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diff --git a/DOCUMENTATION/README b/DOCUMENTATION/README new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..b1e85b4d37 --- /dev/null +++ b/DOCUMENTATION/README @@ -0,0 +1,101 @@ + ARDOUR README + + Paul Davis <paul@linuxaudiosystems.com> June 2003 + +Welcome to Ardour. This program is still very much under development, +but has now reached the stage where it will be productive and useful +to have other people testing it out and perhaps (hopefully!) fixing +bugs and adding features. + +**** SECURITY ******************************************************* + +To run Ardour with the lowest latencies, it's necessary to use POSIX +Real-Time Scheduling as well as locking all the memory it uses into +physical RAM. These requirements can only be met if Ardour is run with +root priviledges. + +On the other hand, things are not so bad. If you don't attempt to +install it setuid root (which actually won't work anyway), then +someone needs to have gained root access in order to run it like this. +If they already have root access, Ardour is the least of your +problems. So relax. We'll use capabilities once Linux kernels start +arriving with them enabled, though this won't help too much with +security, since the relevant capabilities would still allow a wiley +cracker to do anything at all. + +Alternatively, you can choose to run Ardour without RT scheduling, and +then there's no concern at all. It just won't be useful in low latency +situations, which are desirable in most studio environments. Note that +this is not so important if you have audio hardware that is capable of +doing "hardware monitoring" - in this case, a lack of low latency will +simply make response to Ardour's UI controls a little sluggish, but +monitoring during capture will be excellent. + +**** HARDWARE COMPATIBILITY ***************************************** + +Ardour uses JACK for all its audio I/O, thus providing seamless +connections to both audio hardware and other applications. Its really +not the right place to discuss JACK, but in case you are wondering: + +Although JACK uses the ALSA 0.9.0 API, it exercises this API in a way +that no other application to date has done, and it also tries to use +certain hardware features that again, no other existing applications +use. As a result, although complete portability to all ALSA supported +h/w is an eventual and very achievable goal, there may be issues +surrounding h/w compatibility. Please remember that my primary goal +with JACK is to build a professional audio system, and with Ardour, a +professional digital audio workstation. If they happen to be useful +for people with 2/4 channel cards, then great, but it's not my own +primary focus. + +One other important issue is that your audio interface must support +full duplex i/o with the same sample format for both capture and +playback. This means, for example, that the SoundBlaster AWE cannot +be used with JACK in full duplex mode - it only supports full duplex +i/o if one of the two directions (capture or playback) is 8 bit and +the other is 16. Very few cards have this kind of limitation, and if +they do, they typically are not suitable for use with applications +like JACK or Ardour for other reasons. + +To date, JACK has been run with: + + RME Hammerfall (Digi9652) (26 channels in, 26 channels out) + RME Hammerfall DSP (hdsp) (26 channels in, 26 channels out) + RME Hammerfall Light (Digi9636) (18 channels in, 18 channels out) + Midiman Delta series (ice1712 chipset) (12 channels in, 10 channels out) + + Various consumer grade audio interfaces, typically with 2 channels + in, 2/4 channels out, including: + + Hoontech 4Dwave-NX (Trident chipset) + Ensoniq 5880 + Soundblaster 32 + Soundblaster 64 + Creative SBLive64 + +and many more. + +So, basically, it appears to work for just about all ALSA supported +cards, which is the goal. + +********************************************************************** + +BUG REPORTING +------------- + +Bugs should be reported to http://ardour.org/mantis/ . They are more +likely to be remembered and dealt with there. Please check the existing bugs +to make sure it has not already been reported and/or fixed in CVS. + +COMPILING ARDOUR +---------------- +Please see the file "BUILD". + +RUNNING ARDOUR +-------------- + +NOTE: You must have a running JACK server before starting Ardour. + ----------------------------------------------------------- + +Typing "ardour" will hopefully have some effect. "ardour --help" lists +available options. |