It seems likely then that something is already using your device when you try to connect to it, and thus Jack is defaulting to a device not in use. Pulseaudio is usually a culprit for this.
Seabladethanks, seablade.
so, why could it be that the interface command in jackctrl setup window is gone inactive?
and how can i detect in ubuntu which device is in use?
audio applications that i usually use beyond ardour are: movieplayer, rhythmbox, skype and audacity.
how can i detect what they are relying on?
have you checked alsa mixer, i had this problem with it not autoselecting which input i had plugged into until looking at alsa mixer and setting it myself, now it does it own its own.
to veda_sticks: i don’t have an idiea on how to do the alsa mixer check. i work on ubuntu. can you suggest the steps necessary to do that check? thx
I don’t know if this helps, but I have Ardour set up to start Jack - I only have to run Qjackctl to start Jack on the rare occasions when I need Jack for something else, usually simple routing of an input to an output to test a mic or cable.
Once I got my sound cards in the right order (ALSA was trying to use the onboard sound instead of the M-Audio Delta 1010) this arrangement has been quite trouble free.
Oh, and I concur that PulseAudio is a bag of problems. On another system, removing PulseAudio was the only way I could make any audio work at all.
I use ubuntu aswell, it should be in multimedia, along with all your other audio programs like ardour and jack control. It will either just say mixer, or alsa mixer. when you open it up. there will likely be no controls so you will have to select the controls you want to appear in the mixer.
The program when opn up with say mxier - HDA nvidia (alsa mixer) : note that hda nivida is my sound interface yours will probably be different.
I selected from the list
Master
Line In
Capture
Capture 1
Automute mode
Input source 1
Inpute source 2
what you can select might be different. will depend on yoru hardward
But under input source is where you can select the input.
Capture is the volume for the input source (capture 1 on mine doesnt seem to do anything)
and there is an option for automode, which i believe should automaitcally switch between mic and line when you plug in.
im running xfce desktop enviroment
I’m having a similar problem on one laptop in Ubuntu Studio. Have used Audacity, where my mic works fine, and have used a mic on another computer in Ardour3 with no issue. However, on my Dell LatitudeD630 laptop with SigmaTel STAC9205 soundcard, the mic does not work on Ardour3. I’ve set up the correct jack connections from capture 1 to the audio track to the master (much more basic that other configurations I’ve used on my other computer). I can import and play .wav files, so that aspect of Ardour is working with the soundcard.
Any suggestions?
It sounds like you are using a built in sound card? Have you checked the alsamixer, or equivalent for your card to make sure that there is no switch that needs to be set for a mic input, and that the gain is set appropriately? Are you certain that this sound card is not presented as two half duplex devices(Sadly increasingly common) and that you have the correct device selected in that case?
SeabladeThanks, seablade, I rechecked Gnome Alsa Mixer, and then ‘jiggled’ a number of other settings. After doing this twice and rebooting, it now works (!). Thanks for jumping in and helping. cheers.
Thanks, Seablade, I had used Gnome Alsa Mixer to check settings, though your suggestion motivated me do a little more deeper looking and tinkering. After 2 more reboots with said tinkering in-between, it now works. Interestingly, the first use I’m putting this laptop to is to utilize the echo to acclimate my daughter’s singing group to stadium echoes as they are performing the National Anthem for the Washington Nationals later this week.
two to four years later… will anyone see this? I am just getting started with music in Linux. Have my RayDAT set up, HDSPMixer shows levels coming in, JACK control shows captures linked to Ardour tracks… tracks are armed to record, but meters show nothing. Recording produces blank tracks. Googleing and reading forums all night, and no progress… anyone care to offer advice?
Probably the HDSPMixer setup. It is not very intuitive. You have to patch (i.e. being up the volume on a channel) all in coming channels to virtual channels in the mixer. As I remember it you did not have the inputs available directly but the mixes themselves.
I have a multiface but it has been a while since I used it. Had some saved mixer setups otherwise it took some time to figure out each time. Check documentation. If you still have problem I will sit down with my multiface and check what could go wrong (I do not remember it well enough right now).