[ubuntu-studio-devel] Elementary OS

[Len Ovens]

On Wed, 2 Sep 2015, ttoine wrote:

> @Ralph,You should have a look at Arturia's new usb2 compliant soundcard, they say
> that this is the lowest latency ever without specific driver (however they will
> provide an asio driver for windows customers)
> http://www.arturia.com/audiofuse/overview

The latency they claim has been acheived with other USB2 boxes in the same 
price category. The analog stuff looks nice, but most gets set aside when 
using ADAT/Spdif. It is nice that no analog type things require SW to 
work. However, look also at the MOTU UltraLite AVB. 
http://www.motu.com/products/avb/ultralite-avb which while it has a mixer 
inside that requires SW, that SW is any browser (firefox/chrome/whatever)

There are other similar USB boxes out there too.

The biggest problem I have seen with USB audio.... is exactly the same as 
with PCI or any other AI. Finding a unique IRQ. This means no other usb 
device on the same hub (external or internal) and no other stuff on the 
same irq as the USB controller. I think it should be possible to detect 
these problems when a USB device is detected and suggest to the user 
another physical USB plug and/or removing another USB device that is 
sharing the same controller. Many MB have one irq that has a number of 
devices connected to it (irq 16 often).

I also use rtirq to separate and raise priority of the USB port that works 
best. So instead of just listing usb, I list "usb3 snd usb" to make sure a 
mouse is not getting higher priority than the AI. I think this is another 
thing that a GUI could assist new users with.

> Arturia headquarter is in my area, so I will try to visit them and test how it is
> working on Ubuntu Studio when I can find time. It comes with all the connections
> you might want, and without useless DSP. If it works well I will try to buy it. I
> know that it is expensive. But this is really a game changer for Linux users !

Buying local is also a great idea.

> The fact is I know well what means starting from scratch a project like that, for
> I did it with Ubuntu Studio. So I am confident this is possible: we already
> changed the idea of "producing multimedia with GNU/Linux must be possible out of
> the box" in something concrete. Know we need to go ahead and make it really easy
> to attract new users.
> 
> Of course I can update things. You too. But not alone. We can't do it alone: we
> can't buy all the hardware, test it, write doc and help debug. I did that in the

I don't think any of us are in a position to buy a bunch of gear. It would 
make more sense to attract people who already own these things and are 
willing to share their experiences and work to make it better for 
themselves and others. I too have bought some things to use as test boxes 
that I don't use for production. I got lucky with one that I can use as a 
preamp for my production AI.

> That is my purpose: how can we attract users, create a more active community,
> that would be able to create and maintain useful resources? I am not sure anymore
> that Ubuntu Studio is still the best way. This is why I started this thread on
> the mailing list.

My thought is that US could be as good as any other way. The same problems 
exist either way. Finding people. What I have read here suggests that 
starting something new would loose about half the manpower here now. To go 
forward from there would require finding replacements plus. I think PR is 
the key and I do not think Ubuntu is stopping that. I know that in some 
ways I may be taking what you are saying a different way than you mean  :) 
but I am me and you are you and as with any two people that is the way 
things are.

I do think it is possible for a person to have a dual role as has been 
suggested with packaging for debian as well as working with Studio. While 
working with Studio one can see needs. Then if the fix is not in the 
Studio relm, go where it can be fixed. I have done a number of 
bugfixes/feature additions to Ardour as an example and have written some 
of my own code as well. I have fixed a bug in qmidiroute... if the 
maintainer will just add the one line to the code.

But that is what I happen to be able to do, I am not good with PR at all. 
I am not average in my wants/needs in SW and so what I think is great 
about something may be less than useful to others. When we changed the 
menu, I just realized in configuration what others where able to see 
needed doing. Some of those changes I agree with and others not, but I 
know I have some blind spots and so am ok with doing things I don't always 
agree with. I know that other people add experience that I lack.

> With Ubuntu Studio, we have:
>  - A website without a clear editorial line, that we can't host without Canonical

Actually we could host on our own if we wish.

>  - Our wiki is lost on Ubuntu help

We could probably improve this if someone is willing to do the work.

>  - We have a small section in the huge Ubuntu forum

But no one to really man anything greater.

>  - We can't make promotional stuffs, partnership, official recommendation from
> manufacturers and editors, crowdfunding or whatever... money is forbidden. I had
> to fight for months to have a licence to make our Spreadshirt shop, and Canonical
> is still after me from time to time about it.

True. How do Xubuntu do their stuff? They seem to have more, like 
brochures and stickers.

I don't see how a new distro would help either. I am looking at AVLinux 
and KXStudio and don't see that they really are doing a lot better. They 
are both run by coders and so the difference is mainly technical.

> What is important is how to create something to answer user needs. This is the
> foundation of a project.

Ok, I can agree with that. I would be the first to say I am blind at 
helping with more than the technical aspects. The things I am suggesting 
in that area are from helping new to linux users on IRC, not just in 
#ubuntustudio, but in linux audio lists, irc and forums in general.

My background is from analog broadcast electronics in the early 80s, 
Analog recording and music in general... And computers where I have done 
almost all of my computing on the Linux platform since 1994-5 starting 
with SlackWare and only recently (5-6 years) with Ubuntu. I have tried 
other Linux distros and have made use of some of the live debian based 
distros for backup/restore work on NT computers at work. I have almost no 
experience with mac or windows (certainly none of it good) and so can not 
give a good account on what a new user would need to make the experience 
"Good". (be that a new to computers or new to linux) We actually need 
people on our team who are very new who can tell us these things. Other 
than that we can only do what we are doing now and that is to react to the 
problems we answer on irc/email/forums.

Bla, Bla, Bla, I have said enough for a bit.

--
Len Ovens
www.ovenwerks.net