PipeWire
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Modern replacement for PulseAudio + JACK.
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Mid-level API/Graph.
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Unified audio/video graph engine.
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Graph-based audio routing.
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Low latency.
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Pro-audio capable.
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Typical use today
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Modern Linux desktops (Fedora, Ubuntu newer versions).
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Professional audio setups.
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ALSA (Advanced Linux Sound Architecture)
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Kernel-level audio subsystem.
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Direct interface to sound hardware.
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No automatic mixing (unless configured).
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Often bypassed by higher layers.
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Backend for PulseAudio/PipeWire
PulseAudio
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User-space sound server.
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Designed for desktop convenience.
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Higher latency than ALSA.
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Not designed for pro audio.
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Typical use today
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Desktop Linux audio
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Games via SDL/OpenAL/miniaudio
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