ARts
Encyclopedia
aRts, which stands for analog Real time synthesizer, is an audio framework that is no longer under development. It is best known for previously being used in KDE
(series 2
and 3
) to simulate an analog synthesizer
.
A key component of aRts is the sound server
which mixes several sound stream
s in realtime
. The sound server
, called artsd (d for daemon
), is also utilized as the standard sound server for KDE2–3. However, the sound server is not dependent on KDE and can be used in other projects. It is a direct competitor to JACK Audio Connection Kit
, another real-time sound server, and an indirect competitor to the Enlightened Sound Daemon
(ESD). It is now common to use ALSA's software mixing instead of artsd.
The aRts platform
also includes aRts Builder — an application
for building custom layouts and configurations for audio mixers, sequencers, synthesizers and other audio schema
via a user-friendly graphical user interface
. aRts is free software
, distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public License
.
In KDE 4 developers chose to replace aRts with a new multimedia API known as Phonon
. Phonon will provide a common interface on top of other systems, such as Xine
, to avoid being dependent on a single multimedia framework.
KDE
KDE is an international free software community producing an integrated set of cross-platform applications designed to run on Linux, FreeBSD, Microsoft Windows, Solaris and Mac OS X systems...
(series 2
KDE 2
K Desktop Environment 2 was the second series of releases of the K Desktop Environment . There were three major releases in this series.-Major updates:...
and 3
KDE 3
K Desktop Environment 3 was the third series of releases of the K Desktop Environment . There were six major releases in this series.-K Desktop Environment 3.0:...
) to simulate an analog synthesizer
Analog synthesizer
An analog or analogue synthesizer is a synthesizer that uses analog circuits and analog computer techniques to generate sound electronically. The earliest analog synthesizers in the 1920s and 1930s such as the Trautonium were built with a variety of vacuum-tube and electro-mechanical technologies...
.
A key component of aRts is the sound server
Sound server
A sound server is software that manages the use of and access to audio devices, most notably, the soundcard. It usually runs as a background process...
which mixes several sound stream
Streaming media
Streaming media is multimedia that is constantly received by and presented to an end-user while being delivered by a streaming provider.The term "presented" is used in this article in a general sense that includes audio or video playback. The name refers to the delivery method of the medium rather...
s in realtime
Real-time computing
In computer science, real-time computing , or reactive computing, is the study of hardware and software systems that are subject to a "real-time constraint"— e.g. operational deadlines from event to system response. Real-time programs must guarantee response within strict time constraints...
. The sound server
Sound server
A sound server is software that manages the use of and access to audio devices, most notably, the soundcard. It usually runs as a background process...
, called artsd (d for daemon
Daemon (computer software)
In Unix and other multitasking computer operating systems, a daemon is a computer program that runs as a background process, rather than being under the direct control of an interactive user...
), is also utilized as the standard sound server for KDE2–3. However, the sound server is not dependent on KDE and can be used in other projects. It is a direct competitor to JACK Audio Connection Kit
JACK Audio Connection Kit
JACK is a professional sound server daemon that provides real-time, low latency connections for both audio and MIDI data between applications that implement its API...
, another real-time sound server, and an indirect competitor to the Enlightened Sound Daemon
Enlightened Sound Daemon
In computing, the Enlightened Sound Daemon is the sound server for Enlightenment and GNOME.ESD will mix together the simultaneous audio output of multiple running programs, and output the resulting stream to the sound card....
(ESD). It is now common to use ALSA's software mixing instead of artsd.
The aRts platform
Platform (computing)
A computing platform includes some sort of hardware architecture and a software framework , where the combination allows software, particularly application software, to run...
also includes aRts Builder — an application
Application software
Application software, also known as an application or an "app", is computer software designed to help the user to perform specific tasks. Examples include enterprise software, accounting software, office suites, graphics software and media players. Many application programs deal principally with...
for building custom layouts and configurations for audio mixers, sequencers, synthesizers and other audio schema
Schema
The word schema comes from the Greek word "σχήμα" , which means shape, or more generally, plan. The plural is "σχήματα"...
via a user-friendly graphical user interface
Graphical user interface
In computing, a graphical user interface is a type of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices with images rather than text commands. GUIs can be used in computers, hand-held devices such as MP3 players, portable media players or gaming devices, household appliances and...
. aRts is free software
Free software
Free software, software libre or libre software is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with restrictions that only ensure that further recipients can also do...
, distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public License
GNU General Public License
The GNU General Public License is the most widely used free software license, originally written by Richard Stallman for the GNU Project....
.
End of project
On December 2, 2004 aRts' creator and primary developer Stefan Westerfeld announced he was leaving the project due to a variety of fundamental development and technical issues with aRts.In KDE 4 developers chose to replace aRts with a new multimedia API known as Phonon
Phonon (KDE)
Phonon is the multimedia API provided by Qt and is the standard abstraction for handling multimedia streams within the KDE Software Compilation 4....
. Phonon will provide a common interface on top of other systems, such as Xine
Xine
xine is a multimedia playback engine for Unix-like operating systems released under the GNU General Public License. xine is built around a shared library that supports different frontend player applications. Another important feature of xine is the ability to manually correct the synchronization...
, to avoid being dependent on a single multimedia framework.
See also
- Enlightened Sound DaemonEnlightened Sound DaemonIn computing, the Enlightened Sound Daemon is the sound server for Enlightenment and GNOME.ESD will mix together the simultaneous audio output of multiple running programs, and output the resulting stream to the sound card....
(ESD) – used by GNOMEGNOMEGNOME is a desktop environment and graphical user interface that runs on top of a computer operating system. It is composed entirely of free and open source software... - PulseAudioPulseAudioPulseAudio is a cross-platform, networked sound server commonly used on the Linux-based and FreeBSD operating systems.PulseAudio runs under Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and POSIX-compliant platforms, such as Linux and FreeBSD...
– Advanced Sound Server intended to be a replacement for the ESD