New to Ardour... Please help!

I’ve just downloaded the latest version of Ardour 2 and JackOSX, and have some troubles.

I’m running OS X 10.4.10 on an Intel-based Mac Mini.

JackOSX recognises my Digii002, and Ardour starts up just fine, but when I create a session, it will not let me do ANYTHING useful. Most of the menu items are ‘unclickable’, and when I try to ‘add audio file to session’ or whatever it’s called, it simply quits. No warning, error message or anything.

Can anyone help me with this? I can post screenshots if necessary, although, there isn’t much to show…

Console log, please. Applications -> Utilities -> Console.
Then start ardour. Watch console window for output.

One thing that strikes me as wrong is that it thinks that there is a ‘control surface’. I have an Alesis DM5 Drum Module going into the Midi In on my Digi 002.

Thanks for the reply!

Here it is:

===== Saturday, 3 November 2007 2:15:27 PM Australia/Hobart =====

XFree86 Version 4.4.0 / X Window System
(protocol Version 11, revision 0, vendor release 6600)
[DRI] screen 0 installation complete
Screen 0 added: 1280x1024 @ (0,0)
Could not init font path element /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/CID/, removing from list!
bash: no job control in this shell
Ardour/GTK 2.1
(built using 2496 and GCC version 4.0.1 (Apple Computer, Inc. build 5250))
Copyright © 1999-2007 Paul Davis
Some portions Copyright © Steve Harris, Ari Johnson, Brett Viren, Joel Baker

Ardour comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY
not even for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
This is free software, and you are welcome to redistribute it
under certain conditions; see the source for copying conditions.
loading default ui configuration file /Users/aidanomara/Desktop/Ardour2.app/Contents/Resources/etc/ardour2/ardour2_ui_default.conf
Configuration::pack_canvasvars () called, canvas_colors.size() = 82
ardour: [INFO]: Loading ui configuration file /Users/aidanomara/Desktop/Ardour2.app/Contents/Resources/etc/ardour2/ardour2_ui_dark.rc
theme_init() called from internal clearlooks engine
loading system configuration file /Users/aidanomara/Desktop/Ardour2.app/Contents/Resources/etc/ardour2/ardour_system.rc
loading user configuration file /Users/aidanomara/.ardour2/ardour.rc
ardour: [INFO]: Apple VecLib H/W specific optimizations in use
ardour: [INFO]: looking for control protocols in /Users/aidanomara/.ardour2/surfaces/:/Users/aidanomara/Desktop/Ardour2.app/Contents/Resources/lib/surfaces/
ardour: [INFO]: Control surface protocol discovered: “Generic MIDI”
ardour: [INFO]: Control surface protocol discovered: “Mackie”
ardour: [INFO]: Control protocol Tranzport not usable
execpath = /Users/aidanomara/Desktop/Ardour2.app/Contents/Resources/bin/ardour
loading bindings from /Users/aidanomara/Desktop/Ardour2.app/Contents/Resources/etc/ardour2/ardour.bindings
Loading session /Volumes/Audio HD/ardour test using snapshot ardour test (1)

glibmm-ERROR **:
unhandled exception (type std::exception) in signal handler:
what: basic_string::_S_construct NULL not valid

aborting…

No, ardour does not think there is a control surface. Its just loading the support for various different kinds of control surfaces during startup.

Your problem is the exception message at the end. I have seen reports of this before, but I don’t recall a specific cure for it. Do you happen to have any experience of programming or debugging? If so, it would be possible for me to walk you through a debugging session that would help us get to the bottom of this.

I have some experience programming. Not a lot, but I’m far from computer illiterate.

A debugging session would be great. Where do I sign up?!