Re: [proaudio] Real-Time for audio playback?

[Grant <emailgrant@xxxxxxxxx>]

>>>>>>> <SNIP>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> But in the end, there's really no way to know, right?  From what I
>>>>>>>> gather, jack can add another buffer and report on it, but it's the
>>>>>>>> sound card buffer that determines whether there are problems or not,
>>>>>>>> right?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> No, I think Jack does know.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> In non-Jack apps the application pumps out data. If the buffers
>>>>>>> overflow or run empty it's just a 'system problem' and the system has
>>>>>>> failed.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> In Jack apps all audio is moved by Jack. All Jack apps are callback
>>>>>>> based. Jack itself issues a demand for data from the application, then
>>>>>>> if the application supplies it then everything works correctly. If the
>>>>>>> app doesn't supply the data then we know where the problem is and we
>>>>>>> can fix it.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Here's how I understand it.  In a system without jack, there is
>>>>>> communication between the system and the sound card.  With jack, there
>>>>>> is communication between the system and jack, and also between jack
>>>>>> and the sound card.  It sounds like jack can report on problems with
>>>>>> communication between the system and jack, but we are still left in
>>>>>> the dark as far as communication problems between jack and the sound
>>>>>> card.
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> I don't think so. Jack will report if it had trouble delivering the
>>>>> data to the card. It's just another xrun.
>>>>
>>>> Is that enough information to be sure the card's buffer never runs dry?
>>>>
>>>
>>> I believe it is. Probably you could address really specific questions
>>> to the implementers for more confirmation, but I'm operating as if it
>>> is.
>>>
>>>>> <SNIP>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Was it the Asus motherboard?  Did it take anything else out with it?
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Asus A8N-E. The crash took out the motherboard, the power supply and
>>>>> possibly a disk drive. At least I cannot get the drive to spin up and
>>>>> it was a new SATA drive that was the main system drive before the
>>>>> machine died.
>>>>
>>>> I'm really sorry to hear this.  I hope you were able to resuscitate
>>>> the drive.  Did you choose a reliable motherboard to replace the Asus?
>>>>  If so, I'm interested to hear how you made a reliability
>>>> determination.  How's temperature in the case?
>>>>
>>>> - Grant
>>>
>>> So far the drive is apparently really dead. I haven't done anything
>>> more. I figure I'll contact WD but it's hard to blame it on them. The
>>> power supply seems to have been the culprit. It took out the
>>> motherboard and a cheap ATI VGA also so almost everything in the box
>>> seems pretty dead. I don't know yet whether my HDSP9652 was harmed,
>>> nor have I tested my TI 1394 card, but at least the new system
>>> recognizes them and loads drivers so one of these days I'll hopefully
>>> get on top of that.
>>>
>>> I have more pressing issues right now so those will have to wait a while.
>>>
>>> Thanks for the concerns and interest though.
>>>
>>> Cheers,
>>> Mark
>>
>> Thanks for all your help Mark.  One more question is what kind of
>> power supply was it?  I use Corsair these days.
>>
>> - Grant
>
> I don't remember. It's gone out in the trash at this point. It wasn't
> Corsair. Probably Antec.
>
> I worked in Silicon Valley for a long, long time before I got fed up
> and quit. I can tell you every company making tech equipment makes
> reasonably good products and they all have failures. I had this
> machine since the middle of 2005. I never changed the supply and I
> don't really know that the root cause of the machine failure was only
> the supply. 5 years is a long time for one of these boxes. I replaced
> the drive twice. (3 drives total.) Everything goes bad eventually. I
> don't think you can protect yourself too much from that so do backups.
> I did and I don't know of anything terribly important that I'm missing
> at this point.
>
> I got on WD's web site and filled out the RMA stuff. No questions
> asked. Give them a valid serial number they will replace the drive.
> Mine goes out in the mail tomorrow after I print the RMA label. New
> 500GB SATA2 drive in a few weeks.
>
> What else can ya do? I got high blood pressure worrying about this
> stuff. It's not worth it.
>
> Take care,
> Mark

Thanks Mark, and good luck to us both.

- Grant