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I'm going to use Focusrite 18i8 in Reaper for video record audio and movie in OBS for recording and streaming. But I don't understand much of what comes up in qpwgraph and how to connect this correctly in Linux Mint.
I'm still looking for a guide/howto that shows me how to do this. Does anyone know how to do this? or know of a video or any other guide out there that I can follow?
It's relatively straightforward
In qpwgraph you will see ALSA MIDI ports (purple), JACK Midi ports (red) and Pipewire audio ports (green).
For OBS you can possibly ignore the MIDI ports unless you are making use of some kind of MIDI controller.
Connect virtual wires between the available audio ports (green) and route your inputs and outputs, just like you would have done with an analog audio patchbay.
There may also be a tool available for that soundcard that can set up internal audio routing, check here
search.php?author_id=15386&sr=posts
If you want to create patchbay setups this can possibly be done with qpwgraph (I don't use Pipewire so am not sure how well it will work).
Alternatively you could connect and disconnect devices and applications with shell commands and a shell script.
Check Pipewire documentation for a list of commands to connect / disconnect ports.
Thanks for the help, but this works very poorly in Linux. And that there is no real howto about this! tells me that;
(Focusrite18i8+Reaper+OBS=easier in Windows10) In Linux this is clearly pure science without understandable explanations and howto!
"Connect virtual wires between the available audio devices and channels for the green (audio) ports and route your inputs and outputs just like you would with an analog patchbay."
Sounds simple, if you understand any of that! Connect what? No, just forget it. There is no explanation anywhere on what to change in OBS or Reaper for this to work with Focusrite! But for windows with Reaper, OBS and Focusrite there are considerably simple wizards, youtube movies etc. that you can follow.
Well, I have been trying for over a week in a valiant attempt to find howtos and youtube movies to get this to work in Linux, but never found anything. I say to myself; There has to be a limit to wasting time. I have to choose the system where things actually work and are easy to set up, and that seems to be Windows. I'm not a software developer or professor, which seems to be the requirement for the same configuration to work in Linux! Linux Mint is good, I use it every day for most things. But for music and live streaming music with OBS it's too complicated.
The problems with music production in Linux are the connection methods and the lack of manuals for and configuring together DAW with OBS via Focusrite for recording and streaming with multiple channels, such as the Scarlet 18i8.
However, if you have/use a USB mixer instead of Focusrite or another sound card, it will quickly become easier and without problems, as the USB mixer only depends on two stereo inputs and output.
The problem with my Focusrite18i8 sound card does not occur in Linux if I am only going to record into a DAW in Linux, the problem occurs when I am going to transfer this audio setup to OBS studio for video-audio-recording and streaming. As of today, I have not found any information about how to make the settings in OBS or DAW to make this work! In Windows, however, there is a lot of information about how to do this.
I think that the reason for this clear lack of information about "transferring audio to OBS studio via DAW for video-audio-recording and streaming is something strange and not easy to understand!" Is it a lack of interest from musicians or just a lack of interest in making howtos about this particular sound configuration? Unfortunately, I can't answer this today. But if someone has managed to get this done in Linux! it would be an advantage if these lucky ones spread their experiences and solutions in the Linux environment to other frustrated musicians and Linux users. https://www.soundonsound.com/sound-advi ... tion-music
You're the one asking for tutorials on the topic. As you yourself have figured out by now, there aren't explicit tutorials available about your specific set of circumstances.
The Linux culture is to figure things out and to share that knowledge with the rest so that they don't have to go around re-inventing the wheel.
Instead of whining on the forum why won't you make a little effort, organise and document your journey, and once you have it figured out write up a tutorial and post it somewhere thereby helping the rest of the community and making a contribution?
Linux audio for the most part is not sponsored by big corporations and commercial operations. There is no budget to hire document writers. It's up to users like you to discover and share some of that knowledge so that others will have an easier time.
What you're trying to accomplish is not particularly difficult or complex for anybody with intermediate LA knowledge. Documents were not written on the topic because the typical LA user doesn't really need them once they understand the basics.
There are many people on this forum and on the Internet who can help point you at resources to solve your problem.
The problem has a number of subcomponents, each of which need to be understood in order for you to achieve your end goal.
Write up a document, add all the sections relevant to your problem, ask people nicely for help where you get stuck and they will help you.
Once you have it figured out post the tutorial.
I'm not whining, I just switched to using windows where it actually works and I don't have to figure it out myself. No, I haven't found any sensible explanations in my searches on the internet and on youtube. If I had found the solution to this myself, I would have posted this on my Linux howto pages: https://linux-helt-enkelt.se/
I like making music, not sitting around assembling music equipment!
Do tutorials on the topic exist? No, they do not exist in this case and for this configuration, probably because most users who are going to set up the sound in this way have the same problem and switched to Windows for music production, as they did not find any significant documentation on the subject.
It is not enough to show that there are possibilities but also how to use them! In general, Linux is better than Windows. But when it comes to certain areas such as music production, etc., it is unfortunately the case that hardware manufacturers continue to prioritize Windows and Mac over Linux. I think this is of course regrettable and stupid, but practically I cannot take this into account.
If people use a USB mixer, you do not need to go via DAW to use OBS for streaming and recording, as people only depend on a stereo channel x2. I tested this out yesterday in Linux Mint with my Yamaha USB mixer and it worked, except that the sound came a few tenths of a second later! something I did not have with OBS in Windows.
Linux is getting closer to the goal, I think, and I hope they manage it in the future, so that it becomes as simple as this is in Windows. Because I like Linux best.
But with the Focusrite Scarlet 18i8 in OBS you only get the channel input channels of the focusrite 18i8 1 and 2 in the front. Therefore you have to use a daw in between OBS and Focusrite. This is where it gets really complicated, especially when there are no clear instructions on how to do this! Just pointing out what you can do is not the same as showing how to do it.
Just watch this movie, which clearly shows how to do this in Windows. https://youtu.be/82W84uhC3qw?si=wgZ8ZRpGgnIoCLQn
ketil wrote: ↑Sun Jan 05, 2025 12:50 pmDo tutorials on the topic exist? No, they do not exist in this case and for this configuration, probably because most users who are going to set up the sound in this way have the same problem and switched to Windows for music production, as they did not find any significant documentation on the subject.
More like, once you know how it works, it's too trivial to bother yourself with documenting. I think your main problem is that you throw everyting together into one giant problem.
You still haven't (neither here nor on the Mint forums) explained what issues you actually have, except with finding documentation about your very specific use-case.
Want help using all channels of your audio interface? Then say so. Need help with Reaper recognizing your audio interface? Then say so. Need help reducing the latency you experience? Then say so. And so on and so forth.
You have to provide details of your issues, before anyone else can provide details for a possible solution.
If you don't learn how to play a musical instrument you're not going to become a musician.
Why do you expect to understand and learn tech when you show an unwillingness to learn?
There aren't shortcuts. If you want to use tech you need to learn how to use it.
Do tutorials on the topic exist? No, they do not exist in this case and for this configuration, probably because most users who are going to set up the sound in this way have the same problem and switched to Windows for music production, as they did not find any significant documentation on the subject.
Maybe, maybe not. Linux audio users generally take the time (there is no other choice) to learn about it and ask questions when they get stuck. One has to be organised and have some kind of high level idea of where you're coming from and where you're trying to go. What you're trying to achieve.
It is not enough to show that there are possibilities but also how to use them! In general, Linux is better than Windows. But when it comes to certain areas such as music production, etc., it is unfortunately the case that hardware manufacturers continue to prioritize Windows and Mac over Linux. I think this is of course regrettable and stupid, but practically I cannot take this into account.
Hardware manufacturers and software vendors favour environments that earn them maximum revenue and for a variety of reasons those environments are Windows & Mac. Linux is very low down their food chain. The Linux Audio scene is largely a volunteer effort.
If people use a USB mixer, you do not need to go via DAW to use OBS for streaming and recording, as people only depend on a stereo channel x2. I tested this out yesterday in Linux Mint with my Yamaha USB mixer and it worked, except that the sound came a few tenths of a second later! something I did not have with OBS in Windows.
A USB mixer is just another soundcard.
You don't need DAW software for OBS. You could use or integrate it if you wanted to but that's a choice, not a requirement.
"Late sound" is just audio latency. To resolve issues with latency you have to tune your OS, tune soundsystem settings (Pipewire or Jack). That's another separate discussion and topic. (I hope you are already adding all these topics to your HOWTO document and tutorial).
Linux is getting closer to the goal, I think, and I hope they manage it in the future, so that it becomes as simple as this is in Windows. Because I like Linux best.
Linux Audio for the forseeable future will not become simple but the problems are also not insurmountable. But you need to have a clear idea what you are trying to achieve, you need to understand what the high level view looks like before you can resolve the lower level details.
But with the Focusrite Scarlet 18i8 in OBS you only get the channel input channels of the focusrite 18i8 1 and 2 in the front. Therefore you have to use a daw in between OBS and Focusrite. This is where it gets really complicated, especially when there are no clear instructions on how to do this! Just pointing out what you can do is not the same as showing how to do it.
You're not really providing sufficient information. What generation device is this, what soundsystem are you using (Pipewire?), did you ever tune your OS for low-latency operation (since you mentioned delay).....
Figure out a clear, point by point summary of what you have, what you use, what you have and haven't done to prepare your environment. Read docs and tutorials how to set up your OS for good audio performance. Decide or declare what soundsystem you are using. Pipewire? Jack? Both? Neither?
Here are some screenshots from my system with OBS giving you an idea of how to connect audio I/O streams, there's nothing terribly complicated about it. I use an old firewire Focusrite multichannel soundcard but the basic principles to connect it to OBS will work the same as with your 18i8.
I use Jack, you'll possibly be using Pipewire. The basic I/O works similarly.
In this last example I connect Focusrite MIC 03 - 06 to OBS Jack Input Clients
Ok, thanks for all info aniway. I will lock into that maybe! and hope other inn here se all your info, iff they have same problem and can more about Linux pipware, conections etc then i can.