# Can't use surround sound since I moved to udev

## Dominic2

Hello.  I recently moved to udev and I noticed that I can no longuer use surround sound. Stereo sound still work. I read stuff about missing alsa nodes in udev on forums and web pages and I tried to run udevstart, but it still doesn't work. I don't know what to try or where to look anymore. When I do something like

```
aplay -Dsurround40 foo.wav
```

 I get the message 

```
aplay: set_params:901: Channels count non available
```

 It doesn't work with OpenAl either, I only get stereo sound. My /dev/dsp is a link to /dev/sound/dsp. There was a post about that in some thread, but that's not the problem I have, just so you know. It worked fine when I was using devfs. I have a Sound Blaster Live! 5.1 and I use ALSA in kernel 2.6.14-hardened-r5.

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## lorebett

Have you tried to run alsaconf?

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## Dominic2

 *lorebett wrote:*   

> Have you tried to run alsaconf?

 

I just did, it didn't change anything. It said that it can't detect any PnP or PCI card. That's probably because the module is compiled directly in the kernel.

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## lorebett

 *Dominic2 wrote:*   

>  *lorebett wrote:*   Have you tried to run alsaconf? 
> 
> I just did, it didn't change anything. It said that it can't detect any PnP or PCI card. That's probably because the module is compiled directly in the kernel.

 

mhh... I don't think so, but it may be worth trying to build it as a module  :Smile: 

have you followed this guide?

http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/udev-guide.xml

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## Dominic2

 *lorebett wrote:*   

>  *Dominic2 wrote:*    *lorebett wrote:*   Have you tried to run alsaconf? 
> 
> I just did, it didn't change anything. It said that it can't detect any PnP or PCI card. That's probably because the module is compiled directly in the kernel. 
> 
> mhh... I don't think so, but it may be worth trying to build it as a module 
> ...

 

Yes I have followed the guide. I don't see the point of compilling as a module, since it worked perfectly fine in the kernel with devfs.

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## lorebett

This sounds similar: https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-446488.html

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## Dominic2

 *lorebett wrote:*   

> This sounds similar: https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-446488.html

 

Thanks for your efforts, but I don't have the alsa-driver package installed and my dmesg don't show any of the error mesasges mentionned in this thread. Here are the parts of my /etc/udev/rules.d/50-udev.rules that are about sound, if that helps :

```
[...]

# alsa devices

SUBSYSTEM=="sound", GROUP="audio"

KERNEL=="controlC[0-9]*",       NAME="snd/%k"

KERNEL=="hw[CD0-9]*",           NAME="snd/%k"

KERNEL=="pcm[CD0-9cp]*",        NAME="snd/%k"

KERNEL=="midiC[D0-9]*",         NAME="snd/%k"

KERNEL=="timer",                NAME="snd/%k"

KERNEL=="seq",                  NAME="snd/%k"

[...]

# sound devices

KERNEL=="adsp",                 NAME="sound/%k", SYMLINK+="%k", GROUP="audio"

KERNEL=="adsp[0-9]*",           NAME="sound/%k", SYMLINK+="%k", GROUP="audio"

KERNEL=="audio",                NAME="sound/%k", SYMLINK+="%k", GROUP="audio"

KERNEL=="audio[0-9]*",          NAME="sound/%k", SYMLINK+="%k", GROUP="audio"

KERNEL=="dsp",                  NAME="sound/%k", SYMLINK+="%k", GROUP="audio"

KERNEL=="dsp[0-9]*",            NAME="sound/%k", SYMLINK+="%k", GROUP="audio"

KERNEL=="mixer",                NAME="sound/%k", SYMLINK+="%k", GROUP="audio"

KERNEL=="mixer[0-9]*",          NAME="sound/%k", SYMLINK+="%k", GROUP="audio"

KERNEL=="sequencer",            NAME="sound/%k", SYMLINK+="%k", GROUP="audio"

KERNEL=="sequencer[0-9]*",      NAME="sound/%k", SYMLINK+="%k", GROUP="audio"

[...]
```

Maybe some devices are missing, I just don't know wich one and how to add them exactly.

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## lorebett

I wouldn't know what else to suggest but to try to compile it as module...  I know it might make no sense, but just to be sure to have tried almost everything...  :Sad: 

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## Dominic2

Ok, it turns out that the problem seems to be older than my switch to UDEV after all. I just tried my old kernel with devfs and I had the the same problem. It used to work a while ago, I have used it. I think I will try the alsa driver package instead of the kernel provided alsa driver when I have some free time (when that will be, I can't tell  :Sad:  ).

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## Kragen

I'm having the same problem - I get sound, put only through 2 channels, not all 6 (I have 5.1). Being a bit of a newbie I'm not sure what to do  :Sad: 

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## Dominic2

 *Kragen wrote:*   

> I'm having the same problem - I get sound, put only through 2 channels, not all 6 (I have 5.1). Being a bit of a newbie I'm not sure what to do 

 

At least I'm not alone... Did it use to work before or did it never worked ? Mine used to work before.

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## Kragen

I;ve just installed linux, so this is a fresh install, but I do remember it working fairly easily the last time I tried to get linux working,

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## Dominic2

The last time you got Linux working, were you using devfs or udev ? If you don't know, just tell how long it's been, udev is recent.

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## Kragen

6 moths or so ago probably.

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