midi device not recognized

[fae]

reaper: 6.15
os: Debian 10/amd64
soundcard: NI Komplete Audio 2
midi device: Yamaha CS Reface keyboard

Dear reaper users,

My sound card and the midi keyboard are both seen by the OS (according to /proc/asound/cards). Both are connected to the computer with USB cable.

The sound card is working correctly in reaper, with Jack audio system.

But I cannot get reaper to recognize or use the midi keyboard.
According to the multiple videos/helps I've seen online, the midi device, if detected by the OS, should appear in the preferences under Audio / MIDI Devices (at least after clicking on "Reset all MIDI devices"), which is not the case.

Any idea what can be going wrong?

[Glennbo]

Try using ALSA instead.

With JACK you probably also need a2jmidi to be running, but with ALSA you can likely get both audio and midi going and not need to run anything but REAPER. Be sure to select your audio device on the two drop down selection lists for input and output device, once you select ALSA as the driver to use.

[fae]

It works perfectly with ALSA, thanks!

Most articles I read about reaper recommended to use JACK, are there any drawback with using ALSA directly?

[Glennbo]

No problems. ALSA is actually closer to the physical hardware, where JACK is a process that runs on top of ALSA.

[JamesPeters]

A number of Linux DAW articles mention using Jack specifically since some other DAWs in Linux don't use ALSA directly (or didn't at one time, anyway). Jack was the only way of getting low-latency performance through ALSA for those DAWs. Plus they might be assuming you want to use standalone synths instead of plugins (which is something I never do); Jack would allow you to "connect" audio ins/outs between applications. So it might be assumed you'd "just want to use Jack".

I find Jack useful when recording applications that are producing audio (making a video with sound that shows me working on my computer, playing a game, etc.) but beyond that I don't use Jack.

[Jack Winter]

Linux has traditionally been about using several applications in tandem to achieve one's goals. So one might have used JACK as the glue to connect a tracking recorder, a midi sequencer, plugins, etc. What it really does is connect audio and midi between different applications (even over a network).

Reaper's approach is different in that it does everything, so it doesn't really need the connectivity that JACK brings to the table.

[biopsin]

.. are there any drawback with using ALSA directly?

well, there is only one;
you can't have simultaneous output from any other application while REAPER is running or the other way around.

[offtopic]
I hope the development team would look into this;
be able to set PCM devices or make option for REAPER to detect default alsa dmix too.
[/offtopic]

[Glennbo]

.. are there any drawback with using ALSA directly?

Originally Posted by biopsin

well, there is only one;
you can't have simultaneous output from any other application while REAPER is running or the other way around.

From all the way back to when I ran Windows XP through today, I've always used my motherboard's audio for the OS and always let REAPER have exclusive use of my pro audio device.

I frequently compose stuff jamming through REAPER while at the same time running news or other video on my second monitor.

[biopsin]

Yup did the same, but after loosing the RME multiface,
I removed jack and sold the hw mixer.
Kinda had hoped I would be able to just route all internaly and run of one device.

[Glennbo]

Originally Posted by biopsin

Yup did the same, but after loosing the RME multiface,
I removed jack and sold the hw mixer.
Kinda had hoped I would be able to just route all internaly and run of one device.

I went from two M-Audio Delta 2496 cards using JACK for 4 inputs to a Behringer UMC1820 8 input rack mount audio device. I setup track templates that handle all the routing I need, such that in an empty project I can throw my acoustic drums template into the project, and the 5 mics and channels needed for that task are routed, in record ready, and already have FX and are pre-mixed. Same with bass, guitar, and vocals. They each have different input channels on the sound device, and everything is always plugged in so there's never any re-cabling needed to record from any number of sources.

The Behringer runs ultra low latency using ALSA and like you I removed all traces of JACK.