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#1 2004-01-31 15:48:48

dauphin
Member
From: Scotland
Registered: 2003-07-09
Posts: 188

Alsa - running or not?

Quick question: could someone tell me if there is a surefire test to establish if my sound system is using alsa or not?

I "think" I have got alsa running, but alsaconf does not detect my sound card (onboard CM8738 chip). 

Sounds are working OK (except no streaming audio in RealPlayer), but how can I check whether it is alsa or some other sound system that is producing the sound?

I was experimenting with the SourceMage distro last week and after installing alsa there, I ran alsaconf and it picked up my CM8738 straight away, so I'm not sure why the same is not happening in Arch.

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#2 2004-01-31 17:25:03

red_over_blue
Member
Registered: 2003-07-19
Posts: 152

Re: Alsa - running or not?

You could:

1.  try playing a .wav with aplay.  aplay is part of alsa-utils and is a "command-line sound recorder and player for ALSA sound-card driver"

2.  If you compiled your own mplayer with alsa support, use -ao alsa9 and try to play any type of audio file.


Don't forget to post your PKGBUILD in your thread when you announce a new package in incoming.
see HERE for details

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#3 2004-01-31 20:59:54

dauphin
Member
From: Scotland
Registered: 2003-07-09
Posts: 188

Re: Alsa - running or not?

Thanks - but it's bad news, this shows alsa is not working!

I could really use some help with this problem.  Sorry to post at length, but I have been trying to crack this one for days and don't seem to be getting anywhere.  I am running the 2.6.1 kernel and have a CM8738 onboard sound chip.

aplay -v /opt/kde/share/sounds/....wav     nothing happens for about 20 seconds, then no audible output but:

aplay -v /opt/kde/share/sounds/KDE_Window_Open.wav
Playing WAVE '/opt/kde/share/sounds/KDE_Window_Open.wav' : Signed 16 bit Little Endian, Rate 22050 Hz, Stereo
Plug PCM: Hardware PCM card 0 'C-Media PCI CMI8738-MC6' device 0 subdevice 0

Its setup is:
stream       : PLAYBACK
access       : RW_INTERLEAVED
format       : S16_LE
subformat    : STD
channels     : 2
rate         : 22050
exact rate   : 22050 (22050/1)
msbits       : 16
buffer_size  : 11025
period_size  : 2756
period_time  : 124988
tick_time    : 1000
tstamp_mode  : NONE
period_step  : 1
sleep_min    : 0
avail_min    : 2756
xfer_align   : 2756
start_threshold  : 11024
stop_threshold   : 11025
silence_threshold: 0
silence_size : 0
boundary     : 1445068800


aplay -l   gives:

aplay -l
**** List of PLAYBACK Hardware Devices ****
card 0: CMI8738MC6 [C-Media PCI CMI8738-MC6], device 0: CMI8738-MC6 [C-Media PCI DAC/ADC]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 0: CMI8738MC6 [C-Media PCI CMI8738-MC6], device 1: CMI8738-MC6 [C-Media PCI 2nd DAC]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 0: CMI8738MC6 [C-Media PCI CMI8738-MC6], device 2: CMI8738-MC6 [C-Media PCI IEC958]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0


Despite this, alsaconf reports: "No supported PnP or PCI card found"


lsmod gives:

snd_seq_midi            6432  0
snd_opl3_synth         14148  0
snd_seq_instr           8384  1 snd_opl3_synth
snd_seq_midi_emul       6784  1 snd_opl3_synth
snd_ainstr_fm           2176  1 snd_opl3_synth
snd_seq_oss            33120  0
snd_seq_midi_event      6176  2 snd_seq_midi,snd_seq_oss
snd_seq                54736  8 snd_seq_midi,snd_opl3_synth,snd_seq_instr,snd_seq_midi_emul,snd_seq_oss,snd_seq_midi_event
snd_pcm_oss            48964  0
snd_mixer_oss          16768  1 snd_pcm_oss
snd_cmipci             32696  1
snd_pcm                90784  2 snd_pcm_oss,snd_cmipci
snd_page_alloc          8996  1 snd_pcm
snd_opl3_lib            9056  2 snd_opl3_synth,snd_cmipci
snd_timer              22180  3 snd_seq,snd_pcm,snd_opl3_lib
snd_hwdep               7168  1 snd_opl3_lib
snd_mpu401_uart         6272  1 snd_cmipci
snd_rawmidi            20512  2 snd_seq_midi,snd_mpu401_uart
snd_seq_device          6280  6 snd_seq_midi,snd_opl3_synth,snd_seq_oss,snd_seq,snd_opl3_lib,snd_rawmidi
snd                    45476  18 snd_seq_midi,snd_opl3_synth,snd_seq_instr,snd_seq_oss,snd_seq_midi_event,snd_seq,snd_pcm_oss,snd_mixer_oss,snd_cmipci,snd_pcm,snd_opl3_lib,snd_timer,snd_hwdep,snd_mpu401_uart,snd_rawmidi,snd_seq_device
soundcore               7232  1 snd

All the modules shown by lsmod in my working SourceMage installation are also present in Arch.


My /etc/modprobe.conf (again this matches SourceMage):

# ALSA portion
alias char-major-116 snd
alias snd-card-0 snd-cmipci
alias snd-card-1 snd-cmipci
alias snd-slot-1 snd-card-1
alias snd-card-2 snd-cmipci
alias snd-slot-2 snd-card-2
alias snd-card-3 snd-cmipci
alias snd-slot-3 snd-card-3
alias snd-card-4 snd-cmipci
alias snd-slot-4 snd-card-4
alias snd-card-5 snd-cmipci
alias snd-slot-5 snd-card-5
alias /dev/mixer snd-mixer-oss
alias /dev/dsp snd-pcm-oss
alias /dev/midi snd-seq-oss
# module options should go here

# OSS/Free portion
alias char-major-14 soundcore
alias sound-slot-0 snd-card-0
       
# card #1
alias sound-service-0-0 snd-mixer-oss
alias sound-service-0-1 snd-seq-oss
alias sound-service-0-3 snd-pcm-oss
alias sound-service-0-8 snd-seq-oss
alias sound-service-0-12 snd-pcm-oss


Finally, I have checked in alsamixer and aumix that there are no muted settings and that volumes are set where necessary.  I have run out of ideas....!

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#4 2004-01-31 21:04:04

red_over_blue
Member
Registered: 2003-07-19
Posts: 152

Re: Alsa - running or not?

Have you read this, from the FAQ:

Multimedia
Issues with sound, video and the like.

Only root can access /dev/dsp!

The file system permissions on the audio devices are quite restrictive by default. You should consider creating a group named ''audio'' and add these lines to your /etc/devfsd.conf:

# Allow access to sound devices for group "audio"
REGISTER        ^sound/.*       PERMISSIONS     root.audio 0660

This will give read/write permissions to the sound devices for root and members of the ''audio'' group. Simply add any users that need sound to this group. Do not forget HUPing the devfs-daemon to let these changes take effect.


Don't forget to post your PKGBUILD in your thread when you announce a new package in incoming.
see HERE for details

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#5 2004-01-31 21:18:45

dauphin
Member
From: Scotland
Registered: 2003-07-09
Posts: 188

Re: Alsa - running or not?

Yes, I'd done that.  No alsa when logged in as root either.

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#6 2004-01-31 21:30:46

Xentac
Forum Fellow
From: Victoria, BC
Registered: 2003-01-17
Posts: 1,797
Website

Re: Alsa - running or not?

What does alsamixer tell you?  It sounds like aplay is playing fine but the channels are muted.


I have discovered that all of mans unhappiness derives from only one source, not being able to sit quietly in a room
- Blaise Pascal

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#7 2004-01-31 21:32:11

Xentac
Forum Fellow
From: Victoria, BC
Registered: 2003-01-17
Posts: 1,797
Website

Re: Alsa - running or not?

Also, if you have files in /dev/snd, specifically pcm*, then alsa is set up and detected your sound card fine.


I have discovered that all of mans unhappiness derives from only one source, not being able to sit quietly in a room
- Blaise Pascal

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#8 2004-01-31 22:16:42

dauphin
Member
From: Scotland
Registered: 2003-07-09
Posts: 188

Re: Alsa - running or not?

Files are present in /dev/snd

Alsamixer shows high volume settings for Master, PCM, Synth and PCSpk: nothing is muted.  I have compared the settings with those in SourceMage and they are similar.

I am puzzled why alsaconf cannot detect the card.  Also kmix gives:

kmix: Trying Alsa 0.9x Device hw:0
kmix: Trying Alsa 0.9x Device hw:1
kmix: ERROR: Alsa mixer cannot be found.
Please check that the soundcard is installed and the
soundcard driver is loaded.
kmix:
kmix: Trying Alsa 0.9x Device hw:1
kmix: ERROR: Alsa mixer cannot be found.
Please check that the soundcard is installed and the
soundcard driver is loaded.
kmix:
kmix: Sound drivers supported: ALSA0.9 + OSS
Sound drivers used: ALSA0.9
kmix: Mixer number: 0 Name: C-Media PCI CMI8738-MC6
kmix: Inserted mixer 0:C-Media PCI CMI8738-MC6

I find the kmix output confusing!

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#9 2004-01-31 23:56:51

sarah31
Member
From: Middle of Canada
Registered: 2002-08-20
Posts: 2,975
Website

Re: Alsa - running or not?

did you add:

REGISTER ^snd/.* PERMISSIONS root.audio 0660


to your devfsd.conf?

and did you create an audio group? (personally i use root.users 0660)

LOOKUP snd MODLOAD
LOOKUP dsp MODLOAD
LOOKUP mixer MODLOAD
LOOKUP sequencer MODLOAD

in your devfsd.conf also may help.


AKA uknowme

I am not your friend

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#10 2004-02-01 08:50:09

dauphin
Member
From: Scotland
Registered: 2003-07-09
Posts: 188

Re: Alsa - running or not?

Thanks Sarah31, but "yes, yes and did that".

I was reading somewhere on Google that I should have a file /etc/asound.state.    I do not; or at least I did not until I copied the one over from my SourceMage installation to see if that would help.  It didn't, but does the fact that alsa did not generate that file suggest a problem or even how to solve it?

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#11 2004-02-01 11:11:08

dauphin
Member
From: Scotland
Registered: 2003-07-09
Posts: 188

Re: Alsa - running or not?

I have solved it!  I needed to mute the Exchange channel (whatever that is) in alsamixer.  I had checked so many times that nothing was muted that it's ironic to find the answer lay in actually needing to mute something!

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