ALSA Sequencer System

ALSA Sequencer System

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Outline

• Introduction

• • Characteristics
  • Structure of ALSA

• ALSA Sequencer

• • Structure
  • Client/Port
  • Subscription
  • Event
  • Synchronization
  • Sequencer API
  • OSS Emulation
  • Examples
  • Resources

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Characteristics of ALSA

• ALSA =

• Advanced LinuxSoundArchitecture
• High quality sound system
• Support up to 8 cards
• Full-duplex, multi-channel PCM
• Flexible and extensible control/mixer
• Powerful sequencer
• Good OSS Compatibility

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Structure of ALSA

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ALSA Drivers

• Fully GPL'ed
• Modularization
  • Separation of low-level, mid-level and card drivers
  • No duplication of codes
  • Ease of development & maintenance
  • .. but ..

you'll see so many modules!

ex) SB AWE64 with sequencer

Card Driver
snd-card-sbawe - SB AWE 32/64
Mid-Level Drivers
snd-pcm - PCM
snd-hwdep - H/W-dep device
snd-timer - Timer
snd-opl3 - FM OPL3
snd-rawmidi - RawMIDI
snd-seq-device - Sequencer manager

Low-Level Drivers
snd-mpu401-uart - MPU401 driver
snd-emu8000 - Emu8000 driver
snd-sb16-dsp - SB16 DSP driver
snd-sb16-csp - SB16 CSP
snd-sb-common - SB8/16 common
snd-util-mem - Emu/Trident memory manager
snd - ALSA core

Sequencer Kernel Clients (loaded as plug-in)
snd-synth-opl3 - FM OPL3
snd-seq-midi - MIDI synth
snd-synth-emu8000 - Emu8000 WaveTable

Sequencer Support (loaded as plug-in)
snd-seq-virmidi - Virtual MIDI device
snd-seq-instr - Instrument abstract layer
snd-ainstr-fm - FM OPL3 instrument support
snd-synth-emux - Emu8000/10k1 wavetable support
snd-seq-midi-emul - MIDI emulation
snd-seq-midi-event - MIDI byte stream conversion

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ALSA Library

• Fully LGPL'ed
• Provides consistent APIs
• Abstract PCM Plug-in
  • Support for different formats, channels and rates.
• No direct access to device files
  • All applications access via ALSA-lib API.

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OSS Compatibility


ALSA is (almost :-) full compatible with OSS

• PCM and Mixer
  • Additional plug-in modules
  • Auto-loading via kmod
• Raw MIDI
  • Nothing special is necessary
• Sequencer
  • Devices are mapped through ALSA sequencer
  • Concurrent access is allowed

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What's Sequencer?


The role of sequencer =

• Delivers events at the right time (sequence) to the right destination (device).

Problems of OSS sequencer

• Using a single FIFO for scheduling
• Exclusive access
• No good real-time control
• The destination is only a device

ALSA sequencer

• Multiple concurrent access
• Scheduled by priority queues
• Real-time event dispatching

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Structure of ALSA Sequencer

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Sequencer as Dispatcher

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Sequencer as Dispatcher - 2

• Concurrent clients (up to 192)

• • Multiplex access to the sequencer device
• Kernel clients
• • Manage h/w devices
  • Implemented as a kernel module
  • Light-weight inter-client communications
    • Use callbacks
• User clients
• • Assigned at each open of the sequencer device
  • write/read syscalls for client communications
    • Data goes always across user/kernel boundary
• Broadcasting / multicasting
• • Subscribers or all clients/ports
• Multiple ports (up to 253)

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Sequencer as Scheduler

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Sequencer as Scheduler - 2

• Priority queues for scheduling

• • Arbitrary order of schedule
  • Events can be scheduled in advance
  • Events may go through queues (real-time)
• Multiple event queues with own tempo
• • Queues are controlled independently
• Double queue system
• • Real-time queue - constant base time
  • MIDI tick queue - variable base time
• Synchronization
• • Sync-master (to other devices)
  • Sync-slave (from another device)

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Multiple Queues

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Client

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Special Clients

• Client #0 - System clients

• • Port #0 - Timer port
    • Write: Controls queues
    • Read: Broadcasts queue changes (e.g. tempo, position, etc.)
  • Port #1 - Announce port (read only)
    • Read: Broadcasts client, port and subscription status changes
• Client #62 - Dummy (MIDI-thru) client
• • Broadcasts all received events to subscribers
• Client #63 - OSS sequencer emulator
• • Supports for the OSS sequencer access via /dev/sequencer

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Other Kernel Clients

• External MIDI (r/w)

• • A port assigned to the external MIDI device (MPU-401) on the corresponding soundcard.
• Virtual MIDI (r/w)
• • A port assigned to the virtual MIDI device.
  • The input/output events are converted from/to MIDI byte streams through the virtual MIDI device file.
• WaveTable (w only)
• • WaveTable synthesizer ports.
  • Supported on Emu8000 and Emu10k1.
• FM OPL-3 (w only)
• • FM OPL-3 synthesizer ports.
  • Supported on most soundcards.

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Port Capabilities

Access to the port is controlled via capability bits
SND_SEQ_PORT_CAP_XXX

• READ- The port is readable (input device)
• WRITE- The port is writable (output device)
• DUPLEX- The port supports duplex
• READ_SUBS- Read subscription allowed
• WRITE_SUBS - Write subscription allowed
• NO_EXPORT- Prohibits arbitrary connections

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Subscription

Subscription = connection between two ports

• Read subscription

• • e.g. input from an external keyboard
  • send events automatically to the associated ports
• Write subscription
• • e.g. output to a MIDI device
  • open the device explicitly
• Arbitrary connection
• • e.g. connection from MIDI keyboard to WaveTable synth
  • arbitrary routing between two ports (patchbay)

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Subscription Examples

• Command line utility -

• aconnect
  • External MIDI external input (port#0) --> Emu8000 wavetable (port#1)
  • % aconnect External:0 Emu8000:1
  • you may see the current connection in /proc/asound/seq/clients

• With GUI

• 

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More about Subscription

• Broadcast to subscribers

• • A client can send events to all subscribers by using a special destination, SND_SEQ_ADDRESS_SUBSCRIBERS
  • just like stdin/out
• Auto-update of time-stamp
• • The time-stamp of the incoming event can be updated with the given queue.
• Exclusive connection
• • The exclusive connection can be assured with a special flag.
• Synchronization Information
• • The queue-synchronization is implemented on subscription.

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Double Queue System

Concept

• Virtual-Time (MIDI tick)
  • Musician's standard (bar, clock, tick)
  • The time increase depends on tempo
  • MIDI clock synchronization

• Real-Time (wall-clock time)
  • Intuitive (sec / nanosec)
  • The time increases constantly
  • SMPTE / MTC synchronization

Implementation

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Event

A fixed size event packet:

snd_seq_event_t {
snd_seq_event_type type; /* event type */
unsigned char flags; /* event flags */
char tag; /* for removing */
unsigned char queue; /* schedule queue */
union {
snd_seq_tick_time_t tick; /* MIDI tick */
snd_seq_real_time_t time; /* real-time */
} time; /* schedule time */
snd_seq_addr_t source; /* source address */
snd_seq_addr_t dest; /* destination address */

union { /* event data: 12bytes */
snd_seq_ev_note note; /* note events */
snd_seq_ev_ctrl control; /* chanel control events */
snd_seq_ev_ext ext; /* external data */
....
} data;
};

• Schedule time union:

• • MIDI tick - unsigned int tick; (4 bytes)
  • Real-time - unsigned int sec, nsec; (8 bytes)
• Source / destination addresses:
• • unsigned char client, port; (2 bytes)
• Data union:
• • various data types in fixed size (12 bytes)

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Event Types

• Fixed length -

• a single event cell
  • MIDI events - note-on, off, MIDI controls
  • Queue control events - start, stop, change tempo
  • Sync signals
• Variable length -
• a header cell (size, pointer) + external data
  • SYSEX messages
• User-space data -
• a header cell (size, pointer) only
  • Instrument management
• Quoted events -
• a wrapper cell (pointer) + original event cell
  • Error messages
  • MIDI-thru
• IPC shared memory -
• a single cell containing the IPC key

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Variable Length Events - Case 1

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Variable Length Events - Case 2

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Variable Length Events - Case 3

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Variable Length Events - Case 4

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More Efficiency..?

• Waste of resources on user/kernel boundary
  • Input/output buffers on user-space

--> Use of mmap

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Synchronization

Synchronization = running two (or more) queues
at the same position with the same tempo

• Synchronization on the same system
  • Sharing the same queue
    • No extra coding!

• Synchronization between different systems
  • Sync with signals
    • via MIDI cable, network, etc.

• Two directions
  • Sync Master
    • Send (periodic) sync signals to other devices
  • Sync Slave
    • Receive sync signals and synchronize the queue

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Implementation of Sync

• Device <--> Queue Connection
  • Use subscription mechanism
  • Prepare a special port for each queue
  • Multiple sync-mastering allowed
  • Exclusive sync-slave

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Implementation of Sync - 2

• Using PLL
  • Robustness (but not 100% accurate)
  • Accuracy (tolerance, lock condition) configurable
  • Capable with low resolution sources

• Sync of real-time queues
  • Sync signal -> Modify increment in a timer interrupt
    • The speed of associated tick queue is modified automatically!

• Sync of tick queues
  • Sync signal -> Modify the queue tempo value
    • The associated real-time queue is not affected.

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Sequencer API

• Create/delete a client
  • int snd_seq_open(&handle);
  • int snd_seq_close(handle);
• Create/delete a port
  • int snd_seq_create_port(handle, port_info);
  • int snd_seq_delete_port(handle, port_info);
• Subscription
  • int snd_seq_subscribe_port(handle, subs_info);
  • int snd_seq_unsubscribe_port(handle, subs_info);
• Create/delete a queue
  • int snd_seq_alloc_queue(handle);
  • int snd_seq_free_queue(handle, queue);
• Output/Input an event packet
  • int snd_seq_event_output(handle, event)
  • int snd_seq_event_input(handle, &event)

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Proc Interface

Files under /proc/asound/seq

• clients
  • List of cients, ports and subscriptions

• queues
  • List of all allocated queues and sync connections

• timer
  • List of current running timers

• oss
  • List of OSS sequencer devices and running apps

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OSS Emulation

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Latency Test

Echo-back events from a user-client to itself
Iteration = 10,000,000, CPU = celeron 400MHz, Kernel 2.2.16 low-latency

• Disk Write Test (1GB write)

• • Normal: Max. 48.0 ms / Avg. 9.0 ms
  • SCHED_FIFO: Max. 0.10 ms / Avg. 0.0059 ms
• Disk Read Test (1GB read)
• • Normal: Max. 8.9 ms / Avg. 0.0073 ms
  • SCHED_FIFO: Max. 0.096 ms / Avg. 0.0056 ms
• Disk Copy Test (1GB copy)
• • Normal: Max. 8.8 ms / Avg. 0.0075 ms
  • SCHED_FIFO: Max. 0.092 ms / Avg. 0.0059 ms
• Proc Test (top -d0.1)
• • Normal: Max. 30.0 ms / Avg. 0.012 ms
  • SCHED_FIFO: Max. 0.076 ms / Avg. 0.0075 ms
• X11 Test (x11perf -scroll500 -shmput500)
• • Normal: Max. 21.0 ms / Avg. 0.0080 ms
  • SCHED_FIFO: Max. 0.12 ms / Avg. 0.0074 ms

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Playback with TiMidity++

pmidi -> sequencer -> aseqview -> output (timidity)



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Combination with Jazz++

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Network Transparency

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Combination of Sync

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Remarkable Notes

• Real-time event-delivery
• Multiple clients / ports / queues
• Flexible routing
• Arbitrary Scheduling using priority queues
• Double time system (MIDI tick & real-time)
• Support of virtual MIDI devices
• Intelligent sync-master / slave
• Various sync formats: SMPTE/MTC/DTL, MIDI-clock

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Known Problems

• Fairly big (and complicated) stuff on kernel
  • -> Implement seq-scheduler on user-space
  • Sequencer core plays only as a router
  • How to get timer interrupt in real time?
    • fasync on RTC

• Latency
  • Always required setuid-root?

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Further Works to Do

• Complete sync stuffs
  • Support of multi-MIDI port h/w (e.g. MTPAV)

• Light-weight soft-synth client

• SMPTE decoder/encoder clients

• Complete WaveTable synths (on Trident, Yamaha, etc.)

• Support of SoundFont (and other) instrument layers

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Resources

• ALSA project homepage
  • http://www.alsa-project.org

• ALSA CVS (v0.6)
  • cvs.alsa-project.org

• Author's webpage (about ALSA)
  • http://www.alsa-project.org/~iwai/alsa.html

• HTTP version of these slides
  • http://www.alsa-project.org/~iwai/lk2k.html

• Synchronization details
  • http://www.alsa-project.org/~iwai/alsa-sync.html

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