Pulseaudio: failed to load module-alsa-card after upgrade

radiobla · 2020-10-17 21:30:47

TL;DR: After upgrading alsa-* packages yesterday, on the next reboot, systemd (apparently, pulseaudio.service) begun to show an error message related to "module-alsa-card" not finding a "working profile" for a USB MIDI device I have connected. Despite the error message, the device is working fine (through "raw MIDI" and also with jack2). Anyway, I want go further and find the root cause of this problem, since it's very annoying to see the Sound Service failing on every reboot.

Here is my pacman.log from yesterday:

[ALPM] upgraded alsa-topology-conf (1.2.3-1 -> 1.2.4-1)
[ALPM] upgraded alsa-ucm-conf (1.2.3-2 -> 1.2.4-1)
[ALPM] upgraded alsa-lib (1.2.3.2-1 -> 1.2.4-1)
[ALPM] upgraded alsa-utils (1.2.3-2 -> 1.2.4-1)
[ALPM] upgraded lib32-alsa-lib (1.2.3.2-1 -> 1.2.4-1)

After a reboot, the Sound Service could start, but begun to show an error message.

Taking a look on the systemd logs with

journalctl -xe --user-unit pulseaudio

I found this:

systemd[1027]: Starting Sound Service...
...
pulseaudio[1037]: Failed to find a working profile.
pulseaudio[1037]: Failed to load module "module-alsa-card" (argument: "device_id="3" name="usb-Roland_A->
pulseaudio[1037]: module-rescue-stream is obsolete and should no longer be loaded. Please remove it from>
systemd[1027]: Started Sound Service.

I disabled the "load-module module-rescue-streams" on the default.pa, but the other issue persists. They seem not be related, IMO. I wanted to rule out that chance anyway.

By stopping pulseaudio service through systemd and running

pulseaudio -vvv

manually, I got more verbose information.

E: [pulseaudio] module-alsa-card.c: Failed to find a working profile.
E: [pulseaudio] module.c: Failed to load module "module-alsa-card" (argument: "device_id="1" name="usb-Roland_A-Series_Keyboard-00" card_name="alsa_card.usb-Roland_A-Series_Keyboard-00" namereg_fail=false tsched=yes fixed_latency_range=no ignore_dB=no deferred_volume=yes use_ucm=yes avoid_resampling=no card_properties="module-udev-detect.discovered=1""): initialization failed.  
I: [pulseaudio] module-udev-detect.c: Card /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:14.0/usb1/1-10/1-10:1.0/sound/card1 (alsa_card.usb-Roland_A-Series_Keyboard-00) failed to load module.

Regarding specifically to the following error message...

E: [pulseaudio] module-alsa-card.c: Failed to find a working profile.

What does it mean it is not finding a "working profile"? How could I investigate it further?

It worth mentioning that the device (an USB Keyboard Controller) is working
perfectly with jack2. I tested it with an "aseqdump".

$ aseqdump -l
 Port    Client name                      Port name
  0:0    System                           Timer
  0:1    System                           Announce
 14:0    Midi Through                     Midi Through Port-0
 20:0    A-Series Keyboard                A-Series Keyboard Keyboard

$ aseqdump -p20:0
Waiting for data. Press Ctrl+C to end.
Source  Event                  Ch  Data
 20:0   Note on                 0, note 41, velocity 76
 20:0   Note on                 0, note 40, velocity 82

Although the device is working even with the error message, it's very annoying to see a "failed service" on initialization. (don't tell to enable "quiet")

Thanks!

Last edited by radiobla (2020-10-17 21:42:23)

V1del · 2020-10-17 21:50:15

I'd not expect a pure midi device to ever find a valid pulse profile. So it's a question what changed here for the card to be even considered for normal PCM purposes. What's your

aplay -lL

radiobla · 2020-10-17 21:54:29

The device is listed there as a "usbstream".

Here it goes:

$ aplay -lL
null
    Discard all samples (playback) or generate zero samples (capture)
sysdefault
    Default Audio Device
samplerate
    Rate Converter Plugin Using Samplerate Library
speexrate
    Rate Converter Plugin Using Speex Resampler
jack
    JACK Audio Connection Kit
oss
    Open Sound System
pipewire
    PipeWire Sound Server
pulse
    PulseAudio Sound Server
speex
    Plugin using Speex DSP (resample, agc, denoise, echo, dereverb)
upmix
    Plugin for channel upmix (4,6,8)
vdownmix
    Plugin for channel downmix (stereo) with a simple spacialization
sysdefault:CARD=Plus
    M-Track Plus, USB Audio
    Default Audio Device
front:CARD=Plus,DEV=0
    M-Track Plus, USB Audio
    Front output / input
surround21:CARD=Plus,DEV=0
    M-Track Plus, USB Audio
    2.1 Surround output to Front and Subwoofer speakers
surround40:CARD=Plus,DEV=0
    M-Track Plus, USB Audio
    4.0 Surround output to Front and Rear speakers
surround41:CARD=Plus,DEV=0
    M-Track Plus, USB Audio
    4.1 Surround output to Front, Rear and Subwoofer speakers
surround50:CARD=Plus,DEV=0
    M-Track Plus, USB Audio
    5.0 Surround output to Front, Center and Rear speakers
surround51:CARD=Plus,DEV=0
    M-Track Plus, USB Audio
    5.1 Surround output to Front, Center, Rear and Subwoofer speakers
surround71:CARD=Plus,DEV=0
    M-Track Plus, USB Audio
    7.1 Surround output to Front, Center, Side, Rear and Woofer speakers
iec958:CARD=Plus,DEV=0
    M-Track Plus, USB Audio
    IEC958 (S/PDIF) Digital Audio Output
usbstream:CARD=Plus
    M-Track Plus
    USB Stream Output
sysdefault:CARD=Keyboard
    Default Audio Device
usbstream:CARD=Keyboard
    A-Series Keyboard
    USB Stream Output
sysdefault:CARD=PCH
    HDA Intel PCH, ALC887-VD Analog
    Default Audio Device
front:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
    HDA Intel PCH, ALC887-VD Analog
    Front output / input
surround21:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
    HDA Intel PCH, ALC887-VD Analog
    2.1 Surround output to Front and Subwoofer speakers
surround40:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
    HDA Intel PCH, ALC887-VD Analog
    4.0 Surround output to Front and Rear speakers
surround41:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
    HDA Intel PCH, ALC887-VD Analog
    4.1 Surround output to Front, Rear and Subwoofer speakers
surround50:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
    HDA Intel PCH, ALC887-VD Analog
    5.0 Surround output to Front, Center and Rear speakers
surround51:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
    HDA Intel PCH, ALC887-VD Analog
    5.1 Surround output to Front, Center, Rear and Subwoofer speakers
surround71:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
    HDA Intel PCH, ALC887-VD Analog
    7.1 Surround output to Front, Center, Side, Rear and Woofer speakers
iec958:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
    HDA Intel PCH, ALC887-VD Digital
    IEC958 (S/PDIF) Digital Audio Output
usbstream:CARD=PCH
    HDA Intel PCH
    USB Stream Output
hdmi:CARD=NVidia,DEV=0
    HDA NVidia, HDMI 0
    HDMI Audio Output
hdmi:CARD=NVidia,DEV=1
    HDA NVidia, HDMI 1
    HDMI Audio Output
hdmi:CARD=NVidia,DEV=2
    HDA NVidia, HDMI 2
    HDMI Audio Output
hdmi:CARD=NVidia,DEV=3
    HDA NVidia, HDMI 3
    HDMI Audio Output
hdmi:CARD=NVidia,DEV=4
    HDA NVidia, HDMI 4
    HDMI Audio Output
hdmi:CARD=NVidia,DEV=5
    HDA NVidia, HDMI 5
    HDMI Audio Output
hdmi:CARD=NVidia,DEV=6
    HDA NVidia, HDMI 6
    HDMI Audio Output
usbstream:CARD=NVidia
    HDA NVidia
    USB Stream Output
**** List of PLAYBACK Hardware Devices ****
card 0: Plus [M-Track Plus], device 0: USB Audio [USB Audio]
  Subdevices: 0/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 2: PCH [HDA Intel PCH], device 0: ALC887-VD Analog [ALC887-VD Analog]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 2: PCH [HDA Intel PCH], device 1: ALC887-VD Digital [ALC887-VD Digital]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 3: NVidia [HDA NVidia], device 3: HDMI 0 [HDMI 0]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 3: NVidia [HDA NVidia], device 7: HDMI 1 [HDMI 1]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 3: NVidia [HDA NVidia], device 8: HDMI 2 [HDMI 2]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 3: NVidia [HDA NVidia], device 9: HDMI 3 [HDMI 3]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 3: NVidia [HDA NVidia], device 10: HDMI 4 [HDMI 4]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 3: NVidia [HDA NVidia], device 11: HDMI 5 [HDMI 5]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 3: NVidia [HDA NVidia], device 12: HDMI 6 [HDMI 6]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0

DavidLapous · 2020-10-18 10:12:09

I have the same issue but with my main audio card (also after upgrading alsa to 1.2.4).
Errors of pulseaudio.

pulseaudio -vvv
E: [pulseaudio] module-alsa-card.c: Failed to find a working profile.
E: [pulseaudio] module.c: Failed to load module "module-alsa-card" (argument: "device_id="2" name="pci-0000_07_00.6" card_name="alsa_card.pci-0000_07_00.6" namereg_fail=false tsched=yes fixed_latency_range=no ignore_dB=no deferred_volume=yes use_ucm=yes avoid_resampling=no card_properties="module-udev-detect.discovered=1""): initialization failed.
I: [pulseaudio] module-udev-detect.c: Card /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:08.1/0000:07:00.6/sound/card2 (alsa_card.pci-0000_07_00.6) failed to load module.

Audio card :

lspci | grep 07:00.6
07:00.6 Audio device: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Family 17h (Models 10h-1fh) HD Audio Controller

aplay -lL
null
    Discard all samples (playback) or generate zero samples (capture)
samplerate
    Rate Converter Plugin Using Samplerate Library
speexrate
    Rate Converter Plugin Using Speex Resampler
jack
    JACK Audio Connection Kit
oss
    Open Sound System
pipewire
    PipeWire Sound Server
pulse
    PulseAudio Sound Server
speex
    Plugin using Speex DSP (resample, agc, denoise, echo, dereverb)
upmix
    Plugin for channel upmix (4,6,8)
vdownmix
    Plugin for channel downmix (stereo) with a simple spacialization
default
    Default ALSA Output (currently PulseAudio Sound Server)
hdmi:CARD=HDMI,DEV=0
    HDA ATI HDMI, HDMI 0
    HDMI Audio Output
hdmi:CARD=HDMI,DEV=1
    HDA ATI HDMI, HDMI 1
    HDMI Audio Output
usbstream:CARD=HDMI
    HDA ATI HDMI
    USB Stream Output
hdmi:CARD=Generic,DEV=0
    HD-Audio Generic, HDMI 0
    HDMI Audio Output
usbstream:CARD=Generic
    HD-Audio Generic
    USB Stream Output
sysdefault:CARD=Generic_1
    HD-Audio Generic, ALC3254 Analog
    Default Audio Device
front:CARD=Generic_1,DEV=0
    HD-Audio Generic, ALC3254 Analog
    Front output / input
surround21:CARD=Generic_1,DEV=0
    HD-Audio Generic, ALC3254 Analog
    2.1 Surround output to Front and Subwoofer speakers
surround40:CARD=Generic_1,DEV=0
    HD-Audio Generic, ALC3254 Analog
    4.0 Surround output to Front and Rear speakers
surround41:CARD=Generic_1,DEV=0
    HD-Audio Generic, ALC3254 Analog
    4.1 Surround output to Front, Rear and Subwoofer speakers
surround50:CARD=Generic_1,DEV=0
    HD-Audio Generic, ALC3254 Analog
    5.0 Surround output to Front, Center and Rear speakers
surround51:CARD=Generic_1,DEV=0
    HD-Audio Generic, ALC3254 Analog
    5.1 Surround output to Front, Center, Rear and Subwoofer speakers
surround71:CARD=Generic_1,DEV=0
    HD-Audio Generic, ALC3254 Analog
    7.1 Surround output to Front, Center, Side, Rear and Woofer speakers
usbstream:CARD=Generic_1
    HD-Audio Generic
    USB Stream Output
usbstream:CARD=acp
    acp
    USB Stream Output
**** Liste des Périphériques Matériels PLAYBACK ****
carte 0: HDMI [HDA ATI HDMI], périphérique 3: HDMI 0 [HDMI 0]
  Sous-périphériques: 1/1
  Sous-périphérique #0: subdevice #0
carte 0: HDMI [HDA ATI HDMI], périphérique 7: HDMI 1 [HDMI 1]
  Sous-périphériques: 1/1
  Sous-périphérique #0: subdevice #0
carte 1: Generic [HD-Audio Generic], périphérique 3: HDMI 0 [HDMI 0]
  Sous-périphériques: 1/1
  Sous-périphérique #0: subdevice #0
carte 2: Generic_1 [HD-Audio Generic], périphérique 0: ALC3254 Analog [ALC3254 Analog]
  Sous-périphériques: 1/1
  Sous-périphérique #0: subdevice #0

Downgrading alsa to 1.2.3 fixes (temporarily) the issue.

gandalf3 · 2020-10-19 23:26:42

Also experiencing this with a USB midi device. I still get the "Failed to find a working profile" error with alsa-lib 1.2.3 but, unlike with 1.2.4, pulseaudio starts and works anyway.

radiobla · 2020-10-20 16:45:24

The "alsa-lib" package was upgraded today, but the issue persists.

[ALPM] upgraded alsa-lib (1.2.4-1 -> 1.2.4-2)

Actually, this error don't prevent the systemd Pulseaudio service to start.

Last edited by radiobla (2020-10-20 16:46:06)

radiobla · 2020-10-20 16:53:08

Is it plausible that the latest Linux Kernel upgrade to 5.9.x could be causing this?

Maybe the kernel modules have some kind of incompatibility, 'cause when pulseaudio tries to load the module, it says the parameters are wrong.

So, may be something on ALSA API changed in order to cause this error?

I also had problems with a module called "vfs_monitor" provided by deepin package. It was indeed failing the initialization of "system-modules-load" service. I had to blacklist it first, but that didn't solve, and then I completely uninstalled deepin packages.

Last edited by radiobla (2020-10-20 16:54:02)

V1del · 2020-10-20 16:58:20

I'd assume more likely in alsa-lib rather than the kernel (pulseaudio alsa-card-modules do not have a direct relation with kernel modules), I'd suggest you report a bug to https://github.com/alsa-project/alsa-lib/commits/master

... or if this is a generally expected change to just live with the message.

radiobla · 2020-10-20 17:09:55

Done!

https://github.com/alsa-project/alsa-lib/issues/89

Arch Linux

#1 2020-10-17 21:30:47

Pulseaudio: failed to load module-alsa-card after upgrade

#2 2020-10-17 21:50:15

Re: Pulseaudio: failed to load module-alsa-card after upgrade

#3 2020-10-17 21:54:29

Re: Pulseaudio: failed to load module-alsa-card after upgrade

#4 2020-10-18 10:12:09

Re: Pulseaudio: failed to load module-alsa-card after upgrade

#5 2020-10-19 23:26:42

Re: Pulseaudio: failed to load module-alsa-card after upgrade

#6 2020-10-20 16:45:24

Re: Pulseaudio: failed to load module-alsa-card after upgrade

#7 2020-10-20 16:53:08

Re: Pulseaudio: failed to load module-alsa-card after upgrade

#8 2020-10-20 16:58:20

Re: Pulseaudio: failed to load module-alsa-card after upgrade

#9 2020-10-20 17:09:55

Re: Pulseaudio: failed to load module-alsa-card after upgrade

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