Fast Track Pro connected

Getting Stuff Done How do I .... ?
#21

Hi Ccaudle. Yes I know, but I think the problem is about the drivers or I don’t know what else. If you check the imagese below, the Fast Track doesn’t appear in the same window where’s Ardour. Ardour is in the Audio window in QJackctl. Ardou appears in the Audio and the MIDI windows while Fast Track is only in the ALSA window together with Midi Through which I don’t know what it is. So there’s no way to connect the board to the Bass track, visible in the Audio window (first on top). The Bass track (out port) is connected to System Capture 1 (in port) as per image.
The Aroud main window setup is Audio System JACK, Driver ALSA, device Fast Track Pro.
I’ve tried to chose Audio System ALSA, Driver ALSA and device Fast Track Pro, but in this case Ardour doesn’t appear in the windows.

https://s13.postimg.org/ctxl4c57r/image.png
https://s13.postimg.org/n59xwzwx3/image.png
https://s13.postimg.org/yiwh877fr/image.png
https://s13.postimg.org/wsdg6ppwn/image.png

I’ve also have an error when I started QJackCtl, after I’ve setup both Audio System and Driver ALSA in Ardour:

https://s21.postimg.org/jdcdu1okn/image.png

#22

@telover: don’t take this message as an insult, but you should’ve read at least something about professional audio in Linux before asking questions here. As I understand from your messages, you want Ardour and Hydrogen work together, with Ardour having control on Hydrogen’s transport. So, you need to:
— set up JACK properly (via QJackCtl or, more preferrable, via Cadence);
— set up Ardour to work via JACK (this is default behavior on Linux);
— set up Hydrogen to work via JACK 9can be changed in preferences);
— make Ardour transport master (there’s a switch in menu: Transport — Time master);
— make Hydrogen slave (in Preferences window).

You need to set up both inputs and outputs on your Fast Track, otherwise you’ll run into problems. Experiment with buffer size and period count (if you play live, a good start will be 256 samples and 3 periods), synchronous/asynchronous mode, time source and other stuff to find best performance. Never let any app except QJackCtl or Cadence to control JACK. Learn your output channel scheme if your card has more than two out channels and base your audio routing on that. Then set up Hydrogen and Ardour to sound through the same set of output channels (1 and 2 in case of stereo-only output, 3 and 4 (or whatever else) in case of separate headphones output and so on). After that you should proceed to configuring software and, if you do it right and read a little before setting anything up, you will get the setup you want.

And yes, you will always get errors if you try to start JACK on a busy device.

#23

Hi Alex, no, no, don’t worry I don’t take it as any insult. By a hand I solved the H2 and Ardour connection stuff since I’ve exported and imported the drum track. Now I have it in Ardour and it works. The problem is with the Fast Track that seems not connected to Aroud. I’ve tried all kind of connections but it doesn’t arrive any signal.

#24

@telover: this forum is perhaps not the best way to learn the basics of audio setup for a professional style DAW, a lot of the questions you are asking are really just basics of configuring pro style audio applications and would show up in slightly different forms on any operating system and with any DAW software.

“I’ve also have an error when I started QJackCtl, after I’ve setup both Audio System and Driver ALSA in Ardour:”

What you did is configured Ardour to use ALSA as the audio interface, which takes exclusive control of the interface, then instructed QJackCtl to start jackd using that same interface, which will also want to take exclusive control of the interface. You obviously cannot have two separate software components run when each wants to exclude other software from using the same interface, so whichever software you start first will run and the second (and any others) you start will report an error. As expected. The point of jackd is to allow multiple different software to connect together, so start jackd first (using qjackctl) and then configure all the other software you want to use to use jack as the audio interface. You can also start jackd by using Ardour only, it is really just a personal preference whether you use qjackctl to configure and start jack, or use Ardour to start jack. If jackd is already running, when Ardour starts it will detect that and just use the currently running jackd instance, Ardour will not give you a window to select the audio interface. If Ardour shows a window to configure the audio interface then jackd was not already running, so if you think you started jack with qjackctl and saw the audio setup window from Ardour, you probably did not click the “start” button in qjackctl after selecting the settings you want.

“the Fast Track doesn’t appear in the same window where’s Ardour”

The Fast Track audio inputs are shown under system as capture_1 and capture_2. The Fast Track audio outputs are shown as system playback_1 and playback_2.

“Fast Track is only in the ALSA window together with Midi Through which I don’t know what it is”
In jack all audio is connected through jack, so everything in the “audio” tab is for routing audio. The “MIDI” tab is for routing jack MIDI, and “ALSA” tab is for ALSA MIDI devices (devices which use ALSA protocol for MIDI connection and do not use jack protocol for MIDI).
If you notice the Fast Track interface listed in the ALSA tab is only the MIDI interface. The MIDI Through is probably the MIDI through port from the Fast Track. There is an additional software component you need for connecting applications which use jack MIDI to ALSA ports, but that can wait for later, until after you understand making audio connections more thoroughly.

“to connect the board to the Bass track”

In qjackctl connections Window select either capture_1 or capture_2 in the readable ports side (leggibili), whichever channel has your bass connected. In the writeable ports side (scrivibili) select the track you want, which I assume is Bass/audio_in1. Click the connect button (connetti) and the audio from that channel of your Fast Track will then be routed to the bass track in ardour.

“The Ardour main window setup is Audio System JACK, Driver ALSA, device Fast Track Pro.”

That sounds like you are using Ardour to start jackd instead of qjackctl. That is OK, but if you do that you can connect everything through Ardour without using qjackctl. Even if you use qjackctl to start jack you can still use Ardour to control the connections by using the audio connections window from ardour. That has a grid style connection layout which I find easier to read than the patchbay wiring imitation in qjackctl. That is also a matter of personal preference, use the method which you find easier to understand.

“The Bass track (out port) is connected to System Capture 1 (in port) as per image.”

Your bass is connected to the input 1 connector on the front panel of your Fast Track? The pad button is in the “out” position? The line vs. instrument selector button is in the out position to select instrument level instesad of line level?
Assuming all of those conditions are true, you should get bass signal at the ardour track. Did you enable the record inputs as I described previously? Also make sure the input for the bass track in ardour is not set to disk playback. I think that by default the track will have the input connected in record mode, and have the disk file connected in playback mode.

Have you read the tutorial and reference manuals for Ardour?


http://manual.ardour.org/welcome-to-ardour/

#25

Hey CCaudle. Guess what? It worked today. lmfao. Well, it did until I’ve closed Ardour to try importing the drum track I made in H2.
I was about beign desperate until yesterday, you cannot imagine I’ve read everything, yep also the stuff you wrote above, I watched tutorial, I’ve asked a couple people also by email. In the end I thought about trying to check if the soundcard worked in Cubase. I have it on the other partition on my computer. At early it didn’t work, then I’ve followed step by step a tutorial and it finally worked. I couldn’t believe it. I had to setup the right VTSs which are the buses in Ardour.
So, I went back to Ardour and I’ve started it, without touching QJackCtl. Ileft the usual parameters, Audio System Jack, ALSA drivers, Fast Track Pro device, In and OUT channels all the available, and ALSA raw device as MIDI system.
I’ve checked the connections grid, both INS and OUT and it wasn’t working.
Then I’ve started QJackCtl and tried to change the device in the setup. The first three from above are:

hw:0 HDA Intel
hw:0,0 ALC262 Analog

hw:1 Fast Track Pro
hw:1,0 USB Audio
hw:1,1 USB Audio #1

(default)

I had hw:1 selected at first and it wasn’t working. Then I’ve selected hw:1,1 and, magically, started working.
Unfortunately when I saw it was working, I closed the session and imported the drum track again. From then on, it wasn’t working anymore.
I’m actually doing other tries to see if I can put back that configuration I had at that time, we’ll see if I can solve it.
I wanted to save the parameters I’ve chosen in QJackCtl assigning a name to it, but I’ve read in a tutorial is not a good thing to do, I don’t remember why.
And yes, I’m sorry about the incredibly basically and silly things, but it’s a matter not really easy to understand and I’m learning. Plus, as I’ve alredy wrote, there’s so much material around, even too much, but one should be so lucky to find his own same situation.
Anyway I’ve read, I’m reading and I’ll follow strictly what you wrote above, and I’ll keep you update. You never knows somebody else that might be in my own situation, I hope this thread will help him out.

#26

As I todl you before, even if I’ve tried, I haven’t been able to get any sound anymore. It’s like the soundcard it’s seen every now and then. I’ve changed all the devices in QJackCtl but without any results.
When I start Ardour and add an Audio track, there’s nothing to do: I’ve also tried to select channel 2 but it didn’t work.
Here’s the routing in QJackCtl:

https://s13.postimg.org/iersyq9pj/Schermata_del_2016_11_09_19_11_30.png

I have to check the pulse audio stuff as per the other topic.

#27

@telover It seems to me I was looking to buy a fast track pro when I was still running 12.04 and didn’t buy it because I could not access it properly. (I bought something else) A newer kernel may deal with the FTP better. It is possible to run several distro images, without installing, directly from a UBS memory stick. A new version of AVlinux, Ubuntustudio, etc. can be tested to see if things just work with the newer kernel. The FTP is not a directly USB1.1 or 2.0 compliant and needed an extra patch to ALSA to work correctly. I am not sure when this patch became part of the stock kernels. This is aside from jack and pulseaudio having bugs that complicated the two working together or even jack with jack in 12.04. I ran both jack and pulse in a non-standard way for that reason (and still do for other reasons now).

#28

Leno, thanks for your advice. I’ve just tried on Cubase and it works without problems. It’s this damn stuff that doesn’t recognize the soundcard, or also once in a century. So, can you let me know what card did you use, or still use, at the time you had the 12.04? It’s better to change my card that’s is still new, than changing computer or going back to Cubase.
I saw the couple of three cards recommended by Ardour, the Presonus, Sound Device and the Roland, so I might go for one of those. Probably the Roland which inspires me the better.

#29

OK, I assumed that the Fast Track Pro would be a USB 2 class compliant device, but I researched that interface a bit more and it is a USB 1.1 class compliant device, which places some limitations on output bit length and number of channels. I think you are actually fighting quirks of the limits of older (i.e. pre-USB2.0) audio interfaces.

By the way, I have no idea why you would have seen advice to not use presets in qjackctl for some reason, that is how I always use it. The only thing I can think of is a warning that the settings you save in a preset may not be the settings actually used if you let an application automatically start jack, but just start it yourself from qjackctl before you start any jack using applications and then that isn’t a concern.

http://wiki.linuxaudio.org/hw/m-audio_fast_track_pro
https://linuxmusicians.com/viewtopic.php?t=11016
https://community.ardour.org/node/4423
http://alsa.opensrc.org/M-Audio_FastTrack_Pro

That last link seems to be the most informative. I’ll copy some of that page here, but the short version is set your interface to 16 bit, and either 44100 or 48000 sample rate and you should just be able to use it as a standard device.

This device is recognized by ALSA and should work “OK” (class compliant mode) out of the box on linux since it’s a USB1 class device. So it will only capture or playback in 16 bit mode up to a sample rate of 48000 KHz. To be able to capture @ 24bit with it under linux you will have to patch and compile your own kernel and do some tweaking. Once you do that you will be able to capture/playback in 24 bit (Big Endian) up to a sample rate of 96000. Do notice that still, above 48000 KHz this device will only work either in capture or playback modes (not both or full Duplex) because it is a USB1 audio device and that is how it’s designed and because of the limitation of USB1 speeds, for more information check the M-Audio website for the full specs, still I post below the way it works in mac or windows with and without the drivers. Also the digital input/output can be enabled this way, I have kind of tested the digital in myself but do get some predictable xruns, so I try to go “naturally” analog with it as possible. Besides, the preamps and converters in this thing are quite descent and silent. So in other words when compiling a patched kernel for this device you should get pretty much the results as if you had the drivers installed.

I/O	Bit Depth	Sample Rate (kHz)

With Drivers 4 x 4 16 44.1/48 (note that “with drivers” here means proprietary Windows drivers)

2 x 4 	24	44.1/48

2-in OR 2-out 	24	88.2/96

Class compliant 2x4 16 44.1/48 (class compliant mode is typically the way an interface connects in linux)

I don’t have this interface, so at this point I think you will have to go to the linux audio users mailing list and try to find someone who has this interface to walk you through anything more specific.
Linux-audio-user mailing list
Linux-audio-user@lists.linuxaudio.org

http://lists.linuxaudio.org/listinfo/linux-audio-user

#30

I saw those links, Ccaudle. And yes, I left a post on the last one though he’s talking about Debian, not Ubuntu. I’m not expert at all, but compiling a kernel has probably differences and what it works for Debian doesn’t do for Ubuntu.
Also. When I downloaded the low latency kernel, a couple days ago while trying all I could, after that I used Ubuntu Tweak to clean the computer and it cleaned up also the low latency kernel I’ve just installed, because it was old and surpassed by the one I have now (today there was a newer version update).

#31

Well, latest update. From the tutorial of Joe Giampaoli, that Ubuntu users have not recommended me due the fact is old and is mostly about Debian, I only took the fast-track-pro.conf file and modified as per that guide. Now the card has the control over the audio system. When I turn it up, even if in my computer audio preferences I have the on board card selected, I hear the audio from the headphones connected in the Fast Track.
Also. Finally in Ardour I have the signal coming from the card but… I don’t here anymore what’s going on. I don’t hear both my instrument coming from the card and I don’t hear the drum track I made or even the metronome click.
From the little I’ve understood, it seems the duplex is not working.