Ubuntu Studio Controls Redesign

Summary

The Ubuntu Studio Controls package (ubuntustudio-controls) was developed to help users make system changes to improve audio performance. Over time some of the specifications for those changes have either changed or no longer exist. Additionally, there are some additional functionality that has been proposed as well.

Therefore, this specification has been developed to facilitate the immediate development of changes for release in Natty as well as future changes in later releases. You can find the blueprint at: https://blueprints.launchpad.net/ubuntustudio-controls/+spec/update-and-add-functionality-in-ubuntustudio-controls/

All decisions should be considered from the perspective of a user installing ubuntustudio-* packages on top of a vanilla Ubuntu install as well as a user completing a fresh install from a Ubuntu Studio DVD.

Changes for Natty

There are changes required to fix items that are currently broken and changes that we feel are release critical (RC) for user experience.

Fix Broken Items

Two major items have broken a few items: JACK handling real-time privileges differently and the new the new FireWire kernel driver stack (alias Juju).

We will need to make changes for:

• making changes for memlock and rtprio in /etc/security/limits.d/audio.conf now (was /etc/security/limits.conf)

• do NOT set or adjust nice anymore

• do NOT set or adjust raw1394 privileges TODO: CHECK TO MAKE SURE THIS IS CORRECT

Improve User Experience

• tuned kernel
  • check if tuned kernel is installed
  • warn user if not
  • if desired add PPA, install -lowlatency/-rt kernel, reboot
• user in audio group
  • check if user is in audio group
  • warn user if not
  • if desired add user to audio group

Ubuntu Studio controls redesign proposal for the next release of Ubuntu (10.10)

This is a place to share and post information to organize and improve the Ubuntu Studio's Configuration Application.

Development information about this application

• The language of the applications should be Python and using the GTK GUI (GTKBuilder)
• Ubuntu Studio Controls should be locale enabled (translations)
• The artwork should match the Ubuntu Studio design

Development is carried out on launchpad https://launchpad.net/ubuntustudio-controls

Features Proposed

This topic is intended to propose new features or redesign of already existent

• rncbc's RTirq script setting
• Firewire Settings
• Audio Groups Settings
• RT kernel installer (from ppas approved by the US team)
• ""This is not being implemented, its to dangerous to users."" Software installer / repositories adding of ppas that have newer versions of Audio / Video / Graphics Software, that is not available on the Ubuntu official repositories

Mock-ups

Inkscape SVG source http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1333955/USC.svg

PDF http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1333955/USC.pdf

Links and tutorials

http://www.alsa-project.org/main/index.php/Low_latency_howto

http://lists.linuxaudio.org/pipermail/linux-audio-user/2009-November/064820.html

http://lists.linuxaudio.org/pipermail/linux-audio-user/2009-November/064828.html

http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Pro_Audio

http://old.nabble.com/rtc-rtc0-%2B-permissions-%2B-frequencies-%2B-udev-td26796405.html

Please feel free to edit this Wiki page.

• select and install "restricted-extras"/third party applications
  • flash player
  • mp3 codec
  • gstreamer/gstreamer-ugly/gstream-bad
  • libavcodec
  • ?
• rtirq script
  • use this to avoid irq conflicts
• anything else a user does routinely to setup their audio box