AV Linux 2.0r2 Released!

Installation & Configuration Linux
#1

Hello fellow Ardour users,

I am once again gratefully begging Paul’s indulgence in posting here to let you know about the latest release of AV Linux 2.0, much has changed as a result of user feedback and suggestions, too much to post here when it is all in the News announcement here:

http://www.bandshed.net/News.html

Please read carefully especially about a minor JACK bug that affects the LiveDVD only.

Thanks, -GLEN

#2

Hey Glen

What is your new forum link?

I did not have a chance to bookmark it before it got zapped.

Thanks

Philip

#3

Psssssst Philip,

I’m going to type this very quietly so no one will notice…

http://geekconnection.org/remastersys/forums/index.php

#4

Thanks Glen.

#5

lowen,

Thanks a lot for sharing that, I just happen to own a US-122 which used to be a real PITA to get going, that’s why I selfishly built AV Linux with support for Tascam stuff at all, I’m a little disappointed to hear the 428 doesn’t work OOTB like the US-122 does and I’m still waiting to find out if the US-122L works or not since I built the Kernel modules for it. At any rate thanks so much for the detailed explanation. On my own systems I’ve always had the VBox USB hack as well but as you said it has to be added post install after the /etc/fstab has been written during the installation process.

#6

Notes to get Tascam US428 running with Ardour 2.8.2 under AV Linux 2.0r2 (and, in general, with any Linux, with changes in the details):
1.) Make sure you enable USBFS; instructions are found in your home directory in one of the text files, but they are mentioned as being for enabling USB under Virtual Box;
2.) Make sure you install us428control from the alsa-utils package.

Then follow the notes at http://alsa.opensrc.org/index.php/Tascam_US-224 with some minor changes:
1.) The AV Linux included hotplug/udev scripts include us428control being started, but for some reason it dies almost immediately after starting, so you’ll need to start us428control manually (until it’s figured out why it’s immediately stopping);
2.) The AV Linux snd_usb_usx2y load is without the nrpacks=1 option; I added that to alsa-base.rules (or .conf; can’t remember exactly, as I’m not on that box at the moment) as the option line mentioned in the notes linked above;
3.) The qjackctl on AV Linux has the ALSA tab in the connections; where the linked notes show a screenshot with the MIDI tab open, it’s under the ALSA tab in AV Linux 2.0r2 (and probably any other Linux using the same versions of jack and qjackctl);
4.) Ardour 2.8.2 doesn’t have all the options in the same place as documented in the notes; I’ll try to grab some screenshots later when I’m at home with that machine.

The nrpacks=1 option is essential to get inputs 3 and 4 running, and for control surface functionality through MMC to and from Ardour. If you don’t need ins 3 and 4 or the surface to work, you don’t need to change anything, and it will work OK.

I can verify that Ardour does work with my US428 on AV Linux 2.0r2 with the mods outlined above; there are a few buttons on the surface that don’t work or don’t do what you might think, but the basic transport controls work perfectly, thanks to the hard work of Paul and the rest of the Ardour team on MMC control. The nrpacks-1 option to snd_usb_usx2y also allows really good low-latency support, and in general is pretty much required to make this unit live up to its potential. Having said that, I’ve not tried inputs 3 and 4 yet; don’t know if the switch on the unit to change between digital (S/PDIF) and analog on those inputs works or not.

And to get any output at all you need to bring up the master fader. If you don’t run us428control you won’t get any output, so, even if you don’t plan on using the surface in Ardour, you still need us428control running to use any functionality of the unit.

Having the alsa-utils on the ISO would be helpful, though, to US428 (and, I think, US224) users, as would be a change in the documentation mentioning that to get any of the Tascam USB stuff to work (and maybe any other USB device that requires a firmware load) you have to have usbfs mounted with the proper incantation, as documented for the Virtual Box USB enablement.