Arch Linux

GoluDholu

Member

Registered: 2022-11-05

Posts: 27

Configure sound system properly

I installed ArchLinux. While following the sound system wiki, I decided to install PipeWire. However, due to some issues, I also installed PulseAudio. The sound isn't working properly still. I think I have messed up the configurations because of these two packages. I would like to fix the sound and also remove unnecessary sound packages and configs.

I have Dell XPS 13 9310, which I triple boot with Windows and Ubuntu for work reasons. My primary OS is ArchLinux though. I use GNOME.

The sound setting shows the following:
Output
Output device: Speaker - Tiger Lake-LP Smart Sound Technology Audio Controller

Input
Input device: Digital Microphone - Tiger Lake-LP Smart Sound Technology Audio Controller
Configuration:
Play HiFi quality Music (HDMI1,HDMI2,HDMI3,Headphones,Mic1,Mic2)
Play HiFi quality Music (HDMI1,HDMI2,HDMI3,Mic1,Mic2,Speaker)

When I boot, the sound and mic do not work. If then I select a different config and switch them repeatedly, it works. Then stops working again after some time. I am trying to find a concrete pattern. I have Bluetooth earphones (Pixel buds pro), which don't work either.

sudo fuser -v /dev/snd/*
                     USER        PID ACCESS COMMAND
/dev/snd/controlC0:  username     1951 F.... pipewire
                     username     1953 F.... wireplumber
                     username     1958 F.... pulseaudio
/dev/snd/seq:        username     1951 F.... pipewire

systemctl --user status pipewire wireplumber pipewire-pulse pulseaudio
● pipewire.service - PipeWire Multimedia Service
     Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/user/pipewire.service; disabled; preset: enabled)
     Active: active (running) since Sat 2024-06-29 23:48:50 EDT; 29min ago
 Invocation: cea8e9df48694dcc8df47cce7efc43ec
TriggeredBy: ● pipewire.socket
   Main PID: 1951 (pipewire)
      Tasks: 3 (limit: 18817)
     Memory: 5.2M (peak: 6.1M)
        CPU: 86ms
     CGroup: /user.slice/user-1000.slice/user@1000.service/session.slice/pipewire.service
             └─1951 /usr/bin/pipewire

Jun 29 23:48:50 HostName systemd[1392]: Started PipeWire Multimedia Service.
Jun 29 23:48:51 HostName pipewire[1951]: spa.alsa: '_ucm0001.hw:sofhdadsp,5': playback open failed: Device or resource busy
Jun 29 23:48:51 HostName pipewire[1951]: mod.adapter: 0x64818d0115f0: can't get format: Device or resource busy

● wireplumber.service - Multimedia Service Session Manager
     Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/user/wireplumber.service; enabled; preset: enabled)
     Active: active (running) since Sat 2024-06-29 23:48:50 EDT; 29min ago
 Invocation: 85935125aa98474d8c499215abb81691
   Main PID: 1953 (wireplumber)
      Tasks: 7 (limit: 18817)
     Memory: 11.3M (peak: 13.3M)
        CPU: 859ms
     CGroup: /user.slice/user-1000.slice/user@1000.service/session.slice/wireplumber.service
             └─1953 /usr/bin/wireplumber

Jun 29 23:48:50 HostName systemd[1392]: Started Multimedia Service Session Manager.
Jun 29 23:48:51 HostName wireplumber[1953]: spa.bluez5.native: RegisterProfile() failed: org.bluez.Error.NotPermitted
Jun 29 23:48:51 HostName wireplumber[1953]: [0:06:26.241336586] [1953] ERROR IPAModule ipa_module.cpp:172 Symbol ipaModuleInfo not found
Jun 29 23:48:51 HostName wireplumber[1953]: [0:06:26.241371906] [1953] ERROR IPAModule ipa_module.cpp:292 v4l2-compat.so: IPA module has no valid info
Jun 29 23:48:51 HostName wireplumber[1953]: [0:06:26.241453762] [1953]  INFO Camera camera_manager.cpp:313 libcamera v0.3.0
Jun 30 00:12:04 HostName wireplumber[1953]: spa.bluez5: Properties changed in unknown transport '/org/bluez/hci0/dev_74_74_46_23_6B_8D/sep1/fd0'. Multiple sound server instances (Pip>
Jun 30 00:12:04 HostName wireplumber[1953]: spa.bluez5: Properties changed in unknown transport '/org/bluez/hci0/dev_74_74_46_23_6B_8D/sep1/fd0'. Multiple sound server instances (Pip>
Jun 30 00:12:09 HostName wireplumber[1953]: spa.bluez5: Properties changed in unknown transport '/org/bluez/hci0/dev_74_74_46_23_6B_8D/sep1/fd0'. Multiple sound server instances (Pip>
Jun 30 00:15:17 HostName wireplumber[1953]: spa.bluez5: Properties changed in unknown transport '/org/bluez/hci0/dev_74_74_46_23_6B_8D/sep1/fd0'. Multiple sound server instances (Pip>
bably trying to use Bluetooth audio at the same time, which can cause problems. The system configuration likely should be fixed to have only one sound server that manages Bluetooth audio.

● pulseaudio.service - Sound Service
     Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/user/pulseaudio.service; disabled; preset: enabled)
     Active: active (running) since Sat 2024-06-29 23:48:50 EDT; 29min ago
 Invocation: 30a6cfa94ed640e68e44a1a2bb912a13
TriggeredBy: ● pulseaudio.socket
   Main PID: 1958 (pulseaudio)
      Tasks: 13 (limit: 18817)
     Memory: 11.3M (peak: 12.1M)
        CPU: 1.785s
     CGroup: /user.slice/user-1000.slice/user@1000.service/session.slice/pulseaudio.service
             ├─1958 /usr/bin/pulseaudio --daemonize=no --log-target=journal
             └─2009 /usr/lib/pulse/gsettings-helper

Jun 30 00:12:04 HostName pulseaudio[1958]: Battery Level: 54%
Jun 30 00:12:05 HostName pulseaudio[1958]: Battery Level: 54%
Jun 30 00:12:05 HostName pulseaudio[1958]: Battery Level: 54%
Jun 30 00:12:09 HostName pulseaudio[1958]: Battery Level: 54%
Jun 30 00:12:09 HostName pulseaudio[1958]: Battery Level: 54%
Jun 30 00:12:09 HostName pulseaudio[1958]: Battery Level: 54%
Jun 30 00:12:10 HostName pulseaudio[1958]: Battery Level: 54%
Jun 30 00:14:55 HostName pulseaudio[1958]: Failed to create sink input: sink is suspended.
Jun 30 00:14:55 HostName pulseaudio[1958]: Failed to create sink input: sink is suspended.
Jun 30 00:14:55 HostName pulseaudio[1958]: Failed to create sink input: sink is suspended.

sudo pacman -Qi pulseaudio
Name            : pulseaudio
Version         : 17.0-3
Description     : A featureful, general-purpose sound server
Architecture    : x86_64
URL             : https://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/PulseAudio/
Licenses        : LGPL-2.1-or-later
Groups          : None
Provides        : pulse-native-provider
Depends On      : alsa-lib  fftw  libcap  libltdl  libpulse=17.0-3  libsm  libsoxr  libxtst  orc  rtkit  speexdsp  tdb  webrtc-audio-processing-1
Optional Deps   : pulseaudio-alsa: ALSA configuration (recommended) [installed]
                  pulseaudio-bluetooth: Bluetooth support [installed]
                  pulseaudio-equalizer: Graphical equalizer [installed]
                  pulseaudio-jack: Jack support [installed]
                  pulseaudio-lirc: IR (lirc) support
                  pulseaudio-rtp: RTP and RAOP support
                  pulseaudio-zeroconf: Zeroconf support [installed]
Required By     : gnome-settings-daemon  paprefs  pulseaudio-alsa  pulseaudio-bluetooth  pulseaudio-equalizer  pulseaudio-jack  pulseaudio-zeroconf
Optional For    : libpulse  speech-dispatcher
Conflicts With  : pipewire-pulse
Replaces        : pulseaudio-gconf<=11.1  pulseaudio-xen<=9.0
Installed Size  : 6.02 MiB
Packager        : Jan Alexander Steffens (heftig) <heftig@archlinux.org>
Build Date      : Wed 17 Jan 2024 08:36:55 AM EST
Install Date    : Mon 17 Jun 2024 02:11:16 PM EDT
Install Reason  : Explicitly installed
Install Script  : Yes
Validated By    : Signature

sudo pacman -Qi pipewire
Name            : pipewire
Version         : 1:1.2.0-2
Description     : Low-latency audio/video router and processor
Architecture    : x86_64
URL             : https://pipewire.org
Licenses        : MIT  LGPL-2.1-or-later
Groups          : None
Provides        : None
Depends On      : libpipewire=1:1.2.0-2  gcc-libs  glibc  libpipewire-0.3.so=0-64  libcamera-base.so=0.3-64  libcamera.so=0.3-64  libdbus-1.so=3-64  libglib-2.0.so=0-64  libncursesw.so=6-64
                  libreadline.so=8-64  libsystemd.so=0-64  libudev.so=1-64
Optional Deps   : gst-plugin-pipewire: GStreamer plugin [installed]
                  pipewire-alsa: ALSA configuration
                  pipewire-audio: Audio support [installed]
                  pipewire-docs: Documentation
                  pipewire-ffado: FireWire support
                  pipewire-jack-client: PipeWire as JACK client
                  pipewire-jack: JACK replacement
                  pipewire-pulse: PulseAudio replacement
                  pipewire-roc: ROC streaming
                  pipewire-session-manager: Session manager [installed]
                  pipewire-v4l2: V4L2 interceptor
                  pipewire-x11-bell: X11 bell
                  pipewire-zeroconf: Zeroconf support
                  realtime-privileges: realtime privileges with rt module
                  rtkit: realtime privileges with rtkit module [installed]
Required By     : gnome-remote-desktop  gst-plugin-pipewire  mutter  pipewire-audio  wireplumber  xdg-desktop-portal
Optional For    : qt5-webengine  sdl2
Conflicts With  : None
Replaces        : None
Installed Size  : 2.86 MiB
Packager        : Jan Alexander Steffens (heftig) <heftig@archlinux.org>
Build Date      : Sat 29 Jun 2024 03:31:15 PM EDT
Install Date    : Sat 29 Jun 2024 11:30:33 PM EDT
Install Reason  : Installed as a dependency for another package
Install Script  : Yes
Validated By    : Signature

ewaller

Administrator

From: Pasadena, CA

Registered: 2009-07-13

Posts: 20,638

Re: Configure sound system properly

One suggestion.  Before going down the rabbit hole, might I suggest replacing pulseaudio with pipewire-pulse?  Right now you are mixing stuff from pipewire with stuff from pulseaudio.

Then, let's see which optional packages you have.  What is the output of pacman -Qs pipewire

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The shortest way to ruin a country is to give power to demagogues.— Dionysius of Halicarnassus
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GoluDholu

Member

Registered: 2022-11-05

Posts: 27

Re: Configure sound system properly

I was able to remove pulseaudio and install pipewire-pulse. The speaker seems to be working reliably but not the mic. I will still need to test the bluetooth earbuds. The input device shows four configurations.

sudo pacman -Qs pulseaudio
local/pipewire-pulse 1:1.2.0-2
    Low-latency audio/video router and processor - PulseAudio replacement

Last edited by GoluDholu (2024-06-30 21:19:30)

ewaller

Administrator

From: Pasadena, CA

Registered: 2009-07-13

Posts: 20,638

Re: Configure sound system properly

Are there other input devices available?  It appears you are using your HDMI display's audio?

---

Nothing is too wonderful to be true, if it be consistent with the laws of nature -- Michael Faraday
The shortest way to ruin a country is to give power to demagogues.— Dionysius of Halicarnassus
---
How to Ask Questions the Smart Way

GoluDholu

Member

Registered: 2022-11-05

Posts: 27

Re: Configure sound system properly

Are there other input devices available?  It appears you are using your HDMI display's audio?

No. Nothing is connected.

ewaller

Administrator

From: Pasadena, CA

Registered: 2009-07-13

Posts: 20,638

Re: Configure sound system properly

Does your monitor have a microphone?
I know that one can send audio over HDMI, but I don't think you can send audio back over HDMI.

Perhaps I am being confused by the Gnome tools.  Can I suggest you install pavucontrol and let's look it it with that?

---

Nothing is too wonderful to be true, if it be consistent with the laws of nature -- Michael Faraday
The shortest way to ruin a country is to give power to demagogues.— Dionysius of Halicarnassus
---
How to Ask Questions the Smart Way

GoluDholu

Member

Registered: 2022-11-05

Posts: 27

Re: Configure sound system properly

Does your monitor have a microphone?
I know that one can send audio over HDMI, but I don't think you can send audio back over HDMI.

It's a laptop. I don't think the monitor has a microphone.

Here's the screen of pavucontrol: