Jack not finding M-Audio Fast Track device

[adempewolff]

I think you could jury rig rackarack as an ardour plugin by using a send instead. Instead of inserting a plugin insert a send and send it to rackarack. Then create a new bus, and have the input for the new bus be the output of rackarack. then route the output of the new bus to the master in. you can either disconnect the original guitar track's output from the master or you can keep it connect and use it to adjust how wet or dry the guitar is by changing the volume ratio between the dry guitar track and the wet guitar bus. (PS. make sure to place the send before the volume in the guitar track).

[aeb105]

I just bought a microphone and have it setup and am trying to get Ardour to see it. Any ideas how I should load the track? Or how I can determine where the mic is in the list of outs/ins? I can hear sound over my speakers, it just won't record cause I can't figure out which input to load the track with.

[adempewolff]

Trial by elimination

Assuming you have jack configured correctly and it is routed to Ardour, but you just don't know which input it is. Just create an equal number of tracks to inputs (if you are still using the Fast Track Pro you really shouldn't have more than 2... maybe 4 if you have the digital inputs turned on, but that shouldn't happen). Link each track to one input, hit record (or alternately just arm the track and watch the level meter) and see which track records is recording whatever sounds you are making.

There are also some useful levels checking applications that come with Tango studio and you can patch into jack to test levels anywhere in your setup. I've found these very good for debugging exactly where my problem is if I'm not getting sound.

[aeb105]

Yeah I did the elimination thing earlier I thought. I have just started a totally new Ardour session and only have the mic plugged in. I add System Capture to the input and verify the output and that should do it? Cause when I do that, its all fuzz. When I try Track 1 which is the one I am arming, it gets nothing with a record.. I am getting sound from the mic thru my speakers, so Jack has it working I guess, but I don't recognize anything in Jack "connections" that might be it. Then again I dont remember the previous configuration.

[adempewolff]

well if you are getting the mic through your computer speakers look to see what is routed in jack to your computer speakers and then route that to ardour...

[aeb105]

When I disconnect the cable from port 1 on the Fastrack device, there is no difference in the "Connections" of Jack. System Capture 1 and 2 are still there. Whenever I try to use System Capture to arm a track in Ardour I get persistent fuzz.

[adempewolff]

The capture ports will always be there regardless of whether a cable is plugged in or not. Sometimes the FTP doesn't engage into 24-bit mode properly and will hiss funnily. Try restarting it, or restarting your computer.

[aeb105]

I restarted ALSA yesterday and then shut down computer to no avail. Is that what you meant to restart or is there something else? Would "System Capture" be what I would arm the track with? Or should I expect to see some special new label, like STE-001? Does Jack get information from the device like that? Thanks for your help again on all this.

[adempewolff]

No, you would always see "system_capture_0," "system_capture_1," etc.

This is how I would restart ALSA:

Code: Select all

sudo /sbin/alsa force-reload

but rebooting would do the same thing.

Are you sure you haven't changed any settings since when you got it working with your guitar? From the second the signal passes the low-high impedance converters in the FTP the signals are exactly the same, so there is no reason your mic shouldn't work if your guitar worked.

Actually, I lied, there is one reason: Check and see if your mic requires +48v phantom power. If so flick the phantom power switch on the rear of the FTP. You will see a red LED on the front of the FTP. But then again, you wouldn't hear anything through your speakers if this wasn't enabled.

Also, make turn the "Mix" knob on the FTP all the way to the right. Then in jack connect the system captures directly to the system outputs and listen to see if you can still hear the input. If the knob is to the left you are just directly monitoring the inputs, not monitoring what's coming from the computer.

[aeb105]

Bingo! "Then in jack connect the system captures directly to the system outputs and listen to see if you can still hear the input." For some reason they weren't.

Thanks, Dude you are the man!

[adempewolff]

Hold your horses, hahah! In general they shouldn't be--especially if you aren't using headphones, you'll get a feedback loop). That was just to diagnose if the FTP was hooked up to Jack and working correctly.

In normal circumstances the outputs should only be connected to the outputs of applications you want to monitor, ie. Ardour. Not directly connected to the inputs. If that worked though at least you know it is working correctly, you just need to get your routing right.

If you are still having problems, take a screenshot of your jack connection window and post it here and I'll take a look at it tomorrow. Good luck.

[aeb105]

Ok. Yeah I noticed some feedback as the mic was turned louder and some tunnel sounds. I started the equipment, reloaded alsa, jack and ardour. Here is the attached connections.

[adempewolff]

Okay, what track are you trying to record with?

Right now capture_1 (most likely the input labeled "1" on the front of the FTP) is routed to:

Audio 2/in 1
Audio 3/in 1
Audio 4/in 1
Audio 5/in 1
and Audio 6/in 1


capture_2 (most likely the input labeled "2" on the front of the FTP) is routed to:

Audio 2/in 1 (having both captures routed to a single mono track is probably not a great idea, if you only want one input you are just adding extra noise, and if you do want both inputs you are giving up your ability to mix them by recording them into the same track--use separate tracks!)

STE-000/in 1
STE-000/in 2

Track Audio 1/in 1 is connected to no capture ports.

[aeb105]

I am using separate tracks to record. But how do I set it up to minimize the feedback and stuff or is it routed right you are saying?

[adempewolff]

How you set it up depends on what track you want to record to.

As long as you never link an input directly to an output you will have no feedback.

At this point I'm not quite clear exactly what your problem is. Are you still unable to record?