Arch Linux

smartboyathome

Member

From: $HOME

Registered: 2007-12-23

Posts: 334

Website

[SOLVED] Intel 82801H HD Audio Controller - No microphone

I have been using Arch for a while, but didn't notice my microphone didn't work until today, as I was using Skype for the first time. Anyway, it doesn't work at all in skype, and when I try to do use my mic, nothing goes through. I messed with gnome-alsamixer and eventually found I had to set the capture card to record (I don't know how to with normal alsamixer). When I do this, though, a bunch of static goes through in patterns which follow my words, but I don't hear the actual sound of my voice (just varying levels of static). I tried searching Google, but I couldn't get it to work. Not even the most recent post I could find (http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?pid=502374) worked. Perhaps someone can help?

Thanks,
Smartboy

Last edited by smartboyathome (2009-02-22 21:19:23)

Bogart

Member

From: Madrid, Spain

Registered: 2005-06-22

Posts: 273

Re: [SOLVED] Intel 82801H HD Audio Controller - No microphone

Could you post the output of the command "amixer" (without quotes)?

ux&lx

Member

Registered: 2008-11-23

Posts: 101

Re: [SOLVED] Intel 82801H HD Audio Controller - No microphone

I'm having exactly the same problem with the same sound card on my Lenovo T61. I tryed everything to make it work but still no luck. If you find the solution please post it
Here is output of amixer on my laptop:

Simple mixer control 'Master',0
  Capabilities: pvolume pvolume-joined pswitch pswitch-joined
  Playback channels: Mono
  Limits: Playback 0 - 39
  Mono: Playback 30 [77%] [-13.50dB] [on]
Simple mixer control 'Headphone',0
  Capabilities: pswitch
  Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right
  Mono:
  Front Left: Playback [on]
  Front Right: Playback [on]
Simple mixer control 'PCM',0
  Capabilities: pvolume
  Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right
  Limits: Playback 0 - 39
  Mono:
  Front Left: Playback 39 [100%] [0.00dB]
  Front Right: Playback 39 [100%] [0.00dB]
Simple mixer control 'Mic',0
  Capabilities: pvolume pswitch
  Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right
  Limits: Playback 0 - 31
  Mono:
  Front Left: Playback 22 [71%] [-1.50dB] [on]
  Front Right: Playback 22 [71%] [-1.50dB] [on]
Simple mixer control 'Mic Boost',0
  Capabilities: volume
  Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right
  Capture channels: Front Left - Front Right
  Limits: 0 - 3
  Front Left: 0 [0%]
  Front Right: 0 [0%]
Simple mixer control 'IEC958',0
  Capabilities: pvolume pswitch pswitch-joined
  Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right
  Limits: Playback 0 - 39
  Mono:
  Front Left: Playback 29 [74%] [-15.00dB] [on]
  Front Right: Playback 29 [74%] [-15.00dB] [on]
Simple mixer control 'IEC958 Default PCM',0
  Capabilities: pswitch pswitch-joined
  Playback channels: Mono
  Mono: Playback [on]
Simple mixer control 'IEC958 Playback Source',0
  Capabilities: enum
  Items: 'PCM' 'ADC'
  Item0: 'PCM'
Simple mixer control 'Capture',0
  Capabilities: cvolume cswitch
  Capture channels: Front Left - Front Right
  Limits: Capture 0 - 54
  Front Left: Capture 39 [72%] [0.00dB] [off]
  Front Right: Capture 39 [72%] [0.00dB] [off]
Simple mixer control 'Capture',1
  Capabilities: cvolume cswitch
  Capture channels: Front Left - Front Right
  Limits: Capture 0 - 54
  Front Left: Capture 39 [72%] [0.00dB] [off]
  Front Right: Capture 39 [72%] [0.00dB] [off]
Simple mixer control 'Beep',0
  Capabilities: pvolume pswitch
  Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right
  Limits: Playback 0 - 31
  Mono:
  Front Left: Playback 0 [0%] [-34.50dB] [off]
  Front Right: Playback 0 [0%] [-34.50dB] [off]
Simple mixer control 'Digital',0
  Capabilities: cvolume
  Capture channels: Front Left - Front Right
  Limits: Capture 0 - 120
  Front Left: Capture 86 [72%] [13.00dB]
  Front Right: Capture 86 [72%] [13.00dB]
Simple mixer control 'Docking Mic',0
  Capabilities: pvolume pswitch
  Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right
  Limits: Playback 0 - 31
  Mono:
  Front Left: Playback 0 [0%] [-34.50dB] [off]
  Front Right: Playback 0 [0%] [-34.50dB] [off]
Simple mixer control 'Docking Mic Boost',0
  Capabilities: volume
  Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right
  Capture channels: Front Left - Front Right
  Limits: 0 - 3
  Front Left: 0 [0%]
  Front Right: 0 [0%]
Simple mixer control 'Input Source',0
  Capabilities: cenum
  Items: 'Mic' 'Internal Mic' 'Mix' 'Docking-Station'
  Item0: 'Internal Mic'
Simple mixer control 'Input Source',1
  Capabilities: cenum
  Items: 'Mic' 'Internal Mic' 'Mix' 'Docking-Station'
  Item0: 'Internal Mic'
Simple mixer control 'Internal Mic',0
  Capabilities: pvolume pswitch
  Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right
  Limits: Playback 0 - 31
  Mono:
  Front Left: Playback 31 [100%] [12.00dB] [off]
  Front Right: Playback 31 [100%] [12.00dB] [off]
Simple mixer control 'Internal Mic Boost',0
  Capabilities: volume
  Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right
  Capture channels: Front Left - Front Right
  Limits: 0 - 3
  Front Left: 1 [33%]
  Front Right: 1 [33%]
Simple mixer control 'Speaker',0
  Capabilities: pswitch
  Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right
  Mono:
  Front Left: Playback [on]
  Front Right: Playback [on]

Last edited by ux&lx (2009-02-22 13:23:01)

smartboyathome

Member

From: $HOME

Registered: 2007-12-23

Posts: 334

Website

Re: [SOLVED] Intel 82801H HD Audio Controller - No microphone

Here is the output of amixer from my laptop as well. Hope this helps.

Simple mixer control 'Master',0
  Capabilities: pvolume pswitch pswitch-joined
  Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right
  Limits: Playback 0 - 63
  Mono:
  Front Left: Playback 31 [49%] [-45.00dB] [on]
  Front Right: Playback 31 [49%] [-45.00dB] [on]
Simple mixer control 'PCM',0
  Capabilities: pvolume pswitch
  Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right
  Limits: Playback 0 - 31
  Mono:
  Front Left: Playback 31 [100%] [12.00dB] [on]
  Front Right: Playback 31 [100%] [12.00dB] [on]
Simple mixer control 'Mic',0
  Capabilities: cswitch cswitch-joined cswitch-exclusive
  Capture exclusive group: 0
  Capture channels: Mono
  Mono: Capture [on]
Simple mixer control 'Mic Boost',0
  Capabilities: volume
  Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right
  Capture channels: Front Left - Front Right
  Limits: 0 - 3
  Front Left: 3 [100%]
  Front Right: 3 [100%]
Simple mixer control 'Capture',0
  Capabilities: cvolume cswitch
  Capture channels: Front Left - Front Right
  Limits: Capture 0 - 15
  Front Left: Capture 15 [100%] [22.50dB] [off]
  Front Right: Capture 15 [100%] [22.50dB] [off]
Simple mixer control 'Mix',0
  Capabilities: cswitch cswitch-joined cswitch-exclusive
  Capture exclusive group: 0
  Capture channels: Mono
  Mono: Capture [off]
Simple mixer control 'Digital',0
  Capabilities: cvolume
  Capture channels: Front Left - Front Right
  Limits: Capture 0 - 120
  Front Left: Capture 120 [100%] [30.00dB]
  Front Right: Capture 120 [100%] [30.00dB]
Simple mixer control 'Docking-Station',0
  Capabilities: cswitch cswitch-joined cswitch-exclusive
  Capture exclusive group: 0
  Capture channels: Mono
  Mono: Capture [off]
Simple mixer control 'Internal Mic Boost',0
  Capabilities: volume
  Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right
  Capture channels: Front Left - Front Right
  Limits: 0 - 3
  Front Left: 3 [100%]
  Front Right: 3 [100%]

kgas

Member

From: Qatar

Registered: 2008-11-08

Posts: 718

Re: [SOLVED] Intel 82801H HD Audio Controller - No microphone

I did not record any sound since using Linux and this thread made me to try. I enabled the mic and set its  volume and tried to record voice with sound recorder (GNOME). First try with microphone selection did not work. I selected the Record from input to "capture" every thing worked fine. Intel Corporation 82801DB/DBL/DBM (ICH4/ICH4-L/ICH4-M) AC'97 Audio Controller (rev 03) is the audio in Acer 291Lci Laptop.

Bogart

Member

From: Madrid, Spain

Registered: 2005-06-22

Posts: 273

Re: [SOLVED] Intel 82801H HD Audio Controller - No microphone

@smartboyathome:

I see many of your volumes at 100%. That makes lots of noise and prevents the voice to be heard. You should try to set to about 70% the volumes of 'capture' and 'digital', and setting to 0 the 'mic boost'.

@ux$lx

Try setting to around 70% the 'internal mic' volume and to 0 the 'mic boost'.

The best tool I've found for testing is the mic is Ekiga's echo test. You hear yourself with about half a second delay and you can play with alsamixer until you get all the right volumes (volumes for mic are quite sensitive, if they are too low you won't hear anything, too high and you will only hear noise).

ux&lx

Member

Registered: 2008-11-23

Posts: 101

Re: [SOLVED] Intel 82801H HD Audio Controller - No microphone

I still get nothing. I even connected external mic, changet output source to it, configured the volumes and nothing. Is this an ALSA problem or what? But on the other hand I tryed it with pulse audio and the situation was the same. This is fristrating

smartboyathome

Member

From: $HOME

Registered: 2007-12-23

Posts: 334

Website

Re: [SOLVED] Intel 82801H HD Audio Controller - No microphone

@smartboyathome:

I see many of your volumes at 100%. That makes lots of noise and prevents the voice to be heard. You should try to set to about 70% the volumes of 'capture' and 'digital', and setting to 0 the 'mic boost'.

Wow, It works now! THANKS!!!

ux&lx

Member

Registered: 2008-11-23

Posts: 101

Re: [SOLVED] Intel 82801H HD Audio Controller - No microphone

Great to her that it works for you samrtboyathome. This makes me wonder even more, why it won't work on my laptop on the same hardware

smartboyathome

Member

From: $HOME

Registered: 2007-12-23

Posts: 334

Website

Re: [SOLVED] Intel 82801H HD Audio Controller - No microphone

UX&LX, try installing gnome-alsamixer and setting the capture device to record. That should make it work (it did for me).

ux&lx

Member

Registered: 2008-11-23

Posts: 101

Re: [SOLVED] Intel 82801H HD Audio Controller - No microphone

Thank you very much. that finaly did the trick...

smartboyathome

Member

From: $HOME

Registered: 2007-12-23

Posts: 334

Website

Re: [SOLVED] Intel 82801H HD Audio Controller - No microphone

Welcome. Marked as solved.

Last edited by smartboyathome (2009-02-22 21:19:38)