Ultralite AVB

Talk about your MIDI interfaces, microphones, keyboards...

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StuB
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Re: Ultralite AVB

Post by StuB »

supereb wrote: Thu Mar 03, 2022 8:31 pm Install Drumfix's driver and be done with it! :D
So this driver works for Motu AVB - with no catches?
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Re: Ultralite AVB

Post by supereb »

StuB wrote: Thu Mar 03, 2022 8:50 pm So this driver works for Motu AVB - with no catches?
Took two minutes to install and works great using USB with my 8pre-ES. I expect it should work well with all Motu AVB capable devices using USB, but can only confirm that my own model works.

I chose the 8pre-ES for the same reasons and had the same expectations. I had it several months before I (with much help) got it to work properly.
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Re: Ultralite AVB

Post by StuB »

supereb wrote: Thu Mar 03, 2022 9:01 pm
StuB wrote: Thu Mar 03, 2022 8:50 pm So this driver works for Motu AVB - with no catches?
Took two minutes to install and works great using USB with my 8pre-ES. I expect it should work well with all Motu AVB capable devices using USB, but can only confirm that my own model works.
Wow - thanks brother. Is there a direct link to this driver?
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Re: Ultralite AVB

Post by supereb »

Drumfix's Linux USB driver for the MOTU AVB series interfaces:

https://github.com/Drumfix/motu-avb-usb
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Re: Ultralite AVB

Post by StuB »

Thanks!
soulfish
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Re: Ultralite AVB

Post by soulfish »

Hey all !

After following this thread for... years, initially wondering if I'd get an Ultralite AVB, I finally got myself a 828es a month ago. Running the latest version of AV Linux (ZEN SMP PREEMPT liquorix 5.16-26~mx21) with @Drumfix's dkms usb driver installed (thanks so much for your work on this subject btw !). I'm pretty satisfied with how it works. Playback has been totally fine for me, but on the recording side I do get some occasional channel hopping, though very rarely: I got back to my Mixbus sessions and none of the tracks would receive audio anymore, I had to find the new jack ports that actually had audio, I did not change the routing in the MOTU Web App (initially the audio would be in the 1-10 port range, and I found them again in the 10-20, so likely the infamous modulo 8 hopping).

I played audio for long sessions on several days with no issue, and recorded multiple tracks simultaneously for some demos in Mixbus with no issue. I remember I got the hopping to occur on these occasions:

* enable the raw midi seq in qjackctl (which restarted jack, probably what caused the hopping)
* when powering my usb hub (the interface is not on this hub, nor on the same usb bus), but it appears that this triggered something on the interface as a side effect.
* booting AVLinux when the interface was not 100% booted

I also tried to put the card on an USB 3 port, but all I get is distortion, it seems to be stable only on a USB 2 port in my setup.

I'm running the 1.4.0 Firmware version, that was released on 03/31/2022.

So to me with all the features of this interface it's still a good match, even if occasionally quirky, not sure if the driver will improve in the future, but for me it's working well enough. Would be glad to help if needed.
buonamorte.records
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Re: Ultralite AVB

Post by buonamorte.records »

So...not tested so much but: with the new firmware, the newest AVL without the Drumfix driver, my Ultralite it's working without troubles...
I need to test it more and also with other laptops. I'm also going to test the 828es. Have you tried this setup? Is it working also for you? :shock:
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Re: Ultralite AVB

Post by buonamorte.records »

Nope...it quite works only on 44.1/48 sample rating...at 88.2 it's a mess up...I've written again to Motu because now i own the ultralite, the 828es, avb switch and i'm waiting for my new b-16. The 828es run really good without drumfix patch and with the first firmware, but if i use my other laptop with drumfix patch it doesn't...
My problem with the drumfix patch is that i use to change sample rate in different projects, so everytime i need to change the config file and reboot...
I've also used the vendor mode but obviously it works only with the modified kernel and not with the newer...
@Drumfix , do you think that with pipewire, one day to come, we will be able to change sample rate on the fly? Can we ask to mx-linux via @GMaq to prepare a special kernel for us? It will be easier...
Does anyone created a step by step guide for dumbs like me to change the kernel and install the drumfix patch? The last time i modified the kernel source i've obtained what i needed for audio but no way to use another device like a usb pen or anything else...
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Re: Ultralite AVB

Post by buonamorte.records »

Hi Musicians! I'm thinking i'm the only one that cannot understand how to make my ultralite work on linux...and now i own also the 828es and the stage b16...
@Drumfix @shellwalker , i need your help! Please!
I've installed the driver (vendor=0) but nothing change, modulo hopping and sometimes distortions... Drumfix, on your github page i think there is a little error: "sudo cp -r motu-avb-usb /usr/src/motu-avb-usb-1.0" is "sudo cp -r motu-avb-usb-main /usr/src/motu-avb-usb-1.0", right?
I've tried to understand if the module is loaded and it seems to be loaded...i really don't know how to solve my problem, maybe compiling the kernel, but i can't find a manual for dummies to do it (one time i've done it but something went wrong ) and i've not really understood where to put what when compiling it. The top, for me, will be to install an already patched kernel, maybe i can try to ask to liquorix team if they can put this patch on their kernel version, what do you think?
I've tried with 4 different laptops and an enormous quantity of different distros, even with and without pipewire. I'm loosing myself in this loop and my project to make music and productions seems to be so far... :?
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Re: Ultralite AVB

Post by shellwalker »

buonamorte.records wrote: Mon Oct 03, 2022 10:33 pm Hi Musicians! I'm thinking i'm the only one that cannot understand how to make my ultralite work on linux...and now i own also the 828es and the stage b16...
@Drumfix @shellwalker , i need your help! Please!
Hi buonamorte.records,
I absolutely share your frustration.
I have also not succeeded in getting stable results on my 828es either. For a while I tried to follow up on the various trails that were going on within this thread. And I tried to create an overview of the methods and their results, so that people like you and me would have an easier time.

However, there has been a bit of a mess with people initially reporting success with some method, only to later come back (if at all) and report that things weren't running stable after all. This has happened so many times, I stopped keeping track.

My current take on this is that none of the methods listed in this thread so far (also not Drumfix's patch) solves the channel-hopping issue for the class-compliant mode.

Regarding the vendor mode, I cannot say. I've not looked into that.
@Drumfix : any comments on this?

MOTU 828mk3, MOTU 828ES, Cakewalk by Bandlab, Kubuntu 22.04.1 LTS, https://github.com/shellwalker-coder/motu_patch_testing

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Re: Ultralite AVB

Post by buonamorte.records »

Ok Musicians with an ultralite avb ess version! I think i've found the solution, i'm testing it right now but it seems to work quite good, maybe better under jack than alsa.

The procedure:

I've compiled a zen kernel 6.0.2 on mx linux putting the motu-avb-usb driver folder in /sound/usb and deleting two lines in drivers/usb/core/config.c :

if (e1->bEndpointAddress == e2->bEndpointAddress)
return true;

REMEMBER:
it is recommended to set the parameters in the file /etc/modprobe.d/alsa-base.conf, e.g.

options motu samplerate=44100 midi=1 vendor=1

You may also make linux load the module during boot to prevent the alsa usb audio driver to take control of your device. This is done by adding motu to file /etc/modules-load.d/modules.conf

If you want to use vendor mode, make sure you have curl installed, then connect the device through ethernet and execute the curl command

curl --data 'json={"value":"USB2"}' <ip address of the device>/datastore/host/mode
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Re: Ultralite AVB

Post by buonamorte.records »

mmm...no...after a restart everything is going really bad...distortions, music slower and pitched down...sound coming out from 1,2,9,10,17,18 channels...that's strange
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Re: Ultralite AVB

Post by buonamorte.records »

curl --data 'json={"value":"USB2"}' IPOFYOURDEVICE/datastore/host/mode

I think this command should be done at every restart of the system. This way, no channel hopping but after 60 minutes more or less the sound is corrupted and i need to restart jack or alsa to have a good sound again.
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Re: Ultralite AVB

Post by shellwalker »

buonamorte.records wrote: Thu Oct 20, 2022 9:58 pm

... This way, no channel hopping but after 60 minutes more or less the sound is corrupted and i need to restart jack or alsa to have a good sound again.

This is yet another occasion of " Look! I've solved it! It works now.....errrr...Wait, no it isn't working after all". :D
That just confirms my summary of the overall observations a few posts ago.

I fear that in order to really achieve a true solution, the actual root cause needs to be understood, not just assumptions made. To that end, I guess the best approach would be to analyze the USB stream on the physical bus.
That requires following things:

  1. Someone with a USB analyzer.
  2. Someone with USB expertise to understand the traces and identify what is going wrong in the stream.
  3. Someone with kernel USB know-how to track down the responsible code location and fix it.

I have none of the above things, though I had contemplated on buying a USB analyzer, just bcos I was frustrated that we are not making progress. But even if I would spend that much cash, I would still be lacking #2 & #3.

So, here's a new suggestion:

  • We all donate a number of bucks towards someone we identify as knowledgeable in #2 & #3. That person could then buy a USB analyzer from our donation and provide a true solution.

  • As reward for the effort, that person now owns a USB analyzer :)

Any thoughts on this?

MOTU 828mk3, MOTU 828ES, Cakewalk by Bandlab, Kubuntu 22.04.1 LTS, https://github.com/shellwalker-coder/motu_patch_testing

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Re: Ultralite AVB

Post by buonamorte.records »

GOOD NEWS: I've written a mail to Motu and they seems to be interested in creating a driver/patch. In the next two or three days I'll test it on my interfaces and send them back a feedback.

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