Dwarf as Linux USB Interface - Questions

I’m using my new Dwarf as a Linux interface. It’s working great. I’m really excited to ditch my old interface in favor of this. A few questions:

  1. Can I mute Outputs 1&2 (my main speakers) but keep the headphones on?

  2. There are two “extra” outputs listed: “Hardware Playback 1 & 2” as well as “Hardware USB Audio Playback 1 & 2”. What does the second set do?

  3. Any problems at all with leaving the Dwarf on all the time as my main interface?

Thanks!

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I don’t think, those outputs are linked physical.

Hardware Playback 1 & 2 is sending signal to your PC.

I’ve never tried this USB interface mode, it is still experimental, but I think that if you didn’t encounter a problem until now it should be fine !? It probably uses a bit of CPU, but if you don’t notice any disturbance you should be fine !

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Maybe I’m being daft, but I don’t get it. Here’s the way it does work, but no idea what the second set does :frowning:

Interesting, sometimes I need to just use headphones. Guess I will have to physically turn off the speakers? Any better way to do this?

After running all night it’s at 11% and functioning perfectly as an interface. I love being simple, not owning two boxes when one would suffice, so this is exciting to me.

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I don’t have my Dwarf set up as Audio interface (planning to do so after re- installing stuff on my PC), but the way I understand it, if you want to record sound from your Dwarf using e.g. a DAW, the “Hardware USB Audio Playback 1 & 2” will match your “Record in” on you PC.
So if your don’t have any (virtual) cable connected to these outputs in the web interface, there will be no input signal coming into the PC.

If you are using the Dwarf only for Playback from your PC, you will not need the “USB Audio Playback” outputs on the Dwarf web interface (I think you have the two extra virtual Inputs for that).

Compared to other USB Audio interfaces, this gives you very high flexibility and the possibility to combine any sound processing on the Dwarf with processing on the PC

I own a Yamaha THR guitar amp that can also work as Audio interface.
On that one, I get two input signals to my PC:

  • unprocessed signal from Guitar In
  • the “complete” signal including the modeled guitar amp and all the effects applied.

With the Dwarf, you can decide to send “any” signal to the PC, e.g. signal after the amp, but before the cabinet sim (if you want to use a Cab sim on your PC for recording, but still listen to the Cabsim from Dwarf while playing).
(This includes the possibility to use a “virtual 4 cable setup” where you send the signal after some effects to your PC, then have some effects on the PC, send that signal back into the virtual input on your Dwarf, add some more effects on the Dwarf and then go out to the speakers (or even back to the PC)).

On the Yamaha, it’s “all or nothing”.

Does that make sense?

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It works exactly like that.

Ok thanks guys, I think I finally got it. I’m not normally this stupid with ins and outs and stuff, I promise :slight_smile: I hooked my preset up to the second set of outputs and now I can hear audio from the Dwarf in Ardour.

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How can I set my MOD as a PC audio interface?

Its not an official feature yet, we only did some early tests and the whole thing is being redone for the 1.14 release in order to work better. So early testing from 1.13 release doesn’t help us.

The current procedure is documented in Audio Through USB - MOD Wiki but still very technical, intentionally.
Once we have it working fully we will enable it without ssh steps.

So if you really want to try it right now on the 1.13 release series you can, but experience is not the best.

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It worked great for me, but I’m a Linux kinda guy so it wasn’t that hard.

Thanks.

Since I only got a Duo I think release 1.14 will not be deployed, so I’ll have to try on what’s currently installed.