Problem with Pianoteq plugin

Installation & Configuration Linux
#1

I’m encountering a problem with Pianoteq 5.7.1 lv2 or vst plugins in Ardour 5.3, carla, and qtractor under both kxstudio 14.04 or AVLinux2016.8 (dual boot using same hardware), both using Jack1. The problem is when I insert the Pianoteq plugin on a midi track. I get this error in Ardour (written to terminal):

BDB2023 pthread lock failed: Invalid argument
BDB0061 PANIC: Invalid argument
BDB0060 PANIC: fatal region error detected; run recovery

(get similar errors with carla and qtractor)

However, the Pianoteq plugin works. But when I quit Ardour or carla I get an endless series of these:

DB2023 pthread lock failed: Invalid argument
BDB0061 PANIC: Invalid argument
BDB1582 Open file handle: /dev/shm/jack-1000/default/__db.001

Ardour/carla consumes 100% cpu and must be killed, and Jack must be restarted, else Ardour seg faults when started.

I reported this error to Pianoteq and they tried to reproduce it with carla + kxstudio 14.04 but could not. Also, I tried Ardour5.3 + Pianoteq on a Fedora22 system (different hardware) and I do not get the problem, so I do not think the Pianoteq plugin is really the problem.

So perhaps the problem is something to do with my jack configuration or possibly on the hardware (?) of my kxstudio/AVL2016.8 system. No other plugins cause the problem. I’ve tried different jack configuration/latencies using different audio cards (built-in audio, firewire card), always get the error.

Any ideas on what might be causing this error? Also, what does this error mean?

#2

These are JACK errors from an old version of JACK1. Version 0.125.0 was released yesterday and should see the end of the second issue. I’ve never seen the first, but I would bet it was related. Not connected with Ardour, Carla or Pianoteq.

#3

I built JACK1. Version 0.125.0 on AVL2016.8 which got installed to /usr/local leaving the 0.124.2 Jack1 installation in /usr. This happened because I did /configure --enable-force-install which is “to force overwriting the existing install.”, though really it did not overwrite the existing install, but instead installed to /usr/local. I did not remove the jack1 package because then a bunch of packages would be removed and jack2 installed.

Well, the bad news is that 0.125 did not fix the problem, got same error as before. But maybe installing new jack with existing jack in place is not the right way to it, but with the package dependencies I’m not sure how to do it. The configure script warns that (really) overwriting the existing jack installation will not work.

#4

You cannot install two versions of JACK at once. Unless you are a Unix guru, at least.

If you want to overwrite an existing install, you need to build with ./configure --prefix=/usr (other arguments are needed on some distros). Remember to use “make uninstall” before you do that, to get rid of what you just incorrectly installed.

#5

On a Debian based system you need to run
./configure --prefix=/usr --libdir=/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu
(in addition to --alsa --firewire etc.) to make JACK install over the standard system package files.

#6

I took the plunge and installed jack 0.125 over my existing 0.124.2. That is I did
./configure --prefix=/usr --libdir=/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu
make
make install (as root)

I did not understand jrigg’s comment about “–alsa --firewire etc” so I ignored that for now. Unfortunately, I still get the errors with Pianoteq plugin.

I believe I am really using 0.125 from the QJackCtl messages:
07:20:51.667 ALSA connection change.
07:20:51.671 JACK is starting…
07:20:51.671 /usr/bin/jackd -P80 -X alsa_midi -dalsa -dhw:PCH -r48000 -p1024 -n2
connect(2) call to /dev/shm/jack-1000/default/jack_0 failed (err=No such file or directory)
attempt to connect to server failed
connect(2) call to /dev/shm/jack-1000/default/jack_0 failed (err=No such file or directory)
attempt to connect to server failed
jackd 0.125.0

Of, course I wonder about the messages about “attempt to connect to server failed” but jack works with no problems.

Ok, create Ardour session and insert Pianteq lv2 on a midi track. Ardour log prints these messages:

[ERROR]: JACK: Cannot metadata for 4294967299/http://jackaudio.org/metadata/pretty-name (BDB0087 DB_RUNRECOVERY: Fatal error, run database recovery)
…repeated also for the following numbers:
4294967300 4294967301 4294967302 4294967297 4294967298 4294967303 4294967304 4294967299 4294967300 4294967301 4294967302 4294967297
4294967298 4294967303 4294967304 4294967299 4294967300 4294967299 4294967300 4294967299 4294967300 4294967299 4294967300

Actually, this also happened with 0.124.2, but I forgot to mention it. Ardour terminal output is again:

BDB2023 pthread lock failed: Invalid argument
BDB0061 PANIC: Invalid argument
BDB0060 PANIC: fatal region error detected; run recovery (24 times)

However, pianoteq and Ardour work fine. Last week I recorded and edited a track and only notcced a problem when I exited Ardour and Ardour would never close because it was sending out endless messages of:

BDB0061 PANIC: Invalid argument
BDB1582 Open file handle: /dev/shm/jack-1000/default/__db.001
BDB2023 pthread lock failed: Invalid argument

Also, concerning my installation of 0.125 I find that my laptop soundcard, firewire + snd_dice, firewire + ffado (must remove snd_dice to use ffado) all still work which is nice. That is, I might as well continue using 0.125.

Ok, the Pianoteq problem is annoying but not a show stopper. I just need to kill Ardour at the end of the session and then restart jack. Of course, I’m willing to try other suggestions on how to get rid of the problem.

#7
I did not understand jrigg's comment about "--alsa --firewire etc"
To compile jack2 (haven't compiled jack1 for a while so not sure if it applies) on Debian I have to use ./configure --prefix=/usr --libdir=/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu --alsa --firewire to make it compile the alsa and firewire drivers. Those are packaged separately on Debian, so failing to add those compile options could result in using the wrong version of the drivers.