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GalacticArachnid

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Registered: 2009-01-02

Posts: 155

Website

Slightly Advance Alsa Setup

Im not sure if my approach is correct here, but can I use the .asoundrc file to route sound output in ALSA?

Im not talking about JACK style routing- i dont need to route audio between applications, just make use of multiple audio output ports on my hardware to have two independent audio streams that can run concurrently.

But, I find myself lost every time I try to do this with .asoundrc -> Im just not sure how to tackle this problem

ngoonee

Forum Fellow

From: Between Thailand and Singapore

Registered: 2009-03-17

Posts: 7,362

Re: Slightly Advance Alsa Setup

Yes, you can.

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GalacticArachnid

Member

Registered: 2009-01-02

Posts: 155

Website

Re: Slightly Advance Alsa Setup

Well, that is reassuring (at least I know Im not hitting my head against a brick wall with that approach).

Is there any chance you could point me in the right direction?

ngoonee

Forum Fellow

From: Between Thailand and Singapore

Registered: 2009-03-17

Posts: 7,362

Re: Slightly Advance Alsa Setup

asoundrc documentation is crap, honestly. Try googling for "asoundrc" and filtering out all the "this is how you set a default device" stuff, I did this almost a year ago, am not keen on going through it again.

Its there, though, and you can really do quite a bit of magic. Its all hard-coded though, I'd personally advise you to just use Pulseaudio for flexibility (in some cases, for example switching audio streams between different sound cards, its actually easier than JACK, but for your multi-output card JACK is still king) and ease-of-use.

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Allan-Volunteer on the (topic being discussed) mailn lists. You never get the people who matters attention on the forums.
jasonwryan-Installing Arch is a measure of your literacy. Maintaining Arch is a measure of your diligence. Contributing to Arch is a measure of your competence.
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GalacticArachnid

Member

Registered: 2009-01-02

Posts: 155

Website

Re: Slightly Advance Alsa Setup

Mhh, I found that out for myself when trying to work it out. It seems the best method for understanding it is to look over as many examples as you can, and hope that /they/ are documented! xD

Hmm, I have been looking into pulse audio too now, as my attempts at a .asoundrc seem to bear no fruit :C the most I have managed to do is cause mixxx to segfault a couple of times and had to regen my asound.state after some nasty experimentation with .asoundrc + HDA_Analyzer

Unfortunately, pulseaudio and mixxx do not play nice and I cant find a way of tricking them into it. Ill need to look into JACK I guess..

Any word of advice from experiance would be greatly appreciated ;P

ngoonee

Forum Fellow

From: Between Thailand and Singapore

Registered: 2009-03-17

Posts: 7,362

Re: Slightly Advance Alsa Setup

I find the best solution is pulseaudio on top of JACK if you have apps that need JACK, and pulse alone otherwise. Its not light, and the minimalist-ricers would crucify you for running not just one, but two sound servers. It 'just works' though, and gives tons of control esp with regards to redirecting stuff. If you accidentally put your headphones on the other way and are too lazy to take it off, just redirect in software

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Allan-Volunteer on the (topic being discussed) mailn lists. You never get the people who matters attention on the forums.
jasonwryan-Installing Arch is a measure of your literacy. Maintaining Arch is a measure of your diligence. Contributing to Arch is a measure of your competence.
Griemak-Bleeding edge, not bleeding flat. Edge denotes falls will occur from time to time. Bring your own parachute.

brebs

Member

Registered: 2007-04-03

Posts: 3,742

Re: Slightly Advance Alsa Setup

multiple audio output ports

You're being very vague. If they are different PCM outputs in ALSA, then yes you can, as long as the apps you are using allow you to specify the output PCM.