Fix order of souncards in Jack + Linux DSP on Ardour

[limuxic]

Hi again,

I have two soundcards in my system, and I would like to fix the order the appear in Jack, as I use only one for music production (RME).
How would I do this? In Ubuntu Studio, I was editing the /etc/modprobe.d/alsa-base.conf file, and on AVLinux I have set it like this:
options snd_hdsp index=-3
options bt87x index=-2
options cx88_alsa index=-2
options snd-atiixp-modem index=-2
options snd-intel8x0m index=-2
options snd-via82xx-modem index=-2

But the soundcards still come in a random order in Jack.

Any ideas on that?

Also, I don't see the Linux DSP Fx in Ardour? Did I miss any tutorial here? Or do I connect them only externally (in which case only one instance of the Reverb will run)?

Viktor

[linuxdsp]

Hi,

I can't comment on the soundcard problems you are having - but as far as the linuxDSP plugins are concerned, they will not appear in ardour as plugins in the sense that they are not LV2 or LADSPA (regrettably it does not seem that either standard has the capability to provide the GUI that I wanted to create) but you should be able to connect them as inserts:

1. Make sure the linuxDSP effects you wish to use are running

2. If you click on a mixer channel in ardour - as if you were going to add a LADSPA effect, and from the list chose to make a new insert, you should get a dialogue that allows you to connect the channel send and returns to the inputs and outputs on the linuxDSP plugin.

3. The new insert should now show up in the mixer in a similar way to LADSPA plugins.  Make sure you 'activate' the new insert (right click on it and select activate)

If you save the session, ardour will remember the insert routing and remake the connections as long as you make sure the linuxDSP effects you need are running when you load the session.

Alternatively you can create the insert point in ardour as described, and use the JP1 patchbay (or qjackctl) to wire it up to the effects you need.  If you use the JP1 patchbay, you can save your routing as a preset file,  or the 'default' setting by pressing the buttons at the top of the patch window.  With the JP1, if you load up a routing preset file, it will make the routes it can based on the JACK effects currently running, and if any are missing then each time a new jack application is started it will attempt to continue making the routes until the preset is completely loaded.  This means that you would not have to have the effects you needed running prior to loading the ardour session.

I'm puzzled that you can only run one instance of the reverb.  If you are starting it from the command line, did you ad the '&' (without the quotes) to the end of the command?  This will start the effect in the background, and therefore still give you a command prompt with which you can start another one.  Each should appear with a different suffix in JACK e.g. SR-2A-01  SR-2A-02 etc.  Other than that, reverb takes quite a bit of CPU, so make sure you are not running out of CPU when you start more than one of them.

Hope this is some help

[GMaq]

Viktor,

Try creating a text file called "sound" (without quotes) in /etc/modprobe.d/ similar to this:

alias snd-card-0    snd-HDA ATI SB
options snd-alc888  index=0
alias snd-card-1    snd-ICE1712 multi
options snd-ice1712 index=1

The example is from my machine so of course you will need to edit the soundcard names for your own onboard and RME, I get the name from how they appear in Qjackctl.

[limuxic]

@linuxdsp: Thanks for the tip. I just didn't realize that one can just click again and get a new instance of the reverb

@GMaq (order of souindcards in jack) Thanks for the tip. Seems ok now.

[linuxdsp]

I'm glad its working for you, yes you can have as many reverbs as your CPU will allow - although I find I normally just use one, it depends how you record / mix your music, but I normally find that I set the reverb to give the sense of 'space' that I want and then add varying amounts of this reverb to the different components of the mix.  That way they all sound as though they were recorded in the same 'space' which is how it would be for a live recording.  If you use lots of different reverbs across a mix, I find it can end up sounding a little muddled.  It depends what effect you want to create of course, just thought it might be helpful to share my experience (for what its worth).  Please feel free to ignore my advice if it doesn't work for you...  Hope this is helpful.

[limuxic]

Viktor,

Try creating a text file called "sound" (without quotes) in /etc/modprobe.d/ similar to this:

alias snd-card-0    snd-HDA ATI SB
options snd-alc888  index=0
alias snd-card-1    snd-ICE1712 multi
options snd-ice1712 index=1

I didn't want to bother you with this, but a little more help would welcome here.

I created the file called sound, but didn't get any order in the order of the soundcards, really. Here's how it looks like:
alias snd-card-0    snd-RME Hammerfall HDSP 9632
options snd-hammerfalldsp  index=0
alias snd-card-1    snd-HDA Intel
options snd-alc883 index=1
alias snd-card-2    snd-USB Oxygen 8 v2
options snd-USB Oxygen 8 v2 Analog index=2

I guess I have some wording wrong there?

Viktor Mastoridis
Music-o-Graph
www.meditera.co.uk

[jonathanbrickman0000]

I recently learned of a better way to specify ALSA sound devices:

http://linuxaudio.joshuacorps.org/index.php?entry=entry091019-191706

[lofi]

Hello, that link seems to fail for me.

[limuxic]

I recently learned of a better way to specify ALSA sound devices:

http://linuxaudio.joshuacorps.org/index.php?entry=entry091019-191706

the same here...

[GMaq]

Hello,

The link did work a few days ago, perhaps he's updating or making some changes. Hopefully we will get an updated link.

[lofi]

hope so, any info happily received. iain

[limuxic]

OK, this is fixed now.
All the soundcards are now ordered at my will, and below is a detailed explanation of how I did it.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Following this thread
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-hardware-18/default-sound-card-in-ubuntu-564006/

in terminal, I typed:
# less /proc/asound/modules
and there were displayed all the soundcards, in my case
 0 snd_usb_audio
 1 snd_hda_intel
 2 snd_hdsp
/proc/asound/modules (END)

Then, in terminal I typed:
# su root
(to get root access, enter password), then:
# leafpad /etc/modprobe.d/alsa-base.conf

Then, I deleted everything under
"# Prevent abnormal drivers from grabbing index 0"
and wrote:
options snd_hdsp  index=0
options snd_hda_intel index=1
options snd_usb_audio index=2

Just in case, I also created a document called "sound" (without the quotes) and entered the same data as before
options snd_hdsp  index=0
options snd_hda_intel index=1
options snd_usb_audio index=2

and saved it in the same place, ie:
 /etc/modprobe.d/

I don't know whether the last step is needed, I did it just in case, as Gmaq mentioned it earlier in this post.

But, it works!
------------------------------------------------------
So now, when I boot AVLinux, Jack starts automatically (with the proper soundcard) and minimized in the tray icon. For that to work, I did the following:

In Jack > Misc, I have enabled the following:
Start Jack audio server on application startup
Enable system tray icon
Start minimized to tray

I run the Xfce Desktop, so in
Applications > Settings > Xfce 4 Settings manager  > Session and Startup > Application Autostart
I clicked Add, and then
Name: Jack
Command: /usr/bin/qjackctl
--------------------------------------------
Hope this helps.

Viktor
www.meditera.co.uk

[lofi]

Thank you, just printing off those as like most studios I dont have proper t'internet access there.

will report back with how I get on tonight

iain

[jonathanbrickman0000]

The easiest way to do it, is to use alphanumeric hardware names instead of numbers.  I have found much better audio behavior overall by doing this:

http://linuxlive.joshuacorps.org/?p=13

J.E.B.