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.
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