Linux interfaces

[Matt]

An open-source developer recently reverse-engineered the Digidesign M-Box 1 & 2 products. This will become a built-in feature of the Linux kernel.

The original MBoxes are great little devices, developed in part by Focusrite. Avid doesn't support them anymore (doesn't provide ASIO/CoreAudio drivers) so they are sometimes available cheap.

Linux will be the only platform supporting these devices, long after Digi/Avid themselves stopped. And people say Linux device support is bad

Pretty cool. I had an mbox 1, and while it got the job done, I'm not sure that's too appealing. But neat that someone has taken the time to reverse engineer it.

I really wish metric halo would write Linux drivers. Right now MH + Mixbus is awesome. And it works on a my Mac Pro. So I really don't have any reason to change anything. I'm just trying to keep an eye on the future.

In all honesty once mixbus 3 is released I may lock down my rig and not worry about major software/hardware upgrades any time soon.

[Brett McCoy]

An open-source developer recently reverse-engineered the Digidesign M-Box 1 & 2 products. This will become a built-in feature of the Linux kernel.

The original MBoxes are great little devices, developed in part by Focusrite. Avid doesn't support them anymore (doesn't provide ASIO/CoreAudio drivers) so they are sometimes available cheap.

Linux will be the only platform supporting these devices, long after Digi/Avid themselves stopped. And people say Linux device support is bad

That's awesome.

[Frank]

Hi

I have been using the focusrite Saffire Pro 26 I/O (26 In and 26 out) on firewire

compatible firewire devices are found at : http://ffado.org/?q=devicesupport/list

[Rich Barrett]

I use 2 Echo Audio Layla 3G ... PCI card with rack mount interface, about $150 used on ebay

Using them on Debian Wheezy 7.3, for online streaming - excellent, very happy, full support and vg documentation and drivers via ALSA and a custom mixer called echomixer installed thru ALSA-TOOLS.

been using this combination about 3 months after A LOT of research. RME Hammerfalls were my second choice - slightly better quality but much more expensive

[madmaxmiller]

Hello, I'm using a Presonus Firestudio Tube (Firewire) on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS with the KXStudio overlay. The laptop I'm using is a Toshiba Satellite A205-SLi5. So far it is rock solid!

What does the kxstudio do? Does it provide a correct surface for the built in mixer/router? Do you have a screenshot? Capturing/replaying works ok everywhere, but I want to use the built in excellent router and mixer for latency free monitor mixes with outboard reverb and compression in these mixes... yes and branch out through my hardware autotune for the singer as an extra track, in many cases that saves a cpu-costly autotalent plugin in the mix :-)

Cheers, mmm

---

Just curious from those who use Linux, what audio interface are you using? I'm about to do some googling on the subject but thought I'd ask here too.

Thanks

Hi, I using PHONIC HelixBoard 24 Universal - via FireWire and FFADO Drivers. There is many sound cards supported by linux(for exapmple ESI juli@, M-Audio, RME). Just look at alsa project if you using PCI/extrenal USB device or if you have Firewire interface look at ffado project. On both pages is list of supported devices

---

Hi,
does anyone know if there's a mod for ffado mixer for the Presonus Firestudio 2626 and Firestudio Project? Both work perfectly under Linux, but to make use of the built-in mixers and routing you need the Windows-Software. The ffado mixer looks rather weird...

Hi, I dont have any experience with this device. Have you look at to the Jack routing? Maybe it's possible to do internal routing via JACK or Patche.

Yeah, that works. However, as I wrote in the other post, I want latency free cue mixes and use outbord gear in them.
Cheers, mmm

[Frank]

Hello, I'm using a Presonus Firestudio Tube (Firewire) on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS with the KXStudio overlay.

What does the kxstudio do? Does it provide a correct surface for the built in mixer/router?

Yeah, that works. However, as I wrote in the other post, I want latency free cue mixes and use outbord gear in them.
Cheers, mmm

Madmax it looks like we are doing quit similar things! Mxbus life !

KXStudio is a ready configured Audio (+video ) distribution. Based on KDE. Takes away alot of configuring. If you are verey used to a standard KDE linux , the the menu is somewhat confusing.
Jack is already installed f.i. The link below has screenshots

http://sourceforge.net/projects/kxstudio/

I am thinking of a laptop on stage connected to the AD converters

and FOH a laptop communicating via netjack. Or from FOH one logs in into the stage laptop. which runs Mixbus using the X-Windows protocol probably.

[allank]

Hi All,

On self built Gentoo with low latency kernel... Using a Focusrite Saffire Pro 10io.. will be upgrading to an Allen & Heath Zed R16 later this year (at least one confirmed working user on the ffado list) ..

cheers
Allan

[madmaxmiller]

Madmax it looks like we are doing quit similar things! Mxbus life !

Hi Frank,
haha not quite. I'm using it for recording, editing, mixing. I'm providing up tp 4 different headphone mixes to the musos and of course they shouldn't have any latency, they actually shouldn't be relying on a running computer at all. I used 4 AUXes on a analog desk for that before.

KXStudio is a ready configured Audio (+video ) distribution. Based on KDE. Takes away alot of configuring. If you are verey used to a standard KDE linux , the the menu is somewhat confusing.
Jack is already installed f.i. The link below has screenshots

Yeah I tried that the other day, but didn't have the Presonusses then so I didn't try the ffado. That's why I asked if someone knows a hack for the ffado mixer.
Setting up any kind of Linux and get it to play nicely is not my problem but my occupation and business (still) :-D
At the moment I can either record directly on the Windows machine, controlled over vnc, and later copy the session over to the real station or I can netjack the streams into the real workstation but still need a vnc windows-window or I can set everything to everyones taste on the windows box, then hope it doesn't change (hahaha) and plug the fw cord into my Linux machine for the actual recording --- that's all bloody compromises and makes me sick. Maybe I have time one day to write a surface myself, that would give me the option to build in control via MIDI faders, BCF200 or so :-)

Cheers,
MMM

[Frank]

Madmax it looks like we are doing quit similar things! Mxbus life !

Hi Frank,
haha not quite. I'm using it for recording, editing, mixing. I'm providing up tp 4 different headphone mixes to the musos and of course they shouldn't have any latency, they actually shouldn't be relying on a running computer at all. I used 4 AUXes on a analog desk for that before.


At the moment I can either record directly on the Windows machine, controlled over vnc, and later copy the session over to the real station or I can netjack the streams into the real workstation but still need a vnc windows-window or I can set everything to everyones taste on the windows box, then hope it doesn't change (hahaha) and plug the fw cord into my Linux machine for the actual recording --- that's all bloody compromises and makes me sick. Maybe I have time one day to write a surface myself, that would give me the option to build in control via MIDI faders, BCF200 or so :-)

Cheers,
MMM

1/ Take care : firewaire is not hotplugable ! Focusrite warns about that : And i did experience the problems
2/ Since you need to setup the interface: maybe load windows on KVM : and just use the windows program to setup the card. Thought about that ?

[touchstyle]

Tho solutions:
- an old EWS 88 MT (pci) on the desktop;
- a Edirol UA 25 EX (usb) on the mobile.

Both work OTB and very well with low latencies (< 2,3ms).

Ciao,
Touch.