Microphone/input device problems

Shoaloak · 2022-09-23 11:40:36

Hi there,

I'm having some troubles with audio input on my Arch laptop.
I'm running with Pipewire and pipewire-alsa and pipewire-pulse.

I seem to have two microphone input devices in Pavucontrol: internal microphone and Microphone unplugged
This doesn't make sense, since my laptop only has 1 internal microphone, hence my first question:
How do I set/merge the number of input devices to only one?
I suspect this to be the kernel or ALSA messing up due to the output posted at the bottom of my post.
Other people also seem to have problems with the same codec/card, such as this Gentoo user or this Mint user.

Also, the input sounds awful sometimes, being described as "a very loud steam boat". Anybody tips to help debug this? I think it is related to the first problem.

Finally, since migrating to Pipewire (or my debugging of this problem, not quite sure), some applications are not receiving mic input at all, such as Discord (yet Chromium does).

Please bare with me, I'm very much a noob at Linux sound interals

Some information regarding my setup:

# Hardware
lspci | grep Audio
00:1f.3 Audio device: Intel Corporation 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family HD Audio Controller (rev 31)
01:00.1 Audio device: NVIDIA Corporation GM206 High Definition Audio Controller (rev a1)


# software versions
$ uname -a                   
Linux monolith 5.19.3-arch1-1 #1 SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC Sun, 21 Aug 2022 18:55:22 +0000 x86_64 GNU/Linux

# pacman -Qs pipewire
local/gst-plugin-pipewire 1:0.3.56-1
    Multimedia graph framework - pipewire plugin
local/helvum 0.3.4-1
    GTK patchbay for PipeWire
local/pipewire 1:0.3.56-1
    Low-latency audio/video router and processor
local/pipewire-alsa 1:0.3.56-1
    Low-latency audio/video router and processor - ALSA configuration
local/pipewire-jack 1:0.3.58-1
    Low-latency audio/video router and processor - JACK support
local/pipewire-pulse 1:0.3.56-1
    Low-latency audio/video router and processor - PulseAudio replacement
local/wireplumber 0.4.11-4
    Session / policy manager implementation for PipeWire


# Kernel output
$ sudo dmesg | grep snd
[   17.899434] usbcore: registered new interface driver snd-usb-audio
[   18.226782] snd_hda_intel 0000:00:1f.3: enabling device (0000 -> 0002)
[   18.227187] snd_hda_intel 0000:01:00.1: enabling device (0000 -> 0002)
[   18.227285] snd_hda_intel 0000:01:00.1: Disabling MSI
[   18.227290] snd_hda_intel 0000:01:00.1: Handle vga_switcheroo audio client
[   18.698058] snd_hda_codec_realtek hdaudioC1D0: autoconfig for ALC269VC: line_outs=1 (0x14/0x0/0x0/0x0/0x0) type:speaker
[   18.698065] snd_hda_codec_realtek hdaudioC1D0:    speaker_outs=0 (0x0/0x0/0x0/0x0/0x0)
[   18.698068] snd_hda_codec_realtek hdaudioC1D0:    hp_outs=1 (0x15/0x0/0x0/0x0/0x0)
[   18.698071] snd_hda_codec_realtek hdaudioC1D0:    mono: mono_out=0x0
[   18.698073] snd_hda_codec_realtek hdaudioC1D0:    dig-out=0x1e/0x0
[   18.698075] snd_hda_codec_realtek hdaudioC1D0:    inputs:
[   18.698077] snd_hda_codec_realtek hdaudioC1D0:      Mic=0x18
[   18.698079] snd_hda_codec_realtek hdaudioC1D0:      Internal Mic=0x12


# Modules
$ cat /etc/modprobe.d/snd-hda-intel.conf
options snd-hda-intel model=auto

# tried below options, none seemed to help
#options snd-hda-intel model=alc269vb-amic
#options snd-hda-intel model=alc269vb-dmic
#options snd-hda-intel model=alc269vb-amic,alc269vb-dmic


# ALSA
$ aplay -l                                                                                  
**** List of PLAYBACK Hardware Devices ****
card 1: PCH [HDA Intel PCH], device 0: ALC269VC Analog [ALC269VC Analog]
  Subdevices: 0/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 1: PCH [HDA Intel PCH], device 1: ALC269VC Digital [ALC269VC Digital]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 2: NVidia [HDA NVidia], device 3: HDMI 0 [HDMI 0]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 2: NVidia [HDA NVidia], device 7: HDMI 1 [HDMI 1]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 2: NVidia [HDA NVidia], device 8: HDMI 2 [HDMI 2]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 2: NVidia [HDA NVidia], device 9: HDMI 3 [HDMI 3]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 2: NVidia [HDA NVidia], device 10: HDMI 4 [HDMI 4]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 2: NVidia [HDA NVidia], device 11: HDMI 5 [HDMI 5]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0

$ cat /proc/asound/card1/codec\#0 | grep Codec
Codec: Realtek ALC269VC


# Pulseaudio
$ pactl list sources | grep -e 'index:' -e device.string -e 'name:' -e 'available'
		device.string = "1"
		device.string = "1"
		analog-input-mic: Microphone (type: Mic, priority: 8700, availability group: Legacy 2, not available)


# Pipewire
$ wpctl status                 
PipeWire 'pipewire-0' [0.3.56, shoaloak@monolith, cookie:430900642]
 └─ Clients:
        31. WirePlumber                         [0.3.56, shoaloak@monolith, pid:1938]
        32. WirePlumber [export]                [0.3.56, shoaloak@monolith, pid:1938]
        35. pipewire-pulse                      [0.3.56, shoaloak@monolith, pid:1941]
        61. GNOME Volume Control Media Keys     [0.3.56, shoaloak@monolith, pid:2476]
        62. GNOME Shell Volume Control          [0.3.56, shoaloak@monolith, pid:2098]
        63. GSConnect                           [0.3.56, shoaloak@monolith, pid:2743]
        64. xdg-desktop-portal                  [0.3.56, shoaloak@monolith, pid:2679]
        67. speech-dispatcher-dummy             [0.3.56, shoaloak@monolith, pid:34774]
        68. Firefox                             [0.3.56, shoaloak@monolith, pid:34078]
        71. gsd-power                           [0.3.56, shoaloak@monolith, pid:2479]
        72. Mutter                              [0.3.56, shoaloak@monolith, pid:2098]
        81. PulseAudio Volume Control           [0.3.56, shoaloak@monolith, pid:41930]
        87. Firefox                             [0.3.56, shoaloak@monolith, pid:34078]
        99. GNOME Settings                      [0.3.56, shoaloak@monolith, pid:42057]
       116. audacity                            [0.3.56, shoaloak@monolith, pid:42535]
       123. wpctl                               [0.3.56, shoaloak@monolith, pid:45912]

Audio
 ├─ Devices:
 │      45. GM206 High Definition Audio Controller [alsa]
 │      58. Built-in Audio                      [alsa]
 │  
 ├─ Sinks:
 │  *   42. Built-in Audio Analog Stereo        [vol: 0.84]
 │  
 ├─ Sink endpoints:
 │  
 ├─ Sources:
 │      60. Built-in Audio Analog Stereo        [vol: 0.27]
 │  
 ├─ Source endpoints:
 │  
 └─ Streams:
        49. PulseAudio Volume Control                                   
             34. monitor_FR     
             37. input_FL        < ALC269VC Analog:monitor_FL	[active]
             41. input_FR        < ALC269VC Analog:monitor_FR	[active]
             79. monitor_FL     
        70. speech-dispatcher-dummy                                     
             39. output_FR       > ALC269VC Analog:playback_FR	[active]
             78. output_FL       > ALC269VC Analog:playback_FL	[active]
        73. PulseAudio Volume Control                                   
             94. monitor_FL     
            110. input_FL        < Firefox:output_FL	[active]
            111. monitor_FR     
            112. input_FR        < Firefox:output_FR	[active]
        83. Firefox                                                     
             65. output_FR       > ALC269VC Analog:playback_FR	[active]
             74. output_FL       > ALC269VC Analog:playback_FL	[active]
        85. PulseAudio Volume Control                                   
             80. input_FL        < speech-dispatcher-dummy:output_FL	[active]
             82. monitor_FR     
             84. monitor_FL     
             86. input_FR        < speech-dispatcher-dummy:output_FR	[active]
        89. PulseAudio Volume Control                                   
             66. monitor_FL     
             75. input_FR        < ALC269VC Analog:capture_FR	[active]
             76. input_FL        < ALC269VC Analog:capture_FL	[active]
             77. monitor_FR     
       106. GNOME Settings                                              
             90. input_FR        < ALC269VC Analog:monitor_FR	[active]
             92. input_FL        < ALC269VC Analog:monitor_FL	[active]
             97. monitor_FL     
             98. monitor_FR     
       107. GNOME Settings                                              
             96. input_FL        < ALC269VC Analog:capture_FL	[active]
            102. monitor_FR     
            103. input_FR        < ALC269VC Analog:capture_FR	[active]
            105. monitor_FL     

Video
 ├─ Devices:
 │      44. BisonCam, NB Pro                    [v4l2]
 │      56. BisonCam, NB Pro                    [v4l2]
 │  
 ├─ Sinks:
 │  
 ├─ Sink endpoints:
 │  
 ├─ Sources:
 │  *   52. BisonCam, NB Pro (V4L2)            
 │  
 ├─ Source endpoints:
 │  
 └─ Streams:

Settings
 └─ Default Configured Node Names:
         0. Audio/Sink    alsa_output.pci-0000_01_00.1.hdmi-stereo
         1. Audio/Source  alsa_input.pci-0000_00_1f.3.analog-stereo

V1del · 2022-09-23 11:50:13

The "unplugged" microphone is for handling a potentially external mic should you ever add one and should not really be further relevant no? You'd have to do a bit of a raindance just to get rid of a listed device that might come in handy should you ever decide you wanted to plug something in.

Loud steamboat sounds like you have a too high mic boost enabled/might want to generally lower capture volume. To check that post the output of

amixer -c1
#During a recording
pactl list sources
pactl list source-outputs

FWIW laptop built-in mics are generally not of the best quality, so this might even be "as expected" unless you have hard evidence suggesting otherwise. Also to have a frame of reference, can you upload an actual recording somewhere so we can check whether that's in the realm of normal or an actual issue?

Last edited by V1del (2022-09-23 11:50:45)

Arch Linux

#1 2022-09-23 11:40:36

Microphone/input device problems

#2 2022-09-23 11:50:13

Re: Microphone/input device problems

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