---
layout: default
title: Ubuntu Linux
----
-
-<h2>Ubuntu Linux</h2>
+---
<p>
- Ubuntu Linux is the most popular variety of Linux in use on desktop
+ <dfn>Ubuntu Linux</dfn> is the most popular variety of Linux in use on desktop
and laptop systems. It has the backing of a for-profit corporation
- (Canonical Inc.) behind it, a defined philosophy and a huge and
- worldwide user base.As a result, it is a common platform for people
+ (Canonical Inc.), a defined philosophy and a huge and
+ worldwide user base. As a result, it is a common platform for people
who want to use Ardour and other tools for music creation and
- pro-audio work.
+ pro-audio work.
</p>
-<p>
- Unfortunately, Ubuntu has repeatedly caused major headaches for
- people who want to use Ardour. These problems have arisen from a
- combination of two basic issues:
- <ul>
- <li>Badly built packages of Ardour</li>
- <li>Poor system configuration related to JACK, which Ardour (and
- most other pro-audio tools on Linux) uses for audio and MIDI I/O.
- </li>
- </ul>
+<h2>High Level Recommendations for Ubuntu Users</h2>
+<p>
+ Currently, installing pro audio applications on vanilla Ubuntu requires
+ some configuration, in order for the user to gain realtime privilege
+ (read below).
+ Ubuntu Studio, which is an official flavor of Ubuntu, and thus shares
+ the repositories with Ubuntu, has this already configured.
+ Other distributions, such as KXStudio, and Dreamstudio are largely based
+ on Ubuntu, and like Ubuntu Studio, has these settings preconfigured, while
+ also containing customized versions of Ubuntu packages, which often are
+ more up to date.
</p>
-<h3>Problems with Ardour Packages</h3>
-
-<p>
- It is not possible to know whether the current package of Ardour
- released by Ubuntu has been correctly built or not. Ubuntu has a
- history of making packaging errors that lead to crashes, missing
- functionality and odd behaviour that is not present in the
- ready-to-run version of the program that you can get from ardour.org
- (or in the packages released by other distributions)
+<h2>Installing Ardour</h2>
<p>
- If you plan to use Ardour on Ubuntu, you are <strong>strongly
- recommended</strong> to download the ready-to-run version from
- ardour.org. Ardour's lead developer (and many of the most active
- members of our user community) will not provide support for, and
- will not investigate bugs reported for, Ubuntu's own packages of
- Ardour.
+ There may be unintended differences, and even bugs in Ubuntu native
+ packages, as a result of a different building method. For this reason,
+ Ardour developers highly recommend you to install the official
+ ready-to-run version of the program that you can get from <a
+ href="http://ardour.org/download">ardour.org</a>, as Ubuntu native
+ packages are not supported in official Ardour forums or other
+ support channels.
</p>
<p>
- If have already installed the Ubuntu package of Ardour and find that
- although the program starts up and basically runs, but you are
- running into more subtle problems (for example, with plugin GUIs or
- with export, or with the use of certain specific plugins), then you
- are <strong>strongly recommended</strong> to download the
- ready-to-run version from ardour.org.
+ Follow these steps to install the latest version of Ardour.
+ <ol>
+ <li>Download the latest release from <a href="http://ardour.org/download">
+ ardour.org</a>.</li>
+ <li>Right-click the downloaded file and choose properties.</li>
+ <li>Click the `Permissions` tab and check the option `Allow this file to
+ run as a program`</li>
+ <li>Close the dialog and double-click the file.</li>
+ <li>Follow the prompts.</li>
+</ol>
</p>
-<h3>Problems with PulseAudio and JACK Configuration</h3>
-
-<h4>Problems with the interaction between PulseAudio and JACK</h4>
+<h2>Problems with the interaction between PulseAudio and JACK</h2>
+<h3>Background Info</h3>
<p>
- Like many distributions, Ubuntu has decide to use PulseAudio as the
+ Like many distributions, Ubuntu has decided to use <dfn>PulseAudio</dfn> as the
default audio system. PulseAudio is a rich and capable system that
provides excellent services for typical users of Linux on the
desktop. However, it is not capable of the type of performance that
tools like Ardour require and in particular does not offer the
- possibility of sending audio between applications that can makes the
+ possibility of sending audio between applications that can make the
Linux audio environment a very interesting one.
</p>
<p>
- This would not a problem if it were not for the fact that JACK will
- not run correctly (if at all) if it needs to use the same
+ This would not be a problem if it were not for the fact that JACK
+ will not run correctly (if at all) if it needs to use the same
soundcard/audio interface that PulseAudio is using. And since on
Ubuntu, PulseAudio is configured by default to always use the
(typically single) audio interface on your computer, this is a bit
another message, and PulseAudio can once again use the soundcard
directly.
</p>
+<h3>What is the problem?</h3>
<p>
- This relatively simple system ought to be the basis for excellent
- cooperation between PulseAudio and JACK. Unfortunately, it relies on
- everything being correctly configured for it to work, and Ubuntu
- have repeatedly failed to get this configuration correct.
+ The specific issues known at this time for all flavors of Ubuntu
+ 12.04 and 12.10 are:
</p>
-
-<p>
- The specific issues known at this time (spring 2013) are:
<ul>
<li>a bug in PulseAudio that causes it not to give up the
- soundcard when JACK asks</li>
- <li>bad package dependency information that causes a critical
- package to be missing even when JACK and PulseAudio are
- installed</li>
- <li>a bug that causes JACK to freeze up when told to stop,
- causing issues with restarting</li>
+ soundcard when JACK asks
+ (<a href="https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/pulseaudio/+bug/1163638">LP:
+ #1163638</a>,
+ fixed in Ubuntu 13.04).</li>
</ul>
-<h5>Symptoms</h5>
-
-<p>
- <ul>
- <li>Cannot start JACK (though see the next section for other
- causes of this)</li>
- <li>JACK starts but there is no sound coming from Ardour or other
- applications that use JACK.</li>
- </ul>
-</p>
-
-<h5>How to fix</h5>
-
-<h2>Problems with JACK configuration<h2>
-
+<h3>Symptoms</h3>
<p>
- To function as intended, JACK needs to run with access to two
- operating system facilities called "realtime scheduling" and "memory
- locking". This means that you, the user who starts JACK, must be
- allowed access to these facilities. By default, Ubuntu does create a
- user group that has this permission but ... it does not put new
- users into this group by default. Consequently, you will not have
- permission to run JACK in the way you should.
+ <samp>Cannot start JACK</samp> (though see the next section for other
+ causes of this)
</p>
-<h5>Symptoms</h5>
-
+<h3>How to fix</h3>
<p>
- A message like "Cannot lock down memory" in the output from JACK as
- it starts up. This output may be "hidden" in the Messages window of
- QJackctrl (aka JACK Control), so you should check there.
+ These bugs do not affect releases from 13.04, and earlier releases
+ (12.04 and 12.10) are in the process of being fixed.
</p>
-<h5>How to fix</h5>
-
+<h2>Problems with JACK configuration</h2>
+
+<h3>What is the problem?</h3>
+ <p>
+ To function as intended, JACK needs to run with access to two
+ operating system facilities called <dfn>realtime scheduling</dfn> and
+ <dfn>memory locking</dfn>. This means that you, the user who starts JACK, must be
+ allowed access to these facilities. By default, Ubuntu does create a
+ user group that has this permission but — it does not put new
+ users into this group by default. Read more about why <a href="https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Audio/TheAudioGroup">here</a>.
+ Consequently, you will not have permission to run JACK in the way you should.
+ </p>
+<h3>Symptoms</h3>
+ <p>
+ A message like <samp>Cannot lock down memory</samp> in the output from JACK as
+ it starts up. This output may be hidden in the Messages window of
+ QJackctrl (aka JACK Control), so you should check there.
+ </p>
+
+<h3>How to fix</h3>
+ <p>
+ Make sure the file /etc/security/limits.d/audio.conf exists. If it is
+ named /etc/security/limits.d/audio.conf.disabled, rename it to the former.
+ Run the command
+ </p>
+ <kbd class="cmd lin">sudo usermod -a -G audio
+ <em>YOUR-LOGIN-NAME</em></kbd>
+ <p>
+ Then log out and log in again. On Ubuntu Studio the user is a member of audio
+ group by default, but not on other official flavors.
+ </p>
+
+<h2>Reporting Issues</h2>
<p>
- Run the command <code>sudo usermod -a -G
- audio <em>YOUR-LOGIN-NAME</em></code>. Then logout and login again.
+ Given the difficulties in supporting Ubuntu and the limited time/resources
+ of the Ardour team, the <dfn>Ubuntu Studio Project</dfn> has requested that
+ issues and bug reports related to Ubuntu, Ubuntu Studio and other
+ derivitives be directed to them.
</p>
+<h3>Contact Information for Ubuntu Studio</h3>
+<p><a href="http://ubuntustudio.org">The Ubuntu Studio Homepage</a></p>
+<p><a href="http://ubuntuforums.org/forumdisplay.php?f=335">The Ubuntu Studio Forums.</a></p>
+<p><a href="https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UbuntuStudio/MailLists">Information on the Ubuntu Studio Mailing Lists.</a></p>
+<p><a href="https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UbuntuStudio/IRC">Information on the Ubuntu Studio IRC channel.</a> #ubuntustudio on irc.freenode.net</p>
projects / ardour-manual-diverged / blobdiff