KVR: Request to Google to enable USB audio on Android smartphones/tablets

If you want the USB audio enabled on any Android 4.0 device via official firmware/kernel, please vote (aka star) here:
http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=24614&sort =-stars&colspec=ID%20Type%20Status%20Owner%20Summary%20Stars

Vote: Click on the star, which appears after signing in

According to Android 3.1 specifications, Android devices could support the USB audio feature, i.e. Android devices and USB_CLASS_AUDIO compliant devices like standard USB DAC could interoperate:
http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/usb/index.html
http://developer.android.com/reference/android/hardware/usb/ UsbConstants.html

USB_CLASS_AUDIO compliant devices like standard USB DAC don't need a special USB device driver. Instead, they use an operating system standard driver.
The Android standard USB audio driver is the generic USB audio driver for ALSA (Advanced Linux Sound Architecture).
And the latest Android 4.0 includes "card.c", the USB audio driver for ALSA which should be compliant with USB audio class 2 devices allowing for 24 bits / 192 kHz.
https://bitbucket.org/paulobrien/android_kernel_galaxynexus/ src/bc4f9b72a51d/sound/usb/card.c

Fantastic post. Thanks, Dan. Some of it flew over my head but mostly it is very interesting.
It would be GREAT if this were to happen.

Haha. My Android device doesn't recognize the word "android", turns it into "aneroid" and "Google" becomes "tootle".
Oh man, so smart yet so stupid.

I gave up on android a long time ago , got an ipad and getting a cheap win 7 tablet , Just look at ebay and see how many different os come up for android , i counted 6. Dont forget how google treat your data too.

If linux was so open in the first place someone would of written software for midi and audio via usb.

Give it 6 months and win 8 tablets will flood market from china and someone will port win 8 to arm tablets running Android.

Google dont care about users they are a marketing ads company.

For the time being, the standard USB devices for USB host-capable Android devices are only USB hubs, USB mass storage devices and USB class for human interface devices (for example, mice and keyboards).

I think we have to lobby for imposing USB DAC as a standard Android USB device, like a standard USB device for every Mac or PC (i.e. we don't have to request each individual PC manufacturer to add the USB audio capability).

Google should include USB host (and USB audio) on every new Google "Nexus" device, which is supposed to be a reference Android device for others.

The 1st out-of-the-box (i.e. without modding) Android device able to support USB audio is the Android 4.0 powered Archos G9.
http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/15/archos-80-g9-turbo-ics-ta blet-now-shipping/
http://update.archos.com/9/gen9/changes_firmware_archos_andr oid_gen9it4.htm

The Google issue "Enable USB audio", requesting Google to standardize USB audio on Android smartphones/tablets, is currently ranked 21 of 18,869.
http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=24614&sort =-stars&colspec=ID%20Type%20Status%20Owner%20Summary%20Stars

It is ranked in top 3 of less than one-year-old requests.

Vote: Click on the star (it appears after signing in)

"[64GB + 64GB] #GalaxySIII includes an USB driver named "snd-usb-audio" [ALSA USB audio driver]. Only testing will tell if it means USB DAC are supported out of the box." [Supercurio]
https://twitter.com/#!/supercurio/status/198218860128780289

The Google issue "Enable USB audio", requesting Google to standardize USB audio on Android smartphones/tablets, is currently ranked 12 of 21,436.
http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=24614&sort =-stars&colspec=ID%20Type%20Status%20Owner%20Summary%20Stars

It is ranked in top 2 of less than one-year-old requests.

Vote: Click on the star (it appears after signing in)

USB audio is enabled on Texas Instruments Blaze tablet, which is targeted at developers.
http://omappedia.org/wiki/USB_on_Blaze_Tablet_with_ICS
http://www.svtronics.com/products/5-blaze-tablet-1-developme nt-platform

"The two HS USB ports are the standard High Speed Host ports and are used for connecting devices like Mouse, Keyboard, USB stick, Camera, USB audio Headset/speakers etc. Also, many customers use the EHCI interface for Modem Connection. If you connect a camera to this port, you can browse the pics on the SD card in camera in the gallery using the PTP daemon in ICS. Also, you can connect USB Headset or speakers and play audio over USB."

"On Blaze if you plug in a USB audio device, all audio will be routed to the device."
http://music.columbia.edu/pipermail/andraudio/2012-April/000 614.html

The Google issue "Enable USB audio", requesting Google to standardize USB audio on Android smartphones/tablets, is currently ranked 11 of 22,586.
http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=24614&sort =-stars&colspec=ID%20Type%20Status%20Owner%20Summary%20Stars

Vote: Click on the star (it appears after signing in)

Quote:

"[64GB + 64GB] #GalaxySIII includes an USB driver named "snd-usb-audio" [ALSA USB audio driver]. Only testing will tell if it means USB DAC are supported out of the box." [Supercurio]

"The Samsung Galaxy S III: AndroidNZ goes hands-on, brings you our thoughts and exclusive details
...and what about those USB audio drivers?

Anyone with a passing familiarity with me will know this was one of the questions I most wanted an answer to. You see Supercurio was able to ascertain that USB audio drivers are present on the S3, only there was no way for him to know whether they work out of the box.

Sadly it seems they do not.
To my great disappointment there was no audio output on connecting my FiiO E17 USB DAC and headphone amplifier. I guess we'll just have to keep waiting for some enterprising developer to make use of those orphaned drivers that are just sitting there on the S3..."
http://www.androidnz.net/2012/05/samsung-galaxy-s-iii-androi dnz-goes.html

The Google request "Enable USB Audio" has reached the Top 10 of the Google issue rankings.
http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=24614&sort =-stars&colspec=ID%20Type%20Status%20Owner%20Summary%20Stars

Vote: Click on the star (it appears after signing in)

Like the overwhelming majority of factory or stock Android devices, with the exception of the Archos G9 tablet and the developer-targeted Texas Instruments Blaze tablet, the factory Linux-powered Logitech Squeezebox Touch does not support USB DACs.

The USB audio is enabled manually on Squeezebox Touch:
http://www.digitalaudioreview.net.au/index.php/news-blog-and -showcase/john-darkos-blog/item/150-how-to-enable-usb-audio- output-on-the-squeezebox-touch

The latest method uses an applet which allows a custom kernel to be installed and provides menus to select the audio output device.
This custom kernel can support 24-bit/192KHz USB DACs. It can also support asynchronous USB DACs which sound theoretically better than the legacy adaptive USB DACs.
http://www.digitalaudioreview.net.au/index.php/news-blog-and -showcase/john-darkos-blog/item/362-enhanced-digital-output- applet-for-squeezebox-touch
http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?94855-Triode-s- USB-24-192-plug-in-sound-quality-impressions

The Google request "Enable USB Audio" has reached the Top 9 of the Google issue rankings.
http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/list?cursor=android% 3A24614&sort=-stars

And why is this a bigger issue than generally lower latency audio processing? I'm no engineer, but I figure if I already get high latency with my phones built in 48kHz/16bit headphone/mic DAC, 192kHz would probably bring the whole system to its knees, or wouldn't it? For the limited audio use I have for android in its current state I'd take midi/OSC over USB long before I'd care about USB audio.

I starred it because it seems an audio issue that's getting attention for once (look where the others are ranked) but I've lost hope long ago that Android will be even close to iOS for music production.

Apparently, the USB audio feature is enabled on factory Samsung Galaxy S III:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=26757706&post count=133

"I got my sgs3 a few hours ago and just plugged it into my Topping tp30 USB DAC/amp and it's playing audio through it to my speakers!!!"

Affordable hi-fi rig:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13645_3-20058833-47.html?tag=txt;t itle

music stored on SGS3 > SGS3 player > digital audio stream >> USB cable >> USB DAC/amp Topping TP30 >> speakers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jR6Vc28NEcc&feature=youtu.be

Keep lobbying for the Android USB audio standardisation (i.e. USB DAC as a standard USB device, like a USB mass storage device, for Android smartphone/tablet).
http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=24614&sort =-stars&colspec=ID%20Type%20Status%20Owner%20Summary%20Sta rs

Vote: Click on the star (it appears after signing in)

wasi wrote:

And why is this a bigger issue than generally lower latency audio processing? I'm no engineer, but I figure if I already get high latency with my phones built in 48kHz/16bit headphone/mic DAC, 192kHz would probably bring the whole system to its knees, or wouldn't it? For the limited audio use I have for android in its current state I'd take midi/OSC over USB long before I'd care about USB audio.

I starred it because it seems an audio issue that's getting attention for once (look where the others are ranked) but I've lost hope long ago that Android will be even close to iOS for music production.

The point (for me at least) is that it should allow low-latency access to the audio interface via ALSA. None of the provided APIs (even OpenSL) seem to be able to offer less than 250ms of latency, which is utterly useless for real-time playing. We need 20ms or less, really 10ms is desirable, and halve that for round-trip audio (e.g. FX pedals). It's not an issue of lacking CPU. With quad-core Android devices all over the shop, that's out of the question. For what it's worth, a higher sample rate would probably reduce the latency, as on desktop DAWs.

----
Music with dinner is an insult both to the cook and the violinist.

Samsung Galaxy S III interworks with USB DAC/amp FiiO E7:
http://www.androidnz.net/2012/06/galaxy-s-...-it-really.html

music stored on SGS3 > SGS3 player > digital audio stream >> USB OTG cable >> USB DAC/amp FiiO E7 >> headphones

Samsung Galaxy S III triggers a new era of Hi-Fi for the masses with affordable rig:

. affordable (subsidized) smartphone

. affordable common USB DAC/amp compliant with PC or Mac, like FiiO E7 (us$80)
http://www.amazon.com/FiiO-Portable-Headph...39194973&sr=8-4
NwAvGuy geek's verdict: "The biggest compliment I can pay the E7 is I can't find much I would change for a portable product in this price category."
http://nwavguy.blogspot.fr/2011/05/fiio-e7-usb-dac-amp.html
"Clearly, the E7 is priced very competitively, and I consider it a good product — not some cheap Chinese stuff. Not only is the E7 packed with features, it also comes with a solid build quality, and a solid sound quality as well."
http://www.headfonia.com/fiio-e7-portable-dac/

. affordable headphones, like Digitech Pro Monitor Headphones (us$50), clone of Fischer Audio FA-003, Brainwavz HM5 or Lindy Premium Hi-Fi headphones
http://www.jaycar.us/productView.asp?ID=AA2065
"Now that I've had these for a good month I can honestly say they are my 'New' daily headphones!
I simple love the music that comes from these headphones.
They are beautifully balanced with sparkly highs that are not offensive to the ears, mid's that introduces a 'fun' factor to the music for all genres and lastly lows that are firm, bassy and goes amazingly deep with out distorting or overpowering the rest of the music.
The clarity is excellent with a very nice sound stage and for a 'closed' headphone they do sound quite open and spacious!
Isolation is fantastic especially listening to music or playing games at night.
Comfort is excellent and the 'killer' clamp grip slowly eases after regular use! I've listened to these all night and in to the early morning without wanting to take them off!"
http://www.head-fi.org/products/digitech-p...es/reviews/6900

Keep lobbying for the Android USB audio standardisation (i.e.USB DAC as a standard USB device, like a USB mass storage device, for Android smartphone/tablet).
http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/de...Summary%20Stars

Vote: Click on the star (it appears after signing in)

A digital audio rig:
http://www.androidnz.net/2012/06/samsung-galaxy-s-iii-connec tivity-demo.html

music stored on Samsung Galaxy S III > Samsung Galaxy S III player > digital audio stream >> USB OTG cable >> USB DAC/amp FiiO E7 >> Logitech speaker

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46IiRyigUH0

In the meantime, a cross-platform real-time audio API which targeted various relevant libraries, incuding ALSA and the AudioTrack/OpenSL stuff, as well as the CoreAudio stuff in iOS, would be a great, and gracefully-degradable way of implementing audio apps that would benefit from realtime on mobile platforms.

It looks like the PortAudio guys contemplated this but it hasn't got out of the stable doors yet. Perhaps the JACK or JUCE guys have something?

----
Music with dinner is an insult both to the cook and the violinist.

The Samsung Galaxy S III interworks with the ODAC:
https://plus.google.com/107354758331405644147/posts/PCaM42ir MeU
http://pastebin.com/Jjq4xnT3

SGS3 > digital audio stream >> USB DAC "ODAC" >> amp "O2" >> headphone

It's interesting that the SGS3 can power the ODAC, which is a USB powered 24/96 DAC, without a powered USB hub.

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