[linux-audio-user] So confused, need some good documents about sound in linux!

[Eric Robert]

Hi all, 

Does anybody know where i can get some good/clear/concise explanations
about how sounds works under linux?

I'm a programmer and a musician myself.
I'm so confused between midi, alsa, oss, oss emulation, arts, sound servers 
artsd, esd, etc...etc... 
midi ports "a la alsa" or "a la oss" /dev/midiXXX  /dev/sound /dev/sequencer
or 72:0 73:0 or whatever
softsynth, hardsynth...........................


All this gets me CONFUSED!
I want to develop some kind of band-in-a-box-like  stuff with TSE3 
The app won't need a midi card (i want to use a softsynth)

But first I want to  have a clear, global, vision of sound architecture on 
linux (if not so much precise)


I've abandoned window$ years ago and the only thing i really miss is band in a 
box and i don't want to fall back into microsoft!

But i must admit i can't find a unique place that explains
the way sound works in linux.
I find loads of stuff but can't have a satisfactory global vision of the whole 
stuff.

Has anybody written somewhere a real digest i could use as good starting 
point?

For instance, what REALLY makes the difference between alsa and oss and arts?
What are midi ports in each of those architecture?
How to adress them?
How to to build something for ANY sound architecture?
Things about sound deamonds also (what are they for, and how to use them)?

Well have been working too hard today , i think  my brain is about to burst 
out ;-)


I think sound programming under linux is very complicated because of the 
different architectures.
But developing sound apps like you guys do is
a necessary step to convince people to use linux!
Maybe my goal is too hard for me but anyway i want to give it a try...
But what a MESS!!

So any hint on where i can get a thorough, clear, concise explanation 
of the whole stuff is welcome!

Thanks