The HP Chromebox G3 is my low-cost reference for building a dedicated Pianoteq computer yourself. I’m sharing the configuration, the original helper source and what I measured, including where this machine runs out of room.
The Founders Edition is a separate product built on the Dell OptiPlex 3050 Micro, with its own testing. Results from the G3 don’t apply to the Dell, or the other way around.
Three Debian 13 (amd64) packages, version 0.1.0~alpha3:
| Package | What it contains |
|---|---|
| pianort-config | PipeWire and JACK settings, the Pianoteq user service and launcher, realtime limits and a small memory-lock helper. |
| pianort-g3-audio | The G3 (Noibat, RT5682) headphone fixes: an ALSA topology without the unused HDMI outputs, a hardware-timing rule and the tested period/headroom settings. |
| pianort-g3-tuning | Optional. The CPU profile, IRQ placement, Pianoteq thread placement and audio DSP power settings from the reference G3. It installs switched off; see the setup guide. |
| File | SHA-256 |
|---|---|
| pianort-config_0.1.0~alpha3_amd64.deb | f9551818fb2a20ca1faa61e6877680ba7aac2d756979a5e51a3c3de20d207dbc |
| pianort-g3-audio_0.1.0~alpha3_amd64.deb | 132bc8f2fa4c1104b976e788cf1b08e4210a09d42a3af69e940733a020c4bbd8 |
| pianort-g3-tuning_0.1.0~alpha3_amd64.deb | 1c17a1b96dd3c16a2373bf70d65addee7fe479ee12b6fd1cc67f1c5c6f426cd8 |
| pianort-packages-0.1.0~alpha3-source.tar.gz | 5170f8eebb46406237a7be3d61f7b71652d1daa2cbf11ca36aca58c2e5a0381e |
Read the setup guide or the technical setup notes before installing. It lists the prerequisites, the separately installed SOF topology the build expects and what the packages deliberately leave alone. Install from a working Debian 13 system you can recover, with playback stopped. This alpha never asks you to flash a BIOS image.
For the best result, the Community Edition firmware replaces the Chromebox’s firmware so it boots straight into the PianoRT real-time kernel and Pianoteq, with the TuxPiano splash. It’s pure upstream coreboot with three small patches, published with full source and a flasher that tailors it to your unit. Flashing is at your own risk: recovery from a failed flash requires a CH341A SPI programmer. NVMe SSD required, and USB-C displays don’t work.
Pianoteq is licensed separately by Modartt. You supply your own Linux download, instrument licenses and activation. These downloads contain no Pianoteq software, presets, activation files or MIDI.
My original configuration and helper code is MIT licensed. Linux, coreboot and SOF keep their own upstream licenses. The optional firmware (coreboot and the Linux kernel inside it) is published with its complete source, and the image rebuilds byte for byte from it.
Two audio fixes work together on this hardware:
The tested stream is 48 kHz with a 64-frame graph, ALSA period 64 and headroom 256. These settings were tested on this one output only. Other audio devices need their own testing. Audio startup doesn’t need Internet access or a clock sync.
At 48 kHz, a 64-frame buffer gives each audio cycle about 1.33 ms to finish. That’s buffer latency, not a measured keyboard-to-speaker time.
The G3 completed a one-hour music run with no added audio errors, and later a separate 15-minute heavy-sustain run at a 20 W power limit. Both were digitally muted synthesis tests. Neither measured physical latency or rendered voice counts. Deliberately overloaded, heavily layered test pieces still caused errors. I don’t give the G3 a voice-count rating.
At its 15 W sustained limit, the G3 slowed to about 2.6 GHz during dense passages, well below thermal-throttle temperatures. In a 15 W, then 20 W, then 15 W comparison, the same dense sections failed at 15 W, passed at 20 W, and failed again at 15 W. An even denser piece still failed at 20 W while holding 3 GHz. A higher power limit helps, but it’s no cure. It’s also not advice for other computers. The first two packages don’t change any power settings. The optional tuning package raises the limit to 20 W only after you turn it on.
I’m looking for experienced Linux users to try the alpha on a setup they can recover, and to tell me which steps fail or need more explanation. The G3 audio package targets the Noibat G3 with SOF and RT5682. A generic Debian machine or VM can still check the common package, but not the G3 audio.
When you report, please include your hardware, kernel and package versions, the exact steps, whether Pianoteq’s interface, MIDI and audio work, and any errors or CPU warnings. Keep install problems separate from audio-performance results. Short, redacted log excerpts are best. Please don’t send home directories, activation files or system backups.
Community Edition help is best-effort. Send install reports to [email protected] with “Community Edition” in the subject.