Alsa & Kernel Versions & Audio Interfaces

[retnev]

This is just good info about the troubles Alsa has with some kernels and not others.
I have about 5 kernels in boot options and alsa cannot find the audio interface in about half the cases.

So if you bought a USB compliant interface, and you have connection problems. Try differen kernels.
As an example. Alsa refuses to find my audio interface when I boot:

vmlinuz-5.2.0-17.2-liquorix-amd64
a liquorix kernel
but it immediately finds the interface when I boot e.g.
vmlinuz-4.19.0-1-amd6
which is a debian kernel.

Most of the reports of USB2 compatible interfaces not found and contradictory reports of the same interface working and not working by users , is due to the archaic Alsa finicky dependency on kernels. Alsa just fails quitely in this case. It would be way better if it can report errors in detail rather than the usual old vanilla cryptic garbage that can only be interpreted by a Ferengi.

Alsa development seems to be about dead.

[Baggypants]

File a bug against liquorix or ask for help in their forum, they don't appear to be building all the necessary alsa kernel modules.

[khz]

The "old" real audio/MIDI interfaces (PCI/PCIe cards with an ALSA driver) installed in a sound card/an audio/MIDI interface send and receive the data byte by byte.

USB class compliant audio/MIDI interfaces sends and receives the data block by block due to USB technology.
USB transmits the audio/MIDI data (reliably?) over how many layers?
e.g.
https://www.techdesignforums.com/practi ... nal-layer/

[Mr. Lumbergh]

This is just good info about the troubles Alsa has with some kernels and not others.
I have about 5 kernels in boot options and alsa cannot find the audio interface in about half the cases.

So if you bought a USB compliant interface, and you have connection problems. Try differen kernels.
As an example. Alsa refuses to find my audio interface when I boot:

vmlinuz-5.2.0-17.2-liquorix-amd64
a liquorix kernel
but it immediately finds the interface when I boot e.g.
vmlinuz-4.19.0-1-amd6
which is a debian kernel.

Most of the reports of USB2 compatible interfaces not found and contradictory reports of the same interface working and not working by users , is due to the archaic Alsa finicky dependency on kernels. Alsa just fails quitely in this case. It would be way better if it can report errors in detail rather than the usual old vanilla cryptic garbage that can only be interpreted by a Ferengi.

Alsa development seems to be about dead.

From what I understand of the Liquorix kernel, it's geared towards gaming performance, so those sorts of things may not have been configured.
I run a 5.4RT kernel from the Debian repos and it never gives me an issue with my interface.