Subject: [linux-audio-user] A couple of points on the state of linux audio apps
From: Juan Linietsky (coding_AT_reduz.com.ar)
Date: Fri Feb 22 2002 - 19:58:22 EET
Hello, in the past months I've been learning a lot about the linux audio/music niche, talking with a lot of users and developers. i've learned that the state of linux as an audio and music creation platform
has really improved a lot since what it used to be a year or two ago.
Some things about it are definitively amazing. Now even without low latency patches, it is possible to achieve really good audio streaming
and timing control. Yet, what worries me is that there is an enormous
lack of organization on the area. Basically, the lack of a "central"
place for audio and music resources. I think Dave Philips has done
a great job with the linux sound apps, and this list is a great
place for announcement, but this still wont issue many problems.
Some of the problems i can think are, for example, that new users that have never done audio or music certainly have problems finding out what fits best for their needs. Most app programmers that try to clone existing programs from windows/mac counterparts expect the users to know what to find in them, while existing users have a lot of trouble figuring out which app should be used. They dont know which are the most popular apps, or even which ones are in a 'usable' state.
I think the unix way of combining apps to achieve the desired results instead of using a huge bloated app is really good, but unafortunatedly, there is not much documentation about this. It would be really nice
if we could write more howtos (a lot of audio howtos would be nice :)
about the way we do things.
Also freshmeat is a great site, but too general, i was wondering if is there are sites like it but with more categorized/detailed information about the apps (example, sections such as equalizer, softsynths, wavetable engines, trackers, sequencers), with user reviews,comments and such.
I'd like to also mention that, as a developer, I have found the linux
apis for sound (specially ALSA) really awesome. (If anyone here programmed directsound/music, will probably know what i'm talking about ;)
I never have the minimum problem in getting things to work, which do as expected.
Well, I'm willing to help in whathever is needed to make linux a better audio plataform.
regards
Juan Linietsky
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