Using a relatively new install of Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala) I find even my older supposedly non-recognizable (blue label) MobilePre is recognized by Ubuntu as soon as I plug it in. If I left click the audio icon at the top of the unmodified Ubuntu screen I can go into the “Sound Preferences”, I then see that the USB MobilePre is showing as hardware. I can select it and move to the input and output panes and do the same. From then on running applications are shuttled through to the Mobile Pre as the primary audio output. This is actually where the issues with Ardour begin. If I run Audacious2 or Sound Recorder and go to the Applications pane of Sound Preferences I see those applications listed as running. Ardour never shows up as a running program. Also, when Jack starts with Ardour, it takes over the system (apparently) and any sounds from then on are not heard through either the MobilePre or the built in sound system.
You can’t run Ardour apparently without Jack. I can make all the changes I like in Jack, including variations of setting USB Audio or MobilePre (which both show up under Jack’s setup menu) but I still get no in/out from Audacity. If I set the Sound Preferences back to the onboard system and set Jacks setup to all defaults I can play prerecorded wav files out through the onboard system.
My system here is an older HP Pavillion zv5000 series (actually the zv5340 (AMD 64 chip, nVidia graphics, etc)
If I can do more to help in this issue that would be great as recording pro sounding audio through the standard mic jack is not going to cut it for me.
One other thing - I can see the input on the meter from the MobilePre in the Sound Preferences settings under Ubuntu and I can record perfectly using the very simple Sound Recorder application. I have no doubt that several other less worthy applications have no issues with recording from the MobilePre as well.
I work as an Broadcast Engineer for a string of Broadcasting schools across the US and I am trying to advocate Linux as the way to go for our simple Radio Suites. All the students really do is record dialog, mix sound under and so on. I would love to advocate Ardour, and likely will but we will end up recording through the built in soundcards and I prefer a more pro interface direct to digital when possible.
If I can be of any further help in looking into this issue, please let me know.
Sean McHenry
(not a Linux Guru)
McHenryProj@yahoo.com