Axe-Fx II and Linux (again)

volt · May 16, 2014

PALYGAP said:
... my iMAC had a failure and is in the repair shop. When I get it back I will give it a try, It might work since it is a faster machine.

If you haven't already, one thing you could try is to install the VirtualBox Extension Pack which provides USB 2.0.

PALYGAP said:
They appear empty.

Strange. Maybe the process of initially reading and saving the block definitions from the Axe-Fx has been incomplete due to the time-out problem (a little wild guessing here).

PALYGAP said:
What I am actually trying to do (and I think it is done) is to have a LINUX developing environment where I can receive and transmit SYSEX to the AXE-FX and send/receive SYSEX and CCs from the BCR2000.
The aim ia to port the core of the MidyAX code to LINUX so that I can have it running on Rasperry Pi or Beagle Board Black. Since these environment are a bit slow to develop on, I would rather develop on my Mac in a VirtualBox and then recompile and run on these environment. So right now the Linux VirtualBox I have sends and receive MIDI CCs and SYSEX (although a bit slowly) and that should allow me to develop the new version of the MidyAX on it. Actually since Linux can be installed "anywhere" (normal install or Virtualliszed) this should will be a "Universal" MidyAX.:lol

Soon I will try receiving SYSEX on the RPi (LINUX) and will let you know it it works.

Looking forward to it. You have a really interesting project there. I like such projects very much.

PALYGAP · May 16, 2014

volt said:
If you haven't already, one thing you could try is to install the VirtualBox Extension Pack which provides USB 2.0

I've tried that but that did not change anything. I am not sure if the extension pack is installed properly since sharing folders between Mac Host and Linux guest reports that the sharing is not activated.

volt said:
Strange. Maybe the process of initially reading and saving the block definitions from the Axe-Fx has been incomplete due to the time-out problem (a little wild guessing here).

Yes that did not complete properly on first start-up. Very likely due to time-outs.

volt said:
Looking forward to it. You have a really interesting project there. I like such projects very much.

Thanks. I'll report the progresses (if any)in the "MidyAX news" threads.

volt · May 18, 2014

hdurdevic said:
... The problem arises when I unplug AxeFx - PulseAudio (or whatever) does not realize it is disconnected (in contrast to other USB soundcards I have), so any app trying to use audio gets frozen. The only way to correct this state is to restart the machine which is a nuisance.

Running Linux Mint 14, kernel 3.13.2 64bit / KDE + PulseAudio (?)
H.

I am running openSUSE 13.1, kernel 3.14.4 64 bit, KDE 4.13.1. I don't have your freeze problem but the Axe-Fx II just does not disappear from KMix when disconnected. When I switch off/unplug the Axe-Fx II /var/log/messages shows some warnings like

Code:

WARNING: CPU: 3 PID: 66 at /home/abuild/rpmbuild/BUILD/kernel-desktop-3.14.4/linux-3.14/fs/sysfs/group.c:216 device_del+0x40/0x1b0()
... kernel: [ 2289.105509] sysfs group ffffffff81ea3c40 not found for kobject '...

A quick search on the internet showed that there are already several discussions about this issue which seemingly does not only affect some usb audio devices but also storage devices like usb sticks and hard disks. I did not have time to investigate further and look for a solution.

Before digging in deeper, could you please report if you encounter similar warnings? If this topic seems to be too special feel free to PM me.

P.S. Instead of rebooting did you try to restart PulseAudio. In a standard setup "pulseaudio -k" should restart the daemon.

1vl · Aug 21, 2014

Axe Edit on Ubuntu 14.04. … how to?

I use Axe Edit for the Axe FX II at home on Windows 7 x64 without problems. To be more flexible in rehearsals and concerts I want to use Axe Edit on my laptop under Ubuntu 14.04.1 x64. It is enough for me, if I can continue to edit my Axe II on windows PC and also on the Ubuntu system. The sound card feature is not absolutely necessary on the Ubuntu system.

On Ubuntu I installed Axe Edit using Wine. But a connected Axe II is not yet recognized. I did not yet install the mentioned USB driver (Axe-Fx_II_USB_Driver_Setup_linux.tar.bz). Maybe someone could tell me if these are necessary please? I also still do not understand whether they change something on the Axe FX and if I still can access my Axe FX II from my Windows PC.

Thank you!

volt · Aug 21, 2014

1vl said:
I use Axe Edit for the Axe FX II at home on Windows 7 x64 without problems. To be more flexible in rehearsals and concerts I want to use Axe Edit on my laptop under Ubuntu 14.04.1 x64. It is enough for me, if I can continue to edit my Axe II on windows PC and also on the Ubuntu system. The sound card feature is not absolutely necessary on the Ubuntu system.

On Ubuntu I installed Axe Edit using Wine. But a connected Axe II is not yet recognized. I did not yet install the mentioned USB driver (Axe-Fx_II_USB_Driver_Setup_linux.tar.bz). Maybe someone could tell me if these are necessary please? I also still do not understand whether they change something on the Axe FX and if I still can access my Axe FX II from my Windows PC.

Thank you!

Assuming you want to use MIDI over USB you need to install the driver. In fact it is not a classical driver but kind of a loader which automatically loads the USB firmware into the Axe-Fx II everytime it is connected to a USB port of the computer. The Axe-Fx II needs this USB firmware to achieve its MIDI and audio over USB functionality.

You will still be able to connect to your Windows machine.

1vl · Aug 21, 2014

volt said:
You will still be able to connect to your Windows machine.

Thank you, volt. Yes, I was afraid, I could loose access to my Axe...
I tried the .sh and it asks for the linux hotplug tool "fxload".
But afaik the hotplug feature is integrated in the newer kernels?!
Either way I was not able to install fxload. Am I missing something?

volt · Aug 21, 2014

Fxload is just a tool to load firmware into EZ-USB chips (Ubuntu Manpage: fxload - Firmware download to EZ-USB devices) and is not part of the Ubuntu standard installation.The package can be downloaded here but I think (I am not familiar with Ubuntu) you should be able to install it using

Code:

sudo apt-get install fxload

electronpirate · Aug 21, 2014

FWIW:

Not all Linux distro's are created equal. You're going to have different tools for Red Hat variants as apposed to Debian based. Install the driver (probably not negotiable.) If you're using VirtualBox, I would investigate issues with Automounter. if you can see it in Windowz, but not in Linux, yes I'd think the extension pack would be required (vmware tools on vmware.)

I'd take it in 2 steps:
-I can see it in your HW configuration in Linux (if you can't, focus on that 1st.) It should understand what it sees when the driver is installed.
-If you can see it, then experiment with your application to allow it to speak to that HW.

Good luck.

volt · Aug 21, 2014

As I understood 1vl, he is not running Windows as a client in a virtual machine hosted on a Linux system but he has two computers: one at home running Windows (only) and his laptop with Ubuntu. For using Axe-Edit under Linux a virtual machine like VirtualBox is not required. Axe-Edit runs well with wine (as reported by other users what corresponds with my own experience).

1vl · Aug 21, 2014

yeah right, it's 2 computers - one windows, the other one Linux.
With your (volt) terminal command the fxload installation worked well.

Unfortunately I still have (a new?) problem with axe edit:
It stills fails to connect to my axe. In "Preferences" the ports "AXE-FX II MIDI" are selected (but with no checkmark) and when I try to edit them, I only get the choice "none" or "Midi Through Port-0". By choosing the latter one, I get a green checkmark, but also a "serious program error" message, when selecting it as input.

What I did so far:
sudo apt-get install fxload --> worked
sudo ./axefx2setup.sh --> worked
install Axe Edit via Wine --> worked

Do I have to activate something? Or maybe my wine install is defective?

volt · Aug 21, 2014

At first I would test, if the MIDI interface works with Linux (directly).

Use

Code:

amidi -l

to list all MIDI ports. You should get something like

Code:

Dir Device    Name
IO  hw:3,0,0  AXE-FX II MIDI 1

Now use amidi for a test and record e.g. a preset dump from the Axe-Fx II. First start

Code:

amidi -p hw:3 -r testfile.syx

where "hw:3" has to be adjusted to the card number of your Axe-Fx II.

Then start the dump from the front panel of the Axe-Fx II (Utility -> Preset -> Dump Preset to USB). Press Ctrl-C when the dump is finished. For a preset dump you should have gotten a file of 6487 bytes (Axe-Fx II Mark I and II).

You may also test sending MIDI data with

Code:

amidi -p hw:3 -s testfile.syx

Does this work?

1vl · Aug 21, 2014

hei volt, that's pretty detailed - exactly right for a noob like me.Thanks for your patience!

I connected Axe via USB, but no device shows up in the amidi list.
Once again checked: "fxload ist the newest version"

Tried to reinstall axefxload and Terminal says:

Code:

A udev rule for the Fractal Audio Systems Axe-FX II is already present in /etc/udev/rules.d/55-fractalaudio.rules. This rule has neither been modified nor checked by this script. Please make sure the existing rule is working properly.

This is what "/etc/udev/rules.d/55-fractalaudio.rules" contains:

Code:

# fractalaudio.rules - udev rules for uploading USB firmware to Fractal Audio Systems devices

# <Fractal Audio Systems Axe-FX II>
ACTION=="add", SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTR{idVendor}=="2466", ATTR{idProduct}=="0003", RUN+="./a3load.hex -t fx2lp -I /usr/share/usb/FractalAudio/axefx2/axefx2load.hex -D $env{DEVNAME}"

There are a3load.hex and axefx2load.hex in my personal folder and as well as /usr/share/usb/FractalAudio/axefx2/axefx2load.hex and /usr/share/usb/a3load.hex

Any ideas?

volt · Aug 21, 2014

The message when you tried to reinstall is perfectly ok. What is not ok is the content of the rule. Behind "RUN+=" has to be the path to fxload instead of "./a3load.hex". I guess you have chosen this wrong file while you tried to install for the frist time when you had no fxload (the script asks for the path to fxload if it can't find it).

So run the script with the option -u like this:

Code:

sudo ./axefx2setup.sh -u

and let the script remove the installed files. Then run the script again to redo the installation. After that the udev rule should look like

Code:

# fractalaudio.rules - udev rules for uploading USB firmware to Fractal Audio Systems devices

# <Fractal Audio Systems Axe-FX II>
ACTION=="add", SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTR{idVendor}=="2466", ATTR{idProduct}=="0003", RUN+="[COLOR="#FF0000"]/usr/sbin/fxload[/COLOR] -t fx2lp -I /usr/share/usb/FractalAudio/axefx2/axefx2load.hex -D $env{DEVNAME}"

1vl · Aug 21, 2014

ok, this looks better, but axe edit crashes still.

the rule now says:

Code:

# fractalaudio.rules - udev rules for uploading USB firmware to Fractal Audio Systems devices

# <Fractal Audio Systems Axe-FX II>
ACTION=="add", SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTR{idVendor}=="2466", ATTR{idProduct}=="0003", RUN+="/sbin/fxload -t fx2lp -I /usr/share/usb/FractalAudio/axefx2/axefx2load.hex -D $env{DEVNAME}"

and yes, there is a /sbin/fxload file.

with amidi -l the axe fx midi shows up:

Code:

Dir Device    Name
IO  hw:1,0,0  AXE-FX II MIDI 1

sending a file to the axe worked, but receiving was not possible - after ctrl c the files were 0 byte.

Axe Edit crashed directly after start, but this time I could see the "connected" checkmark. I uninstalled axe edit and wine, then reinstalled, but the program crashes still.

Is the 64bit Ubuntu Version a problem here?
I get a crash report, but it's really long ... not shure, if I should post it?!

volt · Aug 22, 2014

1vl said:
ok, this looks better, but axe edit crashes still.

the rule now says:

Code:

# fractalaudio.rules - udev rules for uploading USB firmware to Fractal Audio Systems devices # <Fractal Audio Systems Axe-FX II> ACTION=="add", SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTR{idVendor}=="2466", ATTR{idProduct}=="0003", RUN+="/sbin/fxload -t fx2lp -I /usr/share/usb/FractalAudio/axefx2/axefx2load.hex -D $env{DEVNAME}"

and yes, there is a /sbin/fxload file.

Yes, the location where fxload gets installed to can vary between various linux distributions. The udev rule is ok now.

Code:
with amidi -l the axe fx midi shows up:

Code:

Dir Device Name IO hw:1,0,0 AXE-FX II MIDI 1

sending a file to the axe worked, but receiving was not possible - after ctrl c the files were 0 byte.

Did you use the dump preset to USB?

Axe Edit crashed directly after start, but this time I could see the "connected" checkmark. I uninstalled axe edit and wine, then reinstalled, but the program crashes still.

Is the 64bit Ubuntu Version a problem here?
I get a crash report, but it's really long ... not shure, if I should post it?!

You can try to disable the dwrite.dll in wine as described here (see last paragraph) respectively here for Fractalbot.

If this does not work you may also try starting over with a fresh wine prefix or uninstalling Axe-Edit and reinstalling it in a differently named directory as Gary described.

1vl · Aug 22, 2014

Hei volt :star::star::star: ,
many thanks for the super detailed Help - Your eye for important details and your patience are very much appreciated!

Your remote-analyzes and recommendations were all correct.
amidi receive went over USB (oooh) and at the end "only" the dwrite problem was left. Guess what: Not only Axe Edit works, but even fractal-bot (which didn't even show me it's UI until now) now speaks syxish with the Axe2.

Grateful greetings from happiest DAU on earth :excitement:

volt · Aug 22, 2014

Thanks 1vl, glad it works now!

Maybe this could also be of interest for you.

1vl · Aug 23, 2014

Still much to learn, but fortunately, all pdf documents open directly to the linux viewer.
I've found that one just has to be careful to connect the MIDI devices in the correct order, otherwise the device number might change and AxeFX can't be connected.
Axe Edit3 still works very well under Ubuntu14.04

1vl · Aug 23, 2014

Axe Midi Controller "KMI SoftStep" & Linux?

Hope a Midi controller related question is not off topic here: Are there any experiences with KMI SoftStep running on Linux?

The device is supposed to be "class compliant" and indeed it appears as 2 Devices in the Midi device list.
This behavior is described here

HTML:

http://www.keithmcmillen.com/softstep/faqs#232223-what-is-all-that-cc-data

.

The editor opens directly from the exe file (no installation process), saved presets can be loaded to the editor, but it can not connect to the hardware.
Keith McMillen states, that the software would be just for Windows / Mac.
Is there a chance?

volt · Aug 23, 2014

1vl said:
...
I've found that one just has to be careful to connect the MIDI devices in the correct order, otherwise the device number might change and AxeFX can't be connected.
...

It should be possible to fix the card number. Please bear in mind that I am not very familiar with Ubuntu if you try this:

First check how many soundcards are always present (typically internal soundcards). Without any USB audio devices connected do

Code:

cat /proc/asound/cards

You get a list of all active soundcards, each entry beginning with a number.

Then make a backup of "etc/modprobe.d/alsa-base.conf", open alsa-base.conf with an editor and add the follwing lines at the end of the file:

Code:

# card x: Fractal Audio Axe-Fx II; card y: other_USB_audio_device
options snd-usb-audio index=x,y vid=0x2466,vid_of_other_USB_audio_device pid=0x8003,pid_of_other_USB_audio_device

If you have only one soundcard which is always present and you want the Axe-Fx II to be the second soundcard, the "x" has to substituted for "1"(, because the soundcards are counted from 0).

If you have another USB audio device "y" has to be substituted for a number higher than 1. Furthermore "vid_of_other_USB_audio_device" has to be substituted for the USB vendor ID of the manufacturer and "pid_of_other_USB_audio_device" for the USB product ID of this USB audio device.

In case you don't have/want to assign further card numbers, of course delete ",vid_of_other_USB_audio_device" and ",pid_of_other_USB_audio_device" (and for clarity also "; card y: other_USB_audio_device" in the comment).

After saving the modified "alsa-base.conf" reboot and check the card numbers with "cat /proc/asound/cards" again.

Axe-Fx II and Linux (again)

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