When is it a good choice to install a sound server and when is installing a sound server a waste of disk space? -- Jude <jdashiel at panix dot com> "There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order." Ed Howdershelt 1940.
On Mon, 2023-11-27 at 04:22 -0500, Jude DaShiell wrote:
When is it a good choice to install a sound server and when is installing a sound server a waste of disk space?
Hi, what is probably most relevant, I would say roughly summarised: If several programs are to be able to access a sound card, then it is probably most convenient to use a sound server that can also, but not necessarily, resample. Some programmes, IIRC e.g. the one or other screen recorder, do not offer the possibility of working without a sound server. I myself use ALSA directly or jackd with ALSA, because I always know in advance that only one programme, like a browser, will need the sound card or because I'm about to start an audio production. I neither use a desktop environment nor use the computer for home entertainment. For desktop environment sound and home entertainment sound lovers, a sound server is certainly preferable to my approach. Regards, Ralf
Thanks much, this clarifies some things. Screen reader users will have one process running constantly and will need at least another process to permit any other program to generate sound simultaneously. I have pulseaudio on this system and alsa and that probably will be enough for my uses. -- Jude <jdashiel at panix dot com> "There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order." Ed Howdershelt 1940. On Mon, 27 Nov 2023, Ralf Mardorf wrote:
On Mon, 2023-11-27 at 04:22 -0500, Jude DaShiell wrote:
When is it a good choice to install a sound server and when is installing a sound server a waste of disk space?
Hi,
what is probably most relevant, I would say roughly summarised: If several programs are to be able to access a sound card, then it is probably most convenient to use a sound server that can also, but not necessarily, resample. Some programmes, IIRC e.g. the one or other screen recorder, do not offer the possibility of working without a sound server.
I myself use ALSA directly or jackd with ALSA, because I always know in advance that only one programme, like a browser, will need the sound card or because I'm about to start an audio production. I neither use a desktop environment nor use the computer for home entertainment.
For desktop environment sound and home entertainment sound lovers, a sound server is certainly preferable to my approach.
Regards, Ralf
On Mon, 2023-11-27 at 08:30 -0500, Jude DaShiell wrote:
Thanks much, this clarifies some things. Screen reader users will have one process running constantly and will need at least another process to permit any other program to generate sound simultaneously. I have pulseaudio on this system and alsa and that probably will be enough for my uses.
The screen readers are probably well integrated when using pulseaudio, so you probably should stay with pulseaudio. However, I made a short test, Firefox and Waterfox can play a YouTube Video at the same time, using the HDMI sound device, without a sound server and without anything I need to set up. I wasn't aware that dmix does work automagically for some audio devices. "Integrated motherboard sound cards (such as Intel HD Audio), usually do not support hardware mixing. On such cards, software mixing is done by an ALSA plugin called dmix. This feature is enabled automatically if hardware mixing is unavailable." - https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Advanced_Linux_Sound_Architecture#Dmix
I am a pretty happy pipewire user. I think it takes the role of both jack and pulseaudio which means you can kinda use it in both kinds of use cases, at least in theory, haven't tried any form of audio production but have definitely used jack-like capabilities on a desktop setting this way. W dniu 27.11.2023 o 14:30, Jude DaShiell pisze:
Thanks much, this clarifies some things. Screen reader users will have one process running constantly and will need at least another process to permit any other program to generate sound simultaneously. I have pulseaudio on this system and alsa and that probably will be enough for my uses.
-- Jude <jdashiel at panix dot com> "There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order." Ed Howdershelt 1940.
On Mon, 27 Nov 2023, Ralf Mardorf wrote:
On Mon, 2023-11-27 at 04:22 -0500, Jude DaShiell wrote:
When is it a good choice to install a sound server and when is installing a sound server a waste of disk space? Hi,
what is probably most relevant, I would say roughly summarised: If several programs are to be able to access a sound card, then it is probably most convenient to use a sound server that can also, but not necessarily, resample. Some programmes, IIRC e.g. the one or other screen recorder, do not offer the possibility of working without a sound server.
I myself use ALSA directly or jackd with ALSA, because I always know in advance that only one programme, like a browser, will need the sound card or because I'm about to start an audio production. I neither use a desktop environment nor use the computer for home entertainment.
For desktop environment sound and home entertainment sound lovers, a sound server is certainly preferable to my approach.
Regards, Ralf
participants (3)
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Jude DaShiell
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Michał Zegan
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Ralf Mardorf