Transmission ± Linux Audio goes mobile Daniel James Free Ekanayaka 64 Studio Ltd. 64 Studio Ltd. P.O. Box 37, Freshwater, P.O. Box 37, Freshwater, Isle of Wight, PO40 9ZR, Great Britain Isle of Wight, PO40 9ZR, Great Britain
[email protected] [email protected] Abstract 2 Prototype hardware Transmission is a custom GNU/Linux distribution Stewart©s conceptual starting point was Sony©s designed for real-time audio production on mobile PlayStation Portable games console. He reasoned computing platforms, including Intel ©Ultra Mobile that a device like this, much smaller than a laptop PC© devices. It was developed on behalf of Trinity but with a fast CPU, could feature pro audio Audio Group by 64 Studio Ltd. and was released software and have an audio interface with quality to the public in the summer of 2008. to match. Since the PSP is not officially open to independent development, Stewart assembled a Keywords prototype using a small VIA x86 system board and distribution, mobile, real-time a six-and-a-half-inch TFT display. 1 Introduction Stewart had heard that GNU/Linux was efficient enough to use on low-power embedded devices, Ronald Stewart is a record producer, originally and had multimedia applications available. A from Seattle, USA but now based in Los Angeles. number of manufacturers in the pro audio sector He was one of the first users of the Digidesign had recently launched embedded products based ProTools system, the de facto standard in around the Linux kernel, taking advantage of proprietary DAWs since the early 90©s. Back then, reduced R&D costs and shorter time-to-market, Stewart was producing remixes for the likes of due to the number of high-quality Free Software cash-burning Discordianist pop duo The KLF.