Operating Systems > Linux and UNIX

Different Sound Servers??

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voidmain:
You are right m0r, and were right in your previous note. The only thing I added to it was that KDE had a setting for artsd to shut itself down when not in use so non-arts apps can access the sound device (games etc)...

Also, I am no sound expert. How does ALSA figure in to all of this? I know RedHat does not come with ALSA compiled into the kernel and freshrpms has RedHat kernels *with* it compiled in. I get the impression that it's a more advanced Linux sound system but I don't know how it would effect existing installed apps like KDE/arts, etc... Maybe someone can help me out here (I suppose I could read the HOWTO but I am lazy today after all the turkey, sorry m0r   ).

Master of Reality:
i read teh howtos a while ago and just read a bit now... but i still dont know the difference between ALSA and OSS.

emh:
ALSA is, in effect, an advanced sound architechture for Linux (and other Unices).  It adds features to your sound card that you wouldn't get with the OSS-free modules that are built in to the kernel, such as output to an external MIDI sound module, MIDI input, more options when recording sound, full duplex operation, etc.

There's also a commercial version of OSS, which also adds far more sound options than you get with the OSS that's included in the kernel, such as MIDI input, full duplex operation (for playing and recording at the same time), pretty much as many advanced functions as are in ALSA.  OSS commercial also comes with what's called the Virtual Mixer, which allows for more than one application to play sound at the same time  (i.e. playing MP3's and still being able to hear sounds from GAIM, for example).  I think ALSA has something like this, too, but I don't know for sure, since I use commercial OSS instead.

I've found Arts, the sound server for KDE, to be completely useless.  I use KDE all the time, and I've never come across a application, which uses sound, that required it to be on.  In fact, I've had more problems with it on than I have with it off.  Plus, I've noticed that the sound lags behind the video if I run the sound through the arts sound server.  If I just turned aRts off and just use the OSS driver, it works just fine.

Anyway, that's the way I understand it, since I'm a bit of an audiophile, being a musician and all.

For more information:

OSS:  http://www.opensound.com
ALSA:  http://www.alsa-project.org

Master of Reality:
musician?... what type of musician are you?

voidmain:
emh, looks like you have just written something that would look nice on the FAQ in the Linux section. Good job! One question, will the KDE sounds work without arts? That is, the built-in sounds like the logon/logoff sounds etc (not that I use them, I don't).

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