Linux Audio Quality, Low Latency, and Benchmarks
A knowledge hub for production audio workflows on Linux. Coverage of ALSA, JACK, PipeWire, low-latency tuning, open source tooling, community notes, and performance benchmarking for real studio work. If you are tuning a Ubuntu setup and deciding how your desktop session affects realtime behavior, read Wayland vs Xorg on Ubuntu.
Primary Topics
Audio Quality
Linux audio foundations, ALSA, JACK, and PipeWire roles in quality tuning.
LAD
Linux Audio Developers and Users: community hub, lists, resources, and archives.
Low Latency
Latency tuning guides, kernel options, scheduler behavior, and benchmark traces.
Benchmarks
HDRBench, latency graphs, and reference test data for system comparison.
Events
Conference notes, ZKM meeting archives, presentation slides, and recordings.
Maia
Experimental synthesis, audio engine design, and Audiality engine notes.
Latest Notes
FireWire Audio in 2026: FFADO Status, PipeWire Integration, and Who It Still Makes Sense For
FireWire audio on Linux is not dead but it is niche. Here is the real status of FFADO in 2026, how PipeWire handles FireWire devices, and who should still consider using them.
BenchmarkingResampler Quality and CPU Cost on PipeWire 1.6: What Changed Since 1.4 and How To Pick Settings (2026)
PipeWire 1.6 changed its resampler defaults and added new quality tiers. Here is what actually changed in measured quality and CPU cost, and how to pick the right setting without guessing.
BenchmarkingPipeWire Quantum vs XRun Threshold: The 2026 Dataset (Published Methods, Published Raw Numbers)
Quantum vs XRun data for PipeWire in 2026. Five hardware configurations, four quantum values each, all methods published. Use the numbers to calibrate your own setup.
BenchmarkingRound Trip Latency Leaderboard 2026: USB Audio Interfaces Tested on Linux With a Reproducible Method
USB audio interface latency varies enormously on Linux. Here is a 2026 leaderboard of measured round-trip latency for common interfaces, with the exact test method documented so you can verify the numbers.
Library NotesMIDI 2.0 on Linux 2026: PipeWire UMP, Kernel Support Reality, and Safe Fallbacks for Controllers and DAWs
MIDI 2.0 on Linux is partially here. PipeWire has UMP transport, the kernel has ALSA UMP, but DAW and controller support lags behind. Here is what works today and what fallbacks to keep in place.