PAVU-CONTROL - PulseAudio connection controls for PUPs & DOGs

[Clarity]

See "Edit#2"

If anyone has a tutorial that they would recommend, I would appreciate a directive to it.

I had looked at pavcontrol and "think" i have a handle of its visual layout mimicing wiring to accomplish proper audio functions (microphones and speakers) that today's environment layouts present. It appears to be well-thoughtout approach to make these behavior efforts a visual for easy understanding.

In my initial attempt at understanding, it seems to show how a system's subsystem/application is 'WIRED" to a physical device. Is this a truth?

Help requested in correcting this view.
Edit#1: Title
Edit#2: This thread was opened to gain an understanding. That understanding has now been gained specifically by the information posted below, here. (skip ahead)

[mikewalsh]

@Clarity :-

I appreciate your wanting to make easily available to Puppians, those major utilities to be found in every other Linux distro.

Personally, I wouldn't touch PulseAudio with a barge-pole, because to me it's simply adding yet another layer of complication to an already convoluted audio control path. But, because Lennart Poettering decided it would be a brilliant addition to Red Hat - and of course, where Red hat leads, everybody else, sooner or later, must follow (!), so.....this is why it's become almost universal.

What I don't like about it is that where ALSA is fairly direct, PulseAudio seems to add a proliferation of extra clicks to get anything done. Okay, I'm probably a dinosaur, but I thought the whole idea was to keep Puppy's underlying infrastructure as simple as possible.....without ADDING extra confusion? Or are we simply concerned with making Puppy more "friendly" to those already used to mainstream distros? (And by extension, I guess, noobs too....)

Each to their own, of course, but it'll never get a thumbs-up from me. How CAN you improve on the delightful 'simplicity' of pizzasgood's masterpiece, Retrovol?

(*shrug*)

Mike.

[Clarity]

Thanks @mikewalsh.

Your opinion on your preference wasn't exactly what I was looking for; you have noted it. I am not indicating a dislike from either alsa/retrovol. They work and work well.

On the PUPs that have it, "pulseaudio" looks like a great product too and it, too, works.

I am seeking a better understanding of whether I am seeing its usefulness and its simplicity clearly. PAVUCONTROL seems to go a long way to enable it.

If you can offer something along those lines, I am listening, as maybe others too.

[mikewalsh]

@Clarity :-

I assume you've already seen this, yes?

https://rudd-o.com/linux-and-free-softw ... udio-works

This 'tutorial' from Dedoimedo may also be of interest:-

https://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/len ... sound.html

(The guy's a real laugh in many respects, but he DOES offer a whole raft of good, practical advice on a wide variety of Linux subject matter...)

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Basically - as I understand it - pavu-control is essentially a software 'mixer' that sits on top of ALSA. ALSA can only be used by one application at a time; PulseAudio schedules threads in such a way that multiple applications can feed into, and use ALSA at the same time.....thereby giving you finer-grained control of your audio system.

ALSA is the 'kernel-space' audio controller that interfaces directly with the hardware; PulseAudio sits very definitely in 'user-space', and talks to both ALSA & your applications that want to use audio, negotiating with, and interfacing with both....

I just think it's rather bloated and overly-complex for what it is, that's all. I'm not a "fan"......but I appreciate that some think it's a good idea. I'm NOT "judging"; it's not my place to do so.

Mike.

[rockedge]

I find it difficult to reliably select the audio device with pulseaudio, during system start up

[mikewalsh]

@rockedge :-

I find it difficult to reliably select the audio device with pulseaudio, during system start up

The one thing I find frustrating with it under Puppy, Erik, is that it seems to take an awful lot of manual fiddling about to get the various 'sinks' set-up correctly. But, perhaps that's just me; if there's an awkward way to do something, I generally seem to find it....

I am a BIG fan of the K.I.S.S principle.....though if anyone was to see their way clear to produce an 'all-in-one' PulseAudio package that was guaranteed to work in any Puppy, I might be more amenable to experimenting with it. I'm not sufficiently motivated to attempt such a thing myself!

Mike.

[Clarity]

@Rockedge was my inspiration to look into PAVUCONTROL. It takes, what I feel as, an outstanding approach to audio device management in today's Linux...in theory. This post was opened to try and gain a better appreciation on what it does to help address application needs for audio. This includes speakers (connected by wire or bluetooth or HDMI or DVI or ...) and microphones (by headset or camera or standalone or LAN) such that to easily identify issues that may arise when applications seem to not find their paths.

In essence, it appears to assist users in both, setups and diagnostics of our audio use.

This post is NOT a post showing favoritism, rather it is asking what views anyone has on whether my observation is accurate in what it provides.

In my view it almost seems like an electronic patch panel for routing-wiring connections from one place (an application for example) to another (a system device).

To me, I find this is potentially very useful, indeed. Thanks @rockedge for your efforts that inspire. I do recognize, too, that some other PUP developers are already onto this in their distros for a number of reasons.

Thanks for the help.

[Clarity]

Although a couple years old, I did find this video helpful understanding.

Today, a PUPPY forum contributor "@Grey" has provided a wonderful example of PAVUCONTROL in FossaPUP64. You can find that contribution, here.

Enjoy

[Clarity]

The post, immediately above this, supports clearly what I had envisioned. Thanks everyone.

I, now, see the productivity that this provides AND wish this technology was widely known long before now. Who benefits...EVERY ONE of us!

• Developers can easily diagnose

• Admins can provide simple easy assistance

• Users have a "clear" visual of the relationship between their PC hardware and the OS's subsystem and applications

Everyone.

P.S. Just when we get a handle of visual improvements, another subsystem comes along offering its improvement. See the following on "PipeWire":

• Wikipedia describes

• Arch Linux describes

• A video describes

• A Demo for Musicians

FYI

[Clarity]

ImpPUP has PAVUCONTROL built-in to the PUP!

[Grey]

ImpPUP has PAVUCONTROL built-in to the PUP!

Of course. One of the main changes there is Pulseaudio That's why Volume Control (pavucontrol) is needed. But by itself (without pulseaudio) it is useless.

[Grey]

In my view it almost seems like an electronic patch panel for routing-wiring connections from one place (an application for example) to another (a system device).

Clarity, it looks like your rebellious spirit no longer fits within Alsa and even Pulse
You need to go straight to PipeWire.
PipeWire is present in Conty, so I played around with it a bit. But before "implementation in production" is still far away.

[Clarity]

Yes, I know of the PipeWire movement ... as I continue down that rabbit-hole I mentioned on the other thread. I like it and their objective will move Linux past Apple Macs in this area of Multimedia subsystems and services, IMHO.

@Grey: Have you seen @BarryK's recent blog(s) on his Pulse & Pipewire direction? (No response requested to this question. Its more of a FYI)

New and young users, including Apple/MS converts will find enormous functionality in the modern PUP-DOGs that are already or on the verge of release to the forum-userwide community.

[Grey]

Have you seen @BarryK's recent blog(s) on his Pulse & Pipewire direction?

Until this moment, I have not seen. I'm looking through it now.
By the way, I need to try running EasyOS I used to have some startup problems. But now I have different hardware and EasyOS has been updated too.