It is just I have injection working and the powerkernel going on, I just am not bothered to update I must say it works for me and I am just on this thread to try to help and learn, I have not even got a USB sound card

Thanks for buying a test device just to participate in our little experiment Pablo ! :-)

It wasn't Pablo - actually retsaw bought USB soundcard to participate. But, of course, thanks anyway for everyone involved.

I wonder, maybe javispedro got any idea about recent discoveries?

/Estel

I must say Estel is right, I have not bought a test device

On another note yesterday a friend gave me a usb sound card he did not want any more... coincidence much

Ah yes, sorry for the mixup !

This screen is getting too small for my eyes :-)

Thread revive:
For now, we managed to get external DAC working through USB, by either MOC (text based player), or smplayer (full GUI for mplayer, available from repos, with possibility to define alsa output from GUI, amongst other things). BTW fpp, you may want to update opening posts on first page, as they only indicate MOC as solution (smplayer does the same thing but based on mplayer, is available from repos, GUI'fied, and overall, more user friendly).

Sadly, we're still not able to redirect pulseaudio (through this, MAFW output, HW assisted playback etc) to use different sound card, due to unknown glitches in Maemo's pulseaudio implementation.
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But, for now, I would like to push further usage of all this knowledge, for stereo recording from quality external microphones on N900. Theoretically, using Class Compliant multichannel mixing desks (build on chips known to ALSA) should be possible too, but lets start with stereo, first.

As said earlier in this thread: Considering, that N900 is full fledged linuxbox with great internal storage, it could assist in ultra-high quality recording (for example, show's bootlegs) for a fraction of price of dedicated recording devices, still beating them by modularity (possibility of using any class compliant usb sound card as input, quality microphones, etc). It's also scalable up to portable multitrack recording studio - as far as low latency isn't a must, as USB limits us here.
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Here goes my question - lets assume, that we have our shiny USB sound card already enumerated and acknowledged by ALSA, fully working for audio output. Now, we want to use card's line-in for stereo recording. From kernel point of view - no problem. But what about userland program to actually record true stereo (2 channel track)?

Does we have something already available from repos, or is there any obvious, lightweight thing, that we should get compiled and put there? If my understanding is correct, we need recording application, that alow defining different device as ALSA input (just like with ALSA output). Any ideas?

/Estel

// Edit

It seems, that audacity through Easy Debian works. Maybe it's time to port Audacity into Maemo, natively?

It's and old message, but I just read and want to reply...
It doesn't do any Digital to Analog Conversion, because it get digital sound and send digital sound, so it doesn't (and logically haven't) a DAC. When using digital outputs, the speakers do the Digital to Analog Conversion, so you depend of the quality of the speakers DAC.

Done that, thanks for reminding me, Estel.

Otherwise I'm afraid my prediction has come true, as we've been beaten to the goal by the Android juggernaut.

For quite a few months now (ever since the Samsung Galaxy III appeared) it's been possible to connect an USB DAC to an Android phone (or some tablets) and stream music to it, using the standard UI, without hacking.

Too bad the one true 100% Linux phone can't do the same :-(

any .deb release ?

Hey, we were first, as smplayer doesn't require any hacks at all

Seriously though, I know what you mean - they're using their DSP where applicable, as Maemo's implementation of pulseaudio is blocking us. Following on retsaw idea about possible bugs in snd_usb module, exposed by pulseaudio, I've asked Pali to include latest version (module) in next kernel-power. Maybe it will help.

I'm sure, that experts like javispedro would manage to handle this problem - last time I've checked, he was lacking USB DAC hardware to test it, and wasn't able to find a way to emulate having one connected (for debugging our problems purpose). Understandably, as he just wanted to help - without being much interested in daily usage himself - he wasn't willing to buy USB DAC just for this purpose
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There are many people - like me - who use N900 as main mobile computer/phone and plan to do so for long time - while no will to stand using any android toy. I'm sure, that completing it - for both mafw/system sounds/whatever user want playback and recording from external devices, would benefit many users much.

/Estel