Subject: Re: [linux-audio-user] MusE: Jack or Alsa
From: LinuxMedia (linuxmedia4_AT_netscape.net)
Date: Mon Aug 25 2003 - 02:48:13 EEST
BartonBosch_AT_aol.com wrote:
> I have just installed the Planet on my linux partition
> and have started in to reading the jack and alsa user documentation.
>
> I want to do some basic composition and aranging in midi. I was
> thinking that I would use MusE with Fluidsynth and various
> soundfonts. At this point I am not trying to input any external
> signals from guitars, hardware synths, mics, etc.
>
> I noticed that MusE gives an option to use Alsa only or to use Jack
> (which I assume would be in combination with Alsa as a driver). Any
> opinions whether it is worth going to the trouble of learning to use
> jack with MusE to import, modify, create and playback midi tracks?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Barton
I never get sick of embarassing myself. So here I go again :-). Maybe
the problem is that I'm a "right brain" and that is why I've spent
4 years building my recording studio using Linux (never owned a Window
Box in My life). But after endless hardware test, software test, reading
about latency issues, a week of hdparm tests, IRQ tests, articles
comparing one file system performance over another, testing this peice
of software, that peice of software, along with the many other computer
tasks that one needs to do (it goes on and on)... I have settled on
Muse, ecasound/tkeca, Timidity and no Jack (for now, but this list is
educating Me for the future Jack use).
Please let Me know if I'm on the mark or not. With Muse's capability to
record/play/sync _both_ WAV _and_ midi (in both directions), combined
with being able to connect with many synth sources (without Jack), use
LADSPA plugins, what would the other advantages be to using Jack in this
situation?
I _just_ settled on these combinations after 4 years of only producing
"test peices" of music. And the latest distraction was the xrun and
latency problems that I was having with Jack. I was running as root
exclusivly during all this also (just to eliminate as many variables as
possible). I'm sure I would uncover all the problems I've encountered
_eventually_. But I just need to create some music.
The ecasound/tkeca/Timidity/Muse combination seems to solve the midi/WAV
sync problems (and I don't even have the version of Muse that _records_
a WAV, it only _plays_ a WAV), and yet I've managed to rec/play/sync
midi or wav together in any combination. There appears to be (so far)
many ways to accompish any recording task I need with this combination
of software. I have, although, only just started with this direction and
just joined both the Timidity and Muse mailing list _today_ (been on
ecasound list for a while), so more will be revealed.
Please forgive my long, rambling email. I've been working on solutions
for a long time and have wanted to post something about all this. I
think it's also complicated by the fact that I'm always writing scripts
or hacking some file to make everything work as hastle free as possible.
If I was just concerned with Myself, then it would be much easier
because I'm comfortable with (for instance) ecasound command line only.
I just want to build things that are easy for my other "left brained"
musician friends to use. I just may go (eventually) with "Planet". But
I've already invested so much time with SuSE that it would mean learning
another distrob. But the idea of eliminating the compiling problems is
enough of a reason to do it. And it sounds like they keep things up to date.
I will say one last thing and then I will shut up. After all the time
trying to figure out all the xruns and latency problems, I finally
mounted /tmp in ram and now Move all my files there and do all my
multitracking/effect processing/midi recording combinations right out of
there. So far so good, but I've only recorded one (WAV) track and
multiple midi tracks (with effects). But there's no latency or xruns
problems. With Jack, there was no tweeking that would get rid of the
latency or xruns. There's not an ounce of latency problems with that
aformented set up. Let's see what happens when I have many tracks of
WAVS, midi, and effects playing/recording at the same time. If I start
getting xruns, I will probly go out and buy some Fostex "all in one"
unit and use my Computer to just chat with Women online. :-)
Again, my appoligies for the long email... Rocco
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