Are all Creative-Labs SB cards Linux compatible now?

[D-Tuned]

My Asus Xonar card's 1/4 jacks have given up the ghost. I have never seen such lousy workmanship! Thinking of buying a Sound-Blaster next with normal 3.5mm jacks to whuch I would FIX adapter pigtails to take the punishment and just change those when needed. TIA

[j_e_f_f_g]

I strongly advise you not get a creative labs (or emu, owned by cl). A lot of the features on their cards are software implemented. There is either code in their operating system driver that runs on your computer's cpu, or code that the driver must load (off your disk drive) into some dsp chip every time you boot up. CL doesn't make linux drivers. And they consider their code to be a trade secret, so they won't provide any info to outside developers (and I know of one dev CL threatened to sue after he reverse-engineered their windows driver). So those features wil never work on linux.

Buy an external usb audio interface. Most all current products support 'usb audio class compliance', which means they work with linux.

[D-Tuned]

I strongly advise you not get a creative labs (or emu, owned by cl). A lot of the features on their cards are software implemented. There is either code in their operating system driver that runs on your computer's cpu, or code that the driver must load (off your disk drive) into some dsp chip every time you boot up. CL doesn't make linux drivers. And they consider their code to be a trade secret, so they won't provide any info to outside developers (and I know of one dev CL threatened to sue after he reverse-engineered their windows driver). So those features wil never work on linux.

Buy an external usb audio interface. Most all current products support 'usb audio class compliance', which means they work with linux.

Thanks

My 2 NEVER-AGAINS and their 1-10 fail-points are

Terratec 6Fire: 10/10 sound, 0/10 linux usability.
Asus-Xonar: 6/10 sound, 0/10 mechanical integrity.
SoundBlaster: had one a LONG time ago, issues.

anyone with an opinion on these or similar others?

https://mediadl.musictribe.com/media/PL ... ont_XL.png

https://mediadl.musictribe.com/media/PL ... ont_XL.png

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61Q ... SX679_.jpg

TIA

[Linuxmusician01]

[...]
anyone with an opinion on these or similar others?

https://mediadl.musictribe.com/media/PL ... ont_XL.png
https://mediadl.musictribe.com/media/PL ... ont_XL.png
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61Q ... SX679_.jpg

TIA

All the Behringer U-Phoria's work with Linux if I'm not mistaken. However, there recently was a revision of the 404 (4 in, 4 out, which I own). The kernel driver for that one has been updated in the latest kernel so it works again (there's a topic on it here on the forum).

I'd go for the 202 (€85, 2 in, 2 out) or the UM2 (€55, RCA out instead of jack) if I were you. However, I'd make sure you can get your money back if you change your mind (i.e. no Linux support).

In my opinion there a too many topics here about Focusrite. That tells me that they're difficult to get working but other Linuxers would disagree: they'd say that means support for Focusrite on Linux is good.

Good luck choosing and let us hear what you chose and how Linux support is!

[j_e_f_f_g]

I've used a focusrite 2:4 for years on Linux with no problems at all. Most of the problems people have are due to configuring the tragic "hot mess" of jack/pulseaudio/pipewire. The only reason why you see focusrite mentioned in those config help posts is because focusrite products are often recommended to linux users, and therefore they are widely used here. But jack/pulseaudio/pipewire can, and usually will, mess up any brand audio device.

btw, Beringer is notorious for using low quality components. Every Beringer product I've owned broke down well before my other gear. if d-tune thinks his asus card is too low-grade, I predict he won't be happy with beringer's quality. Mind you, those low cost focusrites aren't high quality either, But my focusrite outlasted my 3 beringer products.

If you want sturdy, you'll need to up your budget.

[Michael Willis]

The Focusrite/Linux story got a lot better when @geoffrey implemented drivers that support the more advanced features. Those drivers are now included in official kernel releases.

[bluzee]

I don't think you will be happy with Creative Labs either.

There are lots of decent quality USB devices if that will work for you. I can't think of any decent quality cards that are not quite expensive.

My favorite low budget soundcard to date is my M-Audio Delta 66. If you have a PCI slot and can find one of these used complete with the break out box I highly recommend it. No preamps though.

I have had no issues with my Behringer 404HD and quite like it. The build quality on it seems a level above other Behringer gear I've had in the past. I have another Mackie USB device. Quality is OK but the preamp is disappointing.

[D-Tuned]

[...]
anyone with an opinion on these or similar others?

https://mediadl.musictribe.com/media/PL ... ont_XL.png
https://mediadl.musictribe.com/media/PL ... ont_XL.png
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61Q ... SX679_.jpg

TIA

All the Behringer U-Phoria's work with Linux if I'm not mistaken. However, there recently was a revision of the 404 (4 in, 4 out, which I own). The kernel driver for that one has been updated in the latest kernel so it works again (there's a topic on it here on the forum).

I'd go for the 202 (€85, 2 in, 2 out) or the UM2 (€55, RCA out instead of jack) if I were you. However, I'd make sure you can get your money back if you change your mind (i.e. no Linux support).

In my opinion there a too many topics here about Focusrite. That tells me that they're difficult to get working but other Linuxers would disagree: they'd say that means support for Focusrite on Linux is good.

Good luck choosing and let us hear what you chose and how Linux support is!

I ordered a low-end Behringer usb interface and an Asus soundcard but with only 3.5mm jacks (for which I might end up kicking myself). Then I remembered that the worst sound-hell came while running my Me80 editor in vBox-win7 session. I also did the physical cleanup of the box with air and anti-static spray; all in all it's better now though still scratchy on account of the lousy loose 1/4" jacks. Worst case scenario I end up with a spare card. The usb interface I had once made a very nice sound so that might still be a bonus. Expect to get them in a week or so.

[sunrat]

scratchy on account of the lousy loose 1/4" jacks.

Had the same problem recently. Fixed with a cotton bud dipped in isopropyl alcohol. Just push it down into the socket a few times.

[tseaver]

Myself, I can't imagine dealing with anything less than pro-sumer-grade XLR / TRS combo jacks on the interface: I have zero desire to futz around with adapter cables (RCA, 1/8"", whatever) when trying to get a sound recorded while writing or producing a bit of music. USB interfaces are nearly universal in providing such connectors for inputs, and (mostly) reasonable for sound routed to the outputs (for outputs, you only solve the problem once, when setting up the system).

[D-Tuned]

Myself, I can't imagine dealing with anything less than pro-sumer-grade XLR / TRS combo jacks on the interface: I have zero desire to futz around with adapter cables (RCA, 1/8"", whatever) when trying to get a sound recorded while writing or producing a bit of music. USB interfaces are nearly universal in providing such connectors for inputs, and (mostly) reasonable for sound routed to the outputs (for outputs, you only solve the problem once, when setting up the system).

Lesson learned, thanks. My problems started with the horribly underdesigned 3.5mm jacks on my sound-card which I thought should be enough for a 'home' user. WRONG. So I bought another card this one with 1/4" jacks, throwing good money after bad! WRONG AGAIN. The 1/4" jacks are just barely tacked to the board and are physically loose after little use. This takes on an added level of QUALITY-THREAT when I think that new hardware will be only surface-fused to the board making the physical resistance virtually non-existant.

[D-Tuned]

scratchy on account of the lousy loose 1/4" jacks.

Had the same problem recently. Fixed with a cotton bud dipped in isopropyl alcohol. Just push it down into the socket a few times.

I'll try that too just in case, but the physical jack blocks mounted to the card itself are both loose. I looked at the solder points but see no breaks though...

[D-Tuned]

Received the usb interface and the replacement card, the overall result is marginally better than what I had before with only a quality card and one less piece of freakin' hardware to dangle around. But now for once I'm following my own advice, got some 3.5mm adapter pigtails FASTENED to the chasis at the card so that the insertions that multiply will only wear those down! I also have a spare card, gonna see if I can get some soldering iron jedi to fix it.

Thanks for all the pointers gang!