Linux > JRiver Media Center 31 for Linux
How do I get System mixer and my iFi usb DAC to play nice together?
penger10:
Baffled again. I'm using a iFi ZEN DAC usb sound card which people on the forum helped me get working properly (Thank You all!) mwillems mentioned in one of the comments to make sure that the system sound wasn't using the iFi Dac or it could create problems. He was right. If I use the computer to do anything else, youtube for instance, it breaks the audio connection between the iFi and MC. Only rebooting seems to set things right. I pointed the system sounds to one of the other audio "cards" it sees and now MC seems fine. Only problem is I'm unable to hear sound from anything but MC. Like most using this software, I'm running a HTPC connected to my stereo. The only way to get a signal to my stereo is through the iFi DAC, unless I run another line from the pc sound card to a different input on the preamp, but that sounds like a pain. Is there an 'exclusive' mode in Linux? Didn't have this problem in Windows. Any solutions out there?
mwillems:
--- Quote from: penger10 on March 10, 2024, 12:34:01 pm ---Baffled again. I'm using a iFi ZEN DAC usb sound card which people on the forum helped me get working properly (Thank You all!) mwillems mentioned in one of the comments to make sure that the system sound wasn't using the iFi Dac or it could create problems. He was right. If I use the computer to do anything else, youtube for instance, it breaks the audio connection between the iFi and MC. Only rebooting seems to set things right. I pointed the system sounds to one of the other audio "cards" it sees and now MC seems fine. Only problem is I'm unable to hear sound from anything but MC. Like most using this software, I'm running a HTPC connected to my stereo. The only way to get a signal to my stereo is through the iFi DAC, unless I run another line from the pc sound card to a different input on the preamp, but that sounds like a pain. Is there an 'exclusive' mode in Linux? Didn't have this problem in Windows. Any solutions out there?
--- End quote ---
So you kind of have to make a choice between bit perfect output or using the system mixer. If you don't mind using the system mixer and getting some audio remixing there, you can tell JRiver to use pulseaudio or pipewire (whichever your system uses) as the audio output device. Then JRiver will use the system mixer and youtube and other system sounds will all work normally and you can use the same DAC for everything.
If you want bit-perfect output from JRiver, you need to use the hardware direct outputs in JRiver (e.g. front:, etc.) which won't allow you to use the same device with the system mixer at the same time; either JRiver can control it or the system mixer can control it, but not both at once. It's a little odd that JRiver can't regain control of the audio output once you've broken the connection. My experience has been that once there is no audio on the system mixer, it will release the device eventually and JRiver can reestablish control, but there does need to be a period with no audio. One thing I've noticed is that web audio will often hold open the audio device even when paused in the background, so you could try closing your browser and seeing if JRiver can regain control of the device then?
penger10:
mwillems, thanks for the reply. I'm really enjoying the sound I'm getting out of using the hardware direct outputs and would like to continue using them. I'll get back to you after I experiment with some of your suggestions. Have you found getting the system mixer involved to negatively affect your sound?
Thanks for your help!
Awesome Donkey:
Everything going through the system mixer is usually resampled (to 48 kHz by default if I recall correctly), which is always a lossy process, so the audio you'd hear is not bit-perfect anymore. And for some users it going through the system mixer and being resampled is not acceptable. The hw:, front:, etc. outputs are direct and bypass the system mixer and its resampling and are thus bit-perfect but you'll encounter the things you've mentioned. Indeed stopping playback instead of pausing playback usually allows MC to release the audio output allowing system audio to work, and that's likely the only workaround here versus using the pulse/pipewire output and going through the system mixer.
penger10:
SOoooo.....Test results
AD you were correct, setting it to pulse audio system mixer downsampled my 192khz files down to 48khz, don't like that. While I had it set to the pulse audio, I went into the " system sounds" and pointed it back to the iFi DAC. Did a test, left and right speakers have sound, but NOTHING else had sound, not Youtube, Not HDtracks (where I buy music), not Celluloid, but MC did play. I rebooted, same results.
I then pointed it back to "front: iFi DAC" in sound device in MC, got my bit perfect sound back. Rebooted again with bit perfect. MC works fine, can watch youtube from inside MC but no audio on youtube from web browser, Celluloid...only MC has sound....and the left/right speaker check in the system sound settings.
I'm on a roll today ;D Should I post my sysinfo?
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