I'm writing to notify of success with the db60xg -- thanks Rui, for turning me on to this great $20.00 synth!! Only remaining mystery is how to get qjackctl to open both the analog (hw:6,0) and digital (hw:6,1) parts of the Dynex dx-sc51 so I can have independent headpone monitors and SPDIF->main monitor....
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I got it all working! Here's my first recording (1 minute long done in qtractor) of the Yamaha db60xg waveterminal daughterboard synth, playing through- hosted-on, and recorded-by the dynex dx-sc51. MIDI for the db60xg is driven by the Suzuki Qchord and "Rhythm Style QCard QRC-1" #16 "Salsa" cartridge, randomly chorded by me:
http://nielsmayer.com/DjColtraneRexx-qchord-salsa.flac ... basically, the qchord is a fancy chorded arpeggiator with a quantizing strumplate...
I now can record directly from the db60xg's analog output (it appears as the "Video In" analog input in alsamixer. To get it working, I had to use alsamixergui to set the soundcard's capture input to "Video In" and not the default microphone). I then tell jackd to output to hw:ICE1724,1 (SPDIF) which connects my main monitors. Then I can either record off the capture input, or select monitor to send the db60xg sound, mixed with PCM, over SPDIF to the mains. Now if I could only figure out how to get Jack to open the Dynex card's analog (hw:ICE1724,0) and digital (hw:ICE1724,1) parts simultaneously, i'd also have a separate headphone monitor in addition to the working spdif out. Unfortunately, the snd-ice1724 module for this card doesn't recognize it as a 6 channel card, providing only a 2in/2out with separate SPDIF ( see
http://old.nabble.com/Re:-perhaps-why-some-of-us-have-more-trouble-w--pulseaudio-than-others-(ICE1712-M-audio-delta-problem-w--pulseaudio)-td28498250i40.html )
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Some additional notes I took on using&recording from the db60xg with dynex dx-sc5:
** Working jackd/qjackctl configuration -- allows for SPDIF output and normal 2 channels of capture fed by db60xg (when capture input setup as "Video")
-- ~/.jackdrc == "/usr/bin/jackd -dalsa -r48000 -p256 -n2 -D -Chw:6,0 -Phw:6,1 -Xseq -zs -H -M"
-- note that in "setup" Interface set to "(default)" and "Input Device" set to "hw:6,0" ; "Output Device" set to "hw:6,1" (to get SPDIF out); use "hw:6,0" for analog/headphones.
-- for some reason, this fails when setting symbolic name, e.g. "-Chw:ICE1724,0 -Phw:ICE1724,1" -- therefore jack setup is sensitive to ALSA moving cards around.
** in alsamixer (F4-record) make sure input set to "Video" == db60xg and "capture" is selected
Item:"L R Capture" in red must appear above "Video" input. Cursor to there and hit 'space' to select.
Item: "L R Capture" in red must ALSO appear above "Capture" input, otherwise all capture is muted. This normally sets "mic boost" but should be set to 0db.
(to select, cursor to "Capture" and hit 'space').
** in alsamixer (F3-playback):
Item: "Multi Track Rate Locking" set to [Off]
Item: "Multi Track Rate Reset" set to [Off]
Item: "SPDIF" (left): set to "[H/W In 0]" to monitor db60xg ; set to "PCM" for normal/DAW usage.
Item: "SPDIF 1" (right): set to "[H/W In 1]" to monitor db60xg ; set to "PCM" for normal/DAW usage.
Item: "Video" set to 74 == 0db. Note that this just controls the mix-level of the db60xg in the "digital mixer" that feeds the analog output and headphone monitor
(like 'PCM' adjusts level of PCM into the mixer.).
** IMPORTANT: Both for monitoring through SPDIF as well as capture/recording, careful to prevent clipping of this analog "Video" input:
-- the level of the db60xg must be adjusted in qxgedit's Master volume. The "Video" input just adjusts the mix level after the input.
-- Many public XG midi files are very loud and require total volume set to 80-100 not 127. (this results in a loudness blip at the end if the track uses master volume to fade, and the level was set below where the fadelevel started...).
-- use "qarecord --jack --rate 48000" to check levels and set via 'xgedit' system/effect->Master->Volume