Transition to UbuntuStudio 16.04 problem with Scarlett 18i20

What other apps and distros do you use to round out your studio?

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baconature
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Re: Transition to UbuntuStudio 16.04 problem with Scarlett 18i20

Post by baconature »

Pablo,
I appreciate your input and thought. The thing I don't seem to understand is this system worked well with UbuntuStudio 14.04, and I believe it also worked with KXStudio 14.04.x. I also think I was using flavor x of 12.04 when I got the focusrite Scarlett, and it worked with that too. I didn't make any changes other than getting a new computer system and installing UbuntuStudio 16.04. Another difference is that this new system has a linux compatible motherboard, where the old system had hardware proprietary software issues.

As you say, native windows mixer. I don't use windows for anything, ever, period. I quit using windows in 2008, completely switching all computer use to linux Ubuntu flavor. That isn't fully true, I used windows 98 SE for my music work on that old machine until around 2012. At that point I finally got KXStudio to somewhat work on my older system. I shall look at the link you provided and see what I see in it. I am unsure of the concepts that you refer to as basic concepts. Where are all these basic concepts spelled out so one can gain understanding? Your supposition may or may not be true, and I have no way to actually agree or disagree with the thought you pose. I realize that I remain ignorant about a lot of the computer related stuff. I was a biologist and computers were never in my wheelhouse of expertise. My biggest problem is with language, and acronyms that are not identifiable and meaningless. What is a PST (an acronym that I just invented as an example). PST could refer to Particulate Space Tensioner, yet without my actually stating the definition, PST represents nothing to the uninformed, or something altogether irrelevant where the words match the letters PST. It is an exact match with another acronym found in some other saturated lazy persons language. I say saturated, as one whom is so involved in the subject as to understand all the jargon associated with the work they perform, yet the use of such jargon will only create fluid communication with another that is equally saturated in that same specific subject. I say lazy persons language, because the reason for using acronyms is to actually use the complete words either in the written or vocalized form, requires more effort. Yet communication in itself, to be clearly understood can only occur when the words used are defined or definable. Because I have zero friends who use a linux OS, or do music even, I am an island without a link that I can facilitate a conversation on the broader subject of computers, let alone linux and the finer details in using it for music production.

Now I said that I realize that the only thing I changed is the computer itself, as though that is something insignificant. I realize that this is very significant, yet I don't understand how getting a modern up to date system with linux compliant hardware could disrupt what worked on an old system that was not fully linux compliant. I didn't have to do any magic or sophisticated things to make this scarlett 18i20 to work initially. I plugged it in and it worked as it was supposed to. As far as I am aware it worked fully and completely, although I don't need or use all thing that it was designed to do.

At least for the moment I can use the scarlett, but have to monitor it through the motherboard's audio system. For myself doing my work alone this is fine. Yet when I have others involved in a recording session where multiple headsets are required the problems will show up as significantly more than an inconvenience.

Again thanks to all for the assist. I will check out the link provided and see if I can find the scarlett manual. Seems I downloaded it back then, but where did it go :)

cheers,
Tom ~ Idaho USA

UbuntuStudio 20.04, Intel i5 3.30GHz 6600, Asus Q170Mc MotherBoard, 32Gb ram

My Music
baconature
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Re: Transition to UbuntuStudio 16.04 problem with Scarlett 18i20

Post by baconature »

And so, I looked at the link. It does show something, yet it shows nothing as there is no explanation as to what is displayed, blank, nada. Obviously it is a representation of something having to do with a Scarlett 18i20 but what it really shows is anyones guess. I am not into guessing.
Tom ~ Idaho USA

UbuntuStudio 20.04, Intel i5 3.30GHz 6600, Asus Q170Mc MotherBoard, 32Gb ram

My Music
Pablo
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Re: Transition to UbuntuStudio 16.04 problem with Scarlett 18i20

Post by Pablo »

Hi bonacature,

I am not a native English speaker and I am afraid my writing could seem a bit rude. It is not my intention.

I also ditched windows a long time ago. I understand.
I am unsure of the concepts that you refer to as basic concepts. Where are all these basic concepts spelled out so one can gain understanding?
Well, those are concepts of digital audio, rather than computers. Wikipedia's article on digital audio will help. That and the instructions of the Scarlett. Especially the latter.

But I don't have a Scarlett so I can't help you better.

Cheers!
Pablo
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Re: Transition to UbuntuStudio 16.04 problem with Scarlett 18i20

Post by baconature »

Pablo,
Again thank you for your assist. I do believe I understand the language issue to be problematic especially if you are non-native english speaking. I am but an ignorant fool myself, late in life, with only english. I'm not opposed to learning but there is no place for me to use a second language as I don't travel or mix with others really.

I never thought to use wikipedia for this kind of information. It is a good idea. The scarlett manual has very little information in it. I looked at it yesterday, The hardware is made to run with windoze having an interface through that proprietary requirement which is useless to me. I am sure I'll eventually figure it out. Although I lean toward the thought that there is something very different in the new version of the OS which is blocking the functionality of the design. What do i know, not much.

Thanks again,
Tom ~ Idaho USA

UbuntuStudio 20.04, Intel i5 3.30GHz 6600, Asus Q170Mc MotherBoard, 32Gb ram

My Music
Pablo
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Re: Transition to UbuntuStudio 16.04 problem with Scarlett 18i20

Post by Pablo »

I am almost sure that you are not using S/PDIF nor ADAT. People who use that usually know it. So just ignore those controls.

PCM, Analog and Mix are important. I am not sure what you exactly need but I rather blindly suggest you should put some PCM in your Mix A. I suppose Analog means capture gain but I am not sure.

Edit: The OS is important, of course. It is not always the same. But the solution could lie in just some configuration and I think it is solvable via alsamixer.
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Re: Transition to UbuntuStudio 16.04 problem with Scarlett 18i20

Post by baconature »

This situation is for the moment fully resolved. I say for the moment, because I don't trust the situation to hold at this point. One can never know, when the situation is unclear.

Something happened on Thursday, unexpectedly without altering the system in any known way. The internal audio system (pulse or alsa audio ?) muted itself and no audio would play through the speakers for non "audio" sourced replay. I mean things like the web browser, listening to music via amarok or other multimedia devices. I reloaded pulse audio, via synaptic, and it corrected the mute situation. The following day, the same happened again, although I was unable to correct the situation at that point. Totally flummoxed, I decided to disregard the OS and re-load. This proved a difficult issue due to the bios in the new system. I believe that the bios was the source of this problem. I can't recall the name of this bios used with this asus motherboard. The bios is very odd and far from simple to an idiot like myself. But I got through it, made some changes that allowed things that I think might have contributed to the situation. Yet I remain unsure of most of this due to the coincidences surrounding, is it coincidence or fact? Just because after the changes were implemented were followed by success may could lead to false positives.

Anyhow I set up the system differently through the load process. I again installed UbuntuStudio 16.04.2 but, not its studio audio software component, because I had the intension of using the kxstudio repos. I really would have preferred trying kxstudio itself but being that the version available is 14.04.2, I thought the newer distribution would serve this new system better than the old one supplied in kxstudio. I then tried adding the kxstudio repositories and programs. The load of the programs didn't run correctly however. The repositories set up fine but the programs didn't load at all, none of them. So after setting up the OS to a degree and contemplating for some time I decided to load what I normally use of kxstudio through synaptic. I began with the thought of searching out the kxstudio packages via synaptic's search then loading them all, I started checking things off to load, and altered my course before pushing the "load it button." I saw kxstudio packages, desktop, desktop-kde4 and I recalled that these are the things I didn't like about kxstudio previously, the dark theme ect. So I bypassed them, selecting: docs, lv2-extensions, menu, meta-all, meta-audio, meta-audio-plugins, meta-audio-plugins-collection, meta-audio-plugins-dssi, meta-audio-plugins-ladspa, meta-audio-plugins-lv2, meta-audio-pluginsf-vamp, meta-audio-plugins-vst, meta-graphics, meta-restriced-extras, meta-video and from that point, I pushed the load button.

Now it's another day, I let that load up while I slept. Now this morning I loaded ardour 5.8, set cadence to the settings I have used in the past, then tried, first setting it up via the onboard native sound system of the motherboard, all lightly checked out as working. Then I shut off jack reset the user settings switching the source to the scarlett 18i20, hooked up the headset to the scarlett's output jack and it works again.

This leaves as many questions unanswered as it does answered. The main question is resolved however, the system again functions as it should and as I want it to.

Pablo, you are correct in assuming that I did not knowingly use S/PDIF or ADAT. I doubt I can trace back the source of this issue, and although the information could be helpful to somebody else, I lack both the skill and the ambition to do so. It works, so if all remains as it now is, I will be able to proceed with the hope of recording more music to share with those whom choose to listen.

Thanks for the inputs and for reading,
Cheers to all,
smiling again
Tom ~ Idaho USA

UbuntuStudio 20.04, Intel i5 3.30GHz 6600, Asus Q170Mc MotherBoard, 32Gb ram

My Music
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