Arch Linux

KrashanB

Member

Registered: 2023-07-16

Posts: 12

[SOLVED] Lost the audio device

Hi All,
  I hope you are doing well.
I use to use pavucontrol PulseAudio but recently I lost the audio device. I thought that some kernel module crashed or something.
I have installed WirePlumber in place of PulseAudio, restarted the system but still no joy.

It's a 6 years old ASUS laptop

00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Xeon E3-1200 v5/E3-1500 v5/6th Gen Core Processor Host Bridge/DRAM Registers (rev 07)
00:01.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 6th-10th Gen Core Processor PCIe Controller (x16) (rev 07)
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation HD Graphics 530 (rev 06)
00:04.0 Signal processing controller: Intel Corporation Xeon E3-1200 v5/E3-1500 v5/6th Gen Core Processor Thermal Subsystem (rev 07)
00:14.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family USB 3.0 xHCI Controller (rev 31)
00:14.2 Signal processing controller: Intel Corporation 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family Thermal Subsystem (rev 31)
00:15.0 Signal processing controller: Intel Corporation 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family Serial IO I2C Controller #0 (rev 31)
00:15.1 Signal processing controller: Intel Corporation 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family Serial IO I2C Controller #1 (rev 31)
00:16.0 Communication controller: Intel Corporation 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family MEI Controller #1 (rev 31)
00:17.0 SATA controller: Intel Corporation HM170/QM170 Chipset SATA Controller [AHCI Mode] (rev 31)
00:1c.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family PCI Express Root Port #3 (rev f1)
00:1c.3 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family PCI Express Root Port #4 (rev f1)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation HM170 Chipset LPC/eSPI Controller (rev 31)
00:1f.2 Memory controller: Intel Corporation 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family Power Management Controller (rev 31)
00:1f.3 Audio device: Intel Corporation 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family HD Audio Controller (rev 31)
00:1f.4 SMBus: Intel Corporation 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family SMBus (rev 31)
01:00.0 3D controller: NVIDIA Corporation GM107M [GeForce GTX 960M] (rev a2)
02:00.0 Network controller: Intel Corporation Wireless 7265 (rev 59)
03:00.0 Unassigned class [ff00]: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8411B PCI Express Card Reader (rev 01)
03:00.1 Ethernet controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet Controller (rev 12)

wpctl status
PipeWire 'pipewire-0' [0.3.74, xxxx@xxxxxxx, cookie:2411939264]
 └─ Clients:
        31. WirePlumber                         [0.3.74, xxxx@xxxxxxx, pid:1056]
        32. WirePlumber [export]                [0.3.74, xxxx@xxxxxxx, pid:1056]
        55. xdg-desktop-portal                  [0.3.74, xxxx@xxxxxxx, pid:1562]
        66. PipeWire ALSA [cryptowatch_desktop] [0.3.74, xxxx@xxxxxxx, pid:1446]
        72. wpctl                               [0.3.74, xxxx@xxxxxxx, pid:28589]

Audio
 ├─ Devices:
 │      61. Built-in Audio                      [alsa]
 │      62. PC-LM1E                             [alsa]
 │  
 ├─ Sinks:
 │  *   64. Built-in Audio Analog Stereo        [vol: 0.40]
 │  
 ├─ Sink endpoints:
 │  
 ├─ Sources:
 │  *   60. PC-LM1E Analog Stereo               [vol: 1.00]
 │      63. Built-in Audio Analog Stereo        [vol: 1.00]
 │  
 ├─ Source endpoints:
 │  
 └─ Streams:
        67. PipeWire ALSA [cryptowatch_desktop]                         
             68. output_FL       > ALC668 Analog:playback_FL	[active]
             69. output_FR       > ALC668 Analog:playback_FR	[active]

Video
 ├─ Devices:
 │      38. USB2.0 HD UVC WebCam: USB2.0 HD     [libcamera]
 │      39. PC-LM1E: PC-LM1E                    [libcamera]
 │      40. USB2.0 HD UVC WebCam                [v4l2]
 │      41. USB2.0 HD UVC WebCam                [v4l2]
 │      42. PC-LM1E                             [v4l2]
 │      43. PC-LM1E                             [v4l2]
 │  
 ├─ Sinks:
 │  
 ├─ Sink endpoints:
 │  
 ├─ Sources:
 │      46. Built-in Front Camera              
 │      48. PC-LM1E  PC-LM1E                   
 │  *   50. USB2.0 HD UVC WebCam (V4L2)        
 │      52. PC-LM1E (V4L2)                     
 │  
 ├─ Source endpoints:
 │  
 └─ Streams:

Settings
 └─ Default Configured Node Names:

Before the reboot WP didn't list anything under Audio Devices.
VLC before reboot had only Dummy Output now I only see Built-In Audio Digital Stereo (HDMI1) which tells me it's the monitor plugged in via a HDMI cable.

Please advise.
Thank you

Last edited by KrashanB (2023-07-20 17:35:45)

KrashanB

Member

Registered: 2023-07-16

Posts: 12

Re: [SOLVED] Lost the audio device

I see lots of these errors in dmesg:

[242759.028373] rtsx_pci 0000:03:00.0: AER:   Error of this Agent is reported first
[242759.028386] r8169 0000:03:00.1: PCIe Bus Error: severity=Corrected, type=Data Link Layer, (Transmitter ID)
[242759.028388] r8169 0000:03:00.1:   device [10ec:8168] error status/mask=000010c0/00006000
[242759.028391] r8169 0000:03:00.1:    [ 6] BadTLP                
[242759.028394] r8169 0000:03:00.1:    [ 7] BadDLLP               
[242759.028396] r8169 0000:03:00.1:    [12] Timeout               
[242759.028428] pcieport 0000:00:1c.3: AER: Corrected error received: 0000:03:00.0
[242759.111771] pcieport 0000:00:1c.3: AER: Multiple Corrected error received: 0000:03:00.0
[242759.111784] pcieport 0000:00:1c.3: PCIe Bus Error: severity=Corrected, type=Data Link Layer, (Transmitter ID)
[242759.111787] pcieport 0000:00:1c.3:   device [8086:a113] error status/mask=00001000/00002000
[242759.111790] pcieport 0000:00:1c.3:    [12] Timeout               
[242759.111797] rtsx_pci 0000:03:00.0: PCIe Bus Error: severity=Corrected, type=Data Link Layer, (Transmitter ID)
[242759.111799] rtsx_pci 0000:03:00.0:   device [10ec:5287] error status/mask=000010c0/00006000
[242759.111801] rtsx_pci 0000:03:00.0:    [ 6] BadTLP                
[242759.111803] rtsx_pci 0000:03:00.0:    [ 7] BadDLLP               
[242759.111805] rtsx_pci 0000:03:00.0:    [12] Timeout               
[242759.111807] rtsx_pci 0000:03:00.0: AER:   Error of this Agent is reported first
[242759.111810] r8169 0000:03:00.1: PCIe Bus Error: severity=Corrected, type=Data Link Layer, (Transmitter ID)
[242759.111812] r8169 0000:03:00.1:   device [10ec:8168] error status/mask=000010c0/00006000
[242759.111814] r8169 0000:03:00.1:    [ 6] BadTLP                
[242759.111815] r8169 0000:03:00.1:    [ 7] BadDLLP               
[242759.111817] r8169 0000:03:00.1:    [12] Timeout               

Not sure if this is related but apparently adding pci=nommconf to kernel parameters resolves/supresses them. Not sure it this relates to my no audio device issue.

KrashanB

Member

Registered: 2023-07-16

Posts: 12

Re: [SOLVED] Lost the audio device

Ok, I think I fixed it. I had to migrate from PulseAudio to PipeWire.
I had to force uninstall PulseAudio and PulseAudio Bluetooth to install pipewire-pulse because pacman complaints about dependencies and I would have to uninstall a lot of gnome stuff and so on.
Some of the apps I use depend on pulseaudio so I had to install pipewire-pulse

pacman -Rdd pulseaudio pulseaudio-bluetooth
pacman -S pipewire-pulse

Make sure:

systemctl --user enable pipewire.service
systemctl --user start pipewire.service
systemctl --user enable pipewire.socket
systemctl --user start pipewire.socket

I also come across this problem when executing pactl list short sinks

Connection failure: Connection refused
pa_context_connect() failed: Connection refused

systemctl --user restart wireplumber pipewire pipewire-pulse

then I changed the default sink:

pactl list short sinks
pactl set-default-sink alsa_output.pci-0000_00_1f.3.analog-stereo
pactl info

This is because I get use to pavucontrol application so much.

Last edited by KrashanB (2023-07-20 17:36:35)

KrashanB

Member

Registered: 2023-07-16

Posts: 12

Re: [SOLVED] Lost the audio device

This PipeWire and WirePlumber are a disaster.
This morning VLC again refuses to play even when the correct device is selected.
Teams over Chromium browser didn't find any audio devices until I restarted the whole browser but I didn't have a chance to test it because the meeting has ended.
Pavucontrol seems to be managing something but not the "Built-in Audio Analog Stereo"
"Built-in Audio Analog Stereo" is dead quiet but it's not muted in alsamixer.

KrashanB

Member

Registered: 2023-07-16

Posts: 12

Re: [SOLVED] Lost the audio device

It becomes like a MS Windows experience. I don't remember when last time I rebooted the whole thing so many times to resolve the audio.
Wireplumber is unintuitive. QPWGRAPH gives some transparency but not sure how this PipeWire thing will pan out long term. I understand that pavucontrol is now semi usable.

sekret

Member

Registered: 2013-07-22

Posts: 287

Re: [SOLVED] Lost the audio device

Strange, I have no issues with Pipewire and WirePlumber whatsoever. The same with PulseAudio. I'm pretty sure there's still something off with your system.

Last edited by sekret (2023-07-22 06:35:27)

KrashanB

Member

Registered: 2023-07-16

Posts: 12

Re: [SOLVED] Lost the audio device

Thanks for coming back to me.
It could be, this is a 13 years old install that has been migrated from one laptop to the other, I reckon 3-4 laptops already.
I think as long as you don't have too many audio capable devices then it's fine but once you add some USB audio dongles, HDMI monitors it can become a bit hairy.

Tulainas

Member

Registered: 2024-04-12

Posts: 1

Re: [SOLVED] Lost the audio device

Hi!

I've had a similar issue with my 10+ years old laptop.

It was working OK. Then, after a regular update a couple of weeks ago sound disappeared along with alsamixer. Reinstalled it and still nothing (not available in alsamixer's F6). It seemed to detect hdmi audio interface, but i was unable to use laptop's speakers. GNOME couldn't choose it as an output.

Checked in another un-updated arch installation* in the same machine, and noticed it was using pulseaudio as audio device (F6 in alsamixer).
Came back to the faulty installation and got conflicts when I tried to install pulseaudio. It said there were conflicts with pulseaudio - 17.0-3 and pipewire-pulse - 1:1.0.4-4. I didn´t force it.

Then your post reminded me of pavu-control. Installed it and used it to effectively choose internal speakers as an output.

Geeking has a soundtrack again.

Thank you.

*useful inexpensive practice, because sh*t happens.