I may be the only human on the planet attempting this hardware configuration…on Ubuntu 24.04.04, with VCVRack Pro 2.6.6.
I have a Tascam Model 12 and and Expert Sleepers ES-9. I need inputs and outputs from both. I have a Jack profile for one and the other, and either will work on its own. The unusual thing I’m attempting to do is operate both at once–the Model 12 for myself, and the ES-9 sits on a table for my friends to plug into when we’re jamming.
When I use the Jack driver for the Model 12, then I can’t load the Jack driver for the ES-9. So what I THOUGHT would work would be to use the generic ALSA driver for the ES-9. And it kiiiind of works. It recognizes the first two inputs, and plays them into VCVRack smoothly. Midi also works fine with both devices. But with ALSA "Generic Device 1-16 in, 1-16 out” I only get 2 inputs, and 0 outputs from the ES-9. I assumed it would work perfectly until we tried to plug in 4 different inputs last night.
PulseAudio sits there so tantalizingly–it offers an ES-9 profile with correct inputs and outputs, but when I click on it nothing happens. It appears I can’t run PulseAudio alongside Jack?
I saw a checkbox in qjackctl, “single app instance.” I unchecked it, thinking I could just start up another instance of Jack to run the ES-9. But if I can, I don’t know how. I have a fear of the command line that is unbecoming of a Linux user.
Apologies for this query that is too abstruse for general users, and too dumb for power users.
Just for keeping linux audio interfaces in a thread, I run a very simple UM2. It works fine. I use pipewire, well technically pipewire-jack (on KDE/debian). The “jack” layer in pipewire takes over the interface so that the desktop doesn’t use it (a good feature). It goes away from being a possible desktop audio setting and qjackctl still kind of works (I still have a disappointing no MIDI clock master situation, not needed at present though). MIDI is kind of ALSA, but pipewire-jack makes another MIDI interface for the system, to confuse.
In a modern linux pipewire native would work best if it were not for the interface remaining available for some random desktop audio process to just decide to mix itself in a mix. I suppose it’s a sell 2 PCs instead of 1 thing at some subliminal level.
I use the same audio interface for desktop and studio purposes, so I don’t mind all my desktop applications running through pipewire to the Model 12. In fact that’s about the only useful thing pipewire is doing for me.
Midi was the last part of my hardware setup I resolved, just last night. I was so confused why jack wasn’t picking up my alsa midi sources. I could see them on qpwgraph and qjackctl, but they were PURPLE and I needed them to be RED. It turned out to be a one-command fix in a2j.
Although I wonder if I’m going to have hair-tearing midi clock issues, now that you mention it. VCVRack is working as both master and slave with my Octatrack, but Ardour was behaving weirdly last night. But I don’t know Ardour yet, so it’s probably user error.
I got rack to recognise it as RED (jack bridge) with pw-jack Rack and it seems to have held without always needing the pw-jack although I haven’t restarted the machine to see if it sticks as remembered. The patchbay now works for all the routing. I’m running DAWless, so I’ve got no Beat/bar display in qjackctl and the transport is kind of useless, VCV as master, CV > MIDI.
EDIT: I don’t want a DAW, I can self compile Ardour if I need, but 4 threads VCV, machines, machines …