Re: [Discuss-gnuradio] Audio source cannot use 2 outputs (Stereo) in windows

[Marcus Müller]

Hi Gary,

The "* " is good; when you take that full output of gnuradio-config…,
and replace the ";" with line breaks, you get a nice list with indented
subentries. In this case, the list entry of interest would be

gr-audio
* portaudio
* windows

Nothing to do with windows vs UNIX, it's just the way we output things
(for historical reasons). I think it wasn't originally meant to be all
on one line (I don't actually know), but you can't change a
"diagnostic" program's output to look better later on – there might be
someone else's software depending on it being one line (welcome to the
hell of popular software!). 

> I saved and restarted the PC, but GNUradio is not using portaudio. So
> it 

Huh! Interesting, to say the least. Can you check whether `gnuradio-
config-info --prefs` actually shows the correct value (as put by you
there)?

Best regards,
Marcus

On Sun, 2019-05-05 at 10:39 +0100, Gary.Simpkins wrote:
> Hi Marcus and any windows experts
> 
> Trying to get portaudio working in GNURadio (win10). can you answer 
> these simple questions.
> 
> Using  gnuradio-config-info  --enabled-components, I get the
> following.
> 
> python-support;testing-support;volk;doxygen;sphinx;gnuradio-
> runtime;gr-ctrlport;gr-blocks;gnuradio-companion;gr-fec;gr-fft;gr-
> filter;gr-analog;gr-digital;gr-dtv;gr-atsc;gr-audio;* 
> portaudio;* 
> windows;gr-channels;gr-noaa;gr-pager;gr-qtgui;gr-trellis;gr-uhd;gr-
> utils;gr-video-sdl;gr-vocoder;gr-fcd;gr-wavelet;gr-wxgui;gr-zeromq.
> 
>   Is the * infront of portaudio significant?  Is it a wild card? do
> you 
> now what this means? (I know this is windows and not UNIX)
> 
> gnuradio-config-info  --userprefsdir  responds with
> 
> C:\Users\Gary\AppData\Roaming\.gnuradio
> 
> In this directory is a config.conf file.  It was empty, so I added
> 
> [audio]
> 
> audio_module = portaudio
> 
> I saved and restarted the PC, but GNUradio is not using portaudio. So
> it 
> looks like it is not being used.
> 
> Regards
> 
> Gary
> 
> 
> 
> On 04/05/2019 14:39, Müller, Marcus (CEL) wrote:
> > Hey Gary,
> > please keep things on the list! Good news:
> > That's the exact opposite of what I wanted to convey! *Use* GNU
> > Radio's
> > existing portaudio interface; chances are that your GNU Radio
> > installation supports that (which is why I asked how you've
> > installed
> > it).
> > https://www.gnuradio.org/doc/doxygen/page_audio.html tells us how
> > to do
> > that:
> > you just need to find your GNU Radio configuration (for me as Unix
> > user
> > it's in ~/.gnuradio/config.conf, but yours is probably somewhere
> > else;
> > running `gnuradio-config-info --userprefsdir` should give you an
> > idea
> > where to look). Add, if not already in there, the following:
> > 
> > [audio]
> > audio_module = portaudio
> > 
> > Done! That tells GNU Radio to not just try the first best guess of
> > what
> > audio system you want to use (that being windows API under
> > windows),
> > but to specifically use portaudio – and that should have the
> > features
> > you're looking for.
> > 
> > Still, the windows source not working as it should is a pain. We
> > should
> > fix that.
> > 
> > Best regards,
> > Marcus
> > 
> > On Sat, 2019-05-04 at 08:05 +0100, address@hidden wrote:
> > > Many thanks for the explanation. Looks like I can go no further.
> > > I do
> > > not have the skills to develope the audio source.
> > > 
> > > Gary
> > > 
> > > Sent from my Huawei Mobile
> > > 
> > > 
> > > -------- Original Message --------
> > > Subject: Re: [Discuss-gnuradio] Audio source cannot use 2 outputs
> > > (Stereo) in
> > > windows
> > > From: "M黮ler, Marcus (CEL)"
> > > To: address@hidden,address@hidden
> > > CC:
> > > 
> > > 
> > > > Hi Gary!
> > > > 
> > > > > I have double checked and all the windows audio devices I
> > > > > have
> > > > > used
> > > > > for the audio source are 2 channels.
> > > > I never doubted that – all I wanted to point out that the I
> > > > think
> > > > it
> > > > was Windows that told the GNU Radio windows audio source it saw
> > > > only
> > > > one channel, and consequently the windows audio source only
> > > > enabled
> > > > one
> > > > output port.
> > > > 
> > > > I was wrong, it turns out! When you look at gr-
> > > > audio/liob/windows/windows_source.cc, you'll find the number of
> > > > output
> > > > streams of the block to be hardcoded to be between 1 and 1,
> > > > so...
> > > > 1:
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > windows_source::windows_source(int sampling_freq,
> > > > const std::string
> > > > device_name)
> > > > : sync_block("audio_windows_source",
> > > > io_signature::make(0, 0, 0),
> > > > io_signature::make(1, 1,
> > > > sizeof(float))),
> > > > 
> > > > The last line does that.
> > > > So, that's a um, underdeveloped feature in the windows audio
> > > > source.
> > > > 
> > > > > They work fine with WSJT-X, or MAP65.
> > > > > 
> > > > > The stereo channels I wish to use are the I and Q outputs
> > > > > from
> > > > my
> > > > > SDRPLay Duo using virtual cables
> > > > > 
> > > > > (I have tried the speaker outputs from the PC with GNURadio
> > > > > audio
> > > > > source
> > > > > and get the same problem)
> > > > > 
> > > > > Does the audio source work with two channels on linux?
> > > > Yes, (haven't tried today, but it /used/ to work), but it sadly
> > > > shares
> > > > nearly no code with the windows audio source. That's due to
> > > > fact
> > > > that
> > > > Linux' ALSA and Windows' sound API and OS X's Core Audio are
> > > > pretty
> > > > different.
> > > > 
> > > > I do have an idea, though, which *might* be a solution to your
> > > > problem,
> > > > but: untested; don't expect wonders.
> > > > 
> > > > Has your GNU Radio build portaudio enabled? As said, it's not
> > > > tested,
> > > > but unlike the windows audio source, the portaudio source at
> > > > least
> > > > from
> > > > the state of the source code (far as I can tell) enables as
> > > > many
> > > > maximum output streams as your card has.
> > > > > I am using the latest version of GNURadio 3.7.13.4 on a 64bit
> > > > > win
> > > > 10
> > > > > PC.
> > > > > 
> > > > Built from source, or where did you happen across it?
> > > > 
> > > > > I am really stuck here. Nothing I try allows the second
> > > > > output to
> > > > be
> > > > > enabled.
> > > > > 
> > > > Sorry to hear that! We'll try to get you unstuck :)
> > > > 
> > > > Best regards,
> > > > Marcus
> 
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