jack & rosegarden can't play sound realtime using midi device

[zsolt.ruszinyák]

Binary package hint: qjackctl

Hello

I installed linux-rt kernel & got jack working with the command: sudo su -c 'echo @audio - rtprio 99 >> /etc/security/limits.conf'. I can use the synth plugin in rosegarden, but using the general midi device won't play any sound, when editing the channels. I've installed timidity, qsynth, dssi stuff and everything I heard should be usueful, but no luck. I've been trying to get it working for several months now.

I'm using ubuntu 9.10 (not studio) in rt kernel. I have an EeePC with Intel High Definitin Audio sound card & I don't use any extra hard-ware.

I'm wondering if I have to install something else too, or I have to try some external soundacrd, or just run another command in terminal that will fix it, or change some setup in rosegarden... Please check my screenshots about the connections.

It's a pity, that Ubuntu Studio stuff doesn't work out of the box...

Any help appreciated, it's very important for my work! Thanks...

ProblemType: Bug
Architecture: i386
Date: Wed Apr 28 19:51:06 2010
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 9.10
ExecutablePath: /usr/bin/qjackctl
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 9.10 "Karmic Koala" - Release i386 (20091028.5)
InterpreterPath: /bin/dash
Package: qjackctl 0.3.4-0ubuntu2
ProcEnviron:
 LANGUAGE=en_GB.UTF-8
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 LANG=en_GB.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.31-9.152-rt
SourcePackage: qjackctl
Uname: Linux 2.6.31-9-rt i686
XsessionErrors:
 (gnome-settings-daemon:2332): GLib-CRITICAL **: g_propagate_error: assertion `src != NULL' failed
 (nautilus:2740): Eel-CRITICAL **: eel_preferences_get_boolean: assertion `preferences_is_initialized ()' failed
 (polkit-gnome-authentication-agent-1:2757): GLib-CRITICAL **: g_once_init_leave: assertion `initialization_value != 0' failed
 (gnome-panel:2578): Gdk-WARNING **: /build/buildd/gtk+2.0-2.18.3/gdk/x11/gdkdrawable-x11.c:952 drawable is not a pixmap or window

[zsolt.ruszinyák (zsolt-ruszinyak)]

Please, consider this problem serious, cause this bug makes rosegarden practically unusable. I've seen the same problem in case of more computers, so it's not a problem of my hardware or something. I'm going to try how it works in 10.04 now, we'll see if something's changed! I'll give u feedback about it...

[psidrum (flexsonic)]

do you have a MIDI device controller that is plugged in?

[psidrum (flexsonic)]

your MIDI controller hardware should show up in your ALSA then connect it to rosegarden,

[psidrum (flexsonic)]

also download a2jmidid to expose legacy alsa midi in jack

[zsolt.ruszinyák (zsolt-ruszinyak)]

I don't use any external devices (if u meant an external MIDI device controller); as far as I know, Rosegarden should work without the support of any external MIDI devices. Correct me, if I'm mistaken.

However, I can confirm that Jack can already start in my computer (EeePC 1000H) without the hack mentioned in the bug description. Now I can use the Synth plugins, but the General MIDI device (in Rosegarden) is still mute.

My system has the default settings. The "a2jmidid" package is already installed on my system.

[zsolt.ruszinyák (zsolt-ruszinyak)]

But my goal is to start using the instruments listed in the "General MIDI device".

Thanks...

[psidrum (flexsonic)]

to play instruments you will need an external midi device, or you can install a virtual keyboard and use that to connect to rosegarden, then you can use the virtual keyboard to play the instruments in rosegarden

if you do not have any midi device controller you wont be able to trigger the notes

or you can write the notes in then press play and hear the sounds but you wont be able to play them in real time unless you have a midi controller

[zsolt.ruszinyák (zsolt-ruszinyak)]

The problem is that I don't get sounds in the General MIDI device neither at playback. When I'm writing notes with the note editor, I should hear sounds, but I don't. When I close the note editor and I'm trying to play what I've just written, again, I don't get sounds.

Is that normal, so do I need to plug in some instrument to hear any sounds? Or should it play the notes with the MIDI instrument plugins even without a controller?

Thanks...

[Scott Lavender (slavender)]

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug.

However, I have removed 'Ubuntu Studio' as the assignee. By your own description you have not installed Ubuntu Studio ("I'm using ubuntu 9.10 (not studio)") and it appears that you are having trouble with an application that is not installed in Ubuntu Studio by default (Rosegarden).

Have you used Rosegarden successfully before? If not, I would suggest that perhaps you might consider finding a tutorial on setting up and using Rosegarden, as the problem might not lie with Ubuntu at all.

"It's a pity, that Ubuntu Studio stuff doesn't work out of the box..." hmmm, these types of statements cause me distress. At best they are disingenuous and worst they are culturally biasing.

I would point out again that this statement is fallacious since you neither installed Ubuntu Studio nor are using an application installed by default in Ubuntu Studio. I would further ask that you refrain from making such statements. They are quite defamatory and usually quite misinformed.

Thank you,
ScottL

P.S. I'm not sure why you are using the -RT kernel as I'm not sure (but I could be wrong) that it is really necessary for MIDI work.

[zsolt.ruszinyák (zsolt-ruszinyak)]

I'm just describing what I see. For the first time I used Rosegarden in Ubuntu Studio 9.10 which was really NOT working out of the box, cause it suffered from the same problems as described in the bug description. Now the problem with starting Jack has finally disappeared, which I'm very extremely happy about, but before I was obviously not the only one experiencing the problem starting Jack, cause I encountered that command on a forum (and I ran through many forums discussing similar topics).

Again, I'm not saying Ubuntu Studio is bad, it was just not working out of the box for me, but maybe I was doing something wrong...

And I'm pretty sure, that Rosegarden was amongst the pre-installed applications in Ubuntu Studio 9.10...

To be honest, I don't exactly know, what the -rt kernel does, but many people use MIDI with -rt kernel; I couldn't get the General MIDI interface working in either kernel.

[ttoine (ttoine)]

Can you simply try to install Horgand or ZynnAddSubFX, launch them, and
choose them in Rosegarden instead of General Midi?

If you use jackd, you may have to install and run "Patchage" in order to
patch the output of the software to the output of the sound card, even
for Timidity. That may be the problem.

[Scott Lavender (slavender)]

I've never used Rosegarden before but with this page I had sound coming out of Rosegarden in thirty minutes.

http://gauthampai.livejournal.com/62383.html

I'm using stock install of Ubuntu Studio and only needed JACK, Qsynth, and Rosegarden. Oh, and a .sf2 file that I downloaded from : http://www.personalcopy.com/linuxfiles.htm

Only difference that I had was MIDI setup in Rosegarden; I had 'asfxload' already in the box for loading soundfont into the card. Although, I also unclicked the 'Load SoundFont to Card' and I still had music.

Please let us know how this works.

[Scott Lavender (slavender)]

I should add that was on stock install of Ubuntu Studio 10.04.

[zsolt.ruszinyák (zsolt-ruszinyak)]

Thanks a lot, I'm gonna try that all and let u know if it works.

[Ricardo Lameiro (rlameiro)]

From what I see, the problem is that you don't select any midi soft synth in rosegarden, to play something you need to use a midi softsynth or a sound font. this is by no means a problem of the distribution or even jack. Also, you said you installed 9.10 vanilla ubuntu nor ubuntustudio.

[Ricardo Lameiro (rlameiro)]

Also, I forgot to mention, Rosegarden is not installed on UbuntuStudio 9.10 or 10.04. I can asure you. It uses the Kde libs, that would add at list some 200Mb to the ISO.

[zsolt.ruszinyák (zsolt-ruszinyak)]

Hello. I know that this is a bug description, not a question forum, but I can't stand asking HOW SHOULD I SELECT A MIDI SOFT SYNTH in Rosegarden? Where exactly? What do you see on my screenshot that is causing the General MIDI device to don't sound and what to change it to?

If you mean in the "Playback parameters → Instrument" or in the "Instrument parameters", I've done that. You mean a different place? Or somewhere in the window menu?... So much setting that one gets lost, please be very exact on Rosegarden newbies.

Thanks!

P.S. I still haven't got round to try Scott's links, but shortly I'm gonna post what id does.

[Pablo_F (pablo-fbus)]

Rosegarden lists a "General MIDI Device" as a playback device. However, this is a default name for convenience (although it really causes confusion). It doesn't mean that a track with this "playback device" HAS TO sound as a general midi device, simply because Rosegarden midi sequencer doesn't generate any sound by itself.

Rosegarden has three default audio, synth plugin and "General MIDI Device". The first two are clear for you. The third one is a default name for external synths (hardware or software) that is confusing you (and many people, probably)

Go to Studio -> Manage MIDI devices

You can even rename the playback device. You can also add more playback devices, if you want more midi tracks whose midi data are sent to other different synths. You see the available MIDI outputs. You need a soft synth, like fluidsynth (qsynth) with a GM soundfont loaded, if you want GM sounds. Once this is done, you will be able to change instruments from within Rosegarden.

Another approach to have GM sounds with fluidsynth is using fluidsynth-dssi (after selecting "synth plugin" right clicking in a track) and load a GM soundfont.

You probably have already a GM soundfont (FluidR3_GM.sf2) in your system in /usr/share/sounds/sf2/
If not, get one as Scott suggested.

[zsolt.ruszinyák (zsolt-ruszinyak)]

Thank you all, this is gonna take time, but as soon as I try all your suggestions, I will report the result. I'd be very happy if if worked...