The de facto Linux sound-mixing system
Manage Your Audio Life
© Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
PipeWire lets you transparently handle ALSA, JACK, and PulseAudio applications, making it useful for both general and professional audio users.
PipeWire [1] is a software layer that handles audio mixing on a GNU/Linux-powered computer. Chances are, you are running PipeWire on your Linux PC right now, although you might not be aware of it because PipeWire transparently emulates the three most important audio systems: ALSA, JACK, and PulseAudio. For this reason, you can take advantage of PipeWire's facilities while still continuing to run your existing software.
PipeWire attempts to balance the needs of professional audio users, such as musicians, with the needs of general users such as gamers and general desktop users. If desired, you can simply sit back and benefit from what PipeWire is doing behind the scenes. But if you're a more advanced audio user, you can also get into the details of PipeWire's configuration and routing capabilities.
This article breaks down what PipeWire is and what it can do, along with some examples of how to handle some common audio scenarios.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
AerynOS Alpha Release Available
With a choice of several desktop environments, AerynOS 2025.08 is almost ready to be your next operating system.
-
AUR Repository Still Under DDoS Attack
Arch User Repository continues to be under a DDoS attack that has been going on for more than two weeks.
-
RingReaper Malware Poses Danger to Linux Systems
A new kind of malware exploits modern Linux kernels for I/O operations.
-
Happy Birthday, Linux
On August 25, Linux officially turns 34.
-
VirtualBox 7.2 Has Arrived
With early support for Linux kernel 6.17 and other new additions, VirtualBox 7.2 is a must-update for users.
-
Linux Mint 22.2 Beta Available for Testing
Some interesting new additions and improvements are coming to Linux Mint. Check out the Linux Mint 22.2 Beta to give it a test run.
-
Debian 13.0 Officially Released
After two years of development, the latest iteration of Debian is now available with plenty of under-the-hood improvements.
-
Upcoming Changes for MXLinux
MXLinux 25 has plenty in store to please all types of users.
-
A New Linux AI Assistant in Town
Newelle, a Linux AI assistant, works with different LLMs and includes document parsing and profiles.
-
Linux Kernel 6.16 Released with Minor Fixes
The latest Linux kernel doesn't really include any big-ticket features, just a lot of lines of code.