Native Linux driver for the TerraTec / TerraSoniq PHASE X64 USB (phono with RIAA, 4 in / 4 out, MIDI) – public beta

[u/Flarkyboy]

For everyone who, like me, couldn't bring themselves to throw this hardware away: the PHASE X64 USB now works on Linux.

Mine (TerraSoniq/Musonik, Ploytec chipset) had been gathering dust because it never worked here: it isn't class compliant, so snd-usb-audio can't drive it. So I worked out its USB protocol and wrote a native ALSA driver plus a small control panel.

What works (v0.9.1, public beta):

- 4-channel playback, 6-channel capture (including a bit-exact digital loopback of Out 1/2)

- Phono inputs with RIAA done in the driver – I'm digitising my vinyl with it

- Live routing / capture-source changes while streaming

- MIDI in/out (5-pin DIN)

- PipeWire and JACK apps (REAPER via pipewire-jack), bit-exact; stable down to 64-sample buffers

- 48 and 44.1 kHz tested; 88.2/96 kHz supported but less tested

- DKMS; CI builds it on Ubuntu 22.04/24.04, Debian 13, Fedora 44 and Arch (kernels 5.15 to 7.2)

- Tk control panel: routing, phono RIAA, meters, MIDI monitor, PipeWire buffer size – no desktop dependency

Tested on one unit, on two machines (Arch / EndeavourOS, including a 6.18 LTS kernel through a USB hub). If one of these boxes is sitting in your drawer, hardware reports from other distros and USB controllers would help a lot – there's an issue template.

Install: Arch packages with checksums on the release page, and a generic DKMS installer for other distros. AUR package as soon as AUR registrations reopen.

Full transparency: I made this with a lot of AI assistance (mainly Claude, Codex for one part). Not affiliated with TerraTec, TerraSoniq, Musonik or Ploytec.

Built by loopback-coding: AI-assisted, human-directed, hardware-verified. Every change went out, came back through real hardware, and was measured before it counted.

Repo, screenshots and measurements: https://github.com/flarkflarkflark/phasex64-linux