Arch Linux

Eman2005

Member

Registered: 2010-02-04

Posts: 12

Sound with emu10k1

I have the sound blaster Live! emu10k1 card.  I can't seem to play sound in multiple applications with it.  I have followed the guide on the arch website, read many other threads, but still I have not fixed the problem.  I can play in Xmms, and only when I am root.  Help please!

Ogion

Member

From: Germany

Registered: 2007-12-11

Posts: 367

Re: Sound with emu10k1

I won't have time to work this through with you (am mostly afk from tomorrow on) but i am listening to music right now on such a sound card, it has always worked for me, in alsa and now in OSS, although i remember alsa being a hassle at times to configure. And for more than 4 years now it has always worked with alsa, no need to use some driver or so. In OSS now it works flawlessly too.
Btw, that you have sound as root but not user looks very much not like a sound card problem but a configuration problem, hopefully somebody will be able to help you there.

(Sorry, am not much help, but i wanted to say that that soundcard works fine in linux)

Ogion

---

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Ultraman

Member

Registered: 2009-12-24

Posts: 242

Re: Sound with emu10k1

Make sure you do not load the module that performs OSS compatibility when using ALSA. Lots of applications default to OSS if they can and that module does not support mixing. So put "!snd-pcm-oss" in your /etc/rc.conf MODULES line, with the exclamation mark to disable it.
The Emu10k1 chip can perform hardware mixing and I have 2 SB Live! cards that perform superb with it running Linux with the ALSA drivers.
Also make sure your user is part of the audio group!

Or you could indeed try OSSv4 if you really cannot get ALSA working correctly.

Last edited by Ultraman (2010-02-13 20:19:02)

Eman2005

Member

Registered: 2010-02-04

Posts: 12

Re: Sound with emu10k1

Ok, I put !snd-pcm-oss in then rebooted.  Now when I do alsamixer or 'aplay -l" the sound card disappeared.  It worked pre-reboot and showed up, but now it does not.  And once I changed !snd-pcm-oss back it still does not show after reboot.  Also, during reboot, it shows "alsa dsp levels     unable to load 1d10k1"

Eman2005

Member

Registered: 2010-02-04

Posts: 12

Re: Sound with emu10k1

Ok I got it working somehow.  I am not to sure, but I can play xmms, and flash plugin.  I have snd-pcm-oss ENABLED, so I am really confused.  And my sound card shows up now after multiple reboots.

brebs

Member

Registered: 2007-04-03

Posts: 3,742

Re: Sound with emu10k1

Lots of applications default to OSS if they can and that module does not support mixing.

This isn't actually a problem, because, as you say:

The Emu10k1 chip can perform hardware mixing

So software mixing isn't needed.

And my 2nd point is:

Lots of applications default to OSS if they can

... Which is stupid. Arch should be patching this stupidity to change the default to ALSA. I suggest users file bug reports with the distro.

Eman2005

Member

Registered: 2010-02-04

Posts: 12

Re: Sound with emu10k1

And I am more confused now, because I rebooted, and the card disappeared from my list again.  This is weird.