[Klug-general] audio systems/servers/apis.

[Peter Childs]

The issue is that many apps talk a back end api when they should be
talking a front end api and end up doing.


app -> alsa -> pulse -> alsa -> out

gstreamer does

app -> gstreamer -> pulse -> alsa -> out (I believe)

phonon is a slightly incomplete api in that it can't currently handle
input but...

app -> phonon -> gstreamer -> pulse -> alsa -> out

I've still not got my head round them yet.

Peter.

On 22 April 2011 21:59, James Morris <jwm.art.net at gmail.com> wrote:
> On 22 April 2011 21:31, Peter Childs <pchilds at bcs.org> wrote:
>
>> hmm, If you have ever dared to look at doing anything with sound from
>> a development point of view forget it.
>>
>> The are about 7 (probably more) linux sound api all of which have
>> different ways of talking to each other, emulating each other, taking
>> to the hardware, all have advantages and disadvantages depending on
>> what you are trying to do and what your app talks.....
>>
>> Maybe we should give a prize to anyone who can write a sound app that
>> uses a different api depending on the day of the week and a spare on
>> bank holidays...
>
> you could say the same about anything. markup languages for example.
> nevermind that they each serve distinct purposes. let's just lump them
> all together without understanding what they do and then spread FUD
> about the fact they don't all interoperate and how it would be so much
> better if....
>
> i seem to recall that apache isn't the only server you can run on
> linux. and omg, how many desktop environments/window managers/toolkits
> are there?
>
>>
>> Hmm where did I leave that list....
>
>> nas
>
> network audio system for audio with network transparency. last release 2009.
>
>> alsa
>
> kernel hardware drivers/modules. you want these.
>
>> oss
> open sound system: deprecated in kernel in favour of alsa. generally
> considered obsolete unless you're one of the few who wants to pay for
> the commercial product.
>
>> jack
> for pro audio users/studios (not general desktop use) in a low latency
> environment providing/specializing in inter-application audio routing
> with synchronous clients. very active development. recent work
> bringing session management. "JACK also has support for distributing
> audio processing across a network, both fast & reliable LANs as well
> as slower, less reliable WANs."
>
>> gstreamer
> "a library for constructing graphs of media-handling components" -
> more for general desktop use i guess - i've never used it.
>
>> esd
> the predecessor of pulse. should be obsolete but seems to hang around
> like a bad smell.
>
>> arts
> generally considered obsolete. predecessor to phonon i believe.
>
>> pulse
> for general desktop use with gnome.
>
> you forgot phonon - kde's pulse.
>
> james.
>
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