Ubuntu Server - Virtual Sound Card

Deleted74295

This has gotta be possible but hours of google fu and lots of different attempts have all failed. So turning to here.

I have a hosted Ubuntu Server at a provider. No physical soundcard or audio interface. What I want to be able to do, is install 2 virtual sound drivers.

Input
Output

I want my output sound (speakers) from any software, to be routed to the input software so that it can be recorded or something else.

There is a long story as to why I'm doing it this way. I can do it on Windows standing on my head but this needs to be run 24/7. Hence the need for a hosted server and this has to be done via application.

Is my only option a hosted Windows system? On Windows there are 3 different packages that do this, one of them is: VB-CABLE (Audio Device Driver MME, DX, WDM)
http://vb-audio.pagesperso-orange.fr/Cable/index.htm

So, is there another option in Ubuntu Server world for this?I've tried messing with "Jack" and PulseAudio but could not get them to behave.

scottalanmiller

I'm sure it's possible. Never heard of anyone looking for something like that, though. I think it is just obscure.

Deleted74295

Oh well. One of those times when Mac & Windows have lots of availability for something.

scottalanmiller

Did you ever find a good option for this? Or was this just one of those times to give up?

thwr

What about http://www.alsa-project.org/main/index.php/Matrix%3AModule-dummy ?

Deleted74295

@scottalanmiller said in Ubuntu Server - Virtual Sound Card:

Did you ever find a good option for this? Or was this just one of those times to give up?

It died a death, Install a Windows VM to do this instead which has a lot more apps to do this kind of thing. Even silly OSx can do this so I was really surprised I could not find any Linuxy ways of doing it. Running on a Windows 10 VM at the moment working away at triple the price, not ideal but got it working.

@thwr said in Ubuntu Server - Virtual Sound Card:

What about http://www.alsa-project.org/main/index.php/Matrix%3AModule-dummy ?

In reading the docs, that sounds like it relies on a physical sound card being present, even at the motherboard level, most of these projects I've tried have needed some kind of physical audio interface to be present.

thwr

@Breffni-Potter Are you sure? snd-dummy represents a sound card on its own, with no specific hardware behind. I have no real use case for this, but this should work out of the box. If not, I may take a look into it.

The idea behind is simple:
snd-dummy represents the first (and only) soundcard. ALSA (or more likely PulseAudio) will "route" everything through it. From there, you should be able to grab a stream.

https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2119648

Deleted74295

@thwr said in Ubuntu Server - Virtual Sound Card:

@Breffni-Potter Are you sure? snd-dummy represents a sound card on its own, with no specific hardware behind. I have no real use case for this, but this should work out of the box. If not, I may take a look into it.

The idea behind is simple:
snd-dummy represents the first (and only) soundcard. ALSA (or more likely PulseAudio) will "route" everything through it. From there, you should be able to grab a stream.

https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2119648

I gave up on that linux VM so can't test it but I tried many things under the sun involving ALSA and PulseAudio, I had a real Linux brain box helping me out with it and neither of us could get it working after a week of trying different things out.

If it works in testing by someone else, that'll be nice to know how to get it working.

thwr

@Breffni-Potter said in Ubuntu Server - Virtual Sound Card:

I gave up on that linux VM so can't test it but I tried many things under the sun involving ALSA and PulseAudio, I had a real Linux brain box helping me out with it and neither of us could get it working after a week of trying different things out.

So that's not urgent at all. You made me curious, so maybe I'll take a look into it during the next few days

Deleted74295

@thwr said in Ubuntu Server - Virtual Sound Card:

@Breffni-Potter said in Ubuntu Server - Virtual Sound Card:

I gave up on that linux VM so can't test it but I tried many things under the sun involving ALSA and PulseAudio, I had a real Linux brain box helping me out with it and neither of us could get it working after a week of trying different things out.

So that's not urgent at all. You made me curious, so maybe I'll take a look into it during the next few days

Oh it was urgent 3 months ago

The fix was to bite the bullet and pay triple the cost for a Windows VM to do it.

thwr

Hehe. Is Ubuntu Server 16.04 ok for you?

Deleted74295

@thwr said in Ubuntu Server - Virtual Sound Card:

Hehe. Is Ubuntu Server 16.04 ok for you?

Sure, whenever really, no rush.

chrisnbrooks

@thwr said in Ubuntu Server - Virtual Sound Card:
...

https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2119648

Good read! Wish I still had my blade in Chicago so I could test this out just for gits and shiggles.
Maybe finally time to renew that contract ... this time sans hosting clients.

thwr

@chrisnbrooks said in Ubuntu Server - Virtual Sound Card:

@thwr said in Ubuntu Server - Virtual Sound Card:
...

https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2119648

Good read! Wish I still had my blade in Chicago so I could test this out just for gits and shiggles.
Maybe finally time to renew that contract ... this time sans hosting clients.

Just create a VM with no sound hardware

chrisnbrooks

@thwr said in Ubuntu Server - Virtual Sound Card:

@chrisnbrooks said in Ubuntu Server - Virtual Sound Card:

@thwr said in Ubuntu Server - Virtual Sound Card:
...
Maybe finally time to renew that contract ... this time sans hosting clients.

Just create a VM with no sound hardware

Hah! Nooo... Just take my money!!!

thwr

Ok, got it. It's actually pretty simple. Tried this in a fresh new Ubuntu 16.04.1 VM on VirtualBox. The VM does not have sound hardware (disabled in VirtualBox).
I had some problems with the recorded file, there was just white noise. Turned out something went wrong when I tried to record the output using arecord and pipe that to lame to get a MP3. Switched to WAV instead.

Preparations:

sudo modprobe snd-aloop
sudo apt-get install alsa

Check devices:

tw@ubuntu-snddummy:~$ sudo aplay -l
**** List of PLAYBACK Hardware Devices ****
Home directory not accessible: Permission denied
card 0: Loopback [Loopback], device 0: Loopback PCM [Loopback PCM]
  Subdevices: 7/8
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
  Subdevice #1: subdevice #1
  Subdevice #2: subdevice #2
  Subdevice #3: subdevice #3
  Subdevice #4: subdevice #4
  Subdevice #5: subdevice #5
  Subdevice #6: subdevice #6
  Subdevice #7: subdevice #7
card 0: Loopback [Loopback], device 1: Loopback PCM [Loopback PCM]
  Subdevices: 8/8
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
  Subdevice #1: subdevice #1
  Subdevice #2: subdevice #2
  Subdevice #3: subdevice #3
  Subdevice #4: subdevice #4
  Subdevice #5: subdevice #5
  Subdevice #6: subdevice #6
  Subdevice #7: subdevice #7
tw@ubuntu-snddummy:~$

Play something

sudo aplay -D hw:0,0,0 sample.wav
Playing WAVE 'sample.wav' : Signed 16 bit Little Endian, Rate 44100 Hz, Stereo

Record (different shell)

sudo arecord -D hw:0,1,0 -f cd record.wav

PS: Did everything as root to avoid any permission issues.

Source:
http://www.alsa-project.org/main/index.php/Matrix:Module-aloop

Deleted74295

Nice work, really good find.

Will remember to try this in the future.

thwr

Thanks, I was just curious Please report back if that works for you.

scottalanmiller

This got way more popular than I had been expecting it to be!

thwr

@scottalanmiller said in Ubuntu Server - Virtual Sound Card:

This got way more popular than I had been expecting it to be!

Now we just need to find use-cases for this

Unsolved Ubuntu Server - Virtual Sound Card