From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Thu Nov 22 23:49:55 2007 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id BFB8716A418 for ; Thu, 22 Nov 2007 23:49:55 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from kline@tao.thought.org) Received: from tao.thought.org (dsl231-043-140.sea1.dsl.speakeasy.net [216.231.43.140]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 4C57F13C4E1 for ; Thu, 22 Nov 2007 23:49:55 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from kline@tao.thought.org) Received: from tao.thought.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by tao.thought.org (8.13.8/8.13.1) with ESMTP id lAMNnreE065291; Thu, 22 Nov 2007 15:49:53 -0800 (PST) (envelope-from kline@tao.thought.org) Received: (from kline@localhost) by tao.thought.org (8.13.8/8.13.1/Submit) id lAMNnqpE065290; Thu, 22 Nov 2007 15:49:52 -0800 (PST) (envelope-from kline) Date: Thu, 22 Nov 2007 15:49:52 -0800 From: Gary Kline To: Ian Smith Message-ID: <20071122234952.GA65071@thought.org> References: <20071122120047.2815B16A421@hub.freebsd.org> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: User-Agent: Mutt/1.4.2.3i X-Organization: Thought Unlimited. Public service Unix since 1986. X-Of_Interest: With 21 of service to the Unix community. Cc: Gary Kline , freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: is this IT or not/ X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Thu, 22 Nov 2007 23:49:55 -0000 On Fri, Nov 23, 2007 at 01:22:37AM +1100, Ian Smith wrote: > On Wed, 21 Nov 2007 10:25:35 -0800 Gary Kline wrote: > > On Wed, Nov 21, 2007 at 06:23:29PM +0100, Roland Smith wrote: > > > On Wed, Nov 21, 2007 at 12:12:50AM -0800, Gary Kline wrote: [[ ... ]] > It actually says "could not open /dev/sequencer to get some info. > Probably there is another program using it". where 'probably' may often > be true on Linux, but here it's proved a less than helpful hint. Really! > > > > Does /dev/sequencer actually exist? > > > > > > I think it's looking for a deprecated device. On my 7.0-BETA2 machine, > > > the sound(4) manpage only lists /dev/audio*, /dev/dsp* and /dev/sndstat. > > > > > > Looking at the manual pages on the FreeBSD site, there was a > > > /dev/sequencer in 4.x, but not in 5.x and later. > > That's about right, FreeBSD hasn't had MIDI since newpcm arrived, IIRC. > I vaguely recall a few people missing it, but nobody offering any code. So is MIDI just passe? What files I have are from the late 90's. In human terms that is relatively recent; it tech terms the 1990's were centuries ago. > > > > BTW, 'cat /dev/sndstat' shows you the installed sound devices. > > > > Right; I tried catting /dev/sndstat awhile ago. Didn't see much > > It's all in the handbook, but check out sound|snd|pcm(4) re tuning .. > > paqi% sysctl hw.snd > hw.snd.targetirqrate: 32 > hw.snd.report_soft_formats: 1 > hw.snd.verbose: 2 > hw.snd.unit: 0 > hw.snd.maxautovchans: 4 > hw.snd.pcm0.buffersize: 4096 > hw.snd.pcm0.vchans: 4 > > With .verbose=2 you'll see plenty of info :) and you can make good use > of the vchans to stop KDE sounds and non-KDE programs (like XMMS etc) > tripping over each other, by assigning one of /dev/dsp* to KDE, say. This will be a *major* help, thanks! > Kmid is for playing MIDI files using the soundcard synth chip, for which > /dev/sequencer is the missing device, so it's of no use to you. I've > used audio/timidity in the past to convert some .mid files of interest > into .wav files on the way towards making .mp3s, but I never did get it > to work to play .mid files directly. YMMV, there are later versions .. > > > This is also why lsof fails. > > Sorry, I don't see a connection with lsof? ---It was someone's guess; and to be fair, lsof has helped previously. A chap from kde-freebsd clued me in somewhat about Kmid. I spent several hours getting amaroK to work, but don't see how the two programs interface. amaroK doesn't understand *.mid files. ((?)) > > > Hm, no src. Kmid is build from the kde3 source. > > Unless you really want to, you don't want to go there :) Um, yeah! LOL. Atleast not till kde7 :-) > > KDE, despite all the *wonderful* porting done to FreeBSD, is still very > Linux-centric in lots of its assumptions, I find. I use plenty of KDE > but the sound system has always been a bear here. This laptop has never > worked with ArtS so I don't bother with it, and I'll use Kmix for basic > volume adjustments, yet need to use mixer(8) to switch recording device, > and prefer using commandline scripts using sox and lame for recording. > > Which brings me to your earlier (unresolved?) question about missing > sound on playing audio CDs .. first assuming your CD drive is properly > externally wired to your soundcard(?), check the level on the 'cd' > device, in Kmix 'input' tab or if in doubt, good ol' /usr/sbin/mixer: > > paqi% mixer > Mixer vol is currently set to 90:90 > Mixer synth is currently set to 0:0 > Mixer pcm is currently set to 90:90 > Mixer speaker is currently set to 95:95 > Mixer line is currently set to 0:0 > Mixer mic is currently set to 0:0 > Mixer cd is currently set to 92:92 > Mixer line1 is currently set to 0:0 > Recording source: mic > I did have a "vfs." entry in the wong file; that has seemed to make a big difference. On my Ubuntu server most of these utilities Just-Work. I would like to burn CD's and maybe a DvD or two. But k3b seems way too far. Do you--or anyone else on-List--know if the gnome burner (*Baker) works out of the box? ---I realize that our speciality is as-servers. With stability. But since I'm building a new main machine that is not my DNS/web/server, I'd rather stick with FBSD. Nutshell: as many audio/video suites as possible. gary > Good luck, Ian > -- Gary Kline kline@thought.org www.thought.org Public Service Unix http://jottings.thought.org http://transfinite.thought.org