Re: [gentoo-user] Zynaddsubfx connected to Rosegarden WITHOUT Jack?

[Michael Schreckenbauer <grimlog@gmx.de>]

Hi Meino,

Am Donnerstag, 11. August 2011, 13:04:13 schrieb meino.cramer@gmx.de:
> Hi Michael,
> 
> Thank you for your help ! :)
> 
> Here are the versions:
> media-sound/rosegarden 11.02
> media-sound/zynaddsubfx 2.4.1
> media-sound/jack-audio-connection-kit 0.118.0

looks ok to me. No idea, why it doesn't work for you.

> I did a aconnect -lio, which says:
> 
> client 0: 'System' [type=kernel]
>     0 'Timer           '
>     1 'Announce        '
> 	Connecting To: 15:0, 128:0
> client 14: 'Midi Through' [type=kernel]
>     0 'Midi Through Port-0'
> client 28: 'Virtual Raw MIDI 3-0' [type=kernel]
>     0 'VirMIDI 3-0     '
> 	Connecting To: 128:0
> 	Connected From: 128:3
> client 29: 'Virtual Raw MIDI 3-1' [type=kernel]
>     0 'VirMIDI 3-1     '
> client 30: 'Virtual Raw MIDI 3-2' [type=kernel]
>     0 'VirMIDI 3-2     '
> client 31: 'Virtual Raw MIDI 3-3' [type=kernel]
>     0 'VirMIDI 3-3     '
> client 128: 'rosegarden' [type=user]
>     0 'record in       '
> 	Connected From: 0:1, 28:0
>     1 'sync out        '
>     2 'external controller'
>     3 'out 1 - General MIDI Device'
> 	Connecting To: 28:0
> 
> 
> Then I started rosegarden, which - as expereinced before - pops up
> a dialog, saying:
> 
>     The JACK Audio subsystem has stopped Rosegarden from processing audio,
>     probably because of a processing overload.  An attempt to restart the
>     audio service has been made, but some problems may remain.  Quitting
>     other running applications may improve Rosegarden's performance.
> 
> (no jackd was running)
> 
> When clicking [OK] the dialog disappears only to take a very very short
> rest an return again and again and again....
> 
> In one of these short tiemes of peace and slumber I open the
> preference dialog and switched off jackd transport, quit rosegarden
> and start it again only to play another fresh match between me and
> this damned dialog... ;-/

Looks like rosegarden cannot work with pure alsa. I did not know this.
There's seq24 in portage, which seems to be a step sequencer that works 
without jack. You could try this one instead of rosegarden. I don't know 
anything about it though.

> How can I prevent to scratch my skin by the roses of this garden over
> and over again.....?

We could try to solve your problems with jack :)
I recommend qjackctl for jack-server handling.
How do you start it? What use-flags are set for it?
Another option is to try the versions from the pro-audio overlay (that's what 
I use for rosegarden, jack, ardour and some other audio related stuff).
Did you try other synths with jack and rosegarden? Maybe there's a bug in 
zynaddsubfx. You could try eg hydrogen to test this.

> Best regards,
> mcc

Regards,
Michael

> Michael Schreckenbauer <grimlog@gmx.de> [11-08-11 12:12]:
> > Hi,
> > 
> > Am Donnerstag, 11. August 2011, 11:13:21 schrieb meino.cramer@gmx.de:
> > > Hi Michael,
> > > I had * experiments with jack and nothing works...
> > > Sometimes there was no connection at all, sometimes after a
> > > short time rosegarden crashes and/or reports taht the connection
> > > has gone, and so on....
> > 
> > this is strange. It simply works for me (tm).
> > 
> > > May be I has simply combined the wrong things...
> > 
> > What versions did you try? (jackd, rosegarden...)
> > 
> > > I have no midi hardware in the sense of keyboards, external
> > > synths and such.
> > 
> > I see.
> > 
> > > What I want is to set up a melody in rosegarden and to play
> > > it via Zynaddsubfx.
> > 
> > That's what I was thinking :)
> > 
> > > A midi step sequencer (not sure if this this correct terminus
> > > technicus, though) were also fine...
> > > Any ideas?
> > 
> > I think, aconnect (part of media-sound/alsa-utils) is the tool you want
> > to try.
> > Start both rosegarden and zynaddsubfx, then use aconnect -lio to see,
> > what in- and out-ports were created on your system. After that use
> > aconnect to connect the rosegarden out-port with the zynaddsubfx
> > in-port.
> > http://alsa.opensrc.org/Aconnect has some details.
> > I never tried this for myself, so I have no practical experience with
> > it.
> > 
> > > best regards,
> > > mcc
> > 
> > Hth,
> > Michael
> > 
> > > If this will become too OT simply use my PM :)
> > > 
> > > Michael Schreckenbauer <grimlog@gmx.de> [11-08-11 10:52]:
> > > > Hi Meino,
> > > > 
> > > > Am Donnerstag, 11. August 2011, 03:02:33 schrieb meino.cramer@gmx.de:
> > > > > Hi Michael,
> > > > > thank you for your info ! :)
> > > > > What do I need for a midi connection (sorry, I am
> > > > > at the very beginning of exploring these kind of
> > > > > tools and jack is everywhere... ;) )
> > > > 
> > > > do you have midi-ports in your soundcard? In some cases they are
> > > > implemented as 5-pol Din plugs (MIDI-standard plugs), in other
> > > > cases
> > > > they are implemented via the gameport. Most built-in
> > > > soundhardware has none.
> > > > If you have those ports, the most simple (but not best) solution
> > > > is to connect midi in with midi out, have rosegarden play
> > > > through midi out and the synth listen to midi in.
> > > > Afaik(!) alsa has virtual midi-ports, you can use, if you have
> > > > no hw
> > > > ports (and which would be more elegant to use), but I have no
> > > > experience with them. May I ask, why you don't want to use jack?
> > > > I use it for everything in my studio and I am very happy with
> > > > it. There's a reason jack is everywhere in this area :)
> > > > 
> > > > > Best regards,
> > > > > mcc
> > > > 
> > > > Hth,
> > > > Michael
> > > > 
> > > > > Michael Schreckenbauer <grimlog@gmx.de> [11-08-11 02:45]:
> > > > > > Hi Meino,
> > > > > > 
> > > > > > Am Dienstag, 9. August 2011, 21:13:42 schrieb meino.cramer@gmx.de:
> > > > > > > Hi,
> > > > > > > 
> > > > > > >  may be this is a RDQ(tm) (real dumb question),
> > > > > > >  but....
> > > > > > >  Is it possible to connect rosegarden and
> > > > > > >  ZynAddSubFX
> > > > > > >  without using jack ???
> > > > > > 
> > > > > > you could use a MIDI connection. But imho jack is the
> > > > > > way to go
> > > > > > 
> > > > > > :)
> > > > > > :
> > > > > > >  Thank you very much for any help in advance!
> > > > > > >  Best regards,
> > > > > > >  mcc
> > > > > > 
> > > > > > Hth,
> > > > > > Michael