Recompiling a minimal real-time kernel that works

For some reason, on some of our hardware (Lenovo T430 laptop specifically), our multi-channel XMOS audio card and our application hang with the default Linux Kernel.  I don't know why, and haven't taken the time to figure out exactly what the problem is.  

But... If I get a stock 4.18 kernel and compile it with a fairly minimal configuration, it works like a charm.

In this case, I compiled it with USB audio drivers WiFi drivers.  I also added the preemptive real time patches to this kernel for the lowest possible latency.   

You might need some more drivers for your application, so I include the .config file and instructions on how to compile your very own.

If you just want to try the new kernel yourself, head on over to Bitbucket and grab the code.

If you need to recompile the code, the readme there also give you instructions and the sample .config file you need.