Do I still need to use WineASIO to have MuLab running on Linux?

[oldcastle]

Hei,

While we're still waiting for the Linux version the way to use Wine. So, yesterday I just tried it on my Linux system. No setup was necessary, I could run MuLab simply double clicking the .exe file. And it worked very well. A few glitches, but nothing vital so far. So, do I still need to use WineASIO?

Cheers,
Castle

[Calum]

I'm not sure about Linux but on a Mac I can now use Mulab in recent versions of Wine without the need for the Mac version of wineasio. As long as I also install and use either the asio4all or flasio driver I can achieve acceptable audio latency (at least to my ears). That's not something I could have achieved or expected in earlier versions of Wine from just a few years ago without using wineasio.

[oldcastle]

Ok, I'm new to this, so what is/was the purpose of wineasio?

[Calum]

Yes, in the past osxwineasio was essential for low latency audio in Wine but on a Mac I have found this is no longer the case. I discovered the trick of using asioralll out of desperation when osxwineasio stopped working in recent builds of Wine.

Recently I did try using Mulab in an installation of Zorin OS as you described and although Mulab was useable, the audio latency was not good. I have not tried it in Linux but I would imagine that an installation of asio4all into wine would improve the results and is a lot easier to configure than a wineasio/jack setup. Worth a try anyway.

[audiojunkie]

Hei,

While we're still waiting for the Linux version the way to use Wine. So, yesterday I just tried it on my Linux system. No setup was necessary, I could run MuLab simply double clicking the .exe file. And it worked very well. A few glitches, but nothing vital so far. So, do I still need to use WineASIO?

Cheers,
Castle

The WINEASIO package pretty much does the same thing as having an ASIO driver on Windows--it allows you to run that particular package under ASIO and get low latency performance. It is not necessary to use WINEASIO if you are not doing real-time recording that requires low latency. However, if you are indeed wanting low latency as a Windows user would with an ASIO driver, then WINEASIO is a solution to do this.

I have not tried ASIO4ALL on Linux. It may or may not work--it too is a Windows application and may have its own compatibility problems with Linux. But then again, it may well work, and if it does, it would be pretty cool to know about. Please let us know if you manage to get that working.

Otherwise, I'd simply recommend WINEASIO.

Best

[Calum]

I decided to check this out so I installed Zorin OS on an external SSD and Mulab launched into Wine version 5 as a default ( by double clicking the exe file). The default audio driver settings produced OK results but with noticeable latency.

Screenshot 2022-03-20 at 13.40.38.png

I installed ASIO4ALL and FLASIO into Wine and selected them in turn in the audio driver settings. ASIO4ALL produced no audio and FLASIO produced distorted sound.

Screenshot 2022-03-20 at 13.39.44.png

I repeated the above steps using PlayOnLinux to easily switch through different Wine versions. Wine version 5 produced identical results to the above but when I switched to Wine version 6 and higher (I tried 6, 6.3, 7, 7.3 and 7.4 staging) there was a substantial improvement to the FLASIO driver results – no sign of distortion or choppy audio and good audio latency results. With the default audio driver there was still some latency and ASIO4ALL still did not produce any sound.

My conclusions:
Up until Wine version 5, WINEASIO/JACK would have been necessary for low latency audio, but with Wine 6 and higher, similar results can be achieved just by installing FLASIO. The standard default driver will also give acceptable audio results if low latency is not a priority but ASIO4ALL is a non-starter for this application.

The FL Studio ASIO driver (32/64 bit) is available on the Image-Line forum but you will need an Image-Line forum account to download it. You may also be able to install a more recent FLASIO driver by installing the FL Studio demo but I have not tried that. I did experience a Wine crash just after installing the driver but that did not appear to have any other adverse affects after restarting Wine. All at your own risk of course if you decide to try it.

[Calum]

I replied to this on the "MuLab 9.0.31 App + Plugin beta" thread but I thought it was worth reposting here as it relates to running Mulab in Wine on Linux:

Hi,

I'm not sure where to post a bug issue for M9, so please advise.

I'm running M9 on Linux with Wine 7.4 staging. Everything works fine, the speed of this program is better than some native ones

I found one issue. When you first open M9, it presents you with a demo song. Now, if you right-click on any track and then click on "Choose Target Module", the window goes on and off instantly. It doesn't allow me to do anything. The same thing happens if you want to add an automation sub-track.

Can you reproduce this issue?

Cheers.

Linux user here. MuLab is a Windows application, as you know. It works fine in Windows. It's not a problem with MuLab, it's a problem in the WINE API layer. While there ARE things a developer can do to better support Windows apps running under WINE on Linux, the best solution is to get involved in the bug reporting at WINEHQ. They have a database of various apps, and testers can report their experiences and bug problems with the WINE API. That way, the WINE API can be improved/fixed to run the Windows version of MuLab under Linux. If you stay dedicated and involved with your MuLab testing and reporting as each version of WINE is released, I bet you can help things to eventually run as well on Linux as in Windows.

Best

Edit: Ha! Good on you! I see that you've already contacted WINEHQ!

https://forum.winehq.org/viewtopic.php?t=36332&p=136497

May I also suggest enrolling as a MuLab "maintainer" so that you can test each version and report to the developers any improvements or regressions between WINE versions?

https://appdb.winehq.org/objectManager. ... &iId=17847

I may have a "quick fix" for this issue until WINEHQ comes up with a solution. In the Wine configuration window, tick "Emulate a virtual desktop" checkbox and choose a desktop size:

Screenshot 2022-03-20 at 13.42.01.png

This does appear to fix the right-clicking and related window issues running Mulab in Wine under Zorin OS but your mileage may vary. MuLab can appear full screen by making the desktop size the same resolution as your monitor but I would suggest making the window smaller unless you have created a Wine crash escape route shortcut - just in case!

[audiojunkie]

Very cool insights!! Thanks for your research!!

[oldcastle]

I may have a "quick fix" for this issue until WINEHQ comes up with a solution. In the Wine configuration window, tick "Emulate a virtual desktop" checkbox and choose a desktop size:

Screenshot 2022-03-20 at 13.42.01.png

This does appear to fix the right-clicking and related window issues running Mulab in Wine under Zorin OS but your mileage may vary. MuLab can appear full screen by making the desktop size the same resolution as your monitor but I would suggest making the window smaller unless you have created a Wine crash escape route shortcut - just in case!

Just an update here. I found a "better" (all kudos to Calum) solution. You just need to uncheck the option "Allow the window manager to control the windows".

Screenshot_20220331_005741.png

That's it! Now you have Mulab 9 running flawless on Linux! I tested with Wine 7.4 and 7.5 (staging) on EndeavourOS.

[audiojunkie]

Fantastic news! Congratulations!!

[Calum]

I can confirm this also works in Zorin OS. This is a much more convenient solution than my proposal. Thanks for sharing.

[oldcastle]

A NOTE!!

If you uncheck Allow the window manager to control the windows. Mulab will not show up in the window list (ie in the alt+tab list or on your task bar). More info here https://wiki.winehq.org/Winecfg.

That can be a problem for some people. And as long as I know, there is no workaround for this "issue", because technically, it's not an issue. It's the expected behavior.

So, if that is not for you, please use Calum solution.