jack_mixer - A graphical multi-channel audio mixer for JACK
jack_mixer.py [-h] [-c FILE] [-d] [NAME]
This manual page documents the jack_mixer command.
jack_mixer is a multi-channel audio mixer application for
the JACK Audio Connection Kit with a graphical user interface and has a look
& handling similar to hardware mixing desks.
Positional arguments:
NAME set JACK client name
Optional arguments:
After starting jack_mixer, you need to create at least one
input and one output channel via the respective entries in the
"Mixer" menu (see section MAIN MENU).
Then connect your audio sources to the jack_mixer's JACK
audio input ports (see section JACK AUDIO AND MIDI PORTS) using
jack_connect or GUI tools like the QJackCtl's connections window,
Catia, Carla, etc. Connect the monitor channel output port(s) or the output
ports of the output channels to the input ports of your audio interface or
any other JACK audio input ports.
Then adjust input and output channel volume levels and balance as
required using the fader controls in each channel strip (see section
MOUSE BINDINGS for ways to to control the faders and routing).
- For each input channel, jack_mixer will create one (if it is a mono
channel) or two (stereo) JACK audio input ports. The input port(s) will be
named like the input channel strip, if it is a mono channel, or with an
" L" resp. " R" suffix, it it is a stereo
channel.
- Optionally, for each input channel, it creates a direct, post-fader audio
output port (mono) or pair of output ports (stereo). These are named the
same as their input port(s) with " Out" resp. " Out L"
/ "Out R" appended.
- For each ouput channel it will create one (mono) or two (stereo) audio
output ports.
- Additionally it will create one pair of audio monitor ports named
"Monitor L" and "Monitor R".
- If jack_mixer was compiled with JACK MIDI support, it will also
create one MIDI input ("midi in") and one MIDI output
("midi out") port.
Main Menu:
Use the Mixer menu to:
- Add an input or output channel.
- Add an output channel.
- Open a file with a preset mixer layout.
- Save the current mixer layout to an XML file.
- Exit jack_mixer.
Use the Edit menu to:
- Change the properties of an input or output channel.
- Remove an input or output channel.
- Toggle all channel strips between wide and narrow view.
- Clear the current mixer layout, i.e. remove all input and output
channels.
- Open the setting preferences dialog.
Use the Help menu to show jack_mixer's about
dialog.
Main window:
- •
- Left-click and drag the vertical divider line horizontally to set the size
distribution of the left and right panels for the input and output channel
strips. If a panel contains more channel strips than can be fit into its
horizontal size, horizontal scrollbars will be available at the bottom of
the panel.
Channel strip header:
- Double click the channel strip header to open the channel properties
dialog.
- Ctrl+left-click the channel strip header to toggle the channel strip
between wide and narrow view.
- Left-click and drag the channel strip header horizontally to re-order
channel strips. This doesn't effect the order of the JACK output ports and
input channels are always arranged on the left side of the main
jack_mixer window and output chanels on the right side.
Control groups (input channels):
Each input channel header has a control group for each output
channel, which has the same background color and label as the corresponding
output channel header.
Each output channel control group shows a pre/post-fader
("P") and a mute ("M") button and, optionally, a solo
("S") button.
- Left-click the pre/post-fader ("P") button to toggle the signal
sent to the corresponding output channel between the post-fader (off) and
pre-fader (on) signal of the input channel.
- Left-click the mono ("M") button to mute the signal from the
input channel going to the corresponding output channel.
- Left-click the solo ("S") button to solo the input channel for
the corresponding output channel. i.e. only the signal from this input
channel (plus any other soloed channels) is going to this output
channel.
Volume read-out and peak-indicator:
- Left-click the volume level read-out to enter a value manually and press
Enter to set it.
- Left/right-click the peak volume level read-out to reset the over-zero
indication.
- Middle-click the peak volume level read-out to set the volume level to
peak at 0 dB at the current signal input level.
Volume meter:
- •
- Left-click the pre-fader ("PRE") button below the volume meter
to switch the signal, which is metered, from post-fader (off) to pre-fader
(on).
(not yet implemented)
Volume slider:
- Left-click and drag vertically anywhere in the slider area to set the
channel output volume level.
- Scroll the mouse wheel up or down over the slider area to increase or
decrease the volume level.
- Right-click anywhere in the slider area to move the volume level slowly
towards the click position.
- Double click to set the volume level to -inf.
- Ctrl+left-click to set the volume level to 0 dBFS.
Balance slider:
- Left-click and drag horizontally anywhere in the slider area to set the
balance between the left and right channel of the output signal.
- Scroll the mouse wheel up or down over the slider area to move the balance
to right or left.
- Right-click anywhere in the slider area to move the balance slowly towards
the click position.
- Double click to set the left/right balance to center.
Channel buttons:
- Left-click the mono ("M") button to mute signal from channel
going to all output channels (including direct channel outs).
- Ctrl+left-click the mono ("M") button for "exclusive"
mute, i.e. the mute function will be activated on this input or output
channel only and deactivated on all other input resp. output
channels.
- Left-click the solo ("S") button to solo an input channel, i.e.
only the signal from this channel is going to all output channels
(including the direct outputs of the channel).
The solo function is cumulative, i.e. you can activate solo on
more than one input channel and the signals from all soloed channels
will be going to each output channel.
Output channels have no solo button.
- Ctrl+left-click the solo ("SM") button for "exclusive"
solo, i.e. the solo function will be activated on this channel only and
deactivated on all other input channels.
- Right-clicking the mute ("M") button acts like left-clicking but
also synchronizes the muted state on all output channel control groups of
the channel with the main channel mute button.
Output channel control groups, where the mute function was
already active before righ-clicking the mute button are unaffected, i.e.
it will stay activated.
- Right-clicking the solo ("S") button acts like left-clicking but
also synchronizes the soloed state on all output channel control groups of
the channel with the main channel solo button.
Output channel control groups, where the solo function was
already active before righ-clicking the solo button are unaffected, i.e.
it will stay activated.
- Left-click the monitor ("MON") button, to toggle monitoring. If
monitoring is on, the (post-fader) signal from the channel is sent to the
"Monitor L/R" outputs. The monitor function is exclusive, i.e.
activating monitoring on a channel, will turn off monitoring on any other
channel.
jack_mixer is fully compatible with the New Session Manager
(NSM) protocol and provides Level 1 (L1) support for the LADISH protocol.
When running as an NSM client, the mixer layout and current state will be
saved in the NSM session. When started as an L1 client by LADISH, the mixer
layout and current state will be saved in the LADISH studio session or
project (the first time LADISH requests jack_mixer to save a project,
it will open a "Save as" dialog).
- <XDG_CONFIG_HOME>/jack_mixer/preferences.ini
- This file stores global settings for jack_mixer.
- LANGUAGE,
LC_ALL, LC_MESSAGES, and LANG
- The first of these environment variables set to a non-empty value is used
to determine the language(s) for loading gettext translation files if the
language is not set in the global settings. The value should be a colon
separated list of language codes.
- LOCALEDIR
- With this environment variable, the base directory for the gettext
translation files can be changed from the default set at compile time,
which is usually <prefix>/share/locale.
- JACK_MIXER_DEBUG
- When this environment variable is set, the logging level in the Python
layer is set to DEBUG unless it is overwritten by the
-d|--debug command line switch.
- NSM_URL
- When this environment variable is set, jack_mixer will act as a New
Session Manager (NSM) session client.
- SIGUSR1
- In accordance with Level 1 support of LADISH, jack_mixer saves the
current mixer layout and state on receiving a USR1 signal.
- SIGINT |
SIGTERM
- When receiving an INT or TERM signal, jack_mixer will
either exit the application immediately or, if enabled in the preferences,
will show a confirmation dialog, allowing the user to either quit or
cancel the action.
- Project homepage (https://rdio.space/jackmixer/)
- Source code repository on GitHub
(https://github.com/jack-mixer/jack_mixer)
- JACK Audio Connection Kit (https://jackaudio.org/)
- New Session Manager
(https://new-session-manager.jackaudio.org/)
Nedko Arnaudov <nedko@arnaudov.name> (original author),
Frédéric Peters <fpeters@0d.be> (current
maintainer).
GNU General Public License Version 2