Audio Production

[Da Rock]

On Mon, 2008-09-22 at 11:50 +0200, marshc wrote:
> >
> > I've just been following this thread and have remained silent until now,
> > but the linux kernel from my experience is nowhere near as stable or as
> > fast as the freebsd kernel. Another cool feature is you can build your
> > own kernel, stripping out anything unnecessary and including any
> > optimisations that you think will help.
> >   
> Well thanks, because this was part of my original question. All I know
> is that you can modify GENERIC for a custom kernel and i can remove what 
> hardware
> i don't need there, and add ext3fs and vesa, and was asking whether 
> there were other settings
> elsewhere to tweak, but i am begining to think it would involve diving 
> into the actual kernel
> source code, and other such sinister hacking. I'm using studio64 now and 
> will eventually research
> a little what it involves, but i had just asked here to  find out if 
> there were any similar project or groups
> doing that sort of stuff on fbsd.
> 
> so at this point all i can ask is, are there other more in depth 
> settings somewhere? or should i forget about it?
> i have almost concluded it is the latter.
> 

My only advice on this point is to subscribe to the multimedia list and
ask your questions there (I'll be watching this list too, have been for
some time now due to my htpc issues- I desperately want to use FreeBSD
for a/v, and I suffer the same issues you do in terms of multitasking in
the cpu level, but the main problem with BSD for me is the driver
problems).


> > I think jack is still possible on freebsd too (correct me if I'm wrong),
> > so all in all I think your latency will not be as much of a problem on
> > bsd as it was on linux.
> >
> >   
> jack is available on fsbd, yes. on my earlier post however, i was 
> rushing  a reply before
> going out and was trying to cover too much at once, and don't think i 
> explained myself properly.
> I was trying to recap on my original question and explain the whole 
> purpose of what i was looking for, since i still am not
> entirely clear till now. I was also trying to explain some basic areas, 
> thinking maybe it would also reach some _NON_-audio consious,
> fsbd expert that might have some ideas, shed some light and point in the 
> some direction.
> 
> I mean i am not really a latency freak, and not my main concern. It is 
> an unavoidable factor in audio production,
> something you live with and can manage on way or the other, and i was 
> mentioning it trying to get to the big picture.
> That is , more or less, that latency is an issue, but you can work with, 
> and what you really want is a computer that is
> basically always ready for your orders and request, individed and at the 
> drop of a dime - " play this out there. that out that,
> record this part, write it to disk, mix that,,,, i don't care how, just 
> do it and don't interrupt me".
> 
> > I'm only just getting into this area myself, but I've been using freebsd
> > for a while now and I'm extremely happy with it (bar some driver issues,
> > particularly in multimedia- tv cards, etc- which may be rectified
> > natively very soon, or using the linux support in the kernel). The
> > multimedia list will be very helpful to you I'd say, and swapping notes
> > is always good.
> >
> > Good luck.
> >
> >   
> I am very new outside windows and been on holidays spending alot of time getting familiar with freebsd as an OS, not audio,
> but it is an issue eventually. I wanted to know if it worth investing my time in it with those future plans in sight, or if i should make
> like a band aid and settle on ubuntu studio64 now.
> 
> Like you mentioned, i was very happy with it as an os, but i had some basic performance issues and couldn't make out why. I am pretty sure it was due to
> my setup and lack of knowledge, basic settings/configs somewhere, but wanted to know if fbsd could be further optimized with those issues solved. 
> 
> 
> dunno, this is ubuntu studio64 now and i have come to like it very mucch. it is well build; but think i would switch to fbsd at the drop of a hat given the choice.
> I respect the fact that most pro/long time users of fbsd would be network/server oriented, and you can't match fbsd there, but i also think the bigger the community, the more likely new faces, new groups, new projects.
> 
> p.s.
> i haven't used jack much yet, but have known about it for a while, and going on specs and capabilities, it should be the better system. It is like windows ASIO and Rewire into one package. From what i heard it can route any signal between any running audio program, even if they are not normally aware of eachother, or build with that capability.
> 

I don't know about other projects as such, FreeBSD runs under a
different kind of protocol than the linux kernel in terms of
development, but as I mentioned use the multimedia list and you'll find
more geeks like us who understand and know what we're talking about and
need.

>From my experience (and I use FreeBSD for many different needs), FreeBSD
can run a/v and multimedia programs, write to multiple components
simultaneously, serve a small amount services, run X, and still respond
happily to your hammering at the CPU while it serves you coffee! It is
mainly dependent on your hardware capabilities (dma, bus bandwidth,
buffers, etc), and obviously the quality of the programs you run. If you
run a shitty program that is poorly written then it won't go as well,
but still perform admirably. But most of the programs ported wouldn't
have been added if they were like that, so you're mostly safe.

So for a/v I find it performs far better than linux. Linux I still have
trouble with, but it performs better than window$. Linux is a happy
medium in between, and I'll explain why;

Driver support for the more advanced hardware is not always forthcoming
with FreeBSD, but it is for linux. Most manufacturers aren't very
supportive of open source, and if they do they usually gravitate toward
a linux base because of user popularity. On the upside, there is a
brilliant coder who is extending the linux compat base for hardware side
as well, but you do need to be nearly expert. It is controversial, but
you should be able to use the hardware until native drivers are written.

Just to clarify, in the development side of FreeBSD there is some
mention of Hats (correct me of I'm wrong here guys), and so any side
projects are kept under a particular hat, the mailing list that relates
to your interest in FreeBSD will be monitored by those working under
these hats will be better able to guide you. This list is just a general
discussion and help list for newbies, but when you get in to more depth
like this you'll want to get to the experts on the subject who monitor a
particular list more closely.

Have fun and good luck.