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sairuiu

Member

Registered: 2019-05-18

Posts: 27

[SOLVED] Quiet Microphone with External Sound Card

I use a Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD sound card, with a microphone connected to it. From memory it was working fine when I first installed, but now the microphone sound is really quiet, basically inaudible. I can only tell it's not entirely muted because the levels in pavucontrol fluctuate ever so slightly when I scratch the mic. Audio output is perfectly fine, though. Is there any way to bring the input volume back up?

$ pacmd list-sources
2 source(s) available.
    index: 0
	name: <alsa_output.usb-Creative_Technology_USB_Sound_Blaster_HD_000000OQ-00.analog-stereo.monitor>
	driver: <module-alsa-card.c>
	flags: DECIBEL_VOLUME LATENCY DYNAMIC_LATENCY
	state: IDLE
	suspend cause: (none)
	priority: 1040
	volume: front-left: 300000 / 458% / 39.64 dB,   front-right: 300000 / 458% / 39.64 dB
	        balance 0.00
	base volume: 65536 / 100% / 0.00 dB
	volume steps: 65537
	muted: no
	current latency: 0.00 ms
	max rewind: 39 KiB
	sample spec: s16le 2ch 48000Hz
	channel map: front-left,front-right
	             Stereo
	used by: 0
	linked by: 0
	configured latency: 2000.00 ms; range is 0.50 .. 2000.00 ms
	monitor_of: 0
	card: 3 <alsa_card.usb-Creative_Technology_USB_Sound_Blaster_HD_000000OQ-00>
	module: 9
	properties:
		device.description = "Monitor of Sound Blaster Premium HD [SBX] Analog Stereo"
		device.class = "monitor"
		alsa.card = "3"
		alsa.card_name = "USB Sound Blaster HD"
		alsa.long_card_name = "Creative Technology USB Sound Blaster HD at usb-0000:00:14.0-6, full speed"
		alsa.driver_name = "snd_usb_audio"
		device.bus_path = "pci-0000:00:14.0-usb-0:6:1.0"
		sysfs.path = "/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:14.0/usb2/2-6/2-6:1.0/sound/card3"
		udev.id = "usb-Creative_Technology_USB_Sound_Blaster_HD_000000OQ-00"
		device.bus = "usb"
		device.vendor.id = "041e"
		device.vendor.name = "Creative Technology, Ltd"
		device.product.id = "3232"
		device.product.name = "Sound Blaster Premium HD [SBX]"
		device.serial = "Creative_Technology_USB_Sound_Blaster_HD_000000OQ"
		device.string = "3"
		module-udev-detect.discovered = "1"
		device.icon_name = "audio-card-usb"
  * index: 1
	name: <alsa_input.usb-Creative_Technology_USB_Sound_Blaster_HD_000000OQ-00.analog-stereo>
	driver: <module-alsa-card.c>
	flags: HARDWARE DECIBEL_VOLUME LATENCY DYNAMIC_LATENCY
	state: SUSPENDED
	suspend cause: IDLE
	priority: 9049
	volume: front-left: 65536 / 100% / 0.00 dB,   front-right: 65536 / 100% / 0.00 dB
	        balance 0.00
	base volume: 65536 / 100% / 0.00 dB
	volume steps: 65537
	muted: no
	current latency: 0.00 ms
	max rewind: 0 KiB
	sample spec: s16le 2ch 48000Hz
	channel map: front-left,front-right
	             Stereo
	used by: 0
	linked by: 0
	configured latency: 0.00 ms; range is 0.50 .. 2000.00 ms
	card: 3 <alsa_card.usb-Creative_Technology_USB_Sound_Blaster_HD_000000OQ-00>
	module: 9
	properties:
		alsa.resolution_bits = "16"
		device.api = "alsa"
		device.class = "sound"
		alsa.class = "generic"
		alsa.subclass = "generic-mix"
		alsa.name = "USB Audio"
		alsa.id = "USB Audio"
		alsa.subdevice = "0"
		alsa.subdevice_name = "subdevice #0"
		alsa.device = "0"
		alsa.card = "3"
		alsa.card_name = "USB Sound Blaster HD"
		alsa.long_card_name = "Creative Technology USB Sound Blaster HD at usb-0000:00:14.0-6, full speed"
		alsa.driver_name = "snd_usb_audio"
		device.bus_path = "pci-0000:00:14.0-usb-0:6:1.0"
		sysfs.path = "/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:14.0/usb2/2-6/2-6:1.0/sound/card3"
		udev.id = "usb-Creative_Technology_USB_Sound_Blaster_HD_000000OQ-00"
		device.bus = "usb"
		device.vendor.id = "041e"
		device.vendor.name = "Creative Technology, Ltd"
		device.product.id = "3232"
		device.product.name = "Sound Blaster Premium HD [SBX]"
		device.serial = "Creative_Technology_USB_Sound_Blaster_HD_000000OQ"
		device.string = "front:3"
		device.buffering.buffer_size = "384000"
		device.buffering.fragment_size = "192000"
		device.access_mode = "mmap+timer"
		device.profile.name = "analog-stereo"
		device.profile.description = "Analog Stereo"
		device.description = "Sound Blaster Premium HD [SBX] Analog Stereo"
		alsa.mixer_name = "USB Mixer"
		alsa.components = "USB041e:3232"
		module-udev-detect.discovered = "1"
		device.icon_name = "audio-card-usb"
	ports:
		analog-input-mic: Microphone (priority 8700, latency offset 0 usec, available: unknown)
			properties:
				device.icon_name = "audio-input-microphone"
		analog-input-linein: Line In (priority 8100, latency offset 0 usec, available: unknown)
			properties:
				
	active port: <analog-input-mic>

Last edited by sairuiu (2019-08-27 14:41:09)

sairuiu

Member

Registered: 2019-05-18

Posts: 27

Re: [SOLVED] Quiet Microphone with External Sound Card

I did some additional testing and observed the same behaviour connecting the sound card to a clean install on my laptop. The microphone also works fine on windows. The symptoms seem to suggest that the microphone isn't getting enough power (though the speakers/headphones connected to the sound card work fine). Would this be possible, and would I be able to fix it?

V1del

Forum Moderator

Registered: 2012-10-16

Posts: 25,419

Re: [SOLVED] Quiet Microphone with External Sound Card

Just from the pacmd output levels read fine, is it maybe a ports issue? Do you get better output switching to the linein input under device ports? What's the output of

amixer -c3
pacmd list-source-outputs #During attempted recording

FWIW there seem to be a few usb-audio fixes in the 5.2.10 kernel, so you might want to wait for that/ give that a shot.

sairuiu

Member

Registered: 2019-05-18

Posts: 27

Re: [SOLVED] Quiet Microphone with External Sound Card

Thanks for the reply. Switching ports to line-in doesn't seem to make a difference unfortunately. Here's the output of those commands:

$ amixer -c3
Simple mixer control 'PCM',0
  Capabilities: pvolume pswitch pswitch-joined
  Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right
  Limits: Playback 0 - 128
  Mono:
  Front Left: Playback 113 [88%] [-7.50dB] [on]
  Front Right: Playback 113 [88%] [-7.50dB] [on]
Simple mixer control 'PCM Capture Source',0
  Capabilities: enum
  Items: 'Mic' 'Line' 'Phonograph'
  Item0: 'Mic'

$ pacmd list-source-outputs
1 source output(s) available.
    index: 24
	driver: <protocol-native.c>
	flags: START_CORKED
	state: RUNNING
	source: 2 <alsa_input.usb-Creative_Technology_USB_Sound_Blaster_HD_000000OQ-00.analog-stereo>
	volume: front-left: 65536 / 100% / 0.00 dB,   front-right: 65536 / 100% / 0.00 dB
	        balance 0.00
	muted: no
	current latency: 0.00 ms
	requested latency: 10.00 ms
	sample spec: s16le 2ch 44100Hz
	channel map: front-left,front-right
	             Stereo
	resample method: speex-float-1
	owner module: 14
	client: 2 <Chrome input>
	properties:
		application.icon_name = "chromium-browser"
		media.name = "RecordStream"
		application.name = "Chrome input"
		native-protocol.peer = "UNIX socket client"
		native-protocol.version = "32"
		application.process.id = "2317"
		application.process.user = "redacted"
		application.process.host = "redacted"
		application.process.binary = "vivaldi-bin"
		application.language = "ja_JP.utf8"
		window.x11.display = ":0"
		application.process.machine_id = "2d84093a83bc4b66a8e80072ca99799f"
		application.process.session_id = "3"
		module-stream-restore.id = "source-output-by-application-name:Chrome input"

Hopefully this helps, or at least can be fixed by the 5.2.10 kernel updates when it comes around.

V1del

Forum Moderator

Registered: 2012-10-16

Posts: 25,419

Re: [SOLVED] Quiet Microphone with External Sound Card

You might try and up the volume on the ALSA pcm control, granted this also defines the capture level on the driver.

amixer -c3 set 'PCM',0 100%,100%

sairuiu

Member

Registered: 2019-05-18

Posts: 27

Re: [SOLVED] Quiet Microphone with External Sound Card

Thanks, I gave that a go and there was a small improvement. I think it might be borderline usable now but it's still a lot quieter than I'd like (and know it can achieve). Unfortunately 128/100% seems like the highest it can go. Is there anything else I could possibly look into?

V1del

Forum Moderator

Registered: 2012-10-16

Posts: 25,419

Re: [SOLVED] Quiet Microphone with External Sound Card

If it's just about pure loudness you can also overdrive on the pulse sink, though that might introduce clipping.

pactl set-source-volume alsa_input.usb-Creative_Technology_USB_Sound_Blaster_HD_000000OQ-00.analog-stereo 150%

for example. It's always possible that whatever improvements/differences you see on windows might come from different driver settings or the like that aren't actually implemented in the hardware itself FWIW do you use the standard Windows drivers or did you install some specific creative package on Windows?

When was "first installed"? (In doubt look at the start of your pacman.log) Maybe you are seeing a kernel regression or the like?

sairuiu

Member

Registered: 2019-05-18

Posts: 27

Re: [SOLVED] Quiet Microphone with External Sound Card

Thanks for the help. Overdriving the pulse sink seems like a bit of a dirty fix but it looks like it's doing what I need it to do now. I'll see how I go with this setting; hopefully it doesn't cause any issues down the line.

I may be misremembering the original behaviour, because it seems like a clean install on my laptop still has the same problem. As for differences on windows, I haven't installed any additional drivers or software. The bit of reading I did beforehand makes it sound like it should work on Linux with the generic drivers.

V1del

Forum Moderator

Registered: 2012-10-16

Posts: 25,419

Re: [SOLVED] Quiet Microphone with External Sound Card

Well clean install of Arch will by definition still include the latest kernel, if it is a kernel regression in comparison to the original install you will want to try with an older kernel, maybe test out if the behaviour is more in line with what you expect on e.g. linux-lts. Sometimes dmesg also contains some information in that regard e.g.

dmesg | grep -E 'snd|alsa'

might give some insight.

sairuiu

Member

Registered: 2019-05-18

Posts: 27

Re: [SOLVED] Quiet Microphone with External Sound Card

That's true, totally slipped my mind. I might experiment with it when I have a bit more time, or see if newer kernel updates bring about any changes. Thanks for the insight and help. I'll mark the thread as solved for now.