Subject: Re: [linux-audio-user] icky low level linux stuff
From: Paul Winkler (pw_lists_AT_slinkp.com)
Date: Sat Jul 27 2002 - 20:30:17 EEST
On Sat, Jul 27, 2002 at 02:35:14PM +0200, Mitch Pirtle wrote:
> (and suddenly, a lurker appears)
>
> Hi everyone. (steps out of bushes)
>
> First off, I don't understand why everyone else on the Internet seems to
> get along with simply putting "newbie" in the subject line --- but here
> in linux audio land that's just not acceptable.
I wish I knew what gave you that idea. If we're giving people that
impression on this list, we need to do better.
> >From an audio perspective, I see little difference after installing
> RH7.3 then I did with RH4.2. Amazing that I can get SMP support,
> traffic shaping, network management, webserving, journaled filesystems,
> security auditing, and relational databases after a default install -
> but no audio (or MP3-only audio with no real support). Absolutely
> amazing. Linux has a long ways to go in this respect.
There's a simple reason for this. The linux distros make their
money from contracts with big networked companies. Those guys care
about SMP, they care about journalling filesystems, they care about
traffic shaping and webserving. They don't give a hoot about audio.
So the distros pay kernel hackers to develop the things that their
enterprise customers need. AFAIK, nobody gets paid to hack linux
audio except a couple of the ALSA guys. So we trudge along
at a snail's pace with volunteers working in their spare time.
I hope that AGNULA will help change this...
> Trommeler) to tracks recorded on the HDD. So what is the digital
> equivalent so dropping a SMPTE time track and syncing the drum machine
> until all the *other* tracks are done and *then* committing the drums to
> tape/disk?
Currently, I don't know of any way to do this.
I don't even know of any way to record the output from many apps,
including trommler. This is the reason Jack was created; but,
being only a few months old, support for jack is not widespread.
And while jack solves the problem of patching one app's output
into another app's input, I'm not sure if or how it addresses
issues of synchronized start. I *think* there's some kind of
transport control in jack, but I don't know...
> And my advice to others who ask just me --- that just breaks my heart.
> I have to say "Well man, I couldn't get it to build, and the brief time
> it did, I couldn't make anything go anyway." And they walk away
> thinking "Wow, if he can't do it, then we never will..."
I feel much the same way. :(
Most musicians I know who use computers have Macs. I watch the way
they work and if they ask me about linux, I just say "I don't think
it's for you right now." It's very sad. Someday...
--Paul Winkler home: http://www.slinkp.com "Muppet Labs, where the future is made - today!"
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