Computeraudio Primer for Linux with MPD

Many months back one of our well-respected members suggested giving Linux a try for computer audio playback. I did so using Unbuntu Linux and was impressed with the results right away. I did not finish the project though and started on other things and just filed my notes. Some time go I noticed a post from Chris named "Current CA Music Servers and Diagram" where he depicted a Linux project on an Alix board. Being curious about Linux, I decided to ask some questions on it in a post named "Alix Project". I received some feedback from a member (NYC_Peramedic) with some links to a fellow explaining the project from start to finish. I printed it in full and began to read and take notes. After spending some time trying to think how I could spin this into something that others would want to try I again put it aside. It's not a hard project, but it has IMO to many steps and you would need to install two Linux operating systems on two machines you dedicate to this project. It was interesting, but too complicated.

Now fast forward to a change meeting between Andrew from vortexbox.org and myself.
Andrew has developed a Linux based system (can you see the connection:) that has some great features. Vortexbox (available from vortexbox.org as a free download) can be installed on a spare computer. These are some of the key features of Vortexbox:

1. Automatically rips your CDs into your internal storage drive in "Paranoid Mode"
2. Automatically encodes your rips
3. Automatically tags the files
4. Automatically finds the cover art for your music and adds the image in the album's folder
5. Converts your rips to other formats via web interface command
6. Automatically shares your data over your home network for playback on your hi-fi system
7. You can even copy and paste your existing music collection for storage and playback

FYI all this without a mouse or keyboard or monitor

So after installing Vortexbox and getting it up and running I wondered if Andrew could add MPD. Much to my surprise he said he could and if your following along this would make it a headless player, auto ripper and nas……pretty awesome!

More to follow

Jesus R
www.sonore.us

MPD stands for Music Player Daemon. It's a Linux based client and server combination for computer audio playback.

The client can be the computer itself running Linux and MPD or a pc laptop/desktop or a mac laptop/desktop or an iphone/itouch or some other portable hand held device. This site contains a list of the clients available: http://mpd.wikia.com/wiki/Clients. I use the GMPC on my pc laptop and MPoD for my itouch as clients.

The server in this example would be Vortexbox running MPD.

Let me explain the server/client relationship, as this can be confusing at first. The server is running MPD and MPD is actually the audio player. It's the program that is consistent in the equation and looks at you storage and outputs to your audio device. The client is basically the dashboard that let’s you see what MPD sees and can play. The client is the variable in the equation and changes based on your needs or the system telling MPD to play, pause, stop and so on.

More to follow

Jesus R
www.sonore.us

Lets get Vortexbox up and running. I'm using one of my spare fanless cases that has a single core cpu, 2Gbs of ram, 1Tb HDD and a slot load cd/dvd. I also used an old Dell Latitude tower (clunker) with nothing special as a proof of concept. Use whatever you can dedicate to the project.

You’re going to download Vortexbox into your computer from http://vortexbox.org/downloads/

Then you need to burn a cd or dvd image of the program. You need some kind of dvd burning software though like Roxio or Clone DVD or Nero to burn the image on the cd/dvd. Remember this is not the same as copy/paste the file into the cd/dvd.

Drop the disk into your spare machine and restart it. The Vortexbox installation guide should start up at boot. If it does not start up then either something went wrong with your download and burn or the cd/dvd is not in the boot list in your cmos.

The first option in the installation menu should work for most people. The installation goes pretty quick and will ask you some simple questions like time zone and to enter a password. Need I say don't forget the password you enter!

When the installation reaches the end it will reboot. At that point you can remove the install disk. Connect an ethernet cable from your home network with internet to the network port of the unit and your done. At this point you can rip a cd by just putting one in and closing the door. When it's done it will open the tray automatically. Simple!

In order to install MPD you will need a keyboard and a monitor to access the Vortexbox command line. You could access the Vortexbox command line via a pc running telnet or putty, but that is for the advanced bunch and I’m trying to keep it simple for now. Most times when you start up the unit you will see the IP address of the machine. Write down the IP address for later. To log into the unit after boot enter your login name. Your login name is always going to be the word “root” your password is what ever you entered during the install. I told you would need it.

We are going to enter some simple commands first to update the unit and then install MPD.

Type “yum -y update” and let it go to work.
Then type, “reboot” and let it reboot.

When it reboots login again as before with “root” as login name and your password.

Now type “setup-mpd” and let it go to work.

When this is done we need to setup some volume numbers for the unit so you don’t get a beep from hell. ****Always test with your system in low volume**** I use a cheap set of headphones just in case.

Type “alsamixer” and a simple gui should come up. Basically, we want 0db on outputs and mute on “line” and “mic”. This should kill the beep from hell. However better safe then sorry ****Always test with your system in low volume****

More to follow

Jesus R
www.sonore.us

I'll start with the iphone/itouch as its pretty simple. Find and install MPoD app on your iphone/itouch. Your done....kidding! I don't remember if at first start up it has a setup. Anyway, if you press the mini plug icon you should get a preferences screen. Click on "MPD" serve then "new connection". Under name enter "Vortexbox" or whatever you like. Under server enter the IP address of the unit. Then press "save". When you go back to preferences it should list "Vortexbox" or what ever you called it under MPD Server. If not click on the arrow and add Vortexbox so it does list it. Now when it connects and you press on albums it should list anything you have ripped thus far. It’s looking at the flac folder in Vortexbox just so you know.

GMPC for windows is much the same to set up. Before you needed to install to programs, but that seems to have changed. I have no way to verify at this point so report back. You can download GMPC at http://gmpc.wikia.com/wiki/GMPC_0.19.1 and click on “installer” or “zip”. The first time you start it a setup screen appears. Under name enter "Vortexbox" or whatever you like. Under host enter the IP address of the unit and press connect.

Some have reported trouble with the firewall and you may need to disable it if you can’t connect. My connected I have the firewall set to medium.

Good Luck and Enjoy!

Jesus R
www.sonore.us

PS when you rip new cds in GMPC you need to update the database. The command is in the "server" pull down menu along the top of the program.

The build has been simplified by adding MPD to the Vortexbox software package. Just install the latest version of the Vortexbox software and enter the following commands:

yum clean all
yum update
setup-vb-player

Jesus R
www.sonore.us

and it seems like the Vortexbox player is coming along. I may install that for giggles if I can free up some hardware.
Might be interesting to try running Vortexbox itself as a VM.

Jesus R, I noticed in your sig that you seem to have a Lynx AES16 running under Linux. I was unaware that there was a Linux driver and didn't think it was a supported card under ALSA. Any tips to get it running?

you may just end up keeping it....hehehe. Pop a $40 drive into the machine you already have to boot it up and get it going. I doesn't take or need much!

Vortexbox installs and has a web gui that helps you setup the alsa supported devices. Your right the Lynx cards are not supported under alsa, but are supported. I have the Lynx AES16 working 100% and the Lynx L22 spdif working 100% and analog working around 98%. Something about the analog I can't put my finger on and I need to test it more.

If you install it with a card just let me know and we can talk about getting it up for you. Are you other machines apple or pc?

Jesus R
www.sonore.us

Vortexbox is an interesting project. It is essentailly what I have done with Ubuntu but with out the Squeeze Box server as I have no need for it.

I have Ubuntu (Linux) server running MPD outputting via USB -> SPDIF dongle. I control MPD with MPoD on my iPod Touch & iPhone. I have also set it up to detect an audio CD in the drive and automatically rip it to FLAC and MP3. All quite easy if you are an experienced Linux user like me (I remember when you had to roll your own kernel) but it is great to see that someone has taken the time and effort to package it all up for the Linux newbie :-)

Took your advice Jesus, and took it for a test drive. It installed quite seamlessly and only took a minor but of fiddling to get the onboard sound card working. (there are 2 in the box -- an nvidia on the MB and a Lynx AES16e). It did not recognize the Lynx card and I've had no joy thus far in getting it working. All tips and hints welcome here. Ideally I'd like to have both cards running.

The ripping aspect worked very well, and I think from that perspective alone there will be some voretex in my future, even if it is as a dedicated ripping station connected to a NAS.

"It did not recognize the Lynx card and I've had no joy thus far in getting it working. All tips and hints welcome here"

You can find in the ALSA website the inventory of all cards natively supported.
check http://www.alsa-project.org/main/index.php/Matrix:Vendor-Lynx_Studio_Tec...

Is this kernel based on Fedora?

Any chance of getting it built with ffado to support various Firewire DAC's like TC Konnekt or others?

Of course the latest ALSA should be a part of the distro, but it would be nice if Firewire was considered as well....it would really put it head and shoulders above all others.

FYI many Firewire interfaces DO work with ffado but none of them are automatically configured or available in any distro that I know of....

As you might know, many MANY people here use Firewire DAC's

Jesus knows how to get the Lynx working. If you want to try yourself you'll need OSS retail version. Scroll to the bottom of this page http://manuals.opensound.com/devlists/Linux.html

Chris,

OSS huh? Thanks for the head's up that's quite helpful. Too bad though, OSS is effectively dead to me. ALSA is every bit as capable and I don't quite cotton to the OSS business model (personal pref but with a long history behind it). Clearly, I'd love to see Lynx AES16 as a supported card under ALSA.

Jesus, to answer your earlier question - The other machines are macs

Do NOT install the OSS package! Two reasons: 1. The Lynx AES16e (express) is NOT supported. 2. It will mess up your ALSA and that will not work.

Jesus R
www.sonore.us

sorry about the above confusion! I thought we were all talking about the Lynx pci cards.

Regarding NAS: Vortexbox is already a NAS and a backup/RAID unit in one. When you load the OS the first time you can install two drives (any size you want) and select the Raid 1 option. If you ripped some music and the unit is on the home network you should already see Vortexbox in iTunes as it auto shares on the network.

Jesus R
www.sonore.us

Does OSS have Firewire support?

Does this product ship with Firewire support?

Which Firewire DAC's are supported???

cool site about the Jag! Have you been into www.jagsthatrun.com. It's a fun site even if your not into that kind of conversion. I have a custom version of Vortexbox with 500GB running in my 34 Ford with my Lynx L22 card as output. I use an aux input on the radio, use the radio as a preamp, and control it with my iTouch:)

FYI Vortexbox can rip into flac and wav (depends) and mirrors into mp3 and mp4 as a bonus.

The thing about Squeeze Box Server (SBS) is that we have modified it to also control MPD. So if you have Vortexbox running on the home network then from any computer with a browser you can type the unit's ip and BAMM you control MPD. You can also just use your iTouch, but now you have more options!

Stick around I could use an experienced Linux user.....

Jesus R
www.sonore.us

"YUM" thats funny!

The Kernel is Fedora 11 and no plans to use 12 just in case you want to know.

In order to install FFADO it requires some other things first and it's a work in progress. However, you should know that the research into FFADO is proving to be very interesting and will benafit all vortexbox users. It's like the Indy car research making it's way into the consumers hot rod:)

We are commited to making it simple for all users. We have done so for ALSA, OSS is next and then Firewire.

Jesus R
www.sonore.us

Hi Jesus !

Wow !! What a great day ! I've been waiting for this for a long time. I was desperate been once able to install and use a good music server on a Linux based computer.
But I 've never found information on how Linux reads the musical files.
So my first question : does it make Kernel Streaming, like some players on Windows ? IMO bitperfect is the only good way to play music from a computer.
And my second question : will it work with Pulseaudio or only with ALSA ?
And my third question : on a Windows based computer I use a Nokia 770 internet tablet as a remote. Will I be able to use it with your system on Linux ?

And I have to look if the RME cards are supported in Alsa and/or Pulseaudio

Many thanks, best regards

Peter

Sorry for my bad English !

Can I ask what is the use base for this project...USB or SPDIF via some card?

Also I had major issues with Fedora in the past, believe it was version 10...
Currently I use MPD via Linux Mint, can I ask which version of MPD do you recommend and how do you get around the issue with MPD and the issue with LAME decoding AAC for internet radio? It appears that the current release of MPD does not include AAC decoding because of some copyright issues...I think.

Last question [for now] does your distro seamlessly support XBMC or BOXee? I'm sure that you realize XBMC at least is the future of media via a computer interface...of course imo.

Thanks Jesus, I would have avoided OSS like the plague at any rate :) but it's good to know the card is not supported. (Lynx AES16e - PCI express to be completely clear).

4front list it as a supported card -- until you read the release notes -- nice.

So I'm at a bit of a loss then. What kernel module are you loading to get ALSA and Pulse working for the Lynx AES16e?

Not sure what you mean by "use base for this project"

We use a custom version of MPD with better streaming support. SqueezeBox server controls the streaming and it decodes the AAC and send them to MPD as FLAC.

VortexBox supports almost any player XBMC, iTunes, Winamp, Logitech hardware players, USB DACs, etc.

Use should be User....

Meaning is their more support for USB devices or SPDIF? So far I have not heard of any major issues with either, except some with the issues with Async USB DAC's. But I think the latest ALSA release fixes many issues.

Perhaps I should dive into the software and let it answer my questions instead of annoying you.

USB and SPDIF support should both be good. We are using ALSA 1.0.22 if that helps.

I would love to here what you think of VortexBox. Most VortexBox users are casual listeners not audiophiles and I'm interested in feedback from the audiophile community to help make Vortexbox better.

" have a custom version of Vortexbox with 500GB running in my 34 Ford with my Lynx L22 card as output."

Hi Jesus - Did I read that correctly? You have a 1934 ford with a Vortextbox and Lynx? That is the coolest thing I've heard in a long time!!! Photos?

IMO the most important thing for an audiophile : bitperfect or not bitperfect.

As far as I know Linux uses a mixer just like Windows. And if this mixer is used to play a musical file, there is always resampling quality loss.
Because of this some players bypass the mixer on Windows (Kernel Streaming)

But is it possible on Linux ? That's the question.......

You might be ill informed....Linux does not use a mixer and ALSA is bit perfect.

I can assure you that Linux is INDEED bit-perfect.

@ Dynobot
I'm really sorry, but I've read on many Linux forums that the mixer of all Linux distros is D-Mixer (in Windows it is K-Mixer......).
Both systems work with 48 KHz, so with a 44,1 KHz file there are always two resamplings, one from 44,1 to 48 before the mixer, and one from 48 to 44,1 after the mixer........and all this with quality loss due to mathematical inaccuracy.

Honestly I don't understand anything more........

.....and I've done some comparisons between a Windows based system with Foobar 2000 and Kernel Streaming, and a Linux based system with Aqualung and some other players.
Everytime my ears told me that the sound was a lot more accurate and clean on the Windows system.........

I'll come clean on the Ford! It's a 35, but my dad was born in 34 so what can I say lied to him and the story stuck...hahaha. It's dark now and raining so I'll drive it out tomorrow and take pics and post some links. It's got a 1996 Chevy Vortec fuel injected V8 engine with power everything:) AC, crusie control and power windows. All done by me except for the interior finish that was done by one of my good buddies. I grew up in a block that was the hot bed of car stuff in town and what can I say some of it rubbed off on me! One of my other good friends worked at Speaker Warehouse that was owned by the guys that own JL Audio and I was exposed to a bunch of car audio as well. As a result it also has a Sony tunner/cd player with aux input;) 5 channel Fosgate amp and JL Audio 8" sub in a stealth box.

I was having trouble coming up with a way to get the word out about Vortexbox and thought about using the car as a demo piece:) It's based on the 12V Intel Atom board you featured a few days ago with a Vortexbox OS, 500GB HDD, my trusty Lynx L22 audio card with analog output, Cardas analog cables and a wireless transmitter to broadcast to my iTouch for control of MPD. It does not rip (no drive) and does not really share (closed network), but it is really cool!

Jesus R
www.sonore.us

Aqualung is a GUI application. The xwindows GUI runs a mixer so that you can have a bunch of sound apps running at once. We are using mpd from command line with no GUI. MPD is talking to the hardware directly through ALSA.

You many want to repeat your test using a command line app that is talking directly to the sound card.

sorry for the delay! I don't know about the kernal streaming thing! However, I conducted the standard laymans test for bit perfect and played a a ripped HDCD from RR and my processor display confirmed HDCD playback. This may not be good enough for some, but I'm happy for this much at least. FYI MDP supports Pluseaudio. I took a look at the Nokia 770 and it appears to me that the screen is big enough for you to run the Vortexbox's GUI with SBS for MPD control. Pretty cool unit, but you need to connect to the same network Vortexbox is on to pick up the web GUI.

Jesus R
www.sonore.us

Very stable so far, nice work guys.

Still no joy on getting my Lynx AES16e recognized, which is unfortunate, and a show stopper for me.
Hats off to those who say they have it working, any help would be greatly appreciated.

agillis - have you looked at susstudio.org perchance? It may be an interesting way to package and distribute vortexvbox.

the base model is for on board outputs and usb output. If the MB has spdif then that as well. I understand you may have had some issue with Fedora in the past, but this is mostly a closed system and most people will not mess with the OS. Having said that, I have been pushing the envelope on mine (and I have a few) and they are rock solid and just work. Maybe the term AAC is wrong and I'm confused with mp4, m4p and m4a at the moment. I have to get back with you when I clear my head.

Jesus R
www.sonore.us

there is no support at the moment for the Lynx AES16e card. At least we looked around and did not find it! For whatever reason either the driver is different or the pcie is the issue. The only thing you can do is lobby the OSS guys. We can lobby them as well if it helps!

Jesus R
www.sonore.us

Too cool Jesus!

We may have to start another thread dedicated to this mobile music server and your sweet ride :~)

If the OSS guys would return email / phone calls it would be a good start. Mind it's only been a day :)

I dd contact Lynx today and they do offer and SDK so I think I may take this project on myself. In the meantime I will continue to lobby OSS (it seems likely they could get there the fastest) and if you can help lobby as well, please do so!

The V8 conversion thing is not needed this side of the pond as we have great access to all the Jag parts we need.

I would be happy to help out with any Linux issues you have.

Many thanks agillis ! Now I understand much more the way sound is treated in Linux ! I will have a try with mpd....

check out my post on Mobile Vortexbox Player (MVP) in my hot rod!

http://www.computeraudiophile.com/content/Mobile-Vortexbox-Player-MVP

Jesus R
www.sonore.us

No problem with the delay Jesus ! I live in switzerland, so most of the time when you are working I am sleeping and "vice versa".... ;-)

Many thanks for the answer !
If HDCD works, it means that it is bitperfect sound without a doubt. And I'm very happy to know that I will be able to use my Nokia as a remote.

Cheers !

@Jesus/AGILLIS
I own a Minerva FW DAC and would like to use FW as main interface.
I've already installed the Vortexbox distro on an old PC and it seems to be working perfectly with my SB3 connected optically to Minerva.
I'd like to take a step further and install a FW card on that PC and check if it works well with MPD player, what FW PCI card make/model should i use for this?
If all works well I'll build a completely silent box based on Chris's Origen based silent server AKA CAPS.
The important issue for me if what FW card could be used / supported by the vortexbox distro?

Thanks,

Lior./

Any card supported by ALSA will work.
http://www.alsa-project.org/main/index.php/Matrix:Main

Furthermore Firewire is ONLY supported by FFADO see link http://www.ffado.org/

http://ardour.org/system_requirements/audio_compatibility

Also if you want to use FW with Linux or a PC you want to use a card that has a Texas Instruments chip. Sometimes Via chips work but most always TI chips will work on a PC. Reason being only TI does NOT throttle their chips through put based on CPU load. Other chips will throttle the data which will lead to lots of stuttering and problems.

So far Weiss products are not supported and even they were you will have to build the driver, installing all dependencies etc. in typical Linux fashion.

I suggest you use a card that has spdif out and go that route...check the ALSA web site to make sure the card is supported and use the iecset command to configure the spdif out to optimal settings.

Presently FFADO does have working version of Firewire drivers. However as you may know, many people are not Linux savy enough to actually build the driver, trouble shoot and get it to work. Even though some products may not be "Officially" supported some have been know to work, when built by competent Linux people.

With the onslaught of so many Firewire DAC's Mac is corning the market on computer based audio because its the easiest and obvious choice. This plus computer audio is still under the radar of many manufacturers so companies like Microsoft and the Linux people have been slow to make Firewire support a priority.

I have asked the Linux Mint people to bring Firewire support to their distro's but unfortunately the voice of one does not carry far, not even the voice of a few. As a result I have asked everyone I know to partition Linux Mint to make it available. Until recently I have known of no other Linux distro as solid as Linux Mint. I have tried MANY disto's of Linux over the years. I have to say the Vortex is at the head of the class for Linux based computer audio. Like Linux Mint, everything works. You might consider looking into FFADO's code and implementing it for Firewire support.

Dynobot,

I consider myself a "competent Linux people" :) Tell me what packages you want and I make them standard in VortexBox. VortexBox is a distro designed for audio so anything that gives us better support for audio devices is top priority.

I sent you a PM with my email if you want to send me more information directly.

I sent you mail.

I added the Weiss units to the ffado list a few months back. Pieter at ffado is pretty cool and we made some good progress. We are pretty far along, but I'm willing to put up my Minerva to move the research forward and finish it off. I will be shipping my unit to Andrew to help out.

Jesus R
www.sonore.us

@Jesus,

From your signature I've noticed that you are already using the following:
Vortexbox->FW->Minerva ; Therefore I've assumed that there is a working FW card that is support under Vortexbox and will connect to Minerva. And I've asked what FW card are you using?
BTW - I've been working with Unix/Linux systems more than 10 years as system integrator/system for R&D companies ; so I do have "some" knowledge in that area & would like to contribute to this effort as BETA tester / other roles that might come handy here.

Lior./

the sig was an attemp to combine an earlier version of a longer sig I had. I have two personal systems one a Sonore Windows PC that is firewire into the Minerva and another that is a Sonore Vortexbox Engine with AES16 into the Minerva. I can see how it's misleading, but not an attempt to mislead. The testing on the Sonore Vortexbox Engine with AES16 is done and I'm going to concentrate of finishing the firewire with ffado next. It was started and taken to about 95% of completion. So I hope (like many of you) to knock this out and open the project to firewire. We have a few errors on hand shack to resolve for know and I have high hopes that they can be fixed, but can't promise anything yet. I have to get back to you on the card we are using as I am away at the moment. As for what is supported assuming you know how to set up the requirements is posted on the ffado site. Thanks for offering to help as we need all the help we can get! Start by tesing Vortexbox:)

Jesus R
www.sonore.us