# Help setting up OSS, virtual_OSS and JACK



## loopier (Nov 7, 2022)

Hi,

I'm new to FreeBSD, willing to move away from my current Linux (Arch) system. I'm running into some problems to setup a proper system for my needs. These include, among others, using SuperCollider. 

SuperCollider's server needs JACK to be running in the background. In Linux I use PipeWire and everything seems to work fine. I tried installing it in FreeBSD but didn't manage to make it work. I then discovered OSS and virutal_OSS. I removed PipeWire, and installed both *OSS. I do get sound from from some apps (Firefox), but I cannot seem to get the sound out from SuperCollider. The  server boots, the VU meter displays audio going out, Catia displays a System output, which SuperCollider is connected to, but no sound goes through the headphones. I tried both with internal soundcard and an external USB Scarlett Focusrite, with similar results: audio from Firefox, no audio from SC.

I'm a bit lost on how OSS, virtual_OSS and JACK interact. I don't see any devices or drivers where they are supposed to be in JACK. I have searched quite a bit, read the OSS manual, watched meka's videos, read his blog, but they are a step ahead, they deal with RT and sample jitters, not the basic setup, which is where I'm stuck. Is there a guide somewhere that explains how to setup a system with OSS and JACK? Do I even need JACK in FreeBSD? If there isn't a guide, I'm willing to write one, but first I would need some help in understanding how it works (I'm no computer scientist or sysadmin, so I don't think I can understand very low-level stuff, just a bit lower than regular user-level).

Cheers.


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## hselasky@ (Nov 12, 2022)

Hi,

virtual_oss replaces /dev/dsp and jackd sits on top of that again. That's the way I do it.

--HPS


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## hselasky@ (Nov 12, 2022)

How many channels does your audio device have?


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## loopier (Nov 12, 2022)

hselasky@ said:


> How many channels does your audio device have?


I use a couple of different ones. The one that has the most has 4 ins and 4 outs. But I may use more channels before sending it out, and may have to use up to 8 or 12 channels once in a while.



> virtual_oss replaces /dev/dsp and jackd sits on top of that again. That's the way I do it.


Cool, thanks. I'll check that out


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