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[Flesh]

Has anyone started work on a GR-55 USB Linux Driver?

I contacted Roland and asked them to work with me on writing a Linux Driver; the request went to Japan where they write the drivers for Windows; not sure if they will give me the technical specs I need to write the Driver. Anyone interested in helping collect the information required to write a driver for Linux if they do not provide it?

Does the GR-55 work in Linux if I use a MIDI port?

I don't have one, and was wondering if its worth the investment.

[Elantric]

As I understand it - Gumtown has a Linux version of the GR-55 Floorboard editor.

You must use two 5pin MIDI cables between the GR-55 and a MIDI I/O adapter that has Linux drivers.

Other options I'm aware of


Many have been successful running Edirol Linux drivers with Roland gear.

Here is a good Linux Audio forum

http://forums.opensuse.org/archives/sf-archives/archives-hardware/342853-edirol-ua-25-linux.html

[Flesh]

As I understand it - Gumtown has a Linux version of the GR-55 Floorboard editor.

You must use two 5pin MIDI cables between the GR-55 and a MIDI I/O adapter that has Linux drivers.

Other options I'm aware of


Many have been successful running Edirol Linux drivers with Roland gear.

Here is a good Linux Audio forum

http://forums.opensuse.org/archives/sf-archives/archives-hardware/342853-edirol-ua-25-linux.html

Are you saying to buy one of these devices: http://www.alsa-project.org/main/index.php/Matrix:Vendor-Roland_Edirol
Like the http://www.roland.com/products/en/UA-25/index.html UA-25?

Not sure if its like the http://www.roland.com/products/en/TRI-CAPTURE/ Tri-Capture; but I do not see Linux Drivers for these units; I don't have one currently so I can not follow the instructions.

I have the GR-55, Roland Ready Strat, several computers; but I'm using my ASUS M4A79-T-E Dragon motherboard with 955 X4; which doesn't have MIDI ports, I don't have a sound card with a MIDI port, I do have an old sound blaster live with game port; so I guess it would be a good question about what equipment should I get to interface my Rode NGT-1 Shutgun mic and GR-55, so I can use it in Ubuntu Studio; or other version of Linux, if there is one that works better; I have realtime kernel for 10.04 installed now. I hate to have to use Vista or even worse Win7 to record with; I'm not a Windoze person, no trolling here, just me; I want to get this working in Linux.

****

My original question was about writing a Linux Driver for the GR-55 so I can use the USB connection; so the above should be a separate thread.

[Elantric]

* There are no "official" Linux drivers for the GR-55, and I doubt any ever will arrive from Roland.

* Use a MIDI I/O interface that does have linux drivers, to use Gumtown's Linux GR-55 Floorboard editor.

Typical candidates for a Linux  MIDI I/O interface are the M-Audio MIDIsport, Edirol UM-1EX, EMU Xmidi 1x1 - all have Linux drivers.


Some good Linux GR-55 discussion is here (Flesh, sounds like this is your discussion)

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1751670


If you ever get this working - report back.

Linux audio makes my brain hurt.

[gumtown]

I'm not sure what is envolved in writing a GR-55 Linux ALSA driver,
there are two issues involved 1) the midi driver and 2) the audio driver.
Any of the midi devices which are ALSA compliant will do,
but as to actually using the GR-55 USB, inserting the driver settings on your local machine is one thing,
then getting the ALSA project to build the GR-55 USB I.D. info into the ALSA/Linux Kernal is another thing.

Here is some stuff from the Windows 32bit .inf file

[Strings]
MfgName="Roland"

RDID0113DiskName="GR-55 Driver Installation disk"
RDID0113DeviceDesc="GR-55"

Proxy.CLSID="{17CCA71B-ECD7-11D0-B908-00A0C9223196}"
KSCATEGORY_AUDIO="{6994AD04-93EF-11D0-A3CC-00A0C9223196}"
KSCATEGORY_RENDER="{65E8773E-8F56-11D0-A3B9-00A0C9223196}"
KSCATEGORY_CAPTURE="{65E8773D-8F56-11D0-A3B9-00A0C9223196}"

KSNAME_Wo11="WaveOut1-1"
WDM.Wo11.szPname="OUT (GR-55)"

KSNAME_Wi11="WaveIn1-1"
WDM.Wi11.szPname="IN (GR-55)"

KSNAME_Md11="Midi1-1"
WDM.Md11.szPname="GR-55"

KSNAME_Topology="Topology"
WDM.Topology.szPname="GR-55 Mixer"

MediaCategories="SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\MediaCategories"

WDM.To11.szPname="OUT"
WDM.Ti11.szPname="IN"
WDM.To11.szPname.GUID = "{41DC355F-EC2B-494a-BE55-8CA692530F63}"
WDM.Ti11.szPname.GUID = "{2CEBC780-0590-43f4-86F7-46927FD23D97}"

REG_MSZ = 0x00010000

[Roland.NTx86.6.1]
;; Windows7
%RDID0113DeviceDesc%=RDID0113Install, USB\VID_0582&PID_0127 ; GR-55

I think the Name string and the USB vendor ID could be all that is needed, and the rest is generic Roland stuff alsready in the ALSA driver.
I could be wrong, i'm not that much up with the Linux stuff.

[Flesh]

* There are no "official" Linux drivers for the GR-55, and I doubt any ever will arrive from Roland.

Some good Linux GR-55 discussion is here (Flesh, sounds like this is your discussion)

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1751670

Thats me alright; I'm actually thinking about writing the Linux Driver; that is what I'm trying to say in this thread.

[Elantric]

I guess it would be a good question about what equipment should I get to interface my Rode NGT-1 Shutgun mic and GR-55, so I can use it in Ubuntu Studio;

To get up and recording the fastest in Linux -  Might be simplest to get a Edirol UA-25, employ its working Linux ALSA audio and MIDI drivers, and connect the GR-55 to the UA-25 using audio cables. 


Another option is the Lexicon Omega Studio ($149)
http://www.amazon.com/Lexicon-Omega-Desktop-Recording-Studio/dp/tags-on-product/B0002E4Z9G
http://ardour.org/node/1449

[Flesh]

Yes I am interested in just getting this to work in Linux now; this driver is a long term solution and will take time to get it working; so all the suggests are needed; thanks.

I'm not sure what is envolved in writing a GR-55 Linux ALSA,
there are two issues involved 1) the midi driver and 2) the audio driver.

I guess I'm going to find out what it takes to write this driver, if someone doesn't start the ball rolling, it will never get written.

I do agree that this driver will have two parts to it: MIDI and Audio.
It might be that I can start by hacking a MIDI and Audio Driver that have the best fit; then merge them into one, then get it to work, then add features that are missing; I have to start somewhere. 

My thinking is that if I can find some drivers that work with Roland, I'd have a better place to start from; once I get this driver finished, it can serve as a template for other Roland Drivers; but to start off with, I first contacted Roland and asked for their assistance in writing this driver; so I'll give them time to get back to me; having talked to them, they claim that not that many people ask for Linux Drivers; hard to believe; but my guess is that most people do not want to bother with trying to figure it out, they just go with whats out there, whereas I'm more into writing a program that works for me, as you did with Floorboard; but lets face it; if this driver gets finished, it will add a lot of value to Floorboard and other apps to come along.

I think if more people demanded Linux Drivers, things will start to turn around; but they will not until people start requesting drivers in large numbers, so large that they can no longer ignore my personal request, or even the hand full of request that they do get.

I'm going to start compiling all the information I can; so the above info is a great start, thanks; and I'll start looking for drivers that work, both MIDI and Audio; this way if Roland turns me down, I'm not behind on the power curve; and if I can find other programmers that are interested in this endeavor, maybe I can start an open source driver project for Roland, and other vendors.

So far Roland's main concern is proprietary driver secrets not getting into the hands of their competition; can not blame them; so if they go for my proposal then this driver will be proprietary closed source driver; which is fine by me, I don't really care about the license issue; just that we get a driver that works, and I agree with their right to have proprietary secrets; but if they turn me down I have no choice but to make it an open source driver and just reverse engineer the requirements to make this driver work; that said, it would be in their best interest to keep this proprietary.

All I'm doing right now is getting the ball rolling; one driver at a time.
Sometimes it just takes a lot of people who have a need for a driver, to push the manufacture into writing one, numbers talk.

[gumtown]

Here is a good place to start
http://www.alsa-project.org/main/index.php/Main_Page

These guys have done the GT-10 driver not too long ago, and this is where the Roland compliant Linux drivers are made..

Do a google search on Boss GT-10 Linux ALSA driver, there was an artical on making your own driver which i think would also apply the the GR-55..

[Flesh]

Here is a good place to start
http://www.alsa-project.org/main/index.php/Main_Page

These guys have done the GT-10 driver not too long ago, and this is where the Roland compliant Linux drivers are made..

I contacted ALSA and they made a patch, using the Boss JS-8 as a base, I have had limited success with this patch, but need more eyes to look at it; anyone interested in trying this in Driver in Linux?

[Jim Williams]

I contacted ALSA and they made a patch, using the Boss JS-8 as a base, I have had limited success with this patch, but need more eyes to look at it; anyone interested in trying this in Driver in Linux?

Yes I would like to try it out in Ubuntu.

[Flesh]

Yes I would like to try it out in Ubuntu.

The Patch is from the ALSA mail list, written by Daniel Mack
http://vetshelpcenter.com/media/0001-ALSA-snd-usb-add-quirks-for-Roland-GR-55.patch

# From Terminal Create Folder in the Home root for the source code
mkdir -p ~/dev/sound/alsa
cd ~/dev/sound/alsa/
# Copy Patch here ~/dev/sound/alsa/
# Git clone ALSA and Kernel
git clone git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/tiwai/sound-2.6.git
cd sound-2.6
# Apply Patch using git instead of patch -p1 < ./$patchName.patch
git apply ~/dev/sound/alsa/0001-ALSA-snd-usb-add-quirks-for-Roland-GR-55.patch
# make config file
sudo cp -vi /boot/config-$(uname -r) .config
# sudo gedit ~/dev/sound/alsa/sound-2.6/.config
# Take defaults unless you know otherwise
sudo make oldconfig
make-kpkg clean
# Create new Kernel
nice fakeroot make-kpkg --initrd --append-to-version=-gr55a --overlay-dir=~/dev/sound/alsa/sound-2.6/kernel kernel-image kernel-headers
# if this option ~/dev/sound/alsa/sound-2.6/kernel gives you a problem, replace the ~ with /home/[username], I didn't test this yet; not real sure about this option
cd ..
ls -lh
sudo dpkg -i linux-*.deb
# sudo reboot
# make sure you pick the grub for the new kernel; then make sure its right
uname -r

Make sure you boot from the kernel ending with gr55a
You should now be able to pull up Sound Preferences and you should see GR-55 as input and output;
select GR-55 as both input and output;
connect to GR-55 Phones jack, headset or or speaker so you can hear what sound is coming from the GR-55

This file is what I use to track all my Troubleshooting with; you can see what commands I passed in
http://vetshelpcenter.com/media/troubleshooting-gr-55.txt

If you set the Sound Preferences output to your speakers; and input to the GR-55; you should be able to record Audio from the GR-55 and play it back.

Let me know how it goes; I want to get this working; once I do; we can make this driver part of the ALSA drivers so others can use it.

If you are in the ALSA mailing list; you can email your results to them, or I can do it for you.

Thanks.

Update: I guess I should have mentioned that you have to compile the Kernel; most people like me, who have used Linux from the beginning take that for granted; but once you do it once, its like riding a bike.

[cynegetic]

Cool stuff. *nix beffudles me. Now how about some android drivers to take future use of its ability to act as hub? 

[Flesh]

Cool stuff. *nix beffudles me. Now how about some android drivers to take future use of its ability to act as hub? 

I do not have an Android device; but have read about them; I know it sits on top of a Linux Kernel, and gets its Drivers from it, so I do not know why this driver will not work; testing it right now would be the hard part; since you have to compile your OS to get support for the patch; but once the patch becomes part of the ALSA drivers; it might get updated into a new Linux release for Android; but that will only help if you can update your OS in the Device.

I don't know about acting as a Hub; that's way out there, as far as ideas go (LOL), I know it has two USB ports; but as far as I can tell; they can not be chained; one does not depend on the other; i.e. the GR-55 has two motherboards in it; an interface and a controller (my observation after taking it apart to try to figure out what chip sets it uses for the USB, yes I called tech support to ask them what chip set it uses, they told me they can not tell me, but if I really wanted to know I could look, so I did), from what I see, the port in the back is connected to the interface and the side port USB is connected to the controller, and it looks like the two can not talk, but that is only a guess, since I have not been able to access the USB flash drive thru the computer via the USB connection; which I'm guess is how you would use it as a Hub.

[Flesh]

I started a forum for this topic at http://mylinuxmachine.com/gr-55-driver.html
I also include a compiled kernel deb for testing; so far just x64, but if you need a 32bit ask.

Since most users here are using Windoze; but I need users using the GR-55 to test it, so I ask here.

I'm now thinking about getting the PreSonus AudioBox USB, I heard it works in Linux; but I don't know how good driver support is.

I think that Music Equipment should not be tied to an OS, it should work on Windows, MAC and Linux, as well as other OS's that will popup.