[SOLVED] Reaper+Qjackctl+A2jmidid not working on Debian/Gnome

[jaylcee]

SOLVED: see post #6

Hello,

I have just installed Debian 12 (Netinstall+Gnome-core) after 5 years on Ubuntu Studio and am having a really hard time getting my configuration to work, namely Reaper with Qjackctl+A2jmidid. It should take a minute: install qjack+a2jmidid, then configure Qjackctl, then activate my USB controller in Reaper and let's go! I just did it on a live Linux Antix23 as a test.

Are there know issues with Jack on Debian+Gnome? Anything I should do?

Thank you.

[ForrestH]

So you've set QJackCtl to start a2jmidid, you've started QJackCtl and it's in the notification area, you've verified that a2jmidid is actually running with ps ax | grep a2jmidid in a terminal, but when you start REAPER it fails to show your device? or it does show your device but it won't activate?

[Linuxmusician01]

Maybe Debian 12 uses PipeWire and that's why Jack command won't work as expected?

[Impostor]

"Debian 12 Switches To PipeWire & WirePlumber By Default With The GNOME Desktop"

https://www.phoronix.com/news/Debian-12-PipeWire

[khz]

I used it as a guide and was successful: Debian 11 https://wiki.debian.org/PipeWire#For_JACK.

Debian 12 https://wiki.debian.org/PipeWire#JACK

The Debian 11 instructions still apply, at time of writing.

[jaylcee]

Thank you everybody for your replies. I did a fresh install of Debian with Qjack and it worked at first, then not anymore, then yes. No idea why this is complicated. I have found out how to use Pipewire in Reaper (choosing "ALSA" in Device and then typing "default" in both output system and input system) and this is working fine. Guess I will let JACK go and use Pipewire from now on.

Thanks for your help.

[ForrestH]

Apparently the root of the problem is that Debian Gnome requires PipeWire specifically, rather than either-oring the dependency with PulseAudio.

In theory this wouldn't be a problem, and if Debian shipped the current PipeWire practice would match theory, but it ships an old and iffy version instead.

There's a third party repository that provides a more current version that you will probably want to keep an eye on.

[Linuxmusician01]

Apparently the root of the problem is that Debian Gnome requires PipeWire specifically, rather than either-oring the dependency with PulseAudio.

In theory this wouldn't be a problem, and if Debian shipped the current PipeWire practice would match theory, but it ships an old and iffy version instead.

There's a third party repository that provides a more current version that you will probably want to keep an eye on.

Do you know if XFCE doesn't have a hard dependency on PipeWire like Gnome (on Debain) appears to have?

[autostatic]

Debian 12 with XFCE does not rely on Pipewire.

[GMaq]

Thank you everybody for your replies. I did a fresh install of Debian with Qjack and it worked at first, then not anymore, then yes. No idea why this is complicated. I have found out how to use Pipewire in Reaper (choosing "ALSA" in Device and then typing "default" in both output system and input system) and this is working fine. Guess I will let JACK go and use Pipewire from now on.

Thanks for your help.

The Debian PipeWire Wiki link you posted is out of date and doesn’t work because there are no longer any PipeWire configuration files placed in /etc/pipewire… They are now all placed in /usr/share/pipewire so the command in the Wiki:

Code: Select all

touch /etc/pipewire/media-session.d/with-jack

fails… It need to be updated to:

Code: Select all

touch /usr/share/pipewire/media-session.d/with-jack

The info after that is still correct though as far as preparing and setting dynamic linking… In my experience on a PipeWire test system with 0.3.79 and no jackd installed this allows JACK applications to work without the ‘pw-jack’ wrapper prepended…

[LAM]

Wiki on Debian 12 recommends Wireplumber instead of media-session (deprecated, will not be shipped in the next release).

JACK

The Debian 11 instructions still apply, at time of writing.

Keep in mind that the "touch" commands are unnecessary if you're using WirePlumber instead of pipewire-media-session. Refer to the top of this section for more details on which session manager you should be using.

If you're using pipewire-media-session, note that its configuration directory has moved from /etc/pipewire/media-session.d/ to /usr/share/pipewire/media-session.d, and adjust the paths as necessary when making use of the older instructions.

I'm so glad I'm on sid... ... and still using JACK2+PA.

[GMaq]

@LAM

Hmmm well TBH I haven't visited the Wiki since I found that error about a month or so ago... if they fixed it, good! For my testing on a Debian 11 system with fairly up to date PipeWire the touch commands seemed to still be necessary to make Ardour and Reaper see PipeWire as JACK reliably prior to that it would seem to work sometimes and then not..

I went back to JACK2/PA as well. I've never had a single Audio problem with PulseAudio and I know PA/JACK/pajackconnect inside and out. PipeWire was fine (until you needed to make changes) and if I didn't both work with and Distribute systems for Linux Audio I could probably live with it just fine.. It's well capable of Pro Audio work as many have posted but I haven't seen any indication that it is 'better' after testing it for a month and creating a few scripts and utilities to make it a bit more straightforward to tweak..

[LAM]

@GMaq
I was mentioning the official PipeWire - Debian Wiki, has been like this for more than one year now. That other page mentioned is scary.

Anyway, what I meant is that if using Debian 12 there is no reason to still use media-session, and probably there was no reason with 11 too with an "updated enough" PW.