Some problems with two 1010LTs (pcm_multi & jackd)

Some problems with two 1010LTs (pcm_multi & jackd)

[Petter Sundlöf]

[-- Attachment #1: Type: text/plain, Size: 1885 bytes --]

Hello.

I've added a second 1010LT in my studio box. The two LTs are card1 and 
card2.
Following the steps from 
http://www.sound-man.co.uk/linuxaudio/ice1712multi.html I created the 
.asoundrc (and modified it to hw:1 and 2 where appropriate. I have 
attached this file.
I then proceeded to patch jack 0.100.7 (release tarball) with the 
MMAP_COMPLEX patch. This was installed to the /usr/ prefix.

I then downloaded alsa-lib-1.0.10 (release) and applied pcm_multi-patch. 
I installed this over the existing alsa-lib, into prefix /usr/lib.

After this I tried to run jackd -d alsa -r44100 -p512 -C multi_capture 
-P multi_playback

I then get this stdout message:

jackd 0.100.7
Copyright 2001-2005 Paul Davis and others.
jackd comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY
This is free software, and you are welcome to redistribute it
under certain conditions; see the file COPYING for details

JACK compiled with System V SHM support.
loading driver ..
creating alsa driver ... 
multi_playback|multi_capture|1024|2|48000|0|0|nomon|swmeter|-|32bit
configuring for 48000Hz, period = 1024 frames, buffer = 2 periods
nperiods = 2 for capture
nperiods = 2 for playback

I then start Ardour and open a session. I place the playhead somewhere 
and try to start playback. Nothing happens. After a few seconds, Ardour 
is disconnected from JACK, and I receive this in jackd's stdout:

ALSA: poll time out, polled for 17416024 usecs
DRIVER NT: could not run driver cycle
jack main caught signal 12
no message buffer overruns

Clues?

Info: Kernel 2.6.14-0.10.rrt.rhfc4.ccrma #1 PREEMPT
Cards are not connected via S/PDIF or World clock -- don't have any such 
cables, and besides, I read it isn't working _yet_ with LT cards.
Hardware: Sempron 2600, 1GB RAM.
Software: Fedora Core 4 + CCRMA.

Any tips appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Petter Sundlöf

[-- Attachment #2: .asoundrc --]
[-- Type: text/plain, Size: 2897 bytes --]

# .asoundrc for two Delta 1010s
#
# Create virtual devices out of multiple soundcards.
# JACK will need MMAP_COMPLEX support to use this. 
# ICE1712 chip has 12 capture channels and 10 playback channels.
# No. of channels in slaves must equal 12 for capture and 10 for playback
# otherwise "invalid argument" errors result.

pcm.multi_capture {
	type multi
	slaves.a.pcm hw:1 
	slaves.a.channels 12
	slaves.b.pcm hw:2
	slaves.b.channels 12

# First 8 channels of first soundcard (capture)
 	bindings.0.slave a
 	bindings.0.channel 0
 	bindings.1.slave a
 	bindings.1.channel 1
 	bindings.2.slave a
 	bindings.2.channel 2
 	bindings.3.slave a
 	bindings.3.channel 3
 	bindings.4.slave a
 	bindings.4.channel 4
 	bindings.5.slave a
 	bindings.5.channel 5
 	bindings.6.slave a
 	bindings.6.channel 6
 	bindings.7.slave a
 	bindings.7.channel 7
    
# First 8 channels of second soundcard (capture)
 	bindings.8.slave b
 	bindings.8.channel 0
 	bindings.9.slave b
 	bindings.9.channel 1
 	bindings.10.slave b
 	bindings.10.channel 2
 	bindings.11.slave b
 	bindings.11.channel 3
 	bindings.12.slave b
 	bindings.12.channel 4
 	bindings.13.slave b
 	bindings.13.channel 5
 	bindings.14.slave b
 	bindings.14.channel 6
 	bindings.15.slave b
 	bindings.15.channel 7

# S/PDIF section. Comment out if not required.

# S/PDIF first soundcard (capture)
 	bindings.16.slave a
 	bindings.16.channel 8
 	bindings.17.slave a
 	bindings.17.channel 9
    
# S/PDIF second soundcard (capture)
 	bindings.18.slave b
 	bindings.18.channel 8
 	bindings.19.slave b
 	bindings.19.channel 9
}

ctl.multi_capture {
	type hw
	card 1
}

pcm.multi_playback {
	type multi
	slaves.a.pcm hw:1
	slaves.a.channels 10
	slaves.b.pcm hw:2
	slaves.b.channels 10

# First 8 channels of first soundcard (playback)
 	bindings.0.slave a
 	bindings.0.channel 0
 	bindings.1.slave a
 	bindings.1.channel 1
 	bindings.2.slave a
 	bindings.2.channel 2
 	bindings.3.slave a
 	bindings.3.channel 3
 	bindings.4.slave a
 	bindings.4.channel 4
 	bindings.5.slave a
 	bindings.5.channel 5
 	bindings.6.slave a
 	bindings.6.channel 6
 	bindings.7.slave a
 	bindings.7.channel 7

# First 8 channels of second soundcard (playback)
 	bindings.8.slave b
 	bindings.8.channel 0
 	bindings.9.slave b
 	bindings.9.channel 1
 	bindings.10.slave b
 	bindings.10.channel 2
 	bindings.11.slave b
 	bindings.11.channel 3
 	bindings.12.slave b
 	bindings.12.channel 4
 	bindings.13.slave b
 	bindings.13.channel 5
 	bindings.14.slave b
 	bindings.14.channel 6
 	bindings.15.slave b
 	bindings.15.channel 7

# S/PDIF section. Comment out if not required.

# S/PDIF first soundcard (playback)
 	bindings.16.slave a
 	bindings.16.channel 8
 	bindings.17.slave a
 	bindings.17.channel 9
    
# S/PDIF second soundcard (playback)
 	bindings.18.slave b
 	bindings.18.channel 8
 	bindings.19.slave b
 	bindings.19.channel 9
}

ctl.multi_playback {
	type hw
	card 1
}

Re: Some problems with two 1010LTs (pcm_multi & jackd)

[John Rigg]

On Thu, Jan 26, 2006 at 03:04:25PM +0100, Petter Sundlöf wrote:
> Hello.
> 
> I've added a second 1010LT in my studio box. The two LTs are card1 and 
> card2.
> Following the steps from 
> http://www.sound-man.co.uk/linuxaudio/ice1712multi.html I created the 
> .asoundrc (and modified it to hw:1 and 2 where appropriate. I have 
> attached this file.
> I then proceeded to patch jack 0.100.7 (release tarball) with the 
> MMAP_COMPLEX patch. This was installed to the /usr/ prefix.
> 
> I then downloaded alsa-lib-1.0.10 (release) and applied pcm_multi-patch. 
> I installed this over the existing alsa-lib, into prefix /usr/lib.
> 
> After this I tried to run jackd -d alsa -r44100 -p512 -C multi_capture 
> -P multi_playback
> 
> I then get this stdout message:
> 
> jackd 0.100.7
> Copyright 2001-2005 Paul Davis and others.
> jackd comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY
> This is free software, and you are welcome to redistribute it
> under certain conditions; see the file COPYING for details
> 
> JACK compiled with System V SHM support.
> loading driver ..
> creating alsa driver ... 
> multi_playback|multi_capture|1024|2|48000|0|0|nomon|swmeter|-|32bit
> configuring for 48000Hz, period = 1024 frames, buffer = 2 periods
> nperiods = 2 for capture
> nperiods = 2 for playback

It's starting with the wrong sample rate and number of frames, but using
the right devices. That's strange.
You say you installed alsa-lib over an existing one. Are you sure you replaced
it?

> I then start Ardour and open a session. I place the playhead somewhere 
> and try to start playback. Nothing happens. After a few seconds, Ardour 
> is disconnected from JACK, and I receive this in jackd's stdout:
> 
> ALSA: poll time out, polled for 17416024 usecs

This is the error message I kept getting before I patched pcm_multi.c.

It might be worth removing alsa-lib and jack completely and
recompiling/reinstalling.

> DRIVER NT: could not run driver cycle
> jack main caught signal 12
> no message buffer overruns
> 
> Clues?
> 
> Info: Kernel 2.6.14-0.10.rrt.rhfc4.ccrma #1 PREEMPT
> Cards are not connected via S/PDIF or World clock -- don't have any such 
> cables, and besides, I read it isn't working _yet_ with LT cards.

You won't be able to record for long like this. It will run for a while,
as the clocks are pretty accurate, but they will drift and you'll get
xruns and/or jackd will die.

John


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Re: Some problems with two 1010LTs (pcm_multi & jackd)

[John Rigg]

On Thu, Jan 26, 2006 at 03:04:25PM +0100, Petter Sundlöf wrote:
> # S/PDIF section. Comment out if not required.
> 
> # S/PDIF first soundcard (capture)
>  	bindings.16.slave a
>  	bindings.16.channel 8
>  	bindings.17.slave a
>  	bindings.17.channel 9
>     
> # S/PDIF second soundcard (capture)
>  	bindings.18.slave b
>  	bindings.18.channel 8
>  	bindings.19.slave b
>  	bindings.19.channel 9

> # S/PDIF section. Comment out if not required.
> 
> # S/PDIF first soundcard (playback)
>  	bindings.16.slave a
>  	bindings.16.channel 8
>  	bindings.17.slave a
>  	bindings.17.channel 9
>     
> # S/PDIF second soundcard (playback)
>  	bindings.18.slave b
>  	bindings.18.channel 8
>  	bindings.19.slave b
>  	bindings.19.channel 9

One more thing - I'm not sure if the S/PDIFs are working yet on 1010LT.
Try commenting these sections out in .asoundrc.

John


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Re: Some problems with two 1010LTs (pcm_multi & jackd)

[Petter Sundlöf]

>>After this I tried to run jackd -d alsa -r44100 -p512 -C multi_capture 
>>-P multi_playback
>>
>>I then get this stdout message:
>>
>>jackd 0.100.7
>>Copyright 2001-2005 Paul Davis and others.
>>jackd comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY
>>This is free software, and you are welcome to redistribute it
>>under certain conditions; see the file COPYING for details
>>
>>JACK compiled with System V SHM support.
>>loading driver ..
>>creating alsa driver ... 
>>multi_playback|multi_capture|1024|2|48000|0|0|nomon|swmeter|-|32bit
>>configuring for 48000Hz, period = 1024 frames, buffer = 2 periods
>>nperiods = 2 for capture
>>nperiods = 2 for playback
> 
> 
> It's starting with the wrong sample rate and number of frames, but using
> the right devices. That's strange.
> You say you installed alsa-lib over an existing one. Are you sure you replaced
> it?

I pasted in a "later" jack command line, where I tried with 44k/512 
frames instead. So the stdout output doesn't match the command I 
actually used at that time.

> 
>>I then start Ardour and open a session. I place the playhead somewhere 
>>and try to start playback. Nothing happens. After a few seconds, Ardour 
>>is disconnected from JACK, and I receive this in jackd's stdout:
>>
>>ALSA: poll time out, polled for 17416024 usecs
> 
> 
> This is the error message I kept getting before I patched pcm_multi.c.
> 
> It might be worth removing alsa-lib and jack completely and
> recompiling/reinstalling.

That'd be a dependency nightmare on Fedora Core :/ alsa-lib is patched 
and installed, but I'll double double check it tomorrow (today's been 
too rough; had to evactuate rehearsal room and guitarist breaks his 
little finger).

> You won't be able to record for long like this. It will run for a while,
> as the clocks are pretty accurate, but they will drift and you'll get
> xruns and/or jackd will die.

Yeah. Since I don't have any external S/PDIF sources yet, I guess I'll 
have to wait until/if a solution for 1010LT cards has landed.

[snip...]
 >># S/PDIF second soundcard (playback)
 >>>  	bindings.18.slave b
 >>>  	bindings.18.channel 8
 >>>  	bindings.19.slave b
 >>>  	bindings.19.channel 9
 >
 >
 >One more thing - I'm not sure if the S/PDIFs are working yet on 1010LT.
 >Try commenting these sections out in .asoundrc.

Done, but no change.

I'll try making sure alsa-lib is patched alright.

Thanks for the help.


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Re: Some problems with two 1010LTs (pcm_multi & jackd)

[John Rigg]

On Fri, Jan 27, 2006 at 12:14:41AM +0100, Petter Sundlöf wrote:
> 
> >>After this I tried to run jackd -d alsa -r44100 -p512 -C multi_capture 
> >>-P multi_playback

> >>I then start Ardour and open a session. I place the playhead somewhere 
> >>and try to start playback. Nothing happens. After a few seconds, Ardour 
> >>is disconnected from JACK, and I receive this in jackd's stdout:
> >>
> >>ALSA: poll time out, polled for 17416024 usecs

Just thought of something else. envy24control has `Locked' and `Reset'
buttons. `Locked' keeps the master card's clock set to whatever rate
is set by envy24control's radio buttons, regardless of what you specify
on the command line.
If you have `Locked' set and specify a different rate on the command
line, jackd just hangs and will probably give a poll timeout 
(or if you're running it in realtime the jackd watchdog times out).

Make sure you have the `Locked' button unchecked and the `Reset' button
checked. `Reset' allows the command line to override the envy24control
setting for sample rate. I suspect these buttons should be mutually exclusive,
ie. radio buttons, but they're not (looks like a bug).

John


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Re: Some problems with two 1010LTs (pcm_multi & jackd)

[John Rigg]

On Fri, Jan 27, 2006 at 12:53:17PM +0000, John Rigg wrote:
> On Fri, Jan 27, 2006 at 12:14:41AM +0100, Petter Sundlöf wrote:
> > 
> > >>After this I tried to run jackd -d alsa -r44100 -p512 -C multi_capture 
> > >>-P multi_playback
> 
> > >>I then start Ardour and open a session. I place the playhead somewhere 
> > >>and try to start playback. Nothing happens. After a few seconds, Ardour 
> > >>is disconnected from JACK, and I receive this in jackd's stdout:
> > >>
> > >>ALSA: poll time out, polled for 17416024 usecs
> 
> Just thought of something else. envy24control has `Locked' and `Reset'
> buttons. `Locked' keeps the master card's clock set to whatever rate
> is set by envy24control's radio buttons, regardless of what you specify
> on the command line.
> If you have `Locked' set and specify a different rate on the command
> line, jackd just hangs and will probably give a poll timeout 
> (or if you're running it in realtime the jackd watchdog times out).
> 
> Make sure you have the `Locked' button unchecked and the `Reset' button
> checked. `Reset' allows the command line to override the envy24control
> setting for sample rate. I suspect these buttons should be mutually exclusive,
> ie. radio buttons, but they're not (looks like a bug).

This is getting complicated. I start getting all kinds of spurious
behaviour from jackd after I've been setting and resetting things
in envy24control. A reboot is required to make it behave normally again.

On my system the default on startup in envy24control is `Locked' button
unselected, `Reset' selected. All I have to do is tell the second card
to sync to the first with either S/PDIF or wordclock input. Then it
runs fine. The minute I try messing with `Locked' and `Unlocked' buttons
or sample rates jackd starts crashing with a floating point exception
(which I suspect is an indication of the cards losing sync).

It is possible to set this stuff up manually in /etc/asound.state using
the alsactl command to save/restore the settings in this file.
I think I'll start using it to set up my cards' clocks and only use
envy24control for the level meters and routing (at least until I get
hold of an oscilloscope and an external word clock generator to help
diagnose what's going wrong).

(My previous assessment of what the `Locked' and `Reset' buttons are
supposed to do may be incomplete, since they seem to behave differently
at different times).

John


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