ASNUX, low-latency
audio engine for Linux.
A virtual ALSA kernel driver, a real-time systemd daemon and an eframe/egui GUI written in Rust. Works with any DAW that supports ALSA (REAPER, Ardour, Bitwig, LMMS...) and integrates with PulseAudio/PipeWire.
curl -sSL https://devfrp.github.io/asnux/install.sh | sudo bash
Automatic distribution detection — Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, openSUSE, Slackware and many more. You can also download the script and inspect it before running.
ASIO4ALL, the free Linux edition
ASNUX is a low-latency audio engine designed to replace ASIO4ALL on Linux. It provides deep system integration through a virtual kernel module, a configurable buffer from 16 to 8192 samples with real-time priority, and installs from 20 package formats. It coexists with PulseAudio/PipeWire for transparent everyday use.
Features
Low latency
Configurable buffer from 16 to 8192 samples. Real-time priority for audio streams.
ALSA kernel driver
Virtual kernel module for deep system integration. Multi-channel up to 8 (7.1).
Graphical interface
Modern GUI to set buffer, sample rate, channels and make ASNUX the default engine.
Multi-format
20 package formats: DEB, RPM, Arch, Gentoo, Alpine, Nix, Slackware, Void, Solus, AppImage, Flatpak, Snap, Docker, Homebrew...
Default engine
Enable ASNUX as the main system audio device. Compatible with PulseAudio and PipeWire.
Pro rates
From 8 kHz to 192 kHz. 16/24/32-bit and float formats. DAW and audio workstation ready.
Sample rates and formats
Supported sample rates
Supported audio formats
Graphical interface
The asnux-gui control panel — buffer, estimated latency,
sample rate, channels and default-engine switch, on a single screen.
Audio engine configuration
Buffer size (samples) [========----] 256
Estimated latency: 5.3 ms
Sample rate 48000 Hz (Studio) ▼
Channels 2 (Stereo) ▼
Periods 4 periods ▼
Default audio engine ON
[Load module] [Apply config] [Unload]
Technical specifications
Operating system
Linux kernel 5.10+. All distributions: Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, openSUSE, Gentoo, Alpine, NixOS, Void, Slackware, Solus.
Architecture
x86_64 (AMD64). ARM64 support (Raspberry Pi 5) in beta. Kernel module in C, daemon in Rust, GUI in Rust/eframe.
Memory
~8 MB RAM for the daemon. ~30 MB for the GUI. Minimal footprint, suitable for embedded systems and audio workstations.
Latency
Configurable buffer from 16 to 8192 samples. Theoretical minimum latency: 0.33 ms at 48 kHz/16 samples. Recommended: 128-256 samples (2.7-5.3 ms).
Audio channels
Up to 8 channels (7.1 surround). User-configurable. Automatic stereo downmix for multichannel sources.
Supported formats
S16_LE, S24_LE, S32_LE, 32-bit Float. Sample rates: 8 kHz to 192 kHz. Works with any ALSA-recognized audio hardware.
Download and install
Download the latest ASNUX release for your distribution, or use the one-line installer at the top of the page.
Debian / Ubuntu
sudo dpkg -i asnux-1.0.1-amd64.deb sudo systemctl start asnux-daemon sudo systemctl enable asnux-daemon asnux-gui
Fedora / RHEL
sudo rpm -ivh asnux-1.0.1-1.x86_64.rpm sudo systemctl start asnux-daemon sudo systemctl enable asnux-daemon asnux-gui
Arch
sudo pacman -U asnux-1.0.1-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst sudo systemctl start asnux-daemon sudo systemctl enable asnux-daemon asnux-gui
Universal
# Runfile chmod +x install_asnux.sh sudo ./install_asnux.sh # AppImage chmod +x ASNUX-*.AppImage ./ASNUX-*.AppImage # Portable tar xzf asnux-*-linux-x86_64.tar.gz sudo ./asnux-*/install.sh
Configuration
The ASNUX kernel module loads with these defaults:
# Tunable parameters (via /sys/module/asnux/parameters/) buffer_size=256 # Buffer size (16-8192) sample_rate=48000 # Sample rate (8000-192000) channels=2 # Channel count (1-8) periods=4 # Period count (2-1024)
FAQ
Does ASNUX completely replace PulseAudio?
No. ASNUX is a low-latency audio engine designed for DAWs and audio workstations. It coexists with PulseAudio/PipeWire. You can switch between them from the control panel.
What is the difference with JACK?
JACK is an audio routing server. ASNUX is a virtual kernel driver. The two are complementary: ASNUX improves the ALSA layer, JACK handles routing between applications. Use both together for a professional setup.
Do my Windows VST plugins work?
Yes, through Wine. ASNUX provides latencies low enough for real-time monitoring with emulated Windows VST plugins. Use yabridge for automatic bridging.
How do I cleanly uninstall ASNUX?
Depending on how you installed it: sudo dpkg -r asnux (DEB), sudo rpm -e asnux (RPM),
sudo pacman -R asnux (Arch). The kernel module is removed automatically.
Is ASNUX compatible with Secure Boot?
The kernel module needs to be signed for Secure Boot. A signing guide is included in the documentation. Alternative: temporarily disable Secure Boot in the BIOS.
Can I use ASNUX with a USB DAC?
Yes. ASNUX works with any audio device recognized by ALSA, including USB DACs, FireWire audio interfaces, and PCI/PCIe sound cards.
How do I check that ASNUX is active?
Check with a few commands:
# Get the ASNUX card number CARD=$(cat /proc/asound/cards | grep -i asnux | head -1 | awk '{print $1}') lsmod | grep asnux # Module loaded? cat /proc/asound/cards | grep -i asnux # ALSA card present? aplay -l | grep -i asnux # Playback device visible? cat /sys/module/asnux/parameters/buffer_size # Parameters accessible? amixer -c $CARD scontrols | grep ASNUX # Mixer controls present? sudo dmesg | grep -i asnux # Loaded without errors? ls /dev/snd/controlC$CARD # Device node exists?
If all these commands return a result, ASNUX is operational. You can also
test playback with speaker-test -D hw:0,0 -c 2 -t sine -f 440.
"Invalid module format" error when loading the module?
This error occurs when the asnux.ko kernel module was built for a different kernel
version. Check with modinfo asnux.ko | grep vermagic: the vermagic must exactly match
uname -r. If it does not, rebuild from source:
git clone https://github.com/devfrp/asnux.git cd asnux/kernel make clean make sudo cp asnux.ko /lib/modules/$(uname -r)/kernel/drivers/sound/ sudo depmod -a sudo modprobe asnux
Typical cause: kernel update without rebuilding the module, or a module pre-built for a different kernel (e.g. Azure vs local kernel).
Documentation
Technical documentation and guides for ASNUX.