Ardour headache

[Gps]

First thing which comes to mind is which soundserver you use?
(in general, and which one for ardour).
This way or that way i try to change it in ardour
menu -> Window -> Audio/Midi setup (for a running session, for a new one pick the option you didn't pick yet).

(as far i understand the ardour IRC channel usually recommend to just use alsa, but you won't be able to do other audio things then. I usually use jack, for a few minor reasons).

It is set to Alsa, and I am starting to understand my problem.

I either managed to create a new midi track, which is not connected to master. (this should happen automatically)
Or I managed to disconnect the plugin.

Gonna think and look at jack. Already noticed some interesting tools.
I might have to do some reading and investigating about routing.
How to do this in Ardour or with jack tools, outside of Ardour.

Jack probably will make it possible, to have the unfa vid with sound, while I am in Ardour.

I also noticed that when I start Ardour, kde shows a pop up, it mentions my vid card. (hdmi)
For now I will ignore this.

I also noticed unfa has set his focusrite as midi input and midi output device.
My set up differs from this. Only midi out is set to my focus solo. (could it be I found the problem?)

I have a lot to look at and to try.

One thing to try would be to delete the current midi track and start over by adding a new midi track.
Then see if it is connected to master. Or that I have to change some setting to make this happen.

[nadir]

[q

It is set to Alsa, and I am starting to understand my problem.

I either managed to create a new midi track, which is not connected to master. (this should happen automatically)
Or I managed to disconnect the plugin.

Gonna think and look at jack. Already noticed some interesting tools.
I might have to do some reading and investigating about routing.
How to do this in Ardour or with jack tools, outside of Ardour.

Jack probably will make it possible, to have the unfa vid with sound, while I am in Ardour.

Yup.
All i do in ardour is using midi, i create tracks, add a synth, and all the routing happens automatically.
It doesn't matter if i use jack or alsa, it "just works"
So something else is wrong (i can't think of anything, besides what i already said).

And another yup:
I mainly use jack so i can watch tutorials at the same time in firefox.

[novalix]

I either managed to create a new midi track, which is not connected to master. (this should happen automatically)

Well, you chose the "Advanced Session" template while creating the session. It is called advanced because it is meant to be used for bespoke routing requirements that an advanced user might have. In this context there is no automatic connection for a reason.

[Gps]

Thank you and again Ardour surprises me.

On the bright site, unfa replied to a comment of mine on you tube.

Coming from LMMS, for now Ardour is driving me nuts. It totally works different.
Thanks for this vid.

unfa

I felt the same way when I went from LMMS to Ardour (it was Ardour 2 at the time).

There are a few reasons, my first daw was FL studio.
Ardour can do a lot more, and that is the main reason I think, why its a lot less easy to get into compared to LMMS.

Maybe Carla in LMMS can do LV2, but out of the box LMMS supports only a few lv2 plugins, and the red zeppeling drum kit is not one of them.

[Gps]

I switched Ardour to jack. (from alsa)

And it just works, no errors or complaining

To be clear, I am running pipewire, but have jack installed.

Now I can at least hear unfa on you-tube with Ardour open.

I am tempted to uninstall hdmi.
More serious I am gonna look if I can disable it, or blacklist it. (at least the sound part)

I am now also using Qjack.

I managed through routing, to have the vu meter on the master channel also move, but I still hear nothing.

Slowly Ardour starts to feel less Alien, but I have to investigate and read about routing in Ardour.

How some stuff can have a left and right channel and then also a channel 1 option, was enough to confuse me again.
This mostly proofs I don't really understand routing in Ardour, even though I know were this channel 1 comes from. (the red zeppelin kit is at channel 1)

Baby steps and refusing to give up.

The easiest way to get the drumkit working, would probably be to start a new project.
I am for now looking around if I can fix it though, so that I will understand the routing in Ardour(jack) better.

I put a shortcut on my desktop, which links to the routing part of the Ardour manual.

Fun fact, I never wanted to switch to ardour and jack because of the routing.
But here I am, learning ardour and routing.

[Gps]

I made a bit of progress. (after some studying of the routing in Ardour)

Started a new session, picked empty template.
Then added a midi track and selected the red zeppeling drumkit.

At first the kick drum at C2 did not seem to produce sound, but I seem to have fixed that. (don't ask me how though)

More good news is that I have the drumkit gui showing.

Maybe I need to set ardour to 1/16, because right now I cant get the bass drum timing right.

The guy in the vid is talking about a bass drum between the high hats.

I am tempted to make a midi pattern in LMMS, and then export this, and import it in Ardour.
But lets not cheat yet, because I want to learn Ardour.

Edit:
Maybe I should hook up my midi controller. (key station mini 32)
Then I can tap the bass drum.

[Gps]

Baby steps, I have my midi controller showing in Ardour.

Off course it does not produce sound yet.

Seems I need to do some routing.

Ardour is driving me nuts still, but I will get it all working.

Watching some you tub vids on how to connect a midi keyboard.

I am not having fun, I never would have expected Ardour to be this hard or me.
Trying stuff I am doing for years in LMMS already.

But never give up, never surrender.

Something weird happening though.
Opensuse never made a sound when I hooked up my midi controller.
It does now though. This must be opensuse or Jack.

[Linuxmusician01]

[...]
I am not having fun, I never would have expected Ardour to be this hard or me.
[...]

My apologies for not reading this complete topic ('cause I might have said it before in this very same topic) but have you tried Qtractor or Reaper? They both are fine (almost free) DAWs too. Just my 2 cents.

[Gps]

Maybe I should try those too.

Can they time stretch though ? That's how I ended up with Ardour.
An American who can play guitar and want me to add drums to his guitar play.

I am starting to understand why I struggle so much.
I have a problem, google it, think I found the solution, but then the explanation is not about Ardour 8.
Those earlier versions differ enough to get my totally confused. Buttons at a totally different location.

I google how to set loop points, only to find out Ardour means something else with loop points.
And the list goes on.

If I look at my current time line in Ardour, I am again totally confused, mostly on how I achieved this.

The bars have different lengths even though they last the same time.

Same for the length of midi notes.

For now do I refuse to give up.

[Linuxmusician01]

Maybe I should try those too.

Can they time stretch though ? That's how I ended up with Ardour.
An American who can play guitar and want me to add drums to his guitar play.
[...]

Oh, I remember now.
Qtractor: yes. It may or may not be exactly what you are looking for. See Qtractor's manual: https://qtractor.org/doc/Manual%20-%204 ... rview.html . Search for "time stretch".

Good luck

[Gps]

Baby steps.

I can now drum on my midi controller.

Red zeppelin plugin.

In ardour under window, pick midi connections manager.

Then find your midi hardware, and connect it to midi in.

[Gps]

Why cant I edit or move certain notes ?

I am tempted to just start over, not much would be lost, but I first would like to know what I did wrong, or am doing wrong.

Switching to internal editing mode does not help.

[Tippe]

MIDI in Ardour is a pain.

I'm using Qtractor for years now.
Works perfect for me.
Works perfect with plugins (almost all sorts of) and also external synthesizers.
I can also use windows VST plugins via Carla and Wine.
Editing MIDI tracks is completely easy as it should be.

MIDI in Ardour is a pain.

[Gps]

I do not like to give up yet, but I am starting to wonder.

Ardour might just not be right for me.

Not one thing I tried went smooth. Ardour seems to fight me at every step.

[Tippe]

Yeah, Ardour is definitely NOT intuitive.