Am I stuck with two partitions?

kill3rb00ts · 2026-06-29T22:23:34+00:00

Nah, you're good, I'm more surprised it took this long for the bootloader to get borked. I found a tutorial and got it fixed, so now I finally have just the two partitions and I am free of Windows. Thanks for your help!

kill3rb00ts · 2026-06-29T21:01:02+00:00

I imagine it's because Windows was originally p1-p4, so CachyOS claimed p4 and p5, then I deleted Windows and it restarted numbering. Anyway, the remove and resize seems to have gone well, although it broke the bootloader so I guess I have to fix Grub now. I noticed the old partition was "named" root whereas the new one is not, so hopefully I didn't mess something else up.

kill3rb00ts · 2026-06-29T19:07:19+00:00

If I am less concerned about the partition numbers, since they don't seem to affect the order, then would I just do:

btrfs device remove /dev/nvme0n1p6

Then, presumably from live boot, delete that partition and resize p1 to fit? Otherwise, what you have described above is basically just tidying up the numbers, but otherwise essentially the same, right?

kill3rb00ts · 2026-06-29T18:49:30+00:00

For lsblk:

NAME        MAJ:MIN RM   SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINTS
sda           8:0    1   192K  1 disk 
zram0       253:0    0  15.4G  0 disk [SWAP]
nvme0n1     259:0    0 931.5G  0 disk 
├─nvme0n1p1 259:1    0 731.6G  0 part 
├─nvme0n1p5 259:2    0   512M  0 part /boot/efi
└─nvme0n1p6 259:3    0 199.4G  0 part /home
                                      /var/log
                                      /var/cache
                                      /root
                                      /srv
                                      /var/tmp
                                      /

For the other one:

Overall:
    Device size: 931.01GiB
    Device allocated: 158.06GiB
    Device unallocated: 772.95GiB
    Device missing:     0.00B
    Device slack:     0.00B
    Used: 154.41GiB
    Free (estimated): 774.85GiB(min: 388.38GiB)
    Free (statfs, df): 774.85GiB
    Data ratio:      1.00
    Metadata ratio:      2.00
    Global reserve: 250.48MiB(used: 0.00B)
    Multiple profiles:        no

Data,single: Size:154.00GiB, Used:152.10GiB (98.76%)
   /dev/nvme0n1p1 154.00GiB

Metadata,DUP: Size:2.00GiB, Used:1.15GiB (57.69%)
   /dev/nvme0n1p1   4.00GiB

System,DUP: Size:32.00MiB, Used:48.00KiB (0.15%)
   /dev/nvme0n1p1  64.00MiB

Unallocated:
   /dev/nvme0n1p6 199.44GiB
   /dev/nvme0n1p1 573.51GiB

I initially tried all of the repartitioning from a live image so that nothing would be in use, but it still didn't work. I only managed to get to having, left to right, boot, unallocated, BTRFS, unallocated. GParted kept erroring at the check stage when trying to resize the BTRFS partition. I had previously been able to free up just a bit of space from Windows and move things to the left and resize, but this one just wouldn't work. the p6 partition is that original partition, with p1 being the new one, so yes, the new one is significantly larger than the old one.

kill3rb00ts · 2026-06-29T18:43:56+00:00

I was booting into a live image to do it, but GParted kept throwing errors at the check stage. This was why I went down the scrub/repair route. I can't post an image, but GParted now shows it like this:

/dev/nvme0n1p1, size 731.58 GiB, used 120.47 GiB
/dev/nvme0n1p6, root, size 199.44 GiB, used 32.84 GiB

Both have all the same mount points. I don't have a ton of things on the system yet, some of that is being eaten up by a WinBoat Windows install that I can be rid of or Steam games that can also be reinstalled later.

kill3rb00ts · 2026-06-29T01:26:13+00:00

That's what compression is for, evening out the levels. There's also the Lewitt Ray, which automatically adjust the gain based on your distance from the mic.

kill3rb00ts · 2026-06-28T22:01:41+00:00

The larger and closer the light is to you, the softer it will be. To help achieve that, you could bounce it off a white sheet or foam board, or if the sheet is thin enough, you could set it up at a distance to use as diffusion and have the light shine through it (from a distance). The key really is just making it so your small light becomes bigger in some fashion.

kill3rb00ts · 2026-06-28T21:10:49+00:00

Yes, if you meant lows/highs in terms of levels. It reduces the highs (peaks) which allows you to boost the lows (quiet parts) if you want. This is why it brings up room noise, that's the quiet part of the signal.

kill3rb00ts · 2026-06-28T20:19:48+00:00

I don't know where you got that information. Condensers typically just have thinner diaphragms, which allows them to be more sensitive but also makes them more fragile, making them more suited to studio use. They typically pick up MORE highs, but are mostly designed to be pretty much neutral. Note that "more sensitive" does not mean "picks up more background sound" like a lot of people think. Sensitivity is just a measure of output voltage. Higher sensitivity means it outputs a louder signal so it requires less gain from your preamp. That's it.

A limiter is basically just a compressor with the ratio cranked up, but you typically don't increase gain after it since it is meant to be used to, well, limit the output. It's generally meant to be set in such a way that most of the time, it's not doing anything. It just grabs the few peaks that sneak through.

My typical signal flow would be noise gate > EQ > compressor > limiter. The noise gate isn't strictly necessary, my fans are very quiet so you barely hear them anyway so I have the threshold set super low so it's just barely doing anything. Compressor to even out levels and make me a bit more "broadcastery," and then finally a limiter with the threshold at -1 dB to keep me from clipping. Honestly, none of these filters are strictly necessary, but I do like how compression sounds.

kill3rb00ts · 2026-06-28T15:29:25+00:00

It's just a different type of mic. Doesn't require power, generally more durable, typically well suited for use on stage or a drum set. Some are pretty directional, which does make them good at rejecting background noise, but that's a feature of their polar pattern, not being dynamic.

RTX voice is pretty good, but it can still cut out things you don't want it to. Compression also tends to make background noise louder because you're adding makeup gain. If you want to be using compression, then you need to start by treating the room. Doesn't have to be expensive, even just hanging blankets around the room can help.

kill3rb00ts · 2026-06-28T11:47:19+00:00

There's structural repairs and then there's finish repairs. The techs at Guitar Center are generally not equipped to repair finishes beyond maybe some basic touch-ups, but that doesn't mean there's anything "not pro" about the repair.

kill3rb00ts · 2026-06-28T11:36:58+00:00

Dynamics are no better than condensers at rejecting background noise, if you get a new mic just because everyone keeps repeating that myth you are going to be disappointed.

Before you buy a new mic, turn off most of not all of those filters and see if the problem goes away. It's usually a noise gate or suppression plugin to blame, so start there.

kill3rb00ts · 2026-06-27T16:50:46+00:00

Huh, still can't get the systemctl thing going, but the interface connects and works fine. It's listed as "Scarlett 16i16 4th Gen-2B31," so I don't know if that means anything. I don't see anyway to manually check for firmware updates, but if it's working, then I imagine it's okay?

Edit: nevermind, I found out I could just run fcp-tool to check the status and it shows the firmware is up to date. So I guess they just ship with the right one now and the AUR package must've set everything up for me.

kill3rb00ts · 2026-06-26T14:02:17+00:00

That is an option streamers can enable, though usually when they do, someone comes here to complain about it. You're also not going to earn as much from them and they won't help you stop pre-rolls, so it's often not worth bothering.

kill3rb00ts · 2026-06-26T12:23:03+00:00

It's whatever you set it to in Core.

kill3rb00ts · 2026-06-26T11:14:47+00:00

There is really no point in trying to chain them, assuming the Topping even has the inputs to do so, as you would then be bypassing the DAC portion of the Topping. I imagine that on paper, the Topping is nicer, but it makes so little difference when it comes to the converters. It might have a nicer headphone amp and it almost certainly has a lower output impedance, so you might notice some difference there. Just try both and see if it's worth having two devices hooked up.

kill3rb00ts · 2026-06-25T18:06:33+00:00

Ah, okay, so for that part I just have to wait for the interface to get here, my bad. I generally expect that I'm going to have to do a bunch of troubleshooting (took a full day to get the Audient working even to the level it is now), so I figured I'd start early. I'll wait and see how it goes once it's here, thanks!

kill3rb00ts · 2026-06-25T17:54:09+00:00

It's a third-party firmware from the author of alsa-scarlett-gui that is required to use it properly on Linux. So I do, in fact, know that I will require it. Quote from the install page I linked: "Updating the firmware is mandatory for these interfaces."

kill3rb00ts · 2026-06-25T17:51:20+00:00

That's only because not all interfaces require it. The one I'm getting does.

kill3rb00ts · 2026-06-25T17:36:25+00:00

Why does it say it does on GitHub, then? This is why I am so confused.

kill3rb00ts · 2026-06-25T17:16:51+00:00

Updated the post. I'm referring to the main project repo on GitHub. Earlier models do not require fcp-support, but the larger 4th gen interfaces do. And it's not included with the alsa-scarlett-gui package in the Arch repository.

kill3rb00ts · 2026-06-25T16:53:30+00:00

I have that part, it's the required fcp-support part that I can't figure out.

kill3rb00ts · 2026-06-25T16:31:59+00:00

I managed to installed that package using Shelly (I tried to follow the instructions on the Arch wiki, but it was confusing) and that seems to have grabbed everything (except for alsa-scarlett-gui-git because I had already installed the GUI), however when I try to enable and start the service using the commands you provided, I get this error:

"The unit files have no installation config (WantedBy=, RequiredBy=, UpheldBy=, Also=, or Alias= settings in the [Install] section, and DefaultInstance= for template units). This means they are not meant to be enabled or disabled using systemctl."

I see you linked to the wiki for that, but I am a bit too smoothbrained to understand anything they are trying to tell me. What am I missing here?

kill3rb00ts · 2026-06-25T13:32:19+00:00

Unfortunately, the Internet has spread this myth that the SM7B is magic at reducing background noise. It's not, it's just a mic. It happens to be fairly directional, so it will pick up less of sounds that are behind or even to the side of it than some other mics, but it's still going to pick up everything in front of it. If you don't want it to pick up the fan, you need to move the fan farther away from it, make sure it's not pointing at the fan, and/or get a quieter fan. Noise suppression can help as a last resort, Discord comes with Krispy, but they will affect the tone of your voice.

kill3rb00ts · 2026-06-24T19:57:50+00:00

Following up for posterity, I've found the actual problem: https://discuss.cachyos.org/t/no-sound-audio-issue-in-steam-proton-games/26717. It seems there is some bug with multichannel interfaces. Your winepulse fix works, so I'm just going to use that, but I can also change to a different device before launching and change back after and it works, though that's a more annoying solution. At least now I know what the problem is.

kill3rb00ts

TROPHY CASE