Arch Linux

void.pointer

Member

From: Dallas, TX

Registered: 2008-07-30

Posts: 239

Setting up Sound Blaster X-Fi Drivers

Hi,

I currently have a Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic sound card. I want to get this working in Archlinux (64-bit). I'm also using Gnome as my desktop.

How can this be done? I haven't seen any Wiki articles regarding this.

Xyne

Administrator/PM

Registered: 2008-08-03

Posts: 6,965

Website

Re: Setting up Sound Blaster X-Fi Drivers

You have two choices:
Install the beta open-source driver available in the AUR: http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=21313

or

Use OSS (which also has beta support): http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/OSS.
You may need to use the oss mercurial sources. I needed them before when I was using OSS but maybe those changes have passed into the official release by now.
http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=21126

I'd recommend using the ctxfi drivers.
*edit*
... because they're less invasive and require less reconfiguration than changing everything over to OSS. Some people claim that OSS delivers better sound quality overall though.

Last edited by Xyne (2009-02-01 01:15:27)

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void.pointer

Member

From: Dallas, TX

Registered: 2008-07-30

Posts: 239

Re: Setting up Sound Blaster X-Fi Drivers

Thanks for your response.

I followed the instructions at the OSS wiki page all the way up to the "osstest" command and I'm getting the following output:

$ osstest
Sound subsystem and version: OSS 4.1 (b 1051/200901030037) (0x00040100)
Platform: Linux/x86_64 2.6.28-ARCH #1 SMP PREEMPT Sun Jan 25 09:43:53 UTC 2009

*** Scanning sound adapter #-1 ***
/dev/oss/oss_sbxfi0/pcm0 (audio engine 0): Sound Blaster X-Fi (SB046x/067x/076x) output
- Performing audio playback test... 
  <left> Device returned error: Input/output error
/dev/oss/oss_sbxfi0/pcmin0 (audio engine 1): Sound Blaster X-Fi (SB046x/067x/076x) input
- Skipping input only device

*** Some errors were detected during the tests ***

void.pointer

Member

From: Dallas, TX

Registered: 2008-07-30

Posts: 239

Re: Setting up Sound Blaster X-Fi Drivers

Rebooting seemed to work and now the osstest command works