JACKD

Section: (1)
Updated: August 2020
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NAME

jackd - JACK Audio Connection Kit sound server

SYNOPSIS

jackd [options] -d backend [backend-parameters]
jackd --help

DESCRIPTION

jackd is the JACK audio server daemon that allows JACK client programs to process and route audio and MIDI data in a synchronous, sample-accurate and low-latency manner. Originally written for the GNU/Linux operating system, it also runs on various Unix platforms, Mac OS X and MS Windows. JACK can connect a number of different client applications to an audio device and also to each other. Most clients are external, running in their own processes as normal applications. JACK also supports internal clients, which run within the jackd process using a loadable "plugin" interface.

JACK differs from other audio servers in being designed from the ground up for professional audio work. It focuses on two key areas: synchronous execution of all clients and low latency operation.

The name JACK makes a reference to the classical way of patching audio connections with physical audio jack cables. JACK is also a recursive acronym, that is an abbreviation which is part of itself. JACK Audio Connection Kit.

For the latest JACK information please consult the web site: <http://www.jackaudio.org/>.

OPTIONS

-d, --driver backend [backend-parameters ]

Select the audio interface backend. The current list of supported backends is: alsa, coreaudio, dummy, firewire, oss sun and portaudio. They are not all available on all platforms. All backend-parameters are optional.

-h, --help

Print a brief usage message describing the main jackd options. These do not include backend-parameters, which are listed using the --help option for each specific backend. Examples below show how to list them.

-a, --autoconnect modechar

Select how to handle self connect requests. They can be ignore or fail, on all port or just external ones. Use the --help option to know your system specific options. The default is to not restrict self connect requests.

-m, --no-mlock

Do not attempt to lock memory, even if --realtime.

-n, --name server-name

Name this jackd instance server-name. If unspecified, this name comes from the $JACK_DEFAULT_SERVER environment variable. (default: "default")

-p, --port-max n

Set the maximum number of ports the JACK server can manage. (default: 256)

--replace-registry

Remove the shared memory registry used by all JACK server instances before startup. This should rarely be used, and is intended only for occasions when the structure of this registry changes in ways that are incompatible across JACK versions (which is rare).

-R, --realtime

Use realtime scheduling. This is needed for reliable low-latency performance. On many systems, it requires jackd to run with special scheduler and memory allocation privileges, which may be obtained in several ways. (default: true)

-r, --no-realtime

Do not use realtime scheduling.

-P, --realtime-priority int

When running --realtime, set the scheduler priority to int.

--silent

Silence any output during operation.

-T, --temporary

Exit once all clients have closed their connections.

-t, --timeout int

Set client timeout limit in milliseconds. In realtime mode the client timeout must be smaller than the watchdog timeout (5000 msec). (default: 500)

-Z, --nozombies

Prevent JACK from ever kicking out clients because they were too slow. This cancels the effect any specified timeout value, but JACK and its clients are still subject to the supervision of the watchdog thread or its equivalent.

-C, --internal-session-file internal-session-file

Load internal clients and connections from internal-session-file. Each line of this configuration file starts with a command. The following commands are available:
l(oad) client-name lib-name client-args
With this command an internal JACK client will be instantiated. client-name and lib-name cannot contain spaces. The rest of the line will be interpreted as client-args and sent to the client library.
c(on) source-port destination-port
With this command a source port will be connected to a destination port. source-port and destination-port cannot contain spaces.
Comments are allowed, they start with #.
An example configuration could look like the following:

l inprocess1 inprocess
l amp1 jalv http://lv2plug.in/plugins/eg-amp

c amp:out system:playback_1

-u, --unlock

Unlock libraries GTK+, QT, FLTK, Wine.

-v, --verbose

Give verbose output.

-c, --clocksource ( h(pet) | s(ystem) )

Select a specific wall clock (HPET timer, System timer).

-V, --version

Print the current JACK version number and exit.

ALSA BACKEND OPTIONS

-C, --capture [ name ]

Provide only capture ports, unless combined with -D or -P. Optionally set capture device name.

-d, --device name

The ALSA pcm device name to use. If none is specified, JACK will use "hw:0", the first hardware card defined in /etc/modules.conf.

-z, --dither [rectangular,triangular,shaped,none]

Set dithering mode. If none or unspecified, dithering is off. Only the first letter of the mode name is required.

-D, --duplex

Provide both capture and playback ports. Defaults to on unless only one of -P or -C is specified. (default: true)

-h, --help Print a brief usage message describing only the

alsa backend parameters.

-M, --hwmeter

Enable hardware metering for devices that support it. Otherwise, use software metering.

-H, --hwmon

Enable hardware monitoring of capture ports. This is a method for obtaining "zero latency" monitoring of audio input. It requires support in hardware and from the underlying ALSA device driver.

When enabled, requests to monitor capture ports will be satisfied by creating a direct signal path between audio interface input and output connectors, with no processing by the host computer at all. This offers the lowest possible latency for the monitored signal.

Presently (March 2003), only the RME Hammerfall series and cards based on the ICE1712 chipset (M-Audio Delta series, Terratec, and others) support --hwmon. In the future, some consumer cards may also be supported by modifying their mixer settings.

Without --hwmon, port monitoring requires JACK to read audio into system memory, then copy it back out to the hardware again, imposing the basic JACK system latency determined by the --period and --nperiods parameters.

-i, --inchannels int

Number of capture channels. (default: maximum supported by hardware)

-I, --input-latency

Extra input latency (frames). (default: 0)

-n, --nperiods int

Number of periods of playback latency. In seconds, this corresponds to --nperiods times --period divided by --rate. The default is 2, the minimum allowed. For most devices, there is no need for any other value with the --realtime option. Without realtime privileges or with boards providing unreliable interrupts (like ymfpci), a larger value may yield fewer xruns. This can also help if the system is not tuned for reliable realtime scheduling.

For most ALSA devices, the hardware buffer has exactly --period times --nperiods frames. Some devices demand a larger buffer. If so, JACK will use the smallest possible buffer containing at least --nperiods, but the playback latency does not increase.

For USB audio devices it is recommended to use -n 3. Firewire devices supported by FFADO (formerly FreeBoB) are configured with -n 3 by default.

-o, --outchannels int

Number of playback channels. (default: maximum supported by hardware)

-O, --output-latency

Extra output latency (frames). (default: 0)

-P, --playback [ name ]

Provide only playback ports, unless combined with -D or -C. Optionally set playback device name.

-p, --period int

Number of frames between JACK process() calls. This value must be a power of 2. If you need low latency, set -p as low as you can go without seeing xruns. A larger period size yields higher latency, but makes xruns less likely. The JACK capture latency in seconds is --period divided by --rate. (default: 1024)

-r, --rate int

Sample rate. (default: 48000)

-S, --shorts

Try to configure card for 16-bit samples first, only trying 32-bits if unsuccessful. (default: 32-bit samples)

-s, --softmode

Ignore xruns reported by the ALSA driver. This makes JACK less likely to disconnect unresponsive ports when running without --realtime.

-X, --midi [seq|raw]

Which ALSA MIDI system to provide access to. Using raw will provide a set of JACK MIDI ports that correspond to each raw ALSA device on the machine. Using seq will provide a set of JACK MIDI ports that correspond to each ALSA "sequencer" client (which includes each hardware MIDI port on the machine). raw provides slightly better performance but does not permit JACK MIDI communication with software written to use the ALSA "sequencer" API.

COREAUDIO BACKEND PARAMETERS

-c, --channels

Maximum number of channels. (default: 2)

-i, --inchannels

Maximum number of input channels. (default: 2)

-o, --outchannels

Maximum number of output channels. (default: 2)

-C, --capture

Whether or not to capture. (default: true)

-P, --playback

Whether or not to playback. (default: true)

-D, --monitor

Provide monitor ports for the output. (default: false)

-D, --duplex

Capture and playback. (default: true)

-r, --rate

Sample rate. (default: 44100)

-p, --period

Frames per period, must be a power of 2. (default: 128)

-d, --device

CoreAudio device name. (default: none)

-I, --input-latency

Extra input latency (frames). (default: 0)

-O, --output-latency

Extra output latency (frames). (default: 0)

-l, --list-devices

Display available CoreAudio devices. (default: false)

-H, --hog

Take exclusive access of the audio device. (default: false)

-L, --async-latency

Extra output latency in asynchronous mode (percent). (default: 100)

-G, --grain

Computation grain in RT thread (percent). (default: 100)

-s, --clock-drift

Whether or not to compensate clock drift in dynamically created aggregate device. (default: false)

DUMMY BACKEND PARAMETERS

-C, --capture int

Number of capture ports. (default: 2)

-P, --playback int

Number of playback ports. (default: 2)

-r, --rate int

Sample rate. (default: 48000)

-p, --period int

-w, --wait int

Number of usecs to wait between engine processes. (default: 21333)

NETONE BACKEND PARAMETERS

-i, --audio-ins int

Number of capture channels. (default: 2)

-o, --audio-outs int

Number of playback channels. (default: 2)

-I, --midi-ins int

Number of midi capture channels. (default: 1)

-O, --midi-outs int

Number of midi playback channels. (default: 1)

-r, --rate int

Sample rate. (default: 48000)

-p, --period int

Frames per period. (default: 1024)

-n, --num-periods int

Network latency setting in no. of periods. (default: 5)

-l, --listen-port int

The socket port we are listening on for sync packets. (default: 3000)

-f, --factor int

Factor for sample rate reduction. (default: 1)

-u, --upstream-factor int

Factor for sample rate reduction on the upstream. (default: 0)

-c, --celt int

Sets celt encoding and number of kbits per channel. (default: 0)

-b, --bit-depth int

Sample bit-depth (0 for float, 8 for 8bit and 16 for 16bit). (default: 0)

-t, --transport-sync int

Whether or not to slave the transport to the master transport. (default: true)

-a, --autoconf int

Whether or not to use Autoconfig, or just start. (default: true)

-R, --redundancy int

Send packets N times. (default: 1)

-e, --native-endian int

Don't convert samples to network byte order. (default: false)

-J, --jitterval int

Attempted jitterbuffer microseconds on master. (default: 0)

-D, --always-deadline int

Always use deadline. (default: false)

OSS BACKEND PARAMETERS

-r, --rate int

Sample rate. (default: 48000)

-p, --period int

-n, --nperiods int

Number of periods in the hardware buffer. The period size (-p) times --nperiods times four is the JACK buffer size in bytes. The JACK output latency in seconds is --nperiods times --period divided by --rate. (default: 2)

-w, --wordlength int

Sample size in bits. (default: 16)

-i, --inchannels int

Number of capture channels. (default: 2)

-o, --outchannels int

Number of playback channels. (default: 2)

-C, --capture device_file

Input device for capture. (default: /dev/dsp)

-P, --playback device_file

Output device for playback. (default: /dev/dsp)

-b, --ignorehwbuf boolean

Whether or not to ignore hardware period size. (default: false)

-I, --input-latency

Extra input latency (frames). (default: 0)

-O, --output-latency

Extra output latency (frames). (default: 0)

SUN BACKEND PARAMETERS

-r, --rate int

Sample rate. (default: 48000)

-p, --period int

-n, --nperiods int

Number of periods in the hardware buffer. The period size (-p) times --nperiods times four (assuming 2 channels 16-bit samples) is the JACK buffer size in bytes. The JACK output latency in seconds is --nperiods times --period divided by --rate. (default: 2)

-w, --wordlength int

Sample size in bits. (default: 16)

-i, --inchannels int

Number of capture channels. (default: 2)

-o, --outchannels int

Number of playback channels. (default: 2)

-C, --capture device_file

Input device for capture. (default: /dev/audio)

-P, --playback device_file

Output device for playback. (default: /dev/audio)

-b, --ignorehwbuf boolean

Whether or not to ignore hardware period size. (default: false)

PORTAUDIO BACKEND PARAMETERS

-c, --channel

Maximum number of channels. (default: all available hardware channels)

-i, --channelin

Maximum number of input channels. (default: all available hardware channels)

-I, --input-latency

Extra input latency (frames). (default: 0)

-o, --channelout

Maximum number of output channels. (default: all available hardware channels)

-O, --output-latency

Extra output latency (frames). (default: 0)

-C, --capture

Whether or not to capture. (default: true)

-P, --playback

Whether or not to playback. (default: true)

-D, --duplex

Capture and playback. (default: true)

-r, --rate

Sample rate. (default: 48000)

-p, --period

Frames per period, must be a power of 2. (default: 1024)

-n, --name

Driver name. (default: none)

-z, --dither

Dithering mode. (default: none)

FIREWIRE BACKEND PARAMETERS

-d, --device name

The Firewire device name to use. If none is specified, JACK will try to use "hw:0". To get a list of available Firewire devices, see ffado-test. It's recommended to use the GUID of a Firewire device to rule out any ambiguities. Once the GUID of the device is known ("ffado-test ListDevices"), it can be used like -dguid:0xff2584e39b078a2e to tell JACK which interface to use. Sometimes resetting the Firewire bus can help ("ffado-test BusReset") if there is any problem. (default: hw:0)

-p, --period int

-n, --nperiods int

Number of periods of playback latency. Value must be greater or equal 2. In seconds, this corresponds to --nperiods times --period divided by --rate. (default: 3)

-r, --rate int

Sample rate. (default: 48000)

-C, --capture [ name ]

Provide only capture ports, unless combined with -D or -P. Optionally set capture device name.

-P, --playback [ name ]

Provide only playback ports, unless combined with -D or -C. Optionally set playback device name.

-D, --duplex

Provide both capture and playback ports. This option is the default behaviour and can normally be omitted. -D can not be combined with -P or -C.

-I, --input-latency

Extra input latency (frames). (default: 0)

-O, --output-latency

Extra output latency (frames). (default: 0)

-v, --verbose

libffado verbose level. (default: 3)

-X, --snoop

Snoop Firewire traffic. (default: false)

-h, --help Print a brief usage message describing only the

firewire backend parameters.

EXAMPLES

Print usage message for the parameters specific to each backend.

: jackd -d alsa --help
jackd -d coreaudio --help
jackd -d net --help
jackd -d dummy --help
jackd -d firewire --help
jackd -d oss --help
jackd -d sun --help
jackd -d portaudio --help

Run the JACK daemon with realtime priority using the first ALSA hardware card defined in /etc/modules.conf.

: jackstart --realtime --driver=alsa

Run the JACK daemon with low latency giving verbose output, which can be helpful for trouble-shooting system latency problems. A reasonably well-tuned system with a good sound card and a low-latency kernel can handle these values reliably. Some can do better. If you get xrun messages, try a larger buffer. Tuning a system for low latency can be challenging. Please consult the JACK FAQ for more suggestions.

: jackstart -Rv -d alsa -p 128 -n 2 -r 44100

Run jackd with realtime priority using the "sblive" ALSA device defined in ~/.asoundrc. Apply shaped dithering to playback audio.

: jackd -R -d alsa -d sblive --dither=shaped

Run jackd with no special privileges using the second ALSA hardware card defined in /etc/modules.conf. Any xruns reported by the ALSA backend will be ignored. The larger buffer helps reduce data loss. Rectangular dithering will be used for playback.

: jackd -d alsa -d hw:1 -p2048 -n3 --softmode -zr

Run jackd in full-duplex mode using the ALSA hw:0,0 device for playback and the hw:0,2 device for capture.

: jackd -d alsa -P hw:0,0 -C hw:0,2

Run jackd in playback-only mode using the ALSA hw:0,0 device.

jackd -d alsa -P hw:0,0

ENVIRONMENT

JACK is evolving a mechanism for automatically starting the server when needed. Any client started without a running JACK server will attempt to start one itself using the command line found in the first line of $HOME/.jackdrc if it exists, or /etc/jackdrc if it does not. If neither file exists, a built-in default command will be used, including the -T flag, which causes the server to shut down when all clients have exited.

As a transition, this only happens when $JACK_START_SERVER is defined in the environment of the calling process. In the future this will become normal behavior. In either case, defining $JACK_NO_START_SERVER disables this feature.

To change where JACK looks for the backend drivers, set $JACK_DRIVER_DIR.

$JACK_DEFAULT_SERVER specifies the default server name. If not defined, the string "default" is used. If set in their respective environments, this affects jackd unless its --name parameter is set, and all JACK clients unless they pass an explicit name to jack_client_open().

Defining $JACK_NO_AUDIO_RESERVATION will bypass audio device reservation via session bus (DBus). This can be useful if JACK was compiled with DBus support but should run on a headless system.

$JACK_PROMISCUOUS_SERVER enables an alternate way of handling the various shared resources (Unix sockets, semaphores, ...). In this mode, the generated names will not contain the user id anymore, and the permissions of those resources will be relaxed, allowing clients from different users to talk with the same server. Moreover, on platforms that support it (all POSIX variants), if set to a valid Unix group name or id, the permissions will be restricted to that group, so only members of that group will be able to launch clients that talk to this server. Important note: it must be set with the same value for both server and clients to work as expected.

BUGS

Please report bugs as issues to the corresponding repository:
<http://www.github.com/jackaudio/>

AUTHORS

Architect and original implementer: Paul Davis

Original design group: Paul Davis, David Olofson, Kai Vehmanen, Benno Sennoner, Richard Guenther and other members of the Linux Audio Developers group.

Programming: Paul Davis, Jack O'Quin, Taybin Rutkin, Stéphane Letz, Fernando Pablo Lopez-Lezcano, Steve Harris, Jeremy Hall, Andy Wingo, Kai Vehmanen, Melanie Thielker, Jussi Laako, Tilman Linneweh, Johnny Petrantoni, Torben Hohn.

Manpage written by Stefan Schwandter, Jack O'Quin, Alexandre Prokoudine and Thomas Brand.

Create a PDF file from this manpage:

: man -t jackd | ps2pdf - > jackd.pdf

JACKD

NAME

SYNOPSIS

DESCRIPTION

OPTIONS

ALSA BACKEND OPTIONS

COREAUDIO BACKEND PARAMETERS

DUMMY BACKEND PARAMETERS

NETONE BACKEND PARAMETERS

OSS BACKEND PARAMETERS

SUN BACKEND PARAMETERS

PORTAUDIO BACKEND PARAMETERS

FIREWIRE BACKEND PARAMETERS

EXAMPLES

ENVIRONMENT

SEE ALSO:

BUGS

AUTHORS

Index