[LAU] ffado and new PC

[David Kastrup]

Len Ovens <len-ODU3Ot18rIYsV2N9l4h3zg at public.gmane.org> writes:

> On Tue, 17 Oct 2017, Mac wrote:
>
>> I built a new PC and installed Ubuntu Studio 16.04.
>>
>> The PC has a firewire card.
>
> As firewire has been added to alsa, the alsa firewire drivers are
> loaded instead. So you should be able to see your device as an alsa
> device (check arecord -l). I have heard (though I have no FW HW) that
> the old FW drivers may still be more stable, but to use them you need
> to blacklist the alsa FW module(s) so that the old style FW kernel
> modules can load.

It depends.  I can use Ffado fine for the Mackie Onyx mixer Firewire
card even though Alsa also offers to access it (through snd_ox I think).
I had to blacklist the (not properly functioning for this card) snd_dice
driver for Ffado to be able to access an Alesis iO|14.

In general, when sound hardware is old enough to have been supported in
the heydey of Ffado, the Alsa drivers are more likely to be of
"afterthought" quality in my experience.

-- 
David Kastrup