Arch Linux

rama

Member

Registered: 2009-02-17

Posts: 6

Alsa + 7.1

Hello arch community. This is my first post.. like the topic says.. a newbie post.

Well im going throw the question.

I have just installed arch.. and i want to configure my alsa.
First step:  download it. Then just default configuration.

What happend then, i got this sound controller:

[ramiro@localhost ~]$ lspci | grep audio
00:0c.0 Multimedia audio controller: Creative Labs SB Audigy LS

The thing is that i have a Creative 7.1 subBuffer and i can not use all loudspeakers.
I just can use 4 of them and the buffer..
I have already read the ALSA wiki and ALSA configuration for 4.1,5.1,7.1 tutorial. I try to follow step by step but didn't work also.

I do not what to post about configuration. If /etc/asound or any alsa.conf of another dir. If some one of you could guide to me to see what the problem is, i will get appreciate to much .

I hope not to be annoying to us with this kind of question. But i'm just getting started at this beauty distribution .

Thanks!

Edit: I'm sory! i didn't know that i was posting on the Newbie Corner Forum. Please move it to the correspondent one.

Last edited by rama (2009-02-17 01:27:20)

artiom

Member

From: France

Registered: 2008-07-29

Posts: 111

Re: Alsa + 7.1

Don't worry about your question place. You are on the corresponding one .
Firstly if your card is correctly recognized (if you hear anything form the speaker it is the case) you, normally, have nothing to configure in /etc/asound.conf etc.
ALSA is already created for you several devices to use depending your needs. You can see them with

aplay -L

command.
If you want to use all of 7.1 speakers you must choose something like surround71 for the output device in you player and your sound source should have 7.1 channels also.

rama

Member

Registered: 2009-02-17

Posts: 6

Re: Alsa + 7.1

Hi thanks for your answer first!.

Look i will put some images here of my configuration where doesn't appeare the surround 7.1 option!.. of corse i don't know why =/.

The configuration are just default.. a simple image:
http://img408.imageshack.us/my.php?imag … lsack8.png

i forgot put the alsamixer on the screen. But well, is just that and no more...

I hope you could help me =/..

Thanks for you'r dedication..

artiom

Member

From: France

Registered: 2008-07-29

Posts: 111

Re: Alsa + 7.1

Sorry, I can't see the images form imageshack here. Could you post it in text or on another fileshare? Just the output of aplay -L in terminal will be sufficient.

rama

Member

Registered: 2009-02-17

Posts: 6

Re: Alsa + 7.1

[ramiro@localhost ~]$ aplay -L
default:CARD=CA0106
    CA0106, CA0106
    Default Audio Device
front:CARD=CA0106,DEV=0
    CA0106, CA0106
    Front speakers
rear:CARD=CA0106,DEV=0
    CA0106, CA0106
    Rear speakers
center_lfe:CARD=CA0106,DEV=0
    CA0106, CA0106
    Center and Subwoofer speakers
side:CARD=CA0106,DEV=0
    CA0106, CA0106
    Side speakers
surround40:CARD=CA0106,DEV=0
    CA0106, CA0106
    4.0 Surround output to Front and Rear speakers
surround41:CARD=CA0106,DEV=0
    CA0106, CA0106
    4.1 Surround output to Front, Rear and Subwoofer speakers
surround50:CARD=CA0106,DEV=0
    CA0106, CA0106
    5.0 Surround output to Front, Center and Rear speakers
surround51:CARD=CA0106,DEV=0
    CA0106, CA0106
    5.1 Surround output to Front, Center, Rear and Subwoofer speakers
surround71:CARD=CA0106,DEV=0
    CA0106, CA0106
    7.1 Surround output to Front, Center, Side, Rear and Woofer speakers
iec958:CARD=CA0106,DEV=0
    CA0106, CA0106
    IEC958 (S/PDIF) Digital Audio Output
null
    Discard all samples (playback) or generate zero samples (capture)

that's all

artiom

Member

From: France

Registered: 2008-07-29

Posts: 111

Re: Alsa + 7.1

Ok. This is the list of all your sound devices. They are all attached to your soundcard.
These lines

surround71:CARD=CA0106,DEV=0
    CA0106, CA0106
    7.1 Surround output to Front, Center, Side, Rear and Woofer speakers

are about your 7.1 device.
Some players like VLC or Totem chooses the output device automatically. Usually they are limited to 5.1. To use 5.1 output you need to select this option in the configuration menu somewhere in sound or audio tab. But in my knowledge they are incapable to send 7.1 output.
In mplayer  or xine you can specify the output device and the sound will be sent without transformation. So to hear all your 7.1 speakers you need to have 7.1 source (DVD for example) and a player capable to handle it.
To simplify your configuration you can make your 7.1 device default by adding

pcm.!default {
    type plug
    slave.pcm "surround71"
}

to /etc/asound.conf or .asoundrc (http://alsa.opensrc.org/index.php/FAQ026)

Last edited by artiom (2009-02-18 14:18:19)

brebs

Member

Registered: 2007-04-03

Posts: 3,742

Re: Alsa + 7.1

"default" is meant to be for 2 speakers, so I don't recommend messing with "default".

See my config and look at "pcm.upmix_20to51", assuming that you're trying to route 2-speaker output to more than 2 speakers.

rama

Member

Registered: 2009-02-17

Posts: 6

Re: Alsa + 7.1

good info, that is very helpfull, thanks you so much. Im still trying to get work all of my loadspeakers.. But somethings calm me down... i execute :

speaker-test -c 8 -f 800 -t snize

and i had to inscrease the volume at maximum to get something of sound of every loadspeakr but i got. So im happy beacause did work.
Someone knows any reproductor wich can soport 7.1 controller?.. I try to audasius wich is a kind of "xmms" but didn't work.. I dont know .. i also try mplayer wich some options and didn't work.
I also found that i need any extensino wich addmit 7.1 channels..

I'm wrong? im going for a good way?

Thanks you anyways for all of your help.. while im going to try what brebs said.

See you!.