• Registered: 2008-11-16
  • Posts: 1

Topic: HDSPe MADI on Ubuntu Studio

Hi all,

I am experiencing problems trying to get the RME HDSPe MADI card working with Ubuntu Studio, kernel v. 2.6.24-21-rt (with a ADI-8 QS is connected via the optical MADI interface).

The Audiacity | Preferances comes up with the Playback device:
ALSA_: HDSPM MADI: RME HDSPM MADI (hw 1.0))
and the Recording device:
ALSA: HDSPM MADI: RME HDSPM MADI (hw 1.0)

However, hdspmixer claims that there it cannot find a Hammerfall DSP card.
There seems to be some missing low level firmware. If that is the case, where can I get it from?
Also, the red error LED on the HDSPe card is illuminated.
Below is some potenisally useful information.
   

================================================
The output from: $ lspci -nn | grep MADI:
04:00.0 Multimedia audio controller [0401]: Xilinx Corporation RME Hammerfall DSP MADI [10ee:3fc6] (rev d2)


================================================
The output from $ hdspmixer:

HDSPMixer 1.6 - Copyright (C) 2003 Thomas Charbonnel <thomas@undata.org>
This program comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY
HDSPMixer is free software, see the file COPYING for details

Looking for HDSP cards :
Card 0 : HDA Intel at 0xfdff8000 irq 22
Card 1 : RME HDSPM MADI at 0xfddf0000, irq 17
No Hammerfall DSP card found.

================================================
The output from: $ cat /proc/asound/card1/hdsp:

RME HDSPM MADI (Card #2) Rev.d2 Status2first3bits: 1
IRQ: 17 Registers bus: 0xfddf0000 VM: 0xffffc20000be0000
--- System ---
IRQ Pending: Audio=0, MIDI0=0, MIDI1=0, IRQcount=2483
HW pointer: id = 0, rawptr = 0 (0->16320) estimated= 0 (bytes)
MIDI FIFO: Out1=0x0, Out2=0x0, In1=0x0, In2=0x0
Register: ctrl1=0x1014c9a, ctrl2=0x0, status1=0x2800000, status2=0xc0020701
--- Settings ---
Size (Latency): 2048 samples (2 periods of 8192 bytes)
Line out: on ,   Precise Pointer: off
Inputsel = Coaxial, SyncRef = MADI
ClearTrackMarker = off, Transmit in 64 Channel Mode, Auto Input on
Sample Clock Source: Internal 44.1 kHz
System Clock Mode: Master
Preferred Sync Reference: MADI Sync
System Clock Frequency: 44100
--- Status:
Inputs MADI=NoLock, WordClock=NoLock
AutoSync: Reference= Input not valid, Freq=0 (MADI = 10, Word = 0)
Input: Optical, Mode=56 channels

  • Registered: 2008-07-28
  • Posts: 3

Re: HDSPe MADI on Ubuntu Studio

Linuxuser wrote:

Hi all,

I am experiencing problems trying to get the RME HDSPe MADI card working with Ubuntu Studio, kernel v. 2.6.24-21-rt (with a ADI-8 QS is connected via the optical MADI interface).

The Audiacity | Preferances comes up with the Playback device:
ALSA_: HDSPM MADI: RME HDSPM MADI (hw 1.0))
and the Recording device:
ALSA: HDSPM MADI: RME HDSPM MADI (hw 1.0)

However, hdspmixer claims that there it cannot find a Hammerfall DSP card.
There seems to be some missing low level firmware. If that is the case, where can I get it from?
Also, the red error LED on the HDSPe card is illuminated.
Below is some potenisally useful information.
   

================================================
The output from: $ lspci -nn | grep MADI:
04:00.0 Multimedia audio controller [0401]: Xilinx Corporation RME Hammerfall DSP MADI [10ee:3fc6] (rev d2)


================================================
The output from $ hdspmixer:

HDSPMixer 1.6 - Copyright (C) 2003 Thomas Charbonnel <thomas@undata.org>
This program comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY
HDSPMixer is free software, see the file COPYING for details

Looking for HDSP cards :
Card 0 : HDA Intel at 0xfdff8000 irq 22
Card 1 : RME HDSPM MADI at 0xfddf0000, irq 17
No Hammerfall DSP card found.

================================================
The output from: $ cat /proc/asound/card1/hdsp:

RME HDSPM MADI (Card #2) Rev.d2 Status2first3bits: 1
IRQ: 17 Registers bus: 0xfddf0000 VM: 0xffffc20000be0000
--- System ---
IRQ Pending: Audio=0, MIDI0=0, MIDI1=0, IRQcount=2483
HW pointer: id = 0, rawptr = 0 (0->16320) estimated= 0 (bytes)
MIDI FIFO: Out1=0x0, Out2=0x0, In1=0x0, In2=0x0
Register: ctrl1=0x1014c9a, ctrl2=0x0, status1=0x2800000, status2=0xc0020701
--- Settings ---
Size (Latency): 2048 samples (2 periods of 8192 bytes)
Line out: on ,   Precise Pointer: off
Inputsel = Coaxial, SyncRef = MADI
ClearTrackMarker = off, Transmit in 64 Channel Mode, Auto Input on
Sample Clock Source: Internal 44.1 kHz
System Clock Mode: Master
Preferred Sync Reference: MADI Sync
System Clock Frequency: 44100
--- Status:
Inputs MADI=NoLock, WordClock=NoLock
AutoSync: Reference= Input not valid, Freq=0 (MADI = 10, Word = 0)
Input: Optical, Mode=56 channels

********************************************************************************


HI
Did you try removing the other sound card in the bios, (Card 0 : HDA Intel at 0xfdff8000 irq 22)   simple I know but it may help, and are you using Jack, if so does it see the card?
Cheers
Bob

3 Reply by AH

  • AH
  • ADAT user
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2008-04-07
  • Posts: 22

Re: HDSPe MADI on Ubuntu Studio

Hi Linuxuser

Linuxuser wrote:

Hi all,

However, hdspmixer claims that there it cannot find a Hammerfall DSP card.
There seems to be some missing low level firmware. If that is the case, where can I get it from?
Also, the red error LED on the HDSPe card is illuminated.
Below is some potenisally useful information.

hdspmixer only works for non-MADI-architecture cards, like HDSP9632 for example. You are using an hdspM-style card (at the moment that's HDSP MADI, HDSPe MADI, HDSP AES-32 and HDSPe AES).

You can use text mode hdspmmixer (note the double M) to configure the card's internal mixer.

HTH
AH

  • Registered: 2010-05-02
  • Posts: 1

Re: HDSPe MADI on Ubuntu Studio

Thank you so much for your post.
_________________

  • Registered: 2009-03-02
  • Posts: 80

Re: HDSPe MADI on Ubuntu Studio

Hey guys, I know this is an old post, but thats exactly why I am posting.  I want to let everyone know about my recent experiences with Linux and my HDSPe MADI card (hdspm driver for linux)

I am currently running standard 64-bit Ubuntu 10.04LTS on an 8 core 2.8gHz mac pro harpertown with 8 gig of ram. 

I use the HDSPe MADI card with a pair of Euphonix converters giving me 28 inputs and 28 outputs at any sample rate between 32kHz and96kHz. Provided the computer is the master clock and both converters accept word sync, I can use jack at 44.1, 48. 88.2 and 96 (other rates not tested).  The catch is that you MUST use alsamixer to set the sample rate.  I believe that this is because the firmware actually reconfigures the fpga when moving from a 1x sample rate to a 2x one.  I believe that this is also the reason that I cannot get Jack to start at 88.2 or 96 if the card is syncing as a slave to the converter.  I have been over this with RME and am still not clear as to why, but for some reason, EVEN WHEN THE CARD IS SLAVE TO WORD CLOCK such as a house master sync, it will not change from a 1x to a 2x sample rate without you switching it somewhere in the software, whether from a daw or the hdsp settings app (os x).  Because of this limitation or feature, for now it seems that the card must be the master sync, which is fine with me.  Both Euphonix converters happily accept the word clock and change rates immediately when switched from the alsamixer terminal application.

I use jack in real time mode and switch off cpu scaling.  By doing this I can comfortably run at 88.2kHz with only a 64 sample buffer, giving me a ROUND TRIP latency if only 1.4 ms.  This is astonishingly good. In Ardour or Mixbus, my capture buffer never falls below 70% which means that with the generic 64-bit kernel, audio is streaming within .2ms of real time.  OS X simply cannot compete with that.   

There are still limitations.  One being that it seems that the card must be that master sync, which for my workflow, is totally fine.  Another limitations which does effect my workflow is the fact that I cannot route directly from an input to an output at the card.  I can do this from within jack, but with the hdsp mixer app for os x I can effectively use the card as a 28x28 matrix mixer, flexibility that I have long enjoyed.  The current linux implementation brings the card from godly powerful to pure simplicity:  capture volume and playback volume.  I can still route any audio app to any output with jack, so all in all, unless im trying to give 14 people each a custom headphone mix of the inputs, I'm all set.  Also, the super low latency helps make up for having to use software monitoring...

Anyway, just an update.  As I put this rig through its paces, ill post back letting you guys know any permanent info I can find.  Hopefully this can help someone. 

Thanks to all of the developers who made this a viable solution! 

Peace,
Brian

  • Registered: 2012-01-13
  • Posts: 3

Re: HDSPe MADI on Ubuntu Studio

Thank you, bmdaugherty!  I just purchased the HDSPe Madi card, and will be using it with gentoo Linux.  Any updates on any progress with the newer 1.0.24.1 alsa version and the hdspmixer with this card?

Thanks again!  Information on this card and linux is sparse at best.

I'll post here with any info I obtain.