This test checks that Qjackctl can be set up.
Setting up Jack for low latency monitoring can take some experimentation, and can place a strain on the CPU and cause xruns (clicks and pops) when recording. When unsure of the capabilities of your computer, choose conservative settings for these tests.
- Click on the Setup button
- The "Setup - JACK Audio Connection Kit" window opens
- In the Settings tab, make sure the Realtime option is ticked
- Select the appropriate audio driver (if you have a firewire audio device , choose firewire. Otherwise leave it set to ALSA)
- Select the appropriate audio interface from interface dropdown menu
- Select the appropriate Sample Rate from the dropdown menu. For example, use 44,100 Hz for CD quality, or 48,000 if recommended for the audio card being used. A higher sample rate will give lower latency, but push the CPU harder & possibly cause xruns.
- Select a suitable Frames/Period from interface dropdown menu. For low latency monitoring choose somewhere between 64-256. If unsure, be conservative and leave the default setting (1024)
- Choose an appropriate Periods/Buffer setting. If using a USB audio device, choose 3 for a more stable low latency setting, otherwise choose 2
- Click the OK button to apply the settings
- The "Setup - JACK Audio Connection Kit" window closes
- Click the Start button
- Jack eventually reports that it has "Started", and if the settings chosen were suitable, there should be no errors (xruns - which would be shown in red)
This test confirms that Jack can keep two Studio applications in syncronisation.
Keep Qjackctl running (Started) after the previous test.
- Start Ardour4
- The "Welcome to Ardour" window opens
- Click the Forward button
- The "Default folder for new sessions" window opens
- Choose a location to store files and click the Forward button
- The "Monitoring Choices" window opens
- Unless there is an external device connected that can be used for monitoring, choose the "Ask Ardour to playback..." option and click the Forward button.
- The "Monitoring Section" window opens
- For simplicity, choose the "Use a Master Bus directly" option and click the Forward button.
- The "Ardour is ready for use" window opens
- Click the "Apply" button
- The "Session Setup" window opens
- Give the session a name, and click the Open button
- The "Audio/MIDI Setup" window opens
- From the "Audio System" dropdown list, choose JACK and click "Connect to Jack", and then once Ardour reports that it is connected to Jack, click the OK button
- The Ardour application opens
- Start Hydrogen
- The Hydrogen application opens
- In Ardour, choose Session > Properties from the menu
- The Session Properties window opens
- On the Timecode tab, ensure that the "Ardour is JACK Time Master ..." option is ticked.
- Click on "Internal" button on Ardour's toolbar
- The button changes to "JACK" (meaning that JACK will now follow Ardour as timemaster)
- In Hydrogen, choose Tools > Preferences from the menu.
- The "Preferences" window opens
- In the "Audio System" tab, choose JACK from the dropdown menu, click the OK button, and click OK again to restart Hydrogen
- Hydrogen restarts and two timemaster buttons show up on the Toolbar
- Make sure that J.TRANS (Jack Transport) is enabled
- Click the "Play" icon on the Hydrogen transport
- The Hydrogen transport begins to move, and the Ardour one moves in syncronisation
- Click the "Stop" button in Ardour
- Both the Hydrogen and Ardour transports stop moving
This test confirms that Jack can patch different sources/instruments to Ardour (e.g. Hydrogen & Guitarix).
Keep Qjackctl, Ardour & Hydrogen running from the previous test.
- Start Guitarix
- Guitarix starts
- In Ardour, choose Track > "Add Track or Bus" from the menu
- The "Add Track or Bus" window opens
- Give the track the name "Guitar"
- The Guitar track is added to the main view
- In Ardour, choose Track > "Add Track or Bus" from the menu
- The "Add Track or Bus" window opens
- Give the track the name "Drums"
- The Drums track is added to the main view
- Choose Window > Mixer from the menu
- The "Mixer" window opens showing the two added tracks and the Master bus
- On the Guitar track, click on the "Input to Guitar" button and choose "Routing Grid" from the popup menu
- The Routing Grid shows for the Guitar input
- On the "Other" tab, click on the Matrix so that the "gx_head_amp" output is connected to Guitar in
- A green dot is displayed to represent the connection
- Close the matrix for the Guitar track
- The Guitar Matrix window closes
- On the Drum track, click on the "Input to Drum" button and choose "Routing Grid" from the popup menu
- The Routing Grid shows for the Drum input
- On the "Other" tab, click on the Matrix so that the "Hydrogen out" outputs are connected to the "Drum in" inputs
- A green dot is displayed to represent the connection
- Close the matrix for the Drum track
- The Guitar Matrix window closes
- In Qjackctl (JACK Audio Connection Kit), click on the Connect button
- The "Connections" window opens and the connections shown should mirror those connection made within Ardour
If all actions produce the expected results listed, please submit a 'passed' result.
If an action fails, or produces an unexpected result, please submit 'failed' and file a bug. Please be sure to include the bug number when you submit your result
