Multiple headsets, one skype

[garton]

(I'm new to the forum)

I'm trying to use several headsets together with one single instance of skype (or basically any VOIP program).

The idea is to create an inexpensive telephone conference system with headsets instead of a shared microphone/speaker. Headsets + USB sound-"card" is very cheap.

I thought I'd do this by first using jack to take the input signal from the microphones of the headsets, route all those in to ardour, take the main output from ardour and route that into a virtual capture sound device that skype can use as input device.

Then, I'll also create a virtual playback sound device that skype uses for playback. That device routes into ardour, and ardour routes in out to all headsets speakers.

First question; is this a sensible approach to solve the problem?

I've tried this setup. I got the microphone to route in to ardour properly. But I don't know how to make the output of ardour appear as input (capture device) in skype. Skype uses regular ALSA devices for capure. Is this possible? If so, how?

Any information or ideas on the subject of are more than welcome!

TIA!

[thorgal]

good question ... you probably want to look at the loop back ALSA module. In principle it intercepts any PCM stream to the module and can be reused as input. Skype will not talk to the jack world, unless you use some pretty ugly hacks :

- oss2jack (skype can use OSS I think)
- physical rewiring : connect ardour's master ouputs to your system outputs, rewire the system outputs to inputs ... hopefully, you won't have a horrible infinite loop ... this is really ugly I think.

Or talk to the skype dev and ask them to provide jack compatibility, or use pulseaudio from the start ?

An alternative: get a dev to develop a ALSA jack "device". It could be some inprocess jack client, visible in the jack graph but accessible to ALSA apps as yet another ALSA device. The latter would not be so bad I think

[thorgal]

I completely forgot about the ALSA jack plugin type!!!

If you have these files on your system:

/usr/lib/alsa-lib/libasound_module_pcm_jack.a
/usr/lib/alsa-lib/libasound_module_pcm_jack.la
/usr/lib/alsa-lib/libasound_module_pcm_jack.so

then you can modify your $HOME/.asoundrc file (mind the dot . ) like this:

Code: Select all

pcm.!default {
    type plug
    slave { pcm "jack" }
}

pcm.jack {
    type jack
    playback_ports {
        0 alsa_pcm:playback_1
        1 alsa_pcm:playback_2
    }
    capture_ports {
        0 alsa_pcm:capture_1
        1 alsa_pcm:capture_2
    }
}

ctl.mixer0 {
    type hw
    card 0
# card 1 if you use jack on hw:1 like me
}

This makes jack the default ALSA device!! exactly like I was suggesting in my previous post at the end. Ah, this is just great
I tried it on youtube, which will use the default ALSA device and it works perfect! so I can remove my el-cheapo speakers from my onboard chip and disable the latter from the BIOS!

great great great no more Intel HDA (private thinking, never mind my babling )

[garton]

I actually did try the alsa jack plugin, but I never understood how to use the jack patch panel to connect the microphones to the new output. Or, for that matter, how to connect it all to skypes input?

[thorgal]

garton, no doubt you had problems, the connection ports of the ALSA jack plugin are only temporary. As soon as the app is not handling audio, the ports disappear from the jack graph. It's like the app called audacity, it's impossible to plug something to ports that keep appearing and disappearing

conclusion: this plugin is not a solution for you. But for playing youtube videos through the flash plugin, it works great ... but that's not your goal as far as I can see ...

[Capoeira]

I completely forgot about the ALSA jack plugin type!!!

If you have these files on your system:

/usr/lib/alsa-lib/libasound_module_pcm_jack.a
/usr/lib/alsa-lib/libasound_module_pcm_jack.la
/usr/lib/alsa-lib/libasound_module_pcm_jack.so

then you can modify your $HOME/.asoundrc file (mind the dot . ) like this:

Code: Select all

pcm.!default {
    type plug
    slave { pcm "jack" }
}

pcm.jack {
    type jack
    playback_ports {
        0 alsa_pcm:playback_1
        1 alsa_pcm:playback_2
    }
    capture_ports {
        0 alsa_pcm:capture_1
        1 alsa_pcm:capture_2
    }
}

ctl.mixer0 {
    type hw
    card 0
# card 1 if you use jack on hw:1 like me
}

This makes jack the default ALSA device!! exactly like I was suggesting in my previous post at the end. Ah, this is just great
I tried it on youtube, which will use the default ALSA device and it works perfect! so I can remove my el-cheapo speakers from my onboard chip and disable the latter from the BIOS!

great great great no more Intel HDA (private thinking, never mind my babling )

works great, thanks

[brendara]

How to show your video to someone else on Skype when using a Mac? I really like using Skype, but I've been having an issue when trying to talk to a friend of mine through there via webcam.
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affiliateelite ~ affiliateelite.com ~ adgooroo ~ adgooroo.com

[studio32]

I only have:

Code: Select all

libasound_module_pcm_jack.so 

on Debian...

but it works

[studio32]

Itś not clear for me how I get these modules. What package on Debian and Ubuntu should be installed?

[thorgal]

libasound2-plugins

[studio32]

libasound2-plugins

thanks,

On Ubuntu I get:

Code: Select all

ALSA lib pcm.c:2106:(snd_pcm_open_conf) Cannot open shared library /usr/lib/alsa-lib/libasound_module_pcm_jack.so

when starting skype

Maybe cause there is none:

Code: Select all

/usr/lib/alsa-lib$ ls
libasound_module_ctl_bluetooth.so  libasound_module_pcm_pulse.so
libasound_module_ctl_dsp_ctl.a     libasound_module_pcm_upmix.a
libasound_module_ctl_dsp_ctl.la    libasound_module_pcm_upmix.la
libasound_module_ctl_dsp_ctl.so    libasound_module_pcm_upmix.so
libasound_module_ctl_oss.a         libasound_module_pcm_vdownmix.a
libasound_module_ctl_oss.la        libasound_module_pcm_vdownmix.la
libasound_module_ctl_oss.so        libasound_module_pcm_vdownmix.so
libasound_module_ctl_pulse.a       libasound_module_rate_samplerate.a
libasound_module_ctl_pulse.la      libasound_module_rate_samplerate_best.so
libasound_module_ctl_pulse.so      libasound_module_rate_samplerate.la
libasound_module_pcm_alsa_dsp.a    libasound_module_rate_samplerate_linear.so
libasound_module_pcm_alsa_dsp.la   libasound_module_rate_samplerate_medium.so
libasound_module_pcm_alsa_dsp.so   libasound_module_rate_samplerate_order.so
libasound_module_pcm_bluetooth.so  libasound_module_rate_samplerate.so
libasound_module_pcm_oss.a         libasound_module_rate_speexrate.a
libasound_module_pcm_oss.la        libasound_module_rate_speexrate_best.so
libasound_module_pcm_oss.so        libasound_module_rate_speexrate.la
libasound_module_pcm_pulse.a       libasound_module_rate_speexrate_medium.so
libasound_module_pcm_pulse.la      libasound_module_rate_speexrate.so

edit: mmh there is no such thing in Ubuntu, Hardy at least....
Adding the 64studio repo solves this

[confusion_music]

Hi

I'm trying to get jack to work with alsa as described, unfortunately I'm missing the various jack plugin files. I'm using ubuntu 9.1 and have tried compiling alsa-plugins-1.0.21 from source and still no jack plugin. It appers that ubuntu is somehow stopping the jack plugins being installed, but I've no idea how to make it let me.

Any clues would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Bruce

[confusion_music]

Well I got it sorted.

For me and I guess anyone else using Ununtu 9.1 (including studio) adding the debian squeeze repo and installing libasound2-plugins (1.0.21) from debian added all the needed plugins.

Apparently its a deliberate decision by Canonical to take all of the below out of libasound2-plugins.

/usr/lib/alsa-lib/libasound_module_pcm_jack.a
/usr/lib/alsa-lib/libasound_module_pcm_jack.la
/usr/lib/alsa-lib/libasound_module_pcm_jack.so

Seems pointless to me.

[vaccarina]

Where can I find a good inexpensive internet phone for skype? Trying to find an internet phone for a friend who uses skype all the time, but I dont want to spend too much, around $50. Do you know any that works well for a good price?
______________________
market samurai ~ marketsamurai ~ marketsamurai.com

[Capoeira]

Well I got it sorted.

For me and I guess anyone else using Ununtu 9.1 (including studio) adding the debian squeeze repo and installing libasound2-plugins (1.0.21) from debian added all the needed plugins.

Apparently its a deliberate decision by Canonical to take all of the below out of libasound2-plugins.

/usr/lib/alsa-lib/libasound_module_pcm_jack.a
/usr/lib/alsa-lib/libasound_module_pcm_jack.la
/usr/lib/alsa-lib/libasound_module_pcm_jack.so

Seems pointless to me.

i tried this, but it effects other packages like jackd. i won't install the base app of my distro from debian testing wont i?