Re: [Alsa-user] Newbie query about interfaces
Graham Dicker wrote: I have been recording for many years with a Yamaha digital 4 track recorder. I would now like to switch to using my Suse Linux minitower using Ardour. I am not sure though what kind of audio interface I need to buy. Ideally I would like to have similar capability to what I am used to with my 4 track i.e. up to four instruments being recorded simultaneously, each on to it's own track. I understand that an interface like the Yamaha Audiogram 6 will work but it's not clear that I will be able to route each instrument on to it's own track. Is that what it does? Or do I need something else? The final decision, after a great deal more head-scratching over firewire/usb/price/features, was to buy an Alesis iO2 Express. To achieve the original objective was just too expensive so have settled for 2 channels. The iO2 works fine on Suse 11.3 with jack and Ardour, although it took quite a lot of effort (I estimate about 5 hours messing about) to get it recording and playing back audio. I haven't tested the MIDI yet but the ports are visible and I anticipate no trouble there. Cheers Graham Dicker -- WhatsUp Gold - Download Free Network Management Software The most intuitive, comprehensive, and cost-effective network management toolset available today. Delivers lowest initial acquisition cost and overall TCO of any competing solution. http://p.sf.net/sfu/whatsupgold-sd ___ Alsa-user mailing list Alsa-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/alsa-user
Re: [Alsa-user] Newbie query about interfaces
Dominique Michel dominique.mic...@vtxnet.ch wrote in message news:20110502183321.1b74fbe7@tuxstudio.homenetwork... If you take a look at the alsa websiste: http://www.alsa-project.org/main/index.php/Matrix:Vendor-Yamaha the audiogram 6 is not on the list of the supported yamaha cards. I'm relying on a posting in this thread: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1105970 ...which says it works flawlessly. A Firewire card will be a bit tricky for me to install due to the poor design of the chassis of my minitower. Getting another card in may require use of a hacksaw and a hammer. But I will if I must. Graham Dicker -- WhatsUp Gold - Download Free Network Management Software The most intuitive, comprehensive, and cost-effective network management toolset available today. Delivers lowest initial acquisition cost and overall TCO of any competing solution. http://p.sf.net/sfu/whatsupgold-sd ___ Alsa-user mailing list Alsa-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/alsa-user
Re: [Alsa-user] Newbie query about interfaces
James, thank you for your advice, I feel considerably more enlightened. I intend to go down to a local computer audio supplier (Millenium Music) tomorrow afternoon and see what they've got and maybe twiddle a few knobs. Thanks again Graham Dicker -- WhatsUp Gold - Download Free Network Management Software The most intuitive, comprehensive, and cost-effective network management toolset available today. Delivers lowest initial acquisition cost and overall TCO of any competing solution. http://p.sf.net/sfu/whatsupgold-sd ___ Alsa-user mailing list Alsa-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/alsa-user
Re: [Alsa-user] Newbie query about interfaces
Le Sun, 01 May 2011 09:09:05 +0100, Graham Dicker graham.dic...@antecor.com a écrit : Dominique Michel wrote: Le Fri, 29 Apr 2011 16:28:47 +0100, Graham Dicker graham.dic...@antecor.com a écrit : I have been recording for many years with a Yamaha digital 4 track recorder. I would now like to switch to using my Suse Linux minitower using Ardour. I am not sure though what kind of audio interface I need to buy. Ideally I would like to have similar capability to what I am used to with my 4 track i.e. up to four instruments being recorded simultaneously, each on to it's own track. I understand that an interface like the Yamaha Audiogram 6 will work but it's not clear that I will be able to route each instrument on to it's own track. Is that what it does? Or do I need something else? If the audiogram 6 is recognized by alsa, it will work. Beside ardour, you will need jack-audio-connection-kit (jack) and some alsa mixer like the alsamixer. jack have several GUI like qjackctl. with it, you can route the audio channels as you want to. Ciao, Dominique Thank you for responding. I already have all the software working using the motherboard audio interface and have been using it to record stuff for a few months. But I can only do two mono tracks or one stereo track at a time - a painfully slow process. I have looked around for an interface with more inputs and find they vary from around £80 to £3000 or more. The Audiogram 6 is within my budget, I don't want to spend more than that. The descriptions on the vendor websites for this and similar units in this price bracket don't mention simultaneous recording on multiple tracks and as far as I can tell they are just a kind of mixer, and can only record one track at a time (on any OS). Is that true? If so, what kind of interface do I need? If you take a look at the alsa websiste: http://www.alsa-project.org/main/index.php/Matrix:Vendor-Yamaha the audiogram 6 is not on the list of the supported yamaha cards. Now, as it is an sb card, it can maybe work with the snd-usb-audio module: http://www.alsa-project.org/main/index.php/Matrix:Module-usb-audio It is a generic usb audio module. But the only way to know for sure if this card will work with it is to buy it and try. On the other hand, usb1 don't have a large bandwidtch and if it is such a card, it is sure than it will not be possible to use 4 channel at a decent sampling rate simultaneously. At your place, I would buy a firewire or pci card. In order to know is the card will work, take a look at the alsa card matrix. USB have several limitations, and I am in the way to eliminate most of my usb stuffs, at the exception of slow devices like keyboards or mouses. Even for a harddisk, firewire will be much better, not only because you will get a better bandwitch, but also because the advanced features of the hdd will be recognized. And this will make a huge difference on the long run. I crashed 3 usb hdd in one year. It was possible to remove one from its case and to use it as internal drive on a pci bus, but the 2 other was just completely dead. Dominique Thank you Graham Dicker -- WhatsUp Gold - Download Free Network Management Software The most intuitive, comprehensive, and cost-effective network management toolset available today. Delivers lowest initial acquisition cost and overall TCO of any competing solution. http://p.sf.net/sfu/whatsupgold-sd ___ Alsa-user mailing list Alsa-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/alsa-user -- We have the heroes we deserve. -- WhatsUp Gold - Download Free Network Management Software The most intuitive, comprehensive, and cost-effective network management toolset available today. Delivers lowest initial acquisition cost and overall TCO of any competing solution. http://p.sf.net/sfu/whatsupgold-sd ___ Alsa-user mailing list Alsa-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/alsa-user
Re: [Alsa-user] Newbie query about interfaces
On Mon, 2 May 2011 18:33:21 +0200 Dominique Michel dominique.mic...@vtxnet.ch wrote: But the only way to know for sure if this card will work with it is to buy it and try. A laptop with installed on it Linux can be used to try the card in question in the store. Regards, Sergei. -- WhatsUp Gold - Download Free Network Management Software The most intuitive, comprehensive, and cost-effective network management toolset available today. Delivers lowest initial acquisition cost and overall TCO of any competing solution. http://p.sf.net/sfu/whatsupgold-sd ___ Alsa-user mailing list Alsa-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/alsa-user
Re: [Alsa-user] Newbie query about interfaces
Dominique Michel wrote: Le Fri, 29 Apr 2011 16:28:47 +0100, Graham Dicker graham.dic...@antecor.com a écrit : I have been recording for many years with a Yamaha digital 4 track recorder. I would now like to switch to using my Suse Linux minitower using Ardour. I am not sure though what kind of audio interface I need to buy. Ideally I would like to have similar capability to what I am used to with my 4 track i.e. up to four instruments being recorded simultaneously, each on to it's own track. I understand that an interface like the Yamaha Audiogram 6 will work but it's not clear that I will be able to route each instrument on to it's own track. Is that what it does? Or do I need something else? If the audiogram 6 is recognized by alsa, it will work. Beside ardour, you will need jack-audio-connection-kit (jack) and some alsa mixer like the alsamixer. jack have several GUI like qjackctl. with it, you can route the audio channels as you want to. Ciao, Dominique Thank you for responding. I already have all the software working using the motherboard audio interface and have been using it to record stuff for a few months. But I can only do two mono tracks or one stereo track at a time - a painfully slow process. I have looked around for an interface with more inputs and find they vary from around £80 to £3000 or more. The Audiogram 6 is within my budget, I don't want to spend more than that. The descriptions on the vendor websites for this and similar units in this price bracket don't mention simultaneous recording on multiple tracks and as far as I can tell they are just a kind of mixer, and can only record one track at a time (on any OS). Is that true? If so, what kind of interface do I need? Thank you Graham Dicker -- WhatsUp Gold - Download Free Network Management Software The most intuitive, comprehensive, and cost-effective network management toolset available today. Delivers lowest initial acquisition cost and overall TCO of any competing solution. http://p.sf.net/sfu/whatsupgold-sd ___ Alsa-user mailing list Alsa-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/alsa-user
Re: [Alsa-user] Newbie query about interfaces
It depends on what you need. A majority of the cheap USB interfaces are USB 1.x and only do 2 channels. USB 2.x only recently got an audio standard ( 5 years) and devices that are starting to use that. With USB 3.x already being out in the wild of sorts. IMO, if you need more than 2 channels, you're better off with a firewire device (for now). And yes, they cost a good chunk of money as many of them include microphone preamps. At $$$ per channel. Unless you already have gear than can deliver 5.1 input over optical cable, you're probably going to have to chunk out some change. Even at $50 a channel, 4x channels is $200-ish. If you have line level inputs and don't need microphone preamps, you might have a few options. A used Delta 44 (PCI) runs about $100 USD on craigslist and is fairly well supported driver wise. Although pulse audio still kind of sucks at a default configuration for it. And various versions of alsamixer seem to disagree with the hardware specs more often than not. Bit it's 4 line level inputs and 4 line level outputs (24/96) on a budget and works fine under linux. But it depends on the budget. It's 1/4 connectors ONLY. Insert external microphone preamp(s), and external headphone preamp(s) to use it like most OTHER interfaces, plus cables and adapters and whatnot. If you don't already have a lot of that stuff. You're going to be looking at some $$$. Or squiggly LLL in your case. Not that I see how any of this is an alsa issue. Until you have questions on a specific device. There's other websites with forums that discuss various interfaces and whatnot. I have an M-Audio Mobile Pre (USB 1.x, 2 channels in, 2 channels out) and it works fine under linux with alsa (usb class compliant). I also have a Delta 44 and it works fine, with a little extra configuration in some cases. HTH, - James On 5/1/11, Graham Dicker graham.dic...@antecor.com wrote: Dominique Michel wrote: Le Fri, 29 Apr 2011 16:28:47 +0100, Graham Dicker graham.dic...@antecor.com a écrit : I have been recording for many years with a Yamaha digital 4 track recorder. I would now like to switch to using my Suse Linux minitower using Ardour. I am not sure though what kind of audio interface I need to buy. Ideally I would like to have similar capability to what I am used to with my 4 track i.e. up to four instruments being recorded simultaneously, each on to it's own track. I understand that an interface like the Yamaha Audiogram 6 will work but it's not clear that I will be able to route each instrument on to it's own track. Is that what it does? Or do I need something else? If the audiogram 6 is recognized by alsa, it will work. Beside ardour, you will need jack-audio-connection-kit (jack) and some alsa mixer like the alsamixer. jack have several GUI like qjackctl. with it, you can route the audio channels as you want to. Ciao, Dominique Thank you for responding. I already have all the software working using the motherboard audio interface and have been using it to record stuff for a few months. But I can only do two mono tracks or one stereo track at a time - a painfully slow process. I have looked around for an interface with more inputs and find they vary from around £80 to £3000 or more. The Audiogram 6 is within my budget, I don't want to spend more than that. The descriptions on the vendor websites for this and similar units in this price bracket don't mention simultaneous recording on multiple tracks and as far as I can tell they are just a kind of mixer, and can only record one track at a time (on any OS). Is that true? If so, what kind of interface do I need? Thank you Graham Dicker -- WhatsUp Gold - Download Free Network Management Software The most intuitive, comprehensive, and cost-effective network management toolset available today. Delivers lowest initial acquisition cost and overall TCO of any competing solution. http://p.sf.net/sfu/whatsupgold-sd ___ Alsa-user mailing list Alsa-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/alsa-user -- WhatsUp Gold - Download Free Network Management Software The most intuitive, comprehensive, and cost-effective network management toolset available today. Delivers lowest initial acquisition cost and overall TCO of any competing solution. http://p.sf.net/sfu/whatsupgold-sd ___ Alsa-user mailing list Alsa-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/alsa-user
Re: [Alsa-user] Newbie query about interfaces
Le Fri, 29 Apr 2011 16:28:47 +0100, Graham Dicker graham.dic...@antecor.com a écrit : I have been recording for many years with a Yamaha digital 4 track recorder. I would now like to switch to using my Suse Linux minitower using Ardour. I am not sure though what kind of audio interface I need to buy. Ideally I would like to have similar capability to what I am used to with my 4 track i.e. up to four instruments being recorded simultaneously, each on to it's own track. I understand that an interface like the Yamaha Audiogram 6 will work but it's not clear that I will be able to route each instrument on to it's own track. Is that what it does? Or do I need something else? If the audiogram 6 is recognized by alsa, it will work. Beside ardour, you will need jack-audio-connection-kit (jack) and some alsa mixer like the alsamixer. jack have several GUI like qjackctl. with it, you can route the audio channels as you want to. Ciao, Dominique -- We have the heroes we deserve. -- WhatsUp Gold - Download Free Network Management Software The most intuitive, comprehensive, and cost-effective network management toolset available today. Delivers lowest initial acquisition cost and overall TCO of any competing solution. http://p.sf.net/sfu/whatsupgold-sd ___ Alsa-user mailing list Alsa-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/alsa-user
[Alsa-user] Newbie query about interfaces
I have been recording for many years with a Yamaha digital 4 track recorder. I would now like to switch to using my Suse Linux minitower using Ardour. I am not sure though what kind of audio interface I need to buy. Ideally I would like to have similar capability to what I am used to with my 4 track i.e. up to four instruments being recorded simultaneously, each on to it's own track. I understand that an interface like the Yamaha Audiogram 6 will work but it's not clear that I will be able to route each instrument on to it's own track. Is that what it does? Or do I need something else? Thank you very much Graham Dicker -- WhatsUp Gold - Download Free Network Management Software The most intuitive, comprehensive, and cost-effective network management toolset available today. Delivers lowest initial acquisition cost and overall TCO of any competing solution. http://p.sf.net/sfu/whatsupgold-sd ___ Alsa-user mailing list Alsa-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/alsa-user
