Linux-kernel mailing list archive 1999-32,: Re: sound & hdd = the usual lowlatency problems

# Re: sound & hdd = the usual lowlatency problems

Mike (mike@oxlug.org)
Sat, 14 Aug 1999 10:57:19 +0100 (BST)

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On Mon, 9 Aug 1999, Wakko Warner wrote:

> > Your problem is very likely not hardware related.
> > The problem lies in the kernel which,while the disk is under stress, does not
> > run your sound-app for a time which is bigger than your audio buffer,
> > and therefore the sound skips.
>
> Why does everyone insist on it's skipping?!?! It's dragging. Remember
> 8track tapes?!?!
>
Not wanting to contradict you, but are you completely sure that the
dragging you are hearing isn't actually a mild form of skipping? ie if it
skips very slightly at regular intervals, this could sound like dragging?

> I'm sure it's hardware related because that machine has never done this when
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> <snip>

> There's nothing wrong with the hardware itself. When it ran 2.0.3x I never
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Um? I'm slightly confused here. What excatly do you think is causing the
problem?

> had a problem except when there was network activity. The problem went away
> when I got a PCI sound card. I kept the old sb16 for other things (lots of
> programs didn't like the es1370 driver and the sb16 worked just fine). The
> 16 would drag, but not the pci card. Now, the machine was upgraded and the
> old parts upgraded another machine. I threw a sb card in it so that I could
> play deathmatch games between me and friends with sound.
>
> But the bottom line is, it's not skipping period. It drags just like the
> old 8tracks. When the machine gets taken down (which may not be for a long
> time, it's on a ups and I don't reboot machines unless I do upgrades, this
> is a nonissue for the machine)
>
So the sb16 drags under network activity on 2.0.3x on one machine and
under heavy disk load on 2.2.x on another machine, yes?

It does sound like a resource conflict to me, but I assume you've checked
that. Does the kernel know about both of the sb's dma channels?

    --
    Mike <rickettm@ox.compsoc.net>

    The American Dental Association announced today that most plaque tends
    to form on teeth around 4:00 PM in the afternoon.

    Film at 11:00.

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