MIDI input is glitchy?

[pax-eterna]

Using both a DIN input for one controller (via the AUDIO i/f unit) and USB input for the second, and randomly (but often enough to be noticeable and annoying) notes will stick, and/or not actually sound. The controllers are fine and pretty much new.

I am thinking this may be a system issue and not Reaper, but is there a better way of MIDI input into Reaper that is rock solid ALL the time? Or should I be looking deeper into the Linux MIDI control system?

Thanks.

[The Kid]

Here on Mint 20.1 Mate Reaper's MIDI is rock solid (USB MIDI)

[pax-eterna]

Thanks. This is Manjaro (pahvo) and I've a feeling something is going on in background processes.

It also sometimes disconnects the USB audio, requiring me to either remove and reinsert the USB plug or reboot.

I'm using the real-time kernel, so maybe a switch to the latest "normal" kernel might
be a solution??

EDIT: I THOUGHT I was using the RT kernel, but turns out I wasn't. I am now so I'll test and see if it changes anything

[pax-eterna]

Nope, still doing it

[The Kid]

FWIW I use the low latency kernel, not the RT one.

[PMan]

I get MIDI in from both my USB M-Audio keyboard, and my USB Komplete Audio 6 audio interface. Never had any problems.

I'm on Ubuntu, but I don't think it has anything to do with your distro. I think the Manjaro wizards can help you sort it out.

You might want to do a screenshot of your MIDI/Audio settings. That would help the Manjaro peeps troubleshoot for you.

[JamesPeters]

Is usb_autosuspend disabled?

[pax-eterna]

Originally Posted by JamesPeters

Is usb_autosuspend disabled?

I did try to hunt around for that James but couldn't find it...unless it's a CLI command only?

[pax-eterna]

Originally Posted by The Kid

FWIW I use the low latency kernel, not the RT one.

Which one is the Low Latency one? None area actually marked as such, well that I can see anyway.

[pax-eterna]

Originally Posted by PMan

I get MIDI in from both my USB M-Audio keyboard, and my USB Komplete Audio 6 audio interface. Never had any problems.

I'm on Ubuntu, but I don't think it has anything to do with your distro. I think the Manjaro wizards can help you sort it out.

You might want to do a screenshot of your MIDI/Audio settings. That would help the Manjaro peeps troubleshoot for you.

From where, CLI or somewhere else?

[PMan]

The Reaper prefs.

[JamesPeters]

Originally Posted by pax-eterna

I did try to hunt around for that James but couldn't find it...unless it's a CLI command only?

I've mentioned a number of times (including here) that there are only a few steps to making Linux work as well as Windows for DAWs.

1) realtime or low latency kernel (Manjaro's is low latency by default, and I think that's becoming more standard for other distros as time goes on)

2) turn usb_autosuspend off for your USB audio (or MIDI) devices

3) set your CPU frequency governor to performance.

(Plus one specific thing in Manjaro to enable fstrim.timer, for SSDs.)

There are more potential steps to help, but those 3 are the most important for basic solid excellent performance at low latency. From there it depends on what else you're doing (using Windows VST etc.)

You'll notice those 3 steps are basically what you'd do in any other OS to ensure solid performance. Unlike Windows though, there's no specific "power setting" in "control panel" to change, so you're left to do this sort of thing whichever way makes sense to you.

How you choose to disable usb_autosuspend is up to you. I described it in this post to you, and you told me you were looking through the TLPUI options at the time, so I assumed you had done that.

[audiojunkie]

Originally Posted by JamesPeters

I've mentioned a number of times (including here) that there are only a few steps to making Linux work as well as Windows for DAWs.

1) realtime or low latency kernel (Manjaro's is low latency by default, and I think that's becoming more standard for other distros as time goes on)

2) turn usb_autosuspend off for your USB audio (or MIDI) devices

3) set your CPU frequency governor to performance.

(Plus one specific thing in Manjaro to enable fstrim.timer, for SSDs.)

There are more potential steps to help, but those 3 are the most important for basic solid excellent performance at low latency. From there it depends on what else you're doing (using Windows VST etc.)

You'll notice those 3 steps are basically what you'd do in any other OS to ensure solid performance. Unlike Windows though, there's no specific "power setting" in "control panel" to change, so you're left to do this sort of thing whichever way makes sense to you.

How you choose to disable usb_autosuspend is up to you. I described it in this post to you, and you told me you were looking through the TLPUI options at the time, so I assumed you had done that.

Note: Gnome 41 should be hitting distro packages soon, and it WILL have a built in performance setting available from the main screen. :-)

So James, you don't have an audio group configured or optimized or anything like that right now?

[pax-eterna]

Originally Posted by JamesPeters

How you choose to disable usb_autosuspend is up to you. I described it in this post to you, and you told me you were looking through the TLPUI options at the time, so I assumed you had done that.

That was under an AVL setup thread, this is Manjaro - just assumed it would be different somehow...

Okay just installed those - the TLP is pretty self-explanatory.

With the CPUPower I have 7 listed. Should I apply the Performance setting to all 7? All are currently set to Powersave

[pax-eterna]

and then there is this: https://youtu.be/fEduGnD6ZKQ extolling the virtues of JACK.

I've only used JACK in it's basic form to get the Bluetooth MIDI running, but this guy is recommending it be used as the "overarching" operation, IF I've understood it correctly

[JamesPeters]

Originally Posted by pax-eterna

That was under an AVL setup thread, this is Manjaro - just assumed it would be different somehow...

All distros need those steps. I've also posted it on many other threads by this point (when discussing other distros).

Even if you thought usb_autosuspend might be disabled by default for one particular distro, it would've been worth checking your distro's default setting. If AVL didn't have that disabled, I wouldn't expect a "non-audio-specific distro" to have it disabled by default. If anything I'd have expected the opposite. AVL should probably have that option disabled by default (IMO), knowing how important this is for preventing issues with USB audio/MIDI devices "going to sleep" during low latency use. "General use" distros which may not even have a low latency kernel by default--I wouldn't expect they'd disable usb_autosuspend by default. Default settings are usually about preserving energy (for laptop use for instance).

The first link was a thread in which Beth Harmon made a Github link with every bit of possible configuration info she could gather about configuring Manjaro, so that's why I linked that first. You should read that especially if you plan to use Windows VST and/or Jack (etc.)

Originally Posted by pax-eterna

With the CPUPower I have 7 listed. Should I apply the Performance setting to all 7? All are currently set to Powersave

If you want the most stable performance, yes, set the whole CPU to be the fastest. That's what you'd be doing in Windows.

This isn't as important to this specific issue though, from what I can tell. You were letting your USB "sleep", which is a no-no for USB audio/MIDI devices working at low latency.

I don't use Jack. I have no reason to use it. ALSA is the most direct, lowest-latency option and always will be (until something replaces ALSA, which is the lowest-level audio system). I don't connect multiple apps together. I do all DAW stuff in Reaper itself, like I did in Windows and OSX. Jack isn't needed for that at all.

Originally Posted by audiojunkie

Note: Gnome 41 should be hitting distro packages soon, and it WILL have a built in performance setting available from the main screen. :-)

Are they finally going to add any other useful settings that don't require third-party workarounds and extensions in hackey ways that reset themselves all the time?

I want to like Gnome, but I just can't. Yet, anyway. It's like it's trying to be KDE, but requires so many extra things to configure it for anything other than the default settings (some of which are questionable choices). It works very smoothly for its window animations and workspace switching, which I do like about it.

Originally Posted by audiojunkie

So James, you don't have an audio group configured or optimized or anything like that right now?

There's a realtime group, and my user is added to it, but I don't notice a difference. I don't use Windows VST anymore though, or standalone synths etc., so it may not matter for me.

[pax-eterna]

@JamesPeters thanks James

[pax-eterna]

Originally Posted by JamesPeters

All distros need those steps. I've also posted it on many other threads by this point (when discussing other distros).

Need to follow up here as I set the Autosuspend to off, clicked save at the top, entered the password, and then the AutoSuspend just turned back on again (went green)? Like the saving did nothing at all.

[JamesPeters]

Try it again. Reboot or something. I dunno. It's worked for me in every distro.

[pax-eterna]

Originally Posted by JamesPeters

Try it again. Reboot or something. I dunno. It's worked for me in every distro.

Thanks - yeah I tried a reboot, same same.

What I found is I need to leave the green tick box (left set to on) but have the slider to the right to off (red) then save it. Seems if I turn the green tick box off the save doesn't work.

Anyhoo all good now

[JamesPeters]

Yeah, in that other thread (which I linked above) I told you to move the slider on the right. I assumed you did that.

[pax-eterna]

Originally Posted by JamesPeters

Yeah, in that other thread (which I linked above) I told you to move the slider on the right. I assumed you did that.

haha, yeah I moved the slider AND turned off the little green arrow circle on the left. As I wrote I found you ONLY need to activate the slider