# KDE-4.8? Kernel-3.2? - No microphone

## Martux

Hello!

Dunno what exactly triggered this, but my internal laptop mic stopped working.

Note that before the KDE-4.8 update it just worked, but now neither skype nor gtalk record my voice.

I already downgraded alsa-libs and headers back to 

media-sound/alsa-headers-1.0.24

media-libs/alsa-lib-1.0.24.1

because that was also updated recently, but no fix. I switched the kernel back from gentoo-sources-3.2.1-r2 to 3.1.10-r1 because of my WIFI but this doesn't fix the recording troubles I have. I only use alsa (with NO special configuration), nothing else and all the mixer levels are unmuted and not changed since the working version. Triple checked, still no microphone. 

Sound device is an hda-intel. Any ideas?

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## asturm

My internal notebook speaker also doesn't work since >=3.2 and it could be that you are experiencing a similar problem. I'm currently on 3.1.8 where it all works, it could be that some backported patches carried over the regression to 3.1.10, gonna check this.

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## Martux

So you don't think it is an KDE-4.8 issue?

 *Quote:*   

> 
> 
> ...it could be that some backported patches carried over the regression to 3.1.10, gonna check this
> 
> 

 

Where could this be found out? I am kind of desperate cause I am an heavy Skype user...

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## asturm

These are the patches for 3.1.10: http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/stable/stable-queue.git;a=commit;h=c359489db54f26bee1078fa6b6cd99be037f1485

I'm right now building my 3.1.10 kernel to see if I'm right.

Don't be desperate, use a kernel version that works for you and/or report your issues upstream.  :Wink: 

EDIT: It's interesting, I get the same phonon message as with 3.2.2 that 'HDA Intel' playback device does not work, 'falling back to Default' - but sound works.

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## j_c_p

 *Martux wrote:*   

> So you don't think it is an KDE-4.8 issue?
> 
>  *Quote:*   
> 
> ...it could be that some backported patches carried over the regression to 3.1.10, gonna check this
> ...

 

It can be a KDE 4.8.0 issue for me : the sound is still null at the launching of that KDE version (the 4.7.4 one is ok).

-> I should adjust the sound at every launch   :Twisted Evil:  (maybe it can be interesting : alsactl not found).

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## Martux

Strange thing is: I update daily. I skyped the day before 4.8.0 came out for sure. Everything worked fine. 

 I believe I already had kernel 3.2.1-r1 at least installed then already. Also, it doesn't work with kernel 3.1.10 too. 

 My kmix is also behaving strangely under 4.8.0: the master channel (PCM here) is always set to zero, sound works anyway. The build in speaker is also working here. It seems that just the build in mic is affected.

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## asturm

Oh, nice. It really was a KDE-4.8 problem, but somehow it was behaving differently among kernel versions. Opening the mixer dialog options I noticed some obscure new 'speaker' channel, added it, and instantly had sound again by setting volume>0 there.

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## Martux

Very well for you. My kmix and alsamixer is still behaving weird. Which kernel version are you using right now?

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## asturm

3.2.2 and all is fine now

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## Martux

I have an ath9k wireless adapter, made heavy problems with 3.2 series. Any idea if this is fixed?

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## asturm

Can't tell, but at least there have been two ath9k related patches in 3.2.2:

ath9k-fix-regression-in-channelwidth-switch-at-the-same-channel.patch

ath9k_hw-fix-interpretation-of-the-rx-keymiss-flag.patch

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## Martux

Wow, sounds good. Gonna compile it  :Smile:  Thanks for telling!

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## optiluca

 *Martux wrote:*   

> Hello!
> 
> Dunno what exactly triggered this, but my internal laptop mic stopped working.  I only use alsa (with NO special configuration), nothing else and all the mixer levels are unmuted and not changed since the working version.
> 
> Sound device is an hda-intel.

 

Exact same situation here, microphone just stopped working.  Still not working in gentoo-sources-3.2.2, everything else sound-related works just fine.  Also use KDE 4.8, but I doubt that would cause this sort of hardware issue.

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## Martux

Hello!

Kernel 3.2.2 doesn't work for me because of the WIFI issue. 

I found out the sound thing is not a kernel issue, it is KDE-4.8.

What works here is this: There are two sliders, one "digital" and one "capture". I have to have capture set to "recording" and the "digital" slider up. Strangely, the microphone sliders don't have any effects at all... Seems like the KDE devs have done a grat job on breaking a lot of previously good working stuff with the 4.8 release   :Rolling Eyes: 

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## optiluca

Oh yeah, you are right!  The issue was that my mic wasn't in "capture" mode, something must have toggled it.  Thanks for that   :Smile: 

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## Martux

Your welcome. Be prepared: here it resets the capture to silence on every reboot...

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## fbcyborg

Hello!

Same problem here. gentoo-sources-3.2.9 and 3.2.6. The microphone doesn't work.

I thought it was due to skype that is not properly recognizing the audio device but now I think it's not like that.

One strange thing is that I've tried to change the microphone setting in the skype options and I couldn't find the one that works.

I've tried them all. At the end, I've closed skype and started it again. New audio devices appeared and I could select one that finally works.

But this is the second time I have to do this. The same thing happens on my laptop with 3.2.6 kernel.

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## Martux

Please add yourself here:

https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=293043

Switching back to 4.7.4 did the trick for me.

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## fbcyborg

Done.

Thanks for the suggestion but I wouldn't switch back to 4.7.4, even if this is not the only one bug I've encountered with 4.8.0.

EDIT: downgrade started.

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## fbcyborg

Hey, I've downgraded to 4.7.4, but the audio doesn't work as well!

 :Evil or Very Mad:   :Evil or Very Mad:   :Evil or Very Mad:   :Evil or Very Mad: 

 :Shocked:   :Shocked: 

EDIT1

 *Martux wrote:*   

> I have to have capture set to "recording" and the "digital" slider up. 

 

OK, this seems to be the trick... the digital slider was totally down.

EDIT2:

I found out that the problem was the digital slider. In both cases (I have two PC with KDE) it was totally down.

In KDE 4.8.0, it has been sufficient to increase the volume of digital to restore the microphone.

So, downgrading to 4.7.4 was useless!!!

Are we sure that it is a KDE issue and not a alsa one?

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