Without 'a2jmidid' can't use a "JACK MIDI" designated device

[mvdev0]

Hey,

I'm using a Focusrite Saffire Pro 24 device with FFADO in Ubuntu 22.04 (5.15.0-35-lowlatency).

This machine has a M-Audio MIDISPORT 4x4 device connected to its USB-Port.

I can't see this MIDI-Device without using 'a2jmidid', but it's designated as "JACK MIDI" in Catia/KXStudio.

Bildschirmfoto_2022-06-05_18-46-57.png (146.19 KiB) Viewed 1684 times

How is it used in JACK2, as JACK-MIDI or ALSA-MIDI? Is there a "better" configuration I can setup?
And if it's only possible using this device with a2j, are there others running purely with JACK?

Thanks for reading!

[tavasti]

a2jmidid is way to go at least for me. For me it works without problems.

[milkii]

JACK2 is confusing because it's not like JACK1 in this area. N.b. PipeWire is like JACK1.

https://github.com/jackaudio/jack2/issues/360

[LAM]

JACK2 is confusing because it's not like JACK1 in this area. N.b. PipeWire is like JACK1.

https://github.com/jackaudio/jack2/issues/360

In latest JACK2 versions (since end of 2021 or maybe even earlier) I don't use a2jmidid anymore, ports are correctly seen as JACK MIDI.

The only thing I had to do is to enable ALSA seq as MIDI Driver in Qjackctl (or -X seq flag if launching jackd).

[milkii]

I thought that was ALSA Seq to JACK MIDI, rather than JACK MIDI using ALSA Raw, maybe that's wrong then.

[Linuxmusician01]

I don't use Catia but recently somebody else had a question like that. He/she forgot to check "Enable ALSA sequencer support" in Qjackctl. "ALSA sequencer" is secret speak for "ALSA Midi". If you don't check this then the 'Alsa' tab won't show up in the 'Connections' window from Qjackctl. That tab is secret speak for "Alsa Midi". The person in the other topic had to use a2jmidid (= Alsa Midi to Jack Midi) to let the Midi devices show up under the 'Midi' tab, which is Qjackctl's secret speak for "Jack Midi".

To make a log story short: if you are missing Alsa Midi (which seems like your problem to me) try to check settings in Catia or startup Qjackctl and do:

Qjackctl > Setup > Misc > check "Enable ALSA sequencer support"

[LAM]

I don't use Catia but recently somebody else had a question like that. He/she forgot to check "Enable ALSA sequencer support" in Qjackctl. "ALSA sequencer" is secret speak for "ALSA Midi". If you don't check this then the 'Alsa' tab won't show up in the 'Connections' window from Qjackctl. That tab is secret speak for "Alsa Midi". The person in the other topic had to use a2jmidid (= Alsa Midi to Jack Midi) to let the Midi devices show up under the 'Midi' tab, which is Qjackctl's secret speak for "Jack Midi".

To make a log story short: if you are missing Alsa Midi (which seems like your problem to me) try to check settings in Catia or startup Qjackctl and do:

Qjackctl > Setup > Misc > check "Enable ALSA sequencer support"

@Linuxmusician01 actually the OP wants to know if there is some way to make JACK MIDI ports appear without using a2jmidi for the Focusrite device (if I understood well), ALSA MIDI ports are another matter.

[milkii]

Use PipeWire.

[LAM]

Use PipeWire.

Hoping the PipeWire Firewire support for the Focusrite interface is good.

https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire ... issues/326

[mvdev0]

Hey there,

thank you for all that inspirations..

.. so I'm not doing wrong yesterday (nearly the entire day) setting up pipewire, all before reading here again. :-)

But I end up with the late gained information FFADO isn't implemented, and with my last knowledge ALSA
did not address (in the past) this DICE-based device really well.

Today, with your assistance, I found

https://www.spinics.net/lists/alsa-devel/msg130668.html

https://github.com/jackaudio/a2jmidid/issues/11

and tested yesterday shortly a Fedora 36 live image, where pipewire is running my sound device with ALSA kernel driver.

Soo.. I do a backup (again) from the running system, and have a look to pipewire with the ALSA firewire stack.

a2jmidid is way to go at least for me. For me it works without problems.

I do not have any problems with that setup too, but it is a bit confusing.. so I had the desire to ask. :)

In latest JACK2 versions (since end of 2021 or maybe even earlier) I don't use a2jmidid anymore, ports are correctly seen as JACK MIDI.

The only thing I had to do is to enable ALSA seq as MIDI Driver in Qjackctl (or -X seq flag if launching jackd).

But this is not related to my firewire setup, I'm right?
Within Cadence we do not having the option, and in QjackCtl it's greyed out.. understandably.

And now another confusing part..

To make a log story short: if you are missing Alsa Midi (which seems like your problem to me) try to check settings in Catia or startup Qjackctl and do:

Qjackctl > Setup > Misc > check "Enable ALSA sequencer support"

.. I checked this, sure, and it is activated.. AND the Graph IN QjackCtl showing both, ALSA-MIDI and JACK-MIDI
for the MIDISPORT device. That is what I overlooked in Catia and Carla. (Carla is setup without ALSA-MIDI support)

Screenshot_20220607_011436.jpeg (183.16 KiB) Viewed 1496 times

But I'm right, the a2j connections (with JACK symbol in QjackCtl Graph), is the less latency one?
OMG, sorry that question..

cu

[LAM]

This is how my JACK2 graph looks like with the configuration I mentioned above, without using a2jmidid, with my midi keyboard on:



I use Qjackctl, no Cadence.

Now, if you want to have something similar you need only Qjackctl and JACK2.

Otherwise, there are many alternatives that others have already suggested.

Regarding ALSA vs JACK MIDI latency have a look at these interesting discussions:
https://discourse.ardour.org/t/differen ... ck2/106756
https://discourse.ardour.org/t/alsa-vs-jack-midi/87653