Arch Linux

Cobra

Member

Registered: 2004-07-30

Posts: 109

wav files -> distorted sound

I didn't want to update to alsa-lib/alsa-utils-1.0.8-1 because every time I wanted to play a sound with aplay, it sounded cracked/distorted.

I recently updated these packages, because I thought to give it another try. I discovered that .mp3, .mpg, .avi files sound good, but .wav files really sound ugly with aplay, xmms, and totem. (tried no other programs)

What could be causing this behavior?

tarix

Member

From: Germany

Registered: 2003-10-16

Posts: 19

Re: wav files -> distorted sound

Maybe you were listening to country musik... ;-)

Ok, to be serious again: please provide us with some more detailed information regarding the WAV files (sample rate, resolution, ...)

-tARIX

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If you can't scratch it - don't buy it!

Cobra

Member

Registered: 2004-07-30

Posts: 109

Re: wav files -> distorted sound

[laurens@Nectar]-[/home/laurens]-2-$> aplay /opt/amsn/skins/default/sounds/online.wav
Playing WAVE '/opt/amsn/skins/default/sounds/online.wav' : Signed 16 bit Little Endian, Rate 11000 Hz, Mono

[laurens@Nectar]-[/home/laurens]-2-$> aplay .amsn/_cut_email_address_/sounds/lol.wav
Playing WAVE '.amsn/cyberduck16_hotmail_com/sounds/lol.wav' : Unsigned 8 bit, Rate 11025 Hz, Mono

The files under 44.1khz sound (and mono) sound ugly. I tried a wav file of 44.1 khz and in stereo, and that one was ok.

*edit: I didn't have this problem with alsalib/tools-1.0.7-1

tarix

Member

From: Germany

Registered: 2003-10-16

Posts: 19

Re: wav files -> distorted sound

Hm...I tried to reproduce the mentioned sound behaviour regarding sound files with a rate < 44.1 kHz. So far I have not been successful...everthing sounds ok.
As I do not have that particular amsn package installed (and don't know where to find it) and therefore don't have these special 8 bit-11025 Hz-Mono files, I could offer you sending me those 2 files per email (tkoujou at gmx dot net) so I could get a picture of what is going wrong.

-tARIX

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If you can't scratch it - don't buy it!

Cobra

Member

Registered: 2004-07-30

Posts: 109

Re: wav files -> distorted sound

Check your mail

tarix

Member

From: Germany

Registered: 2003-10-16

Posts: 19

Re: wav files -> distorted sound

Well...as I have expected: the files are playing ok on my system.

From what I remember compiling alsa stuff myself, the alsa libs and utilities not necessarily have to match the version of the alsa driver. But that was in the pre 1.0 aera and might have changed ;-)

Anyhow, if you decide using the 2.6.9 kernel, why do you want to upgrade the alsa libs/utils if version 1.07 is working for you?

What kind of problems have you discovered using the 2.6.10 kernel?

-tARIX

---

If you can't scratch it - don't buy it!

incinerator

Member

From: Edinburgh, Scotland

Registered: 2005-02-15

Posts: 80

Re: wav files -> distorted sound

Problems with sound distortion can have other reasons, too. Here are a couple of guesses of mine.

1.) If the sound are just a wee bit distored but not totally garbled from the original then it may be worthwile to check your mixer level settings. It may be that you simple have set them to high and thus created an overdrive on the output line to your amp/speakers. If that's the case, try to lower the PCM and overall settings a bit and you'll be fine. However, that should probably affect playback of all sound, not just specific ones.

2.) Feedback loop: That can happen if you set up your mixer to capture from PCM. Like 1. that should affect playback of all sound (except from other capture devices like CD,AUX etc.)

3.) downmixing: It may be that your soundcard does not natively support downmixing of sound having a specific encoding and frequency. It may be that alsa/aplay cannot see this and just send the data to the sound card as it is, the sound card thinking it is of another encoding/frequency. Creating a virtual mixer with the dmix plugin may help.

e.g.

pcm.nforce {
type dmix
ipc_key 1234
slave {
pcm "hw:0,0"
period_time 0
period_size 1024
buffer_size 4096
rate 44100
}
}

as part of you .asoundrc (that alone is not enough though).
Check the alsa-project.org website for information about your specific hardware.

Also, I discovered that aplay (at least one on my Arch Linux box)cannot cope with sound of .ogg or .mp3 format, make sure the .wav really is a .wav and not something else.

Cheers,
Dominik

Cobra

Member

Registered: 2004-07-30

Posts: 109

Re: wav files -> distorted sound

I already have a dmix plugin thanks.
I guess I'd better downgrade to 1.0.7-1

Thanks for your help