So in my dual boot setup Linux messes up the dedicated audio card so bad it not only sounds like ass on Linux but it somehow garbles Windows audio until I power cycle the entire thing. It is entirely possible it does permanent damage to the hardware. Some of the electrical clicks you hear from it are genuinely concerning.
Had to plug in Linux audio via the motherboard audio and use different sources for each OS to work around it.
Does change how the meme reads to me.
Also, maaaan does Linux need to completely redo its audio systems from the ground up. It’s so bad that saying that isn’t even that controversial, which is insane in these circles.
Turns out a DAC is a fairly complicated and self-sufficient bundle of software and hardcore electrical circuitry, so apparently you can mess it up so badly it will remain broken across soft reboots. Who knew!
We’re not doing this. People in the Linux community are so tweaked by years of bad support that they assume every complaint is a call for help.
It is not.
I know what’s broken, I know why, I know it’s not easily fixable, I have a workaround. This is not a tech support thread.
I don’t need information from users more savvy than me, I need the bad sound firmware they’re loading in lieu of specific support for my audio card to be fixed, or even better, replaced by actual specifically supported firmware so my card works. In the meantime, crappy on-board audio and wasting money on hardware I’m not using it is.
From the ground up has been done at least once, but given there are multiple layers of interface and driver, it might not be at the right level for whatever hardware you have.
I’m thinking specifically of how pipewire recently came along and basically took over the functions previously provided by pulseaudio, to the point of pretending to be Pulse where necessary so that things don’t break.
FWIW, I recently learned that my motherboard has features that weren’t unlocked by default in my distro. Not related to sound, mind you, but nonetheless, I’ve gained access to that now. It required loading an extra kernel module. The same might be required to get the best out of your sound card.
Nah, it’s just not supported. Or rather, it’s poorly supported so it sounds worse than in Windows and it just doesn’t want to properly dual boot without a power cycle. Honestly, I haven’t checked if the soft reboot issue has been reported. Pretty sure it hasn’t. I could be nice and go find where to file a bug, but I haven’t gotten around to it and, frankly, there are enough other problems with this particular setup that nobody is fixing and are getting dismissed with “it’s the manufacturer’s fault” that I’m not particularly inclined to go out of my way.
We don’t talk enough about how spotty new motherboard support is for Linux, either. At least sound is a recurring talking point. But yeah, newer motherboards often don’t pick up networking and audio hardware out of the box and need a lot of troubleshooting. Everybody is so proud of how well Linux revitalizes old laptops but nobody likes to talk about how that’s because they’re old, and newer stuff may not work well or at all. Early adopting hardware platforms on Linux can be a “going on an adventure” Hobbit meme experience.
And you’re right that it’s not so much about audio getting reingeneered again as it getting done right. I just don’t know that the current patchwork barely holding together can be salvaged by bolting more pieces on top. Every time Linux needs to replace something this way it’s a years-long argument between nerds and a whole damn mess (see Wayland still being litigated, somehow). Audio never gets enough attention anywhere and I have very low trust that a new attempt wouldn’t end up in the same mess they have now, at least for a long while. It extra sucks because Windows audio used to be kinda bad, but now it’s… kinda not? So being a dual-booter it’s just an extra reason to make that choice of which boot option to pick from the menu.
So in my dual boot setup Linux messes up the dedicated audio card so bad it not only sounds like ass on Linux but it somehow garbles Windows audio until I power cycle the entire thing. It is entirely possible it does permanent damage to the hardware. Some of the electrical clicks you hear from it are genuinely concerning.
Had to plug in Linux audio via the motherboard audio and use different sources for each OS to work around it.
Does change how the meme reads to me.
Also, maaaan does Linux need to completely redo its audio systems from the ground up. It’s so bad that saying that isn’t even that controversial, which is insane in these circles.
That shouldn’t be possible as the hardware gets reinitialized on boot
You would friggin’ think.
And yet.
Turns out a DAC is a fairly complicated and self-sufficient bundle of software and hardcore electrical circuitry, so apparently you can mess it up so badly it will remain broken across soft reboots. Who knew!
What distro? What sound card?
You might try something new that runs pipewire by default, if you haven’t already. But I might also know of some specific quirks with specific cards.
We’re not doing this. People in the Linux community are so tweaked by years of bad support that they assume every complaint is a call for help.
It is not.
I know what’s broken, I know why, I know it’s not easily fixable, I have a workaround. This is not a tech support thread.
I don’t need information from users more savvy than me, I need the bad sound firmware they’re loading in lieu of specific support for my audio card to be fixed, or even better, replaced by actual specifically supported firmware so my card works. In the meantime, crappy on-board audio and wasting money on hardware I’m not using it is.
From the ground up has been done at least once, but given there are multiple layers of interface and driver, it might not be at the right level for whatever hardware you have.
I’m thinking specifically of how pipewire recently came along and basically took over the functions previously provided by pulseaudio, to the point of pretending to be Pulse where necessary so that things don’t break.
FWIW, I recently learned that my motherboard has features that weren’t unlocked by default in my distro. Not related to sound, mind you, but nonetheless, I’ve gained access to that now. It required loading an extra kernel module. The same might be required to get the best out of your sound card.
Nah, it’s just not supported. Or rather, it’s poorly supported so it sounds worse than in Windows and it just doesn’t want to properly dual boot without a power cycle. Honestly, I haven’t checked if the soft reboot issue has been reported. Pretty sure it hasn’t. I could be nice and go find where to file a bug, but I haven’t gotten around to it and, frankly, there are enough other problems with this particular setup that nobody is fixing and are getting dismissed with “it’s the manufacturer’s fault” that I’m not particularly inclined to go out of my way.
We don’t talk enough about how spotty new motherboard support is for Linux, either. At least sound is a recurring talking point. But yeah, newer motherboards often don’t pick up networking and audio hardware out of the box and need a lot of troubleshooting. Everybody is so proud of how well Linux revitalizes old laptops but nobody likes to talk about how that’s because they’re old, and newer stuff may not work well or at all. Early adopting hardware platforms on Linux can be a “going on an adventure” Hobbit meme experience.
And you’re right that it’s not so much about audio getting reingeneered again as it getting done right. I just don’t know that the current patchwork barely holding together can be salvaged by bolting more pieces on top. Every time Linux needs to replace something this way it’s a years-long argument between nerds and a whole damn mess (see Wayland still being litigated, somehow). Audio never gets enough attention anywhere and I have very low trust that a new attempt wouldn’t end up in the same mess they have now, at least for a long while. It extra sucks because Windows audio used to be kinda bad, but now it’s… kinda not? So being a dual-booter it’s just an extra reason to make that choice of which boot option to pick from the menu.