Arch Linux

Dartoms

Member

Registered: 2011-05-03

Posts: 13

[Solved] Problem with MPD & Alsa (dmix)

EDIT 15/08/2011 : problem solved by the solution proposed by Arathis at the end of the topic !

Hello,

I've got a problem with MPD : when MPD is playing sound, I can't play any other sound with an other source (vlc, youtube...).
Then when I pause MPD, the other source manages to make sound but after MPD can't continue playing...

I read the wiki and added this to my /etc/mpd.conf :

audio_output {
        type                    "alsa"
        name                    "Sound Card"
        options                 "dev=dmixer"
        device                  "plug:dmix"
}

But it didn't solve my problem...

Here is the error in mpd.log :

May 14 20:28 : config: option 'options' on line 120 was not recognized
ALSA lib pcm_dmix.c:1018:(snd_pcm_dmix_open) unable to open slave
May 14 20:28 : output: Failed to open "Sound Card" [alsa]: Failed to open ALSA device "plug:dmix": Device or resource busy

I attach you my /etc/asound.conf :
(gnome3 installed pulseaudio but I came back to alsa because all was working before with alsa)

pcm.dmixer { 
    type dmix 
    ipc_key 1024
    ipc_key_add_uid false
    ipc_perm 0666            # mixing for all users
    slave { 
        pcm "hw:0,0" 
        period_time 0 
        period_size 1024 
        buffer_size 8192
        rate 44100
    }
    bindings { 
        0 0 
        1 1 
    } 
} 

pcm.dsp0 { 
    type plug 
    slave.pcm "dmixer" 
} 

pcm.!default { 
    type plug 
    slave.pcm "dmixer" 
} 

pcm.default { 
   type plug 
   slave.pcm "dmixer" 
} 

ctl.mixer0 { 
    type hw 
    card 0 
}

Thank you for your help.

Last edited by Dartoms (2011-08-15 13:05:05)

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Arch 64 + XFCE

Pajaro

Member

Registered: 2004-04-21

Posts: 884

Re: [Solved] Problem with MPD & Alsa (dmix)

Did you install alsa-plugins?

Dartoms

Member

Registered: 2011-05-03

Posts: 13

Re: [Solved] Problem with MPD & Alsa (dmix)

Yes alsa-plugins is installed.

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Arch 64 + XFCE

manzdagratiano

Member

From: New Jersey, USA

Registered: 2010-10-08

Posts: 137

Re: [Solved] Problem with MPD & Alsa (dmix)

Set in your .mpdconf file:

mixer_type    "software"

and also use pulseaudio by default:

audio_output {
          type  "Pulse"
          name "pulseaudio"
}

Aside from these nothing needs to be changed - leave asound.conf the way it was. Since you have Gnome 3, this solution should work for you, since it works for me.

---

Be formless, shapeless... like water. Now you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup; you put water into a bottle it becomes the bottle; if you put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot... Now water can flow, or it can crash... Be water my friend

Dartoms

Member

Registered: 2011-05-03

Posts: 13

Re: [Solved] Problem with MPD & Alsa (dmix)

Sorry for my late answer, I was away.

I'm not running Gnome3 but XFCE.
I even tried the solution you proposed but it didn't solve my problem...

I really don't understand this problem...

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Arch 64 + XFCE

Arathis

Member

Registered: 2009-12-28

Posts: 26

Re: [Solved] Problem with MPD & Alsa (dmix)

Hi,
I had the same error these days with mpd. Solved it similar to manzdagratiano's suggestion:

/etc/mpd.conf:

audio_output {
    type        "alsa"
    name        "doerks ALSA Device"
#    device        "hw:0,0"    # optional
#    format        "44100:16:2"    # optional
    mixer_type      "software"    # optional
    mixer_device    "default"    # optional
    mixer_control    "PCM"        # optional
#    mixer_index    "0"        # optional
}

Changing mixer_type to software did the thing. It was on hardware before.
I'm using Xfce with ALSA only, no pulseaudio. And I don't have any ~/.asoundrc and my /etc/asound.conf is empty. Simple reason: ALSA configures almost everything automatically if run as a daemon these days, so no need for any of these files actually.

Oh and MPD too does find the ALSA device automtically, which is why I only added the config lines needed and let the other commented.

Last edited by Arathis (2011-07-16 16:07:44)

Dartoms

Member

Registered: 2011-05-03

Posts: 13

Re: [Solved] Problem with MPD & Alsa (dmix)

Hi,
Sorry my late answer but I was on vacation...

Thanks a lot Arathis !
Your solution solved my problem, it's working again !

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Arch 64 + XFCE

Tofeeq

Member

Registered: 2014-09-01

Posts: 24

Re: [Solved] Problem with MPD & Alsa (dmix)

Solved my problem by following this link

-- url redacted - Trilby --

Last edited by Trilby (2014-09-11 13:37:21)