clearly assigned anywhere in userspace.
(aka, why does my computer insist that my multi-input pro-audio interface is a surround-sound interface? I don't WANT high-pass-filters on the primary L/R pair of channels. I am not USING a subwoofer. WTF)
- the lack of a STANDARD for channel-mapping, vs the Alsa config standards, /etc/asound.conf etc.
- the lack of friendly nomenclature on hardware inputs/outputs for DAW software, whether on the ALSA layer, or some sound-server layer.
(not to mention that ALSA calls an 8-channel audio-interface "4 stereo devices")
- probably more, but I can't remember. My current audio production systems have the DAW software directly opening an ALSA device. I cannot listen to audio elsewhere until I quit my DAW. This works and I can set my latency as low as the hardware will allow it.
this is the thing: more than about 10ms latency is unacceptable for audio recording in the multitrack fashion, as one does.
every other layer is a coping mechanism and the plurality and divergence of the FOSS community responds in various ways: - Jack - PulseAudio - PipeWire
I am unclear why Jaroslav Kyocera chose to make ALSA single-client, but Apples CoreAudio multi-client driver model is the right way to do digital audio on general-purpose computing devices running multi-tasking OS'es on application processors, in my opinion.
Current issues this article does not address that actually constitute large parts of the "mess" of Linux Audio:
- channel mapping that is not transparent nor clearly assigned anywhere in userspace. (aka, why does my computer insist that my multi-input pro-audio interface is a surround-sound interface? I don't WANT high-pass-filters on the primary L/R pair of channels. I am not USING a subwoofer. WTF)
- the lack of a STANDARD for channel-mapping, vs the Alsa config standards, /etc/asound.conf etc.
- the lack of friendly nomenclature on hardware inputs/outputs for DAW software, whether on the ALSA layer, or some sound-server layer. (not to mention that ALSA calls an 8-channel audio-interface "4 stereo devices")
- probably more, but I can't remember. My current audio production systems have the DAW software directly opening an ALSA device. I cannot listen to audio elsewhere until I quit my DAW. This works and I can set my latency as low as the hardware will allow it.
this is the thing: more than about 10ms latency is unacceptable for audio recording in the multitrack fashion, as one does.