On 29 August 2025 11:33:33 CEST, "M. Armsby" <m.armsby@xxxxxx> wrote: > > >Dear maintainers, > >Linux is being ridiculed in the professional audio community — not because it can't do low-latency audio, but because the ALSA FireWire stack actively breaks it. Professional gear costing thousands of dollars like Motu RME Focusrite etc. etc. > >Since kernel 5.16+, FireWire audio devices are correctly detected and functional — but they are burdened with an artificial +90ms latency offset due to missing timing metadata (e.g., cycle-match delay, transmission latency) in the driver's interface to userspace. > >PipeWire and WirePlumber rely on accurate latency reporting. When it's missing, they fall back to worst-case assumptions — adding ~90ms of delay. This is NOT a PipeWire bug. It is a FAILURE of the ALSA FireWire drivers to expose timing data that the hardware and firmware already provide. > >This bug: >- Renders high-end interfaces (RME, Focusrite, Tascam, Motu, Terratec) unusable for real-time monitoring >- Forces users to hack WirePlumber with hardcoded quantum rules >- Damages Linux's credibility in music production >- Makes Linux a JOKE in studios worldwide > >There is NO excuse for this in 2025. > >We have workarounds (see: https://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=274978), but they are fragile, device-specific, and do not scale. > >We demand: >1. Immediate exposure of accurate device latency via ALSA control or hwdep interface >2. Proper reporting of transmission/cycle delay to userspace >3. A timeline for fixing this in mainline > >This is not a "nice-to-have". It is a **critical defect** in a core multimedia subsystem now using pipewire as standard. > >Linux can and must do better. >Many are waiting to move to Linux, finally leaving windows. > >— Martin Armsby (Martin A - maa) >Professional Audio Producer / Linux Advocate > >Please see: >Imagine if Linux Audio just worked - Firewire <https://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=302305> >and ><https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/pipewire/-/issues/4785> >Thank you for reading. >-- Martin Armsby >-- Martin Armsby Sorry, a link error: <https://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=274978> should be: <https://forum.cockos.com/showpost.php?p=2883715&postcount=50> Thanks -- Martin Armsby
