Freq Monster 801
FM synthesizer frontend for OPL3 compatible sound cards
Using Freq Monster 801 in Linux WINE (Debian Jessie) with the YMF262 plugin DLL.
Table of contents
  1. Setup
  2. Run
  3. Jackd
  4. Midi
  5. Jack rack FX
  6. Jack rack LFO
1. Setup

Install.

  1. WINE using apt-get. The version installed and most recently tested was wine-1.6.2 (wine --version).
  2. Freq Monster 801 from this site.
  3. The YMF262 plugin DLL from here http://dev.kewl.org/misc/ymf262/
    Place the file `ymf262.dll' in the directory where you extracted Freq Monster 801.
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2. Run

Run Freq Monster 801 in WINE and set the sythesizer type to WAVE, select your PCM wave output device and then use these values for the wave device configuration.

  • sample rate: 11025
  • sample buffer size: 128
  • sample ring length: 8

Leave the Wave callback method as Thread, but change the Midi callback method to Window (the opposite setting to the image below). This change is needed for wine-1.6.2 (at least) otherwise an access violation may occur in the Wine ALSA midi driver.

	

Enable all the optional features and click OK to open the main window. Select a preset and open the keyboard applet on the main window by clicking 'Key' to test playback.

	

See the Midi section of this document for information regarding a much better virtual keyboard.

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3. Jackd

Install.

  1. Alsa module snd-aloop as per http://www.sm5bsz.com/linuxdsp/install/snd-aloop.htm
    These instructions are for Debian and Ubuntu and for other Linux distributions the means of loading the snd-aloop module will vary.
  2. jackd 2.
  3. qjackctl.

Setup rc.local.

  • modprobe snd-aloop

Setup modprobe.conf, Eg.

  • options snd-emu10k1 index=0
    This is my primary device, an Audigy. Use your primary device module name in your setup.
  • options snd_aloop index=1
  • Reboot to allow any changes to take effect.

Configure WINE audio using `wine regedit' for the loopback device (hw:1 above).

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\WINE\DRIVERS
        Audio "alsa"

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\WINE\ALSA DRIVER
        AutoScanCards "N"
        DeviceCount "1"
        DeviceCTL1 "hw:1"
        DevicePCM1 "hw:1"
        UseDirectHW "Y"

	

Run Freq Monster 801 in WINE and set the sythesizer type to WAVE, select your PCM wave output device and then use these values for the wave device configuration.

  • sample rate: 11025
  • sample buffer size: 128
  • sample ring length: 8
	

Test playback/record and inspect the output information.

  • arecord -v -r 11025 -c 2 -t wav -f S16_LE -D hw:1,1 | aplay -D hw:0
    Recording WAVE 'stdin' : Signed 16 bit Little Endian, Rate 11025 Hz, Stereo
    Hardware PCM card 1 'Loopback' device 1 subdevice 0
    Its setup is:
    stream       : CAPTURE
    access       : RW_INTERLEAVED
    format       : S16_LE
    subformat    : STD
    channels     : 2
    rate         : 11025
    exact rate   : 11025 (11025/1)
    msbits       : 16
    buffer_size  : 5481
    period_size  : 189
    period_time  : 17142
    tstamp_mode  : NONE
    period_step  : 1
    avail_min    : 189
    period_event : 0
    start_threshold  : 1
    stop_threshold   : 5481
    silence_threshold: 0
    silence_size : 0
    boundary     : 9111951926542467072
    appl_ptr     : 0
    hw_ptr       : 0

Run jackd 2 using qjackctl.

  • Set the mode to DUPLEX.
  • Set the input device to hw:1,1 (loopback)
  • Set the output device to hw:0
  • Set the sample rate to 11025
  • Set the period size to 189 (see above)
	

Start jackd 2 within qjackctl.

  • Connect the input to the output

Select a preset then play.

	

An alternative to routing Freq Monster 801 directly in jackd is to utilise alsa_in.

  • alsa_in -j fm801 -d hw:1,1 -r 11025 -p 189 -c 2 -n 2

If the stream in unreliable, try different WAVE parameters in Freq Monster 801 and reconfigure jackd accordingly.

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4. Midi

Install.

  1. Virtual Midi Piano Keyboard (VMPK) from http://vmpk.sourceforge.net/

Setup modprobe.conf (Eg. if you need more than one midi through port)

  • options snd_seq_dummy ports=4
  • Reboot to allow any changes to take effect.

Run Freq Monster 801 in WINE.

  • Set the Freq Monster 801 midi input to `Midi Through Port-0'

Run Virtual Midi Piano Keyboard (VMPK).

  • Set the VMPK midi output connection to `Midi Through Port-0'

Select a preset then play.

	
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5. Jack rack FX

Install.

  1. Jack rack

Perform the steps above outlined above for Jackd with one minor difference:- before running Freq Monster 801, run Jack rack. Nb. If you do not run Jack rack before Freq Monster 801 then there will be no access to Jack rack for LFO control in Freq Monster 801 later.

  • jack-rack -n

We use the -n option so that Jack rack uses a persistant name for its midi control device name.

If Jack rack fails to register in qjackctl after starting jackd then you will need to restart Jack rack. Restarting Jack rack is fine if its control device name is persistant (as set with the option shown above) and it was initially started before Freq Monster 801.

	

Add a DSP effect to Jack rack (Eg. reverb) and do the following.

  • Connect the input to Jack rack.
  • Connect Jack rack to the output.

Select a preset then play.

	
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6. Jack rack LFO

Perform the steps above outlined above for Jack rack FX.

As an example add a filter to Jack rack. To remote control that filter add a midi control for its cutoff frequency, choose midi CC 71.

Inside the LFO panel of Freq Monster 801 choose Jack rack as the Aux. output device and configure an LFO to send on Auxiliary 1. Enable the LFO panel and the LFO itself.

Select the multimedia timer within Freq Monster 801's clock panel and click start. You should now see the filter cutoff frequency altering in real-time.

	
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