Ubuntu_Studio

Revision 101 as of 2006-10-04 14:09:39

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Mubuntu is the tentative name of a Multimedia editing derivative of Ubuntu, currently being planned. This page is the starting point for these plans.

NOTICE!

  • After working on thinning down Dapper, Im using what I learned and have moved to Edgy. I hope to have a .ISO for us to test by 10/4/06. I am starting to think though, a complete, DVD version would be better.-C.Kontros 10/2/06 12:45pm EST
  • Please try to sign your comments. Though, with the addition of concrete info, it isnt needed.
  • I plan on making this a kind of "Main Page" and as sections grow, giving them their own page. - C.Kontros

Ultimate Goal

To build a solid multimedia editing distro based on Ubuntu-Gnome by Edgy+1

Status

Work has begun on sorting through the packages. The main work is currently being led by C.Kontros. We are using [http://reconstructor.aperantis.com Reconstructor] at the moment to do some test ISO builds and to discover the limitations of this application. Cory is effectively the lead unless anyone has any reasonable objection to this, as he has experience leading people and has enough spare time to handle it at the moment.

The plan at the moment is:

  • Multiple metapackages. Mubuntu-desktop, mubuntu-desktop-settings, and mubuntu-artwork will be the base. Then on top that can be added: mubuntu-audio, mubuntu-video and mubuntu-graphics, further divided if necessary. Perhaps divide each one by universe+main and multiverse, and that would be sufficient.
  • Use only packages in official Ubuntu repositories
  • Use the best kernel Edgy+1 provides.

Input has come from LaserJock on the best approach to this process.

Current Tasks

For a current list of tasks that need to be done go [https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Mubuntu-ProjectGoals HERE].

  • C.Kontros - Organize/Update WIKI, Create list of packages for base of Mubuntu.
  • joejaxx - Assist in creation of base packages and test.

  • HuwWilkins - Create the look and feel of Mubuntu

  • NEEDED - Create package lists for: mubuntu-audio, mubuntu-video and mubuntu-graphics. mubuntu-desktop-settings and mubuntu-artwork will also need work but these are in a state of flux.

Current Questions

Polls for User Opinions

Contributors

  • [https://wiki.ubuntu.com/C.Kontros C.Kontros] (MMA)

    • PROJECT LEAD
    • Planning
    • Art
    • Testing

  • DanaOlson

    • Planning
    • Packaging (limited time/experience)
    • Meeting availability: 11pm-1am Eastern, Tue-Sat

  • ForestBond

    • Working further upstream
    • Advice/opinion
  • Ttoine
    • testing (with interested sound engineers of two professional studios)
    • writing documentation ; I started on my website about music and ubuntu ; only in french at this time
    • providing hardware is possible

  • ChrisWagner

    • Packaging - At this point, I haven't played with Linux audio stuff enough to know what will need packaging, but I'll try to help if someone points me in the right direction.
    • Testing

  • HuwWilkins

    • Art Director

  • [wiki:JoeJaxx Joseph Jackson IV] (joejaxx)

    • Planning
    • ISO Creation/Testing
    • Packing

Goals

A Solid Foundation

Biggest contribution we can make to Linux desktop multimedia creation is with integration. Press upstream developers for lash support; that's a big piece of the integration issue.

  • LASH is definitely a MUST. I have reached out to the debian maintainer for seq24 and ZynAddSubFX I think to build with LASH support. This won't make it to Edgy I am afraid. And I have had no response yet.

JACK

  • Do we want to start jackd automatically? This is probably not useful to anyone not doing audio work all the time.
  • No. I don't see why we would want that. LASH handles JACK, doesn't it? The only possible reason I could see would be if we can use it as the sound server over everything else (no ESD, no aRtsd, etc), but I don't think that is possible. Besides this, I don't know how we would detect what the optimum settings for JACK will be for everyone's PC... That's an exercise best left to the user, I think.
  • I think the most important thing is that JACK "Just Works" for users with as little hassel and setup as possible, in true Ubuntu fashion. - Derick_eisenhardt(2006-09-17@23:47CDT)
  • I agree, but I don't know how this will be possible. Everyone has a different soundcard, and JACK itself does no kind of detection of settings. Plus, tons of users in the forums are using on-board crap audio controllers, and they don't generally work well... One set of settings won't work, and we can't possibly guess what will and won't work for every single card. If someone is running an amazing card on an old Pentium 2 system, the settings would have to be different than the same card on a Xeon, for example. Or a dual AMD64 system with on-board sound card is going to be crap too. I think this is part of the reason why JACK itself doesn't auto-config itself. Too many possibilities. We could try with a setting of about 10ms latency, as it should work for most people... But then what sampling rate do you use? People are going to want 48KHz, but some cards only support 44.1KHz... See the problem here?
  • I suggest that a jack control gui could be launched at startup, but the user has to start jack by himself (ttoine)

  • Jack makes quite a demand on the system, so it will be a hindrance on lower powered systems at times when the machine is not being used for realtime music making. So I would be in favour of only starting it when it is needed. RobertPersson2

  • As for the jack gui, qjackctl is not bad at all, but it would be really good to have a gtk2-based one. The jack gui for OSX handles netjack, which qjackctl does not. I think that would be an important feature. RobertPersson2

  • jackdmp (multi-processor jack) looks like it will have several advantages over the current jackd, even on single processor systems. http://www.grame.fr/~letz/jackdmp.html

Samples / Patches

Mark originally expressed his desire to include a bunch of good free sound files, like samples, SoundFonts, and patches, etc. If we reach out to people who have created soundpacks for the main apps, like Hydrogen, ZynAddSubFX, etc, and any SoundFonts, we might be able to get some together. This can be a longer-term goal.

I think that the key to having this a usable system will be to organize the menus properly - music apps, video apps, graphics apps should not be all in one big jumbled mess. I am not familiar enough with the menu system to know the best way to approach it, but a change to every package I think is not required. We can just add additional menu entries or some such.

  • It is possible to let people organize by themselves with the menu editor of their DE, when provided... Or to make a script that can redifine automatically the .desktop files.

  • Since we are going to use Gnome is the current structure of "Sound & Video" adequate? I dont know if actually splitting the menus into "Sound" and "Video" would help. See [http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/2954/menuaw3.jpg screenshot]. - C.Kontros

Desktop Environment

Dana and I have decided that we are going with Gnome. Demudi did it, so it is possiable for us to do it also. With the intensity of the applications that we will be running, fairly current hardware should be used. The specs should be the same as Ubuntu. Therefore Gnome should be a fine choice. Further decisions should be made with using Gnome in mind. The challenge will be retaining the admin functions of Ubuntu's Gnome desktop while trimming down the size of the install disk. Demudi was fairly stripped down in this aspect. Its .iso is 558 megs. -C.Kontros

LASH

This package probably needs to go into Debian, if we want the extra line added to /etc/services (that file is maintained by Debian). I (Forest) currently have the packaging part done. I just need to get it accepted by Debian, and have not been through that process in the past. I also need to chat with netbase maintainers to get /etc/services modified (one additional port for lash -- lashd crashes without it). netbase maintainer: Anthony Towns <ajt AT SPAMFREE debian DOT org>

  • Debian has lashd, as does Edgy. Is this your doing? It still does not work correctly. What do we need to do to fix it?
  • Must we wait for LASH ? can we now provide a working solution with what is available, or for will be for Edgy ? (ttoine)

Kernel with realtime preemption

Soon, the realtime patches will be integrated into the mainline kernel. [http://www.internetnews.com/dev-news/article.php/3627831] That is still 18 months away.

  • Perhaps we can work on an optimised kernell, with the optimisations suggested ont the ubuntusudio project. It is possible to make it available, I did it, and it works well. There's just a small bug with the splashy configuration at startup, that's why I don't speak too much about it on forums.

  • Those are not proper packages, and they will never be accepted into Ubuntu like that. We are avoiding 3rd party repositories, and according to the current poll situation, most people just use the default kernel anyhow. Either way, someone is working on patching the Ubuntu kernel to see if it can be done, and we will take it from there by contacting higher up the Ubuntu chain to see what can happen. -DanaOlson

Art & Themes

I have moved this to its own page [https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Mubuntu-ArtProposal Mubuntu-ArtProposal]

Mubuntu Metapackages Breakdown

I have moved this to its own page [https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Mubuntu-MetapackagesBreakdown Mubuntu-MetapackagesBreakdown]

Get Involved

  • We need you! Come talk with us on #mubuntu on Freenode.

Comments

  • The UbuntuStudio page previously contained a (very bare) spec for what would basically be the same thing as Mubuntu. The wiki page for UbuntuStudio has been set to redirect to this page, and I notified the author of the spec (as registered at https://launchpad.net/distros/ubuntu/+spec/ubuntu-studio). - ChrisWagner

  • I will make a quotation of one of my sound engineer friend : "no matter what it looks, if you can work a day on, if it is fonctionnal, and if it sounds great". Do you think it is possible with Ubuntu (or Mubuntu) ?

  • One of the audio/video based live CD distributions (Dyne:bolic I think) has openmosix built into the kernel. I haven't been able to try this out, but it is something I think would be very useful in mubuntu. For instance that would mean that I could install the mubuntu kernel package on the machine running mainstream Ubuntu upstairs in the living room and use it as a mubuntu cluster node without compromising its value as an entertainment centre etc. RobertPersson2