[linux-audio-user] Re: RME hammerfall DSP Multiface: help needed

Mark Knecht mknecht at controlnet.com
Mon Sep 8 13:38:00 EDT 2003


>
> > If you have no meters on the last row, that is not good, but it doesn't
> > necessarily mean that the card will not produce audio. The
> green audio in
> > hdspmixer is read out of the card. If it's not being displayed,
> then one of
> > two things is happening:
> >
> > 1) Playback audio (wnd row) is not being routed to the outputs
>
> It *looks* as if it would be routed to the outputs.

OK, by default, with firmware loaded and no Alsa applications (hdspmixer,
amixer commands or anything else) doing anything, then my HDSP mixer does
the following routing: (I think!)

In1 + Playback1 == Out1
In2 + Playback2 == Out2
...
In 26 + Playback26 == Out26

So, I think you have fewer I/Os on this card, but I would be surprised if
RME did something very different on your MultiFace.


Maybe you should do what I did when Thomas and I couldn't get outputs
working. Instead of sending audio data out, concentrate on the inputs
instead. Send signals in, check what hdspmixer is displaying, and see if you
can record it to a wave file using something like Audacity or ReZound. You
may find that with your firmware things are off by 2 or 8 channels. Thomas
and I had this problem with the older HDSP 9652 driver. I switched to
debugging the inputs, and when we found the problems that led pretty quickly
to getting the outputs working.

Also, one input signal can get monitored very well in hdspmixer, but one
output signal requires you to check all outputs which is harder for you to
do.

Just an idea.

> > [ ... ] but just because the box says A1+A2 doesn't
> > mean it's routing audio if the fader is down. If the fader is
> up, then the
> > card should be routing audio.
>
> I had moved the faders and unmuted the channels (both with
> hdspmixer and/or
> amixer).

Yes, but if the driver doesn't match up with your firmware, then all you are
doing is controlling a piece of software, and then that software is not
correctly controlling your hardware.

Try the inputs.

> > This is Linux. If you're like me you'll be making newbie
> mistakes forever!
> > ;-)
>
> It's like life, isn't it?

My wife thinks so...

> > I think you may have a firmware problem. Possibly with older firmware,
> > probably available from RME's web site, you will do better.
>
> I am a bit resistant to downgrade the firmware.
> I'd like to hear from somebody who really knows what's the situation
> with firmware, maybe Thomas?

Yes, I understand. There are other MultiFace users here. Maybe they can tell
you want firmware revisions they are running. what do you see with an lspci
or lspci -vv command?

- Mark





More information about the Linux-audio-user mailing list