[linux-audio-user] Re: Update on savihost + Vsti's under wine

On 11/11/05, Nigel Henry <cave.dnb@email-addr-hidden> wrote:
> On Friday 11 November 2005 01:57, Mark Knecht wrote:
> > On 11/9/05, Nigel Henry <cave.dnb@email-addr-hidden> wrote:
> > > On Wednesday 09 November 2005 02:03, Mark Knecht wrote:
> > > > On 11/8/05, Nigel Henry <cave.dnb@email-addr-hidden> wrote:
> > > > > Hi Mark. Right. Here goes. This is on FC2, not Gentoo. I'll have a
> > > > > go on Gentoo when I get the time. Wine is version 0.9-1fc2winehq,
> > > > > savihost is version 1.23. I borrowed mfc42.dll from my XP install and
> > > > > put it in .wine/drive_c/windows/system32. Savihost.exe I put in the
> > > > > program files, and also put Lin-Plugs FreeAlpha synth's .dll in
> > > > > there. Renamed savihosts .exe to FreeAlpha, and it worked first go.
> > > > > Now FreeAlpha synth has a separate file for it's patches. it will
> > > > > only use the default patch that is on the synth But it works. I've
> > > > > been trying a lot of freebie synths, and notice that they use a lot
> > > > > of cpu. Ksim is showing, when idle, between 70 & 80% cpu useage, and
> > > > > yet the synth itself only shows less than 5% cpu useage. VirSyn's
> > > > > MicroTERA. a free synth uses 100% cpu. Not enough to freeze the
> > > > > mouse, and even though I did get some sounds out of it, it would not
> > > > > load the sound bank. Native Instruments Reactor Session One 4.0,
> > > > > another freebie fully operational synth. When installed, this has a
> > > > > .exe and a .dll. Running the .exe brings up the GUI, but the only
> > > > > menu item that works is the one for sample rate, so cannot connect
> > > > > usb midi keyboard or audio output. The .dll through savihost works
> > > > > fine, but again at idle, is showing 50% cpu on Ksim, and the synth is
> > > > > showing about 18.8%. The complete patch bank is available on this
> > > > > synth. Single notes play ok, but push the cpu on Ksim to about 95%.
> > > > > Chords push the cpu useage to 100%+ and become quite broken up. All
> > > > > in all, I'm very happy with the way this is going. Hardly anything
> > > > > worked on
> > > > > wine-20041019-1fc2winehq, but 0.9-1fc2winehq has certainly made more
> > > > > things work. One observation. I tried crystal.dll on numerous
> > > > > occasions, and it would not open. At that time only mfc42.dll was in
> > > > > the system32 directory. After installing Reactor Session One synth,
> > > > > and perhaps something else, more .dll's turned up in system32. I
> > > > > thought I'd try crystal synth again, and this time it worked. The
> > > > > extra .dll's are listed below.
> > > > > msvcirt.dll
> > > > > MSVCP60.DLL
> > > > > Msvcrt.dll
> > > > >
> > > > > Here are a few of the freebie synths I tried, and which worked ok
> > > > > with savihost.
> > > > > Triangle I & Triangle II from http://www.rgcaudio.com
> > > > > Interruptor Dub Siren from http://www.interruptor.ch
> > > > > JXPlugins JX220 from http://www.jxplugins.co.uk
> > > > > LFObia Mocheese from http://www.electronicscene.com/elektracidz
> > > > > LRsynths Trionimox from http://www.alphastrike.de
> > > > > Psychic Modulation Pandemonium from http://www.psychicmodulation.com
> > > > > Tobybear Screamer from http://www.tobybear.de
> > > > > LinPlug Free Alpha from http://www.linplug.com
> > > > >
> > > > > I'd be really interested in knowing why these synths use so much cpu
> > > > > when just lying idle. Nigel.
> > > > >
> > > > > Machine: Aiii-friend 1.3Ghz, 1GB Ram, Audigy2 soundblaster, Built-in
> > > > > Cyberblade i1 graphics.
> > > >
> > > > Hi Nigel,
> > > > Hey - you've been busy!
> > > >
> > > > I had a couple of minutes so I fired up Savihost using Triangle 1
> > > > and Crystal to see if I could duplicate your results. For those synths
> > > > I see (using top)
> > > >
> > > > Triangle 1 - 6% usr, 6%sys
> > > > Crystal - 20% usr, 80% sys
> > > >
> > > > This is on an AMD64 3000+ machine.
> > > >
> > > > Since Savihost is the main app in both cases (just renamed to the
> > > > dll name) then the difference has to be something in the way the dll
> > > > is written. (duh...) How we find that I'm not so sure. What I need is
> > > > an app that shows CPU usage by thread or process I suppose.
> > > >
> > > > I'll ask about that on the Wine lists and see what I find out.
> > > >
> > > > Assuming that we do find out something then possibly one day the
> > > > Wine developers (or kernel developers) can do something about it.
> > > >
> > > > Note that in both cases above I ended up using the OSS seting in
> > > > winecfg. The Jack interface doesn't work at all and the Alsa interface
> > > > seemed to have an awful lot of noise. The kernel is 2.6.14-rt6, Ingo's
> > > > latest and the machine is Gentoo based.
> > > >
> > > > I have the Alpha demo downloaded but I haven't installed it yet.
> > > >
> > > > I think we need to work on a way to report this info, and maybe a
> > > > place to store it online. I can see a Wiki where we all can enter
> > > > numbers as being of value, assuming it starys clean.
> > > >
> > > > Cheers,
> > > > Mark
> > >
> > > Hi Mark. A Wiki is the best option for keeping this info. As you say it
> > > needs to be kept clean, and I'd suggest registration to add or make
> > > alterations to pages in it. I wish I could help to set it up, but have no
> > > idea how to go about setting up a Wiki or a webserver. My Apache
> > > webserver I've tried out once with my son, but on dialup it's a bit of a
> > > no-go anyway.
> > >
> > > The kernel I am using is from planetccrma. 2.6.10-0.4.rdt.rhfc2.ccrma
> > > (32bit). Having finished playing with vst apps a while back, I went to
> > > start qjackctl. It doesn't want to know, throwing back "the capture
> > > device "hw0" is already in use. A bit confused I run ps auxw, and this
> > > shows 5 active pid's for wine. I have, pid 4288 for
> > > /usr/bin/wine-preloader /usr/bin/wine-pthread C:\Program Files\Native.
> > > Also, pid 4291 for /usr/bin/wineserver, and the rest are using
> > > /usr/bin/wine-preloader /usr/bin/wine-pthread /home/djmons/.wine/driv.
> > > Kiliing these and running ps auxw again shows the same pid's still there,
> > > but with the comment "defunkt" . Normally you kill a pid, run ps auxw
> > > again and the pid ids gone. Qjackctl still won't start jack. I had to do
> > > a windoze style reboot to clear this stuff. Thank you by the way for
> > > "top". I havn't used this before. Right. I've rebooted, and go to wines
> > > program files. Start up Crystal through savihost with top running. Ksim
> > > at idle shows an average of 26% cpu. With top, wineserver is showing an
> > > average of 10.5%, and wine-preloader an average of 7.6%. Playing Crystal
> > > pushes the cpu up to about 50%. I mean. This ain't too bad.
> > > Wine-preloader has gone up to about 13.3% cpu and is staying there after
> > > a few minutes. Wineserver has stayed at the same cpu level. Closed
> > > Crystal and now lost wineserver and wine-preloader from the top output
> > > (which is as it should be). Cpu now running at an average of 3%. Start
> > > Triangle I . Wineserver's cpu about the same as Crystal. Wine-preloader
> > > up a bit, 8.6%. Playing Triangle I pushes the cpu to about 53% max.
> > > Closed Triangle I, and lost wine pid's from top. Tried qjackctl and
> > > starting jack, and no problems. Right. Last try, as I don't want to use
> > > synths that you don't have. Start FreeAlpha. No big difference here. cpu
> > > useage about the same as the others. FreeAlpha being polyphonic
> > > surprisingly only max'd at about 41% cpu when played. None of this seems
> > > too bad. I still can't understand why I had 5 pid's still running for
> > > wine in ps auxw. the only other bits I'd run from the wine program files
> > > were, a pdf manual, and a MS word .doc through open office for another
> > > synth manual. Now I recorded a bit on one synth and saved it as .wav. But
> > > the next question is. How do I port the output from a VSTi running under
> > > savihost and wine, to an app like Ardour? Thats a whole new ball game.
> > > Nigel.
> >
> > Hi Nigel,
> > Maybe you can check this out on your end. Run 'winecfg' and change
> > the audio driver from the default OSS driver to the Alsa driver. Exit
> > winecfg and now run Crystal using Savihost. On my end it no longer
> > uses 100% CPU.
> >
> > I'm off for dinner now. I'll check back in later to see if anyone
> > else gets the same results.
> >
> > I have no idea what the everyday usage implications would be of
> > using Alsa directly vs. using the OSS driver. I guess we can talk
> > about that.
> >
> > Cheers,
> > Mark
>
> Hi Mark. I have been using Alsa from the beginning of these tests, and the
> most recent results are above. One VSTi, virsyns Microtera, still uses 100%
> CPU, but you can't expect everything to work OOTB. Nigel.
>
Nigel,
   I understand that you are using Alsa, but are you are using the
Wine's Alsa driver or wine's OSS driver? The Alsa driver is not the
default audio driver in Wine-0.9. You would have changed this
intentionally before starting to work with Savihost.

   Please let me know when you get a chance.

- Mark
Received on Fri Nov 11 20:15:06 2005