User:Crantila/FSC/Topics

(1.) Topics marked as "optional" will be completed as time permits, during project weeks 9, 10, and 11. See the proposed schedule for details.

(2.) Where possible, I will avoid replication of material by referring to existing Fedora Project documentation.

System Tasks

• Understanding Sound Cards
  • What Is a "Sound Card?"
  • How Do I Find Information about my audio interface? (optional)
  • How Do I Find Information about my MIDI interface? (optional)
  • How Do I Know Which Input/Output Port to Use?
• Understanding Sound Servers
  • What a Sound Server Is
  • Advanced Linux Sound Architecture (ALSA)
    • What ALSA Is, and Why It Exists
  • PulseAudio
  • JACK Audio Connection Kit
  • Phonon
    • What Phonon Is, and Why It Exists
    • Knowing When to Use Phonon
• Planet CCRMA at Home
  • What Planet CCRMA Is, and Why It Exists
  • Knowing Whether You Should Use Planet CCRMA (including risks & benefits of third-party repositories)
  • Using Planet CCRMA Software
• Optimizing the Linux Kernel for Audio Applications (optional, but highly desired - at least CCRMA)
  • What Is a Realtime Kernel? (including "What is processor scheduling?")
  • Using a Pre-built Realtime Kernel from Planet CCRMA (including "Planet CCRMA's kernels may be older than Fedora's")
  • Building Your Own Audio-Optimized Kernel (of course, with appropriate disclaimers)
  • Other Possible Optimizations (this will primarily be the removal of unused device drivers)

Audio Tasks

• Recording
  • Knowing Whether to Use Audacity or Ardour
  • Audacity
  • Ardour
• Synthesizers and Sequencers
  • SuperCollider
  • FluidSynth
  • Qtractor
  • Rosegarden
• Typesetting
  • LilyPond
  • Frescobaldi
• Aural Skills Training
  • GNU Solfege
• Webcasting (highly optional - would make a great addition)
  • Darkice or Darksnow
  • Icecast Server
  • If I end up covering these applications, tutorial topics can be decided later.