No audio on output

Pisound Support
1

I have use the standard systemctl start jack to start the jack server with the line you specifiied.

I execute the jack_connect commands as given and get no sound at the amplifier (attached to 1.4" out port)

syslog shows:

Nov 29 20:24:42 cuimhne-bbb8f520 systemd[1]: Started JACK Server.
Nov 29 20:24:42 cuimhne-bbb8f520 jackdrc[10780]: Home directory not accessible: Permission denied
Nov 29 20:24:42 cuimhne-bbb8f520 jackdrc[10780]: jackdmp 1.9.12
Nov 29 20:24:42 cuimhne-bbb8f520 jackdrc[10780]: Copyright 2001-2005 Paul Davis and others.
Nov 29 20:24:42 cuimhne-bbb8f520 jackdrc[10780]: Copyright 2004-2016 Grame.
Nov 29 20:24:42 cuimhne-bbb8f520 jackdrc[10780]: Copyright 2016-2017 Filipe Coelho.
Nov 29 20:24:42 cuimhne-bbb8f520 jackdrc[10780]: jackdmp comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY
Nov 29 20:24:42 cuimhne-bbb8f520 jackdrc[10780]: This is free software, and you are welcome to redistribute it
Nov 29 20:24:42 cuimhne-bbb8f520 jackdrc[10780]: under certain conditions; see the file COPYING for details
Nov 29 20:24:42 cuimhne-bbb8f520 jackdrc[10780]: JACK server starting in realtime mode with priority 95
Nov 29 20:24:42 cuimhne-bbb8f520 jackdrc[10780]: self-connect-mode is "Don't restrict self connect requests"
Nov 29 20:24:43 cuimhne-bbb8f520 jackdrc[10780]: creating alsa driver ... hw:pisound|hw:pisound|128|2|48000|0|0|nomon|swmeter|soft-mode|16bit
Nov 29 20:24:43 cuimhne-bbb8f520 jackdrc[10780]: configuring for 48000Hz, period = 128 frames (2.7 ms), buffer = 2 periods
Nov 29 20:24:43 cuimhne-bbb8f520 jackdrc[10780]: ALSA: final selected sample format for capture: 16bit little-endian
Nov 29 20:24:43 cuimhne-bbb8f520 jackdrc[10780]: ALSA: use 2 periods for capture
Nov 29 20:24:43 cuimhne-bbb8f520 jackdrc[10780]: ALSA: final selected sample format for playback: 16bit little-endian
Nov 29 20:24:43 cuimhne-bbb8f520 jackdrc[10780]: ALSA: use 2 periods for playback
Nov 29 20:24:43 cuimhne-bbb8f520 jackdrc[10780]: port created: Midi-Through:midi/playback_1
Nov 29 20:24:43 cuimhne-bbb8f520 jackdrc[10780]: port created: Midi-Through:midi/capture_1
Nov 29 20:24:43 cuimhne-bbb8f520 jackdrc[10780]: port created: pisound:midi/playback_1
Nov 29 20:24:43 cuimhne-bbb8f520 jackdrc[10780]: port created: pisound:midi/capture_1

I assume the home directory is not an issue, it does exist and is world writable (that may be the problem)

jack_lsp -c shows:

cuimhne@cuimhne-bbb8f520:/tmp $ jack_lsp -c
system:capture_1
   system:playback_1
system:capture_2
   system:playback_2
system:playback_1
   system:capture_1
system:playback_2
   system:capture_2
system:midi_capture_1
system:midi_playback_1
system:midi_capture_2
system:midi_playback_2

running meterbridge -t vu system:capture_1 system:playback_1 & shows that the capture and playback both have signal.

running jack_capture --chnnels 2 produces a very nice recording (no pops, clicks, or distortion)

os-release data:

PRETTY_NAME="Raspbian GNU/Linux 10 (buster)"
NAME="Raspbian GNU/Linux"
VERSION_ID="10"
VERSION="10 (buster)"
VERSION_CODENAME=buster
ID=raspbian
ID_LIKE=debian
HOME_URL="http://www.raspbian.org/"
SUPPORT_URL="http://www.raspbian.org/RaspbianForums"
BUG_REPORT_URL="http://www.raspbian.org/RaspbianBugs"

with pisound-btn, pisound-ctl, osc2midi, amidiauto, pulseaudio-module-jack, jack2d, blokas-jack installed.

Any idea what the issue might be?

Any help would be appreciated,
Claude

2

Hi, it’d make sense to do the simplest test possible to check if there’s audio output. Try this, after closing all audio software:

sudo systemctl stop jack
speaker-test -c2 -r48000 -Dhw:pisound

You should hear white noise going to one channel, then the other. Does it work?

3

I get no output at all.

The amp works and the cable between pisound and amp also checks out.

systemctl status jack shows that the jack server has stopped.

4

Does the speaker-test -c2 -r48000 -Dhw:pisound command print any errors?

Did the output work well before?

5

No errors. None of the tools give any errors.

I have not run speaker-test before, so I can’t answer the second question.

I have 2 pi-sound devices: I’ll try the 2nd one on the same system. Until recently I had not tried to pass the signal through the device, I was focused on recording the sound.

I did have some output from one of the devices but it was of poor quality, and I think in that case I had loaded the jack server from the user and not from systemctl.

Let’s start from the beginning:

Assume I am using the standard PI Raspian OS.

What are the minimum packages I need to install to get the pisound working? This is a bare bones question: no button, no patch software, just command line audio jack and pisound software on Raspian.

If I can get there then I can begin to layer the other software until I figure out what breaks the system.

Thx,
Claude

6

ALSA works with Pisound out of the box with no extra software required.

7

How do I get ALSA to pass the input directly to the output. I can use SoX and that will probably work but the latency is terrible. (at least I recall SoX working before) I’ll give that a try.

I really need the low latency of Jack, do you know the minimum configuration to make it work?

8

We should first make sure the output works at all. At this stage, try to get audio output using the speaker-test command.

9

I flashed a new PatchBox image and managed to get the card to work after stopping jack and running the speaker-test command. However when I start jack and execute

jack_connect system:capture_1 system:playback_1
jack_connect system:capture_2 system:playback_2

I get a lot of noise on the line, it sounds like a 5hz thumping or popping sound as well as general distortion.

If I wanted to modify the board so that the input was directly connected to the output (so that the pisound acts like a tap on the line) would that be possible?

10

What have you connected to the Pisound’s input? What was the input gain potentiometer position?

Not without adding more components, better to use a signal splitter.

11

Is there anything about the pi-zero that would prohibit it from being used with the pisound?

12

Nothing from Pisound side, so as long as its performance capabilities is enough for your application it’s good to go. :slight_smile: