Although I don't have much experience with the usb-audio module, the details at alsa-project.org indicate that it's well beyond the limitations you mention. However, I _can_ speak to the fact that ALSA is certainly capable of very good low-latency performance on a laptop. http://www.alsa-project.org/alsa-doc/doc-php/template.php3?company=Edirol&a… _I've_ been getting excellent results using the RME Hammerfall DSP (Cardbus interface) for live multitrack recording with ALSA, a patched low-latency kernel, JACK, and ecasound or Ardour. -- Roger Williams <raw(a)qux.com> Qux Tool & Die, Middleborough, Massachusetts // Omne tulit punctum qui misquit utile dulci //

Don't know about the ua-20, but I use the SC-D70 (for which audio support was recently added thanks to Clemens Ladisch) and the griffin imic, both using the snd-usb-audio module. I'm not yet able to run jack with them (maybe it's my incompetence), but apart from that, playback and recording works perfectly with imic; the SC-D70 driver that Clemens wrote uses a sample format different from the one that many applications (especially oss apps) expect: S24_3LE, instead of the more common S16_LE, so you have to specify it to arecord on the command line (I'm sure there is a way in .asoundrc to convert the sample format, but I don't know how - maybe a slave?). Speaking of MIDI, it works perfectly on the SC-D70. I think the best thing you can do is try the device before buying it (if you can), or find someone that has one. HTH -- .---------------------. | Emiliano Grilli | | emillo(a)libero.it | | Linux user #209089 | '---------------------'