1.1 demo, linux, hardware

[dkasak]

Greetings all. I've just given the 1.1 demo a try. Unfortunately I can't get the basics working, still. Using both ALSA and Jack, the audio device and MIDI keyboard are both detected, in the preferences screen.

Using ALSA now appears to have regressed. I used to be able to get both audio & midi working, with a direct ALSA connection. Now when I click a note in the edit panel, the keyboard ( onscreen ) is 'unresponsive' ... the key doesn't appear depressed, and no note happens. The audio engine is running at the time. I've tried stopping and restarting it, and also stopping and restarting Bitwig. There are no errors in the GUI or the console. My MIDI keyboard similarly doesn't work.

Using Jack, I can actually get the audio device ( Focusrite 2i4) working. I can open the edit panel and click notes in the onscreen keyboard, and get a note. My MIDI keyboard worked once ( about 30 minutes into attempting to get it working ), for about 30 seconds, and then stopped working again. I can't get it to work at all now. It's also not clear at all how ( or if ) things are connected using Jack. When I open a Jack patchbay editor, I see no mention of Bitwig. I assume it's supposed to appear in there if things are working?

It's worth noting that I use this audio hardware and MIDI keyboard with Jack and Ardour all the time. I tried closing Bitwig and opening Ardour and checking ... the MIDI keyboard was working fine.

Any ideas?

Dan

[gravy]

Hi Dan. I hope you get some help because I am having @ 100% reliable experience with Ubuntu studio, bws, jack and a pile of midi devices. Far more reliable than I've achieved chaining software like ardour, jamin, sooper looper etc.

My devices have USB midi interfaces.

The only tips I have you've possibly seen already. Don't use a2jmidi, or jack midi. If you need to bridge to another audio app use virimidi. A2jmidi stops Bitwig midi for some reason so check qjackctl or something else isn't starting it up.

I'm not sure about the patch bay. I use the connect window. Bws makes the audio connection automatically anyway. I also have an alsa midi tab in qjackctl for times I want to use virmidi or jackass.

Other things that cause me trouble is pulse audio and I purge it from my system every time it sneaks back in to cause trouble (eg when I do a major system upgrade I find it has reinstalled). But if ardour is working I suppose that's not the problem.

Happy to communicate more but I suppose I don't have much insight into your problems. Good luck. It's totally worth the trouble getting your setup working with bws.

One last thing - I have found its a good idea to match the buffer size in jack and bws preferences. I use 512.

[dkasak]

Hi Gravy. Thanks for the response

Yes I also keep pulse in check. I actually need it now, because I also need skype, and skype needs pulse ( for audio calls ). I have 2 Jack profiles - one for the integrated Intel audio device, which launches pulse *after* Jack ( which connects as a Jack client ), and one for my USB audio device, which kills pulse. Also pulse is set to *not* relaunch automatically, of course.

I also never use a2jmidi. I've never needed it. I launch jack using qjackctl, and then launch Ardour / Bitwig.

As for the buffer size ... WOAH! I use 32 when in Ardour. 512 is HUGE, man I wonder if Bitwig needs a massive buffer size? Yes I figured I'd have to use the same buffer size in both Jack and Bitwig.

Anyway, I don't think buffer size is my issue. Jack and the USB audio device ( Focusrite ) appear to be talking properly now. My problem appears to be exclusively getting my USB MIDI keyboard working. As I noted ... it DID work ... once ... for about 30 seconds ... and then stopped again. I guess MIDI is not fully supported yet? It's a USB audio class device. <sigh>. Are you using Tom's Generic script thing for MIDI, or does the detected MIDI controller work in Linux now?

[thecrumb]

I'm on Linux Mint with the demo - no issues.

Onyx Blackjack for my interface
Akai MPK25 for my keyboard

I installed Bitwig and just ran it - no Jack, etc. Bitwig found both my devices and everything seems to work. I can assign controls, and do have the Bitwig map for my Akai loaded.

Jim

[psycha0s]

Yes I also keep pulse in check. I actually need it now, because I also need skype, and skype needs pulse ( for audio calls ).

You may try apulse with skype and remove the PulseAudio (apulse does transparent PluseAudio API emulation through ALSA).

[gravy]

I use the bws generic midi keyboard script, the novation impulse 25 script and the alias 8 script all without issue. [edit to clarify - these are for three separate devices I run simultaneously] My midi keyboard uses a din and I run it through an emu USB midi interface into the computer.

512 might be unnecessary although I notice others on this forum using that setting. I must admit such settings are a guessing game for me and I haven't really tried to see how low I can go. I have an old Audigy 2zs. I run at 48000 because that's what the card likes. I have a stereo in and mono channel in plus one stereo out.

I don't know what could be messing with your midi pathways. For some trouble shooting why not try using the alsa midi keyboard and virmidi. Let me know if you want me to elaborate on that suggestion.

[gravy]

By alsa midi keyboard I meant vmpk or vkeybd. Also, I found this pretty good link although since your problems seem bws specific perhaps it isn't relevant.
http://tedfelix.com/linux/linux-midi.html

Let us know how it goes and I'm still hoping someone with mad Linux skills jumps into this thread to solve all your problems.

[gravy]

Got my buffer down to 128 and no problems yet☺.