[LAU] Best realtime audio dstro for Eee

[Norval Watson]

----- Original Message ----

> From: Ken Restivo <ken at restivo.org>
> To: Justin Smith <noisesmith at gmail.com>
> Cc: LAU <linux-audio-user at lists.linuxaudio.org>
> Sent: Friday, 3 July, 2009 9:11:19 AM
> Subject: Re: [LAU] Best realtime audio dstro for Eee
> 
> On Wed, Jul 01, 2009 at 03:00:18AM -0700, Justin Smith wrote:
> > On Wed, Jul 1, 2009 at 2:39 AM, davidwrote:
> > > Raffaele Morelli wrote:
> > >> 2009/6/30 Norval Watson :
> > >>> Hi y'all,
> > >>> I want to install a realtime audio distro on my new Asus Eee 901.
> > >>> I need a 2.6.29 realtime kernel or higher to support the hardware on my 
> Eee.
> > >>> I have got the 2G RAM (haven't swapped it in yet).
> > >>> AFAIK, options include:
> > >>> DebianEeePC http://wiki.debian.org/DebianEeePC
> > >>> ArchLinux http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Asus_Eee_PC_901
> > >>> Eeebuntu http://www..eeebuntu.org/
> > >>> Indamixx USB stick, when it's available, (and it's not free)
> > >>>
> > >>> I have been using Debian unstable for some years so I'm most familiar with 
> that.
> > >>> Any suggestions welcome, particularly regarding optimizing the kernel.
> > >>> TIA
> > >>> Norv
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> Debian testing here, 2.6.29.5-rt22, ASUS Mobo (don't remember exatly
> > >> what model... I am at work now)
> > >>
> > >> Optimizing the kernel? ... it depends from your hardware but, apart
> > >> from binary size, I can not really say if turning off wireless stuffs
> > >> from kernel config could improve RT performances. I am sure somebody
> > >> else can comment bettere on this.
> > >
> > > I'm slowly turning my wife's old laptop (2.8GHz Celeron, 768MB RAM,
> > > saddled with older Intel chipset) into a synthesizer/effects box. It
> > > currently has Ubuntu Studio on it. While I have the wireless antenna
> > > turned off (we have no wireless network around here), I've never
> > > disabled the wifi kernel modules or drivers. And it runs along quite
> > > happily at latencies between 5-10 msec using an external USB audio
> > > interface ...
> > >
> > > I seem to recall that the problem with wifi wasn't the presence of the
> > > drivers, it was the fact that the system was incessantly trying to make
> > > a wifi connection. Maybe that's something Network Manager does that
> > > doing your networking using command line stuff doesn't?
> > >
> > > --
> > > David
> > > gnome at hawaii.rr.com
> > > authenticity, honesty, community
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > Linux-audio-user mailing list
> > > Linux-audio-user at lists.linuxaudio.org
> > > http://lists.linuxaudio.org/mailman/listinfo/linux-audio-user
> > >
> > 
> > Yeah, there is a command line utility that searches for wireless
> > access points and lists their respective signal strength etc.
> > (iwlist), and I only run it if I think an access point should be there
> > and I am not finding it or getting a poor connection.
> > 
> > It seems like networkmanager runs iwlist or does some equivalent on a
> > frequent basis (even if it already has a wifi connection), and uses
> > quite a bit of CPU doing it. I no longer need to worry about this
> > since switching to debian, where the /etc/network/interfaces config
> > file plus the ifup/ifdown commands that reference that configuration
> > have served me just fine.
> 
> I have an EEE 1000 and I use it constantly with Debian, and have performed with 
> it a good half-dozen times now, and rehearsed and practiced on it many more.. I'm 
> very happy with Debian-EEE. I created packages for the RT kernel and relevant 
> drivers for it, and uploaded them here in case anyone wants them:
> http://restivo.nfshost.com/projects/eee/debs/
> 
> I dislike the Network Manager intensely, so I turned it off. I just type "sudo 
> iwlist ra0 scan" when I need to find what's out there. Nowadays I just use a 
> Sierra Wireless USB adapter with the Sprint PCS network instead, and very rarely 
> fire up the wifi anyway.
> 
> -ken

Thanks everybody for your help and suggestions.

I ended up going with Debian as that's what I am familiar with.
http://wiki.debian.org/DebianEeePC

Being a bit lazy (like oz/zi) I grabbed the 2.6.29-rc6-rt3 realtime kernel I have been using on a 32bit partition on the amd64 box and that seems to work OK on the Eee. I wanted the .29 series coz it's got the wireless module for the 901 in the kernel. 

I installed Qjackctl and was a bit puzzled why JACK would not start until I realised that Qjackctl does not install jackd automatically as a dependency. I installed jackd and now it works.

Plugged in my Korg padKONTROL and CME UF5 keyboard controller via USB, hooked them up to AMSynth in Qjackctl's Connections pane and I was up and running. The little Eee sits up on top of the UF5 perfectly, like they were designed together.

It is very early days and I have to sort out a few things - eg. sound only coming out RH side - but there is a lot of help both here, on the DebianEee site, on the Pianotek forum, on Ken's blog, and other places and I'm grateful for that.

Thanks again!

Norv 


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