Re: [PATCH v4 6/6] clk: fsl-sai: Add MCLK generation support

[Michael Walle]

On Mon Apr 6, 2026 at 11:49 PM CEST, Marek Vasut wrote:
> The driver currently supports generating BCLK. There are systems which
> require generation of MCLK instead. Register new MCLK clock and handle
> clock-cells = <1> to differentiate between BCLK and MCLK. In case of a
> legacy system with clock-cells = <0>, the driver behaves as before, i.e.
> always returns BCLK.
>
> Note that it is not possible re-use the current SAI audio driver to
> generate MCLK and correctly enable and disable the MCLK.
>
> If SAI (audio driver) is used to control the MCLK enablement, then MCLK
> clock is not always enabled, and it is not necessarily enabled when the
> codec may need the clock to be enabled. There is also no way for the
> codec node to specify phandle to clock provider in DT, because the SAI
> (audio driver) is not clock provider.
>
> If SAI (clock driver) is used to control the MCLK enablement, then MCLK
> clock is enabled when the codec needs the clock enabled, because the
> codec is the clock consumer and the SAI (clock driver) is the clock
> provider, and the codec driver can request the clock to be enabled when
> needed. There is also the usual phandle to clock provider in DT, because
> the SAI (clock driver) is clock provider.
>
> Acked-by: Michael Walle <mwalle@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Signed-off-by: Marek Vasut <marex@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> ---
> Cc: Brian Masney <bmasney@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: Conor Dooley <conor+dt@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: Krzysztof Kozlowski <krzk+dt@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: Michael Turquette <mturquette@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: Michael Walle <michael@xxxxxxxx>
> Cc: Rob Herring <robh@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: Stephen Boyd <sboyd@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: devicetree@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Cc: linux-clk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Cc: linux-kernel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> ---
> V2: No change
> V3: - Rebase on current next, update mail address
>     - Update commit message according to clarify the difference between
>       SAI audio and SAI clock driver
>     - Pick ancient AB from Michael, although this may be outdated
>       https://patchwork.kernel.org/project/alsa-devel/patch/20241226162234.40141-4-marex@xxxxxxx/

I'm fine with this, but I want to point out, that this is still a
hack as the correct way would be to make the original SAI (audio
driver) a clock provider. Keep in mind that both driver variants are
mutually exclusive. So if a SoC has 6 SAIs for example, you can only
use 5, because the one will have to be MCLK the clock provider
driver.

In the original LS1028A case (which doesn't have a MCLK), you
actually have to use the hardware peripheral block to generate the
BCLK, thus you'll loose one SAI anyway. In this case - at least from
what I understands - this is just a software construct, because the
original SAI driver is missing a clock provider (phandle).

-michael

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