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How to Install and Configure PipeWire in Linux
Since emerging on the scene in 2017, PipeWire has positioned itself as a strong contender to replace PulseAudio, but it still has plenty of kinks to iron out in its stability. Now, it has built a strong reputation as a more established audio service for the system. Linux After many years, users are now curious about whether upgrading to PipeWire is really worth it. In this article, we'll provide you with the latest information on the advantages of PipeWire over PulseAudio and show you how to properly install it on your system if you choose to do so. By following the steps above, you'll learn how to install and configure PipeWire on Linux.
What is PipeWire?
Audio on Linux always follows a multi-layered architecture: you install a driver, which makes the device work, but applications still want to talk to it in their own way. To do this, the server acts as a user-space intermediary to “talk” to the kernel, which then talks to the computer's hardware.
The Advanced Linux Audio Architecture (ALSA) acts as a good, simple middleman between your applications and your kernel, but if you want more sophistication, you need something called an audio server.
PulseAudio and PipeWire add a layer on top of what the kernel does to offer a number of features. They allow multiple applications to stream audio, provide detailed mixer control capabilities, and even enable on-the-fly post-processing of audio streams in ways that rival or even exceed the capabilities of the suite of applications offered by commercial operating systems.
The difference between the two is that the PipeWire layer adds other features such as video stream management while also getting rid of some of the issues that made PulseAudio unpleasant for new users to work with.
Since its introduction in 2017, PipeWire's stability issues have steadily disappeared. It's now the default audio server for many distributions, including Fedora and Manjaro based Arch EndeavourOS, Garuda, and even saw an introduction in Ubuntu 22.10.
For most people, the change was so seamless that they only felt it because their ability to use audio expanded on their systems, a testament to its established reputation as a robust service that serves as a direct upgrade to the old PulseAudio framework.
While it's easy to think that upgrading to PipeWire is a no-brainer, we should step back for a second and explore the nuances behind the decision so you can get a clearer picture of what you're signing up for if you take this step:
PipeWire has a wide range of support for many Bluetooth audio devices that previously didn't fully work with PulseAudio. If your Bluetooth device isn't working properly with your distribution, performing this step may help.
A large number of distributions have already started including PipeWire as their default audio service, and there is a lot of support in the official repositories for anything you come across.
PipeWire handles latency more efficiently when streaming audio to multiple devices at the same time.
Later processors like EasyEffects (formerly PulseEffects) have dropped PulseAudio support in their releases or plan to do so soon, making it necessary to move to PipeWire to maintain the flexibility these applications offer you.
The features are more suitable for people who want to get into more professional audio settings and applications.
It supports pipelines for video streams, allowing screen sharing applications to enjoy a more robust and secure environment.
The PipeWire Services suite comes with pipewire-pulse, which extends support for applications that use the PulseAudio API and audio management.
It is less prone to breakage under high CPU load.
Negatives
Configurations don't always translate directly from PulseAudio. You'll have to learn a completely new configuration system.
PipeWire doesn't have any intuitive connection logic, which means it requires another service to listen for audio output and route it correctly. This isn't necessarily a drawback, but it can be annoying because it requires you to also learn how to configure the session manager to perform advanced tuning.
Although this is changing as of this writing, documentation and community support is still not as widespread for PipeWire as it is for PulseAudio.
How to install PipeWire
If you want to take the plunge and install PipeWire on your system, you should first make sure you don't already have it running!
Type pactl information into a terminal and see what it gives you within "Server Name"If he gives you “on PipeWire” In parentheses, you are actually running PipeWire.
If the terminal displays to you PulseAudio Just without following anything, it means your system is not running PipeWire.
1. Backup your system
Make sure you have a way back if something goes wrong! If you haven't created a backup of your system, do so now before proceeding further. The easiest way to do this is with Timeshift, but you're free to use any other utility you know that creates a full backup of your system files.
2. Service installation
Every PipeWire installation starts with the core service. This may already be installed with your distribution, but just in case it isn't, you can install it with the following commands.
On Arch-based systems:
sudo pacman -S pipewire pipewire-alsa
On Ubuntu/Debian based systems:
sudo apt install pipewire
3. Install session manager
PipeWire doesn't have its own connection logic, so you need to install a session manager. WirePlumber is one that offers more fine-grained configuration as well as additional components that can enhance your experience:
On Arch-based systems:
sudo pacman -S wireplumber
On Ubuntu/Debian based systems:
sudo apt install wireplumber
If you prefer a simpler version or your distribution's official repositories don't contain WirePlumber, you can simply install PipeWire Media Session:
On Arch-based systems:
sudo pacman -S pipewire-media-session
On Ubuntu/Debian based systems:
sudo apt install pipewire-media-session
4. Install PulseAudio Daemon
Since a large percentage of your system's applications still send calls to PulseAudio, if you want audio to work properly, you'll have to install the PipeWire daemon that listens for PulseAudio elements.
On Arch-based systems:
sudo pacman -S pipewire-pulse
On Ubuntu/Debian based systems:
sudo apt install pipewire-pulse
5. Remove PulseAudio traces
If you have to confirm the removal of PulseAudio due to a conflict with something else you were installing during this process (usually pipewire-pulse), you can skip this step.
Q1: Can I only use ALSA? answer. You can certainly get away with simply running ALSA on your system (especially if you're using a window manager instead of a desktop environment), but you probably won't enjoy it. ALSA can only play one audio stream at a time. While this doesn't sound bad, it does mean your system may behave unexpectedly when a notification sound tries to play while you're watching a video. Using a higher-level ALSA audio server is more convenient, but it definitely involves a small amount of memory.
Q2: Can PipeWire be installed in Linux Mint Cinnamon? answer. Absolutely! Cinnamon has a bit of a scary moment where the audio tool doesn't show up when you complete a proper PipeWire installation, but it will reappear the moment you reboot if you follow these instructions to the letter. Just make sure to remove any PulseAudio remnants as outlined in the instructions, and you'll be golden!
Q3: How do I solve sound problems after sleeping? answer. If your computer's sound stops working when you wake it from sleep, it's likely because ALSA failed to initialize properly, which happens occasionally. In such situations, just give ALSA a manual kick with: alsactl init
Once you're done, all your audio issues should be gone!
