Fluidsynth.service fails to start at boot

Installation & Configuration Linux
#1

After fresh install of Ubuntu Studio and Ardour, I constantly get the following message in journalctl -p err -b -1

Feb 22 13:19:24 polaris (uidsynth)[1467]: fluidsynth.service: Failed to drop capabilities: Operation not permitted
Feb 22 13:19:24 polaris systemd[1454]: Failed to start fluidsynth.service - FluidSynth Daemon.
Feb 22 13:19:24 polaris jackdbus[1530]: default: XML_ParseBuffer() failed.

A couple of things I’ve found while browsing for answers are:

  1. If fluidsynth is trying to change a namespace there could be a conflict with AppArmor.
    I don’t know how to start diagnosing this.
  2. Also, I’ve seen doc that says fluidsynth needs a soundfont installed. It was not clear if the soundfont was necessary for the service to begin or not, but again how to start diagnosing.

So any ideas, suggestions?
Failed to mention also updated all software after installs.

#2

Let’s take a step back… why do you run fluidsynth as a system service?

For that specific topic you may have more luck on https://linuxmusicians.com/ or FluidSynth | Software synthesizer based on the SoundFont 2 specifications since this topic is rather unrelated to Ardour.

For Ardour one can load fluidsynth as plugin (ACE Fluidsynth comes with Ardour) that is however unrelated to a system-wide service.

#3

This was part of the software package. I did not elect to run it as a service.Matter of fact I don’t know what is exactly calling it. Also when choosing to use the fluidsynth instrument on a track there is no sound, no indication on the VUs

#4

A part of what software package?

#5

Well, that’s a puzzler, either Ubuntu Studio or Ardour. but from Robin’s reply I’m surmising it’s probably Ubuntu Studio.

#6

And it’s there where I’ll turn my attention and see if I can resolve it.
Thanks Robin and Paul for your replies.

#7

Yes, you need to load a soundfont. Open the plugin’s GUI (double click on the plugin in the mixer-strip) to load a .sf2 file that you need to get from somewhere.

General MIDI Synth, that comes with Ardour binaries, doesn’t need a soundfont and there are many other synth plugins as well.

1 Like
#8

I recall in the past that installing Fluidsynth as a system application would grab the default ALSA hardware at login and cause all sorts of Audio mayhem. I installed it once to support playing MIDI files with VLC Media Player and couldn’t figure out later why programs kept complaining that the Audio device was in use… :upside_down_face:

#9

Okay I clearly haven’t been deep enough in the Ardour doc! Now I see I’ll need to install a sound-font should wish to use Fluidsynth.

Otherwise Ardour is working very well, love it.

The errors still bug me though, I’m going to track them down. It’s just a thing for me. Thanks again all.

RESOLVED

#10

It puzzled me quite a bit that in certain cases fluidsynth starts as a system service. On the distros i experienced this, one of them being ubuntustudio, the “culprit” was:

/etc/systemd/user/default.target.wants/fluidsynth.service
/etc/systemd/user/multi-user.target.wants/fluidsynth.service

The command “locate fluidsynth | grep wants” might give some insight if that is not the actual path to it.

iirc.

Though i said ubuntustudio: This does not seem to relate to ubuntustudio specifically, but all debian-based distributions which use systemd (and at least for me only if - but as soon as - i disable the display-manager).

On another note: on debian based distributions the package “fluidsynth” has/had? a dependency/recommends on fluid-soundfont-gm, in my experience it comes with installing fluidsynth itself Path is:
/usr/share/sounds/sf2/FluidR3_GM.sf2

i’v come to prefer the mentioned GeneralMidiSynth fron x42 General MIDI Synth or with the ardour-bundle, it is less hazzle, no need to point it to a soundfont, load the plugin, use it right away … :slight_smile:

#11

I found the same thing after a lot of poking around. My thought is that it’s a permissions issue with the ‘openSUSE:Security_Features#Systemd_hardening_effort’. IT seems to conflict with the AppArmor security module in some way. Now at this point I start getting out of my depth, so…I’ll just accept the fact it throws an error that doesn’t really impeded my mission.

Thanks for your reply!