A novel way to massively improve the SQ of computer audio streaming

[hifi25nl]

Hello, I am the developer of Audiolinux. 
I would like to thank everyone for the nice words about the work I have done.
I have not posted in this thread yet, but I am following the discussion and some upgrades (as the configuration menu in headless mode) are the result of your remarks and suggestions.

I don't have much time now to answer to all posts, I am maintaining 8 versions of Audiolinux... and answering quickly to many emails...
I understand that the site must be improved, but at least there is everything you need in one page. When I have time I will work on it.

 

Is the installation of Audiolinux difficult?

* In Linux you must type one command line
gunzip -c audiolinux_220.img.gz | dd of=/dev/sda (if your hd address is /dev/sda)

* In Windows you can use 
Etcher
https://www.balena.io/etcher/
(or also Rufus, possibly version 2.18)

* In Mac the installation is similar to linux one, there is a special page here:
http://www.audio-linux.com/html/mac.html

Until now I have 100% successfull installation.

That is, this is only disk cloning... Why not an installation application? Because this way you have all ready, installed and already configured.

 

There is also a user guide made by a user here: http://www.audio-linux.com/html/user_guide1.html
(if you want to contribute send me your guide!)

 

It is difficult to configure it? Let’s take a look at the headless version. This is the very simple menu:

 

In the lxqt version you have some nice shortcuts inside “Start here” folder. One or 2 clicks and you are up and running:

[hifi25nl]

Drivers in linux are different and alsa is very direct. Audiolinux is not using alsa mixer.

[hifi25nl]

I have been asked to list the main features of audiolinux. 

I would like to put in evidence that if you would want to configure an archlinux base installation so that is identical to audiolinux, it would take very much time… 

    • AL is using a realtime kernel with very low CPU latency. This custom compiled kernel is based on realtime BFQ kernel with some adjustments and some patches. The last version can be downloaded here: https://www.audio-linux.com/ftp/packages/kernel/last/linux-rt-bfq/ This is the last 4.19.x with more patches for audio. The performance of this type of kernels with a decent processor is impressive: http://www.audio-linux.com/#LATENCY

    • AL tunes the realtime priorities of processes and interrupts using rtirq and rtapp (this last developed by myself) with the possibility of fine-tuning for your system, see http://www.audio-linux.com/html/realtime.html This has nothing to do with the “nice” parameter in linux (in this case is irrelevant) or the priority in non-realtime kernel or priority assignments in Windows. In realtime kernels if an audio application has some priority all other tasks will be executed after. This will decrease the impact on sound of other running applications but also of other equipment connected to your PC (this because of irq priority assignments). Also frequency of rtc0 and hpet is adjusted.  

    • AL implements the ramroot utility to allow RAM-resident OS for best sound quality. If the application allows it you can load also a song to RAM (see buffer parameter in squeezelite, for example). The ramsave script for saving the system in ram mode is original. 

    • AL preinstalls the most important audio services and applications like Roon and HQPlayer (and in lxqt version Logitech Media Server, Squeezelite, MPD, UpnP for MPD) so it works out of the box.  These applications are already partially configured. 

    • In AL you can install easily the application you want and eventually compile it with your parameters. All necessary packages for compilation are already installed. This is an “open” system where you can decide what you want and how to configure it. The update of applications can be made from the inside with a simple command. You can update daily, if you want.

    • In AL you can start (or enable at boot) audio services very easily with custom scripts. In headless version with the configuration menu, in lxqt version with shortcuts in the Desktop. 

    • Think to AL not as an image, but as a service. I have contributed to the fine-tune of many systems and if necessary I have made some special features on request. See for example the new how-to for big Roon database in ram mode: http://www.audio-linux.com/html/roon.html Recently I have also made a custom cover downloader and an HTTP server for accessing covers from mpd client. I am giving support not only to audiolinux but also for hqplayer, mpd, roon etc.

 

[hifi25nl]

No, but those applications are pre-installed only on lxqt, otherwise see the guide:

 

OTHER AUDIO APPLICATIONS

* In audiolinux lxqt mpd, logitechmediaserver and  squeezelite are already installed

Squeezelite + LMS installation:
yaourt -S logitechmediaserver-git squeezelite-r2-git
Configuration file for squeezelite: /etc/conf.d/squeezelite
For listing available devices:
squeezelite -l

MPD and UPnP installation:
yaourt -S mpd upmpdcli
Configuration file for MPD: /home/audiolinux/.mpdconf

Please note that these commands will install the application and many dependencies, so audiolinux size will increase and as a consequence boot time in ram mode.

[hifi25nl]

In audiolinux the configuration files are in /home/audiolinux/.hqplayer  (you must enable "Show hidden files in pcmanfm-qt menu)

There you can find the log file hqplayerd.log

You could also copy the HQPlayer configuration in settings.xml to hqplayerd.xml or remove hqplayerd.xml (the effect is the same)

 

Try first without Roon running, only hqplayer embedded and NAA

[hifi25nl]

Did you try to enable/disable ipv6?

And try to use the same settings as Desktop as I told before.

 

Finally poweroff everything (computer, dac etc.)

Power on DAC

Start sMS-200Ultra

After some minutes, start audiolinux 

[hifi25nl]

33 minutes ago, seeteeyou said:

Question for @hifi25nl and @bibo01 etc. regarding RDMA

 

https://searchstorage.techtarget.com/definition/Remote-Direct-Memory-Access

https://wiki.debian.org/RDMA

 

I was able to find some packages related to RDMA but still not sure if they're useful

 

https://github.com/linux-rdma/rdma-core

https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/rdma-core/

https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/rdma-core-git/

 

Let's say we're running headless + ramroot AL on both server side and client side, what are the software as well as hardware requirements to get RDMA going while actually reaping the benefits for playing music?

 

There some packages on archlinux user  repositories:

https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/?O=0&SeB=nd&K=rdma&outdated=&SB=n&SO=a&PP=50&do_Search=Go

 

 

[hifi25nl]

@lmitche

 

And this is the wiki:

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/InfiniBand#qperf_-_Measure_performance_over_RDMA_or_TCP/IP

[hifi25nl]

There is  an "auto-mount guide" here: https://www.audio-linux.com/html/mount.html

 

Other options would be more user friendly, but if you install for example gvfs for remote mounting and gigolo gui the system load would increase

[hifi25nl]

About loading to RAM the songs to be played:

 

HQPlayer all versions: max 250 ms

Squeezelite: you can set at the value you want with the -b parameter: 

https://ralph-irving.github.io/squeezelite.html

MPD: you can set at the value you want with audio_buffer_size and other parameters:

https://linux.die.net/man/5/mpd.conf

Jriver: memory playback and prebuffering in Audio options

Roon: see https://kb.roonlabs.com/Troubleshooting_Audio_Dropouts and here https://community.roonlabs.com/t/roon-buffering-song-before-playback/33483/2 

 

[hifi25nl]

1 hour ago, lmitche said:

I don't, but I am the wrong guy to ask. My only experience is with the Roon and Hqplayer solutions.

 

@hifi25nl may know more.

 

It would be possible (in theory) with BruteFIR  in Logitech Media server, but the procedure is manual, long and tricky...

[hifi25nl]

In Audiolinux you stream Tidal from:

 

1) Logitechmediaserver (you can use Squeezer on Android as control point or connect to LMS with a browser)

2) MPD with upmpdcli (UPnP for MPD) (you can use Squeezer or other squeezelite control points)

3) HQPlayer embedded (BubbleUPnP or Mconnect)

 

There are also other control points besides those reported above.

 

[hifi25nl]

The problem with Roon UID is that if you install audiolinux on 2 different USB sticks you will have the same Roonbridge UID. This is not changed by the menu item, that will simply start the service.

 

I have added a Note to the Guide on the site:

Note 3: If you are using Roonbridge in more than one computer take into account that: "RoonBridge generates and writes out a unique id into its data directory on first run and uses that to identify itself to RoonServer. Clear out /var/roon on the second device (or hunt down and delete the RAATServer/Settings/unique_id file) and it will generate itself a new one next time it starts up."

 

[hifi25nl]

audiolinux audiolinux...

[hifi25nl]

I am collecting various suggestions, I will see. However is very easy you must only change country code in /etc/vconsole.conf

[hifi25nl]

Yes, for personal use.

[hifi25nl]

1 hour ago, lmitche said:

For those of you using a USB stick to boot Audiolinux and Roonbridge on your NUC endpoint, version 1.6 of Roon is available today with a new build of Roonbridge. The update will install per normal Roon operations into the ramdisk in the endpoint and play music as normal.

 

To permanently save this build on your USB stick, boot the NUC leaving the USB stick in place, login to the NUC and run Save System from the Audiolinux menu. Depending on your version of AL, this can be done from a browser, terminal emulator or console terminal via keyboard and monitor.

 

If you are running an older pre-menu version of Audiolinux, typing the ramsave command from the root prompt will save the changed contents of the ramdisk to the usb stick.

 

Make sure that the Roonbridge software has updated to version 1.0 build 169 before doing the ramsave operations described above. To check, in Roon go to Settings: About  to see the currently running version numbers. Relaunch the Roonbridge if it hasn't been done yet.

 

Enjoy,

 

Larry

 

 

 

Since Roon is writing new files to the installation directory /opt/RoonServer directory (this is not a standard and correct procedure in linux systems with packaged applications...) installation could fail. 

 

To be sure that all is fine, please install manually with

yaourt -Syy roonserver roonbridge --noconfirm --force

Where --force in this case is unfortunately necessary.

 

If you want, you can edit the file /opt/scripts/alupdate.sh and add --force to the same line.

 

This will be added in the next menu release, that will have an automatic script for transferring roon  database to anther drive and some more option (Turbo=off) for CPU governor

 

Note: to be sure of version type pacman -Q roonserver
 

[hifi25nl]

Yes, but that will not solve the problem. 

[hifi25nl]

@nenon please read this

 

"HQPlayer (max 250 ms cache) and Roon (cache unknown)  have not this possibility and there is no way to implement it from outside. 

...At least another player is declaring that it can play from RAM, but it is really using MPD..."

[hifi25nl]

I would also add this, from a letter I have sent recently, to make things clear:

 

"..maybe it was compared with the wrong volume...in some cases at first play alsa will have the volume at less than 100% (with some DACs)
This will have a great impact on sound perception.
I feel uncomfortable with comparisons on which I don't have control.
A fair comparison should be made after checking output volume with a meter, and... kernel is the same (linux-rt-bfq), roon package is the same, priority is similar (rtirq etc.), OS is the same (archlinux)... if installation media and equipment are the same, the output should be the same, if you use the same software with the same configuration.
Unless the audiolinux configuration was wrong: too weak processor with Extreme2 for example. This will lower the CPU latency but the effect can be a more dry sound."

 

 

[hifi25nl]

For HQPlayer embedded, If you load manually the file into RAM and you add the directory to HQPlayer library, it will play from ram. 

What you cannot do is to automate the process from inside HQPlayer

[hifi25nl]

3 hours ago, austinpop said:

 

Maybe @hifi25nl can make this an easy menu-driven option.

 

 

 

Ok, I will do it probably tomorrow.

[hifi25nl]

You problem is that you want to copy some files?
What is the source?  If this source is using samba or nfs you can

1) Mount remote source with the remote mount option in audiolinux main menu
2) Mount internal HDD in audiolinux ( I think this is already done)
3) Copy the files with File editor (not ROOT) in the main menu

 

Please never login as root. You don't need to start samba server to copy the files

 

[hifi25nl]

Here a nice guide to Mdnight commander:

http://nawaz.org/media/docs/mc/mc.pdf

[hifi25nl]

8 hours ago, cat6man said:

hqplayerd in ramroot on AL is really good with "older" AL builds (e.g. 140) and this sounds much better than the same configuration on build 250........who knows why

 

Audiolinux is using a special realtime priority configuration that give specific priority to audio applications (this is made with a custom copyrighted script).

After that version some kernels could not support this configuration without freezing the system, so that has been disabled until menu version 226.  Now there is a much more complete new option 6 "REALTIME MANUAL ASSIGNMENT configuration" in EXPERT menu where you can re-enable it if you are running one of the last kernels, for example 5.6.19-rt11-1-rt