# alsa-lib sound [SOLVED]

## Duco Ergo Sum

Hi.

I can not get sound to work through alsa with a kernel module or built in driver.  Instead, I'm using media-libs/alsa-lib.

My sound hardware is Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS.  I have tried emailing alsa-bugs at gentoo.org without a response.

--

Many thanks.

Stephen.Last edited by Duco Ergo Sum on Tue Feb 01, 2011 12:14 am; edited 1 time in total

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## vnd

1) Is alsasound started during bootload?

2) Have you add your user to audio group?

3) Have you included proper drivers for your sound card in kernel? Paste your kernel config here.

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## VoidMage

That was pastebin, not paste.

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## Duco Ergo Sum

Hi.

Yes my user is a member of the audio group.

Alsa does start during boot but fails to initialise, I'll find my email to alsa-bugs...

During boot of my system I get a message 'Failed to load necessary

drivers.'

dmesg reports on the subject:

ALSA device list:

      No soundcards found.

# modprobe emu10k1

FATAL: Module emu10k1 not found.

# lspci

04:06.0 Multimedia audio controller: Creative Labs SB Audigy (rev 04)

  From the kernel I have compiled both into the kernel and as a module

'emu10k1' and 'SB Audigy LS / Live 24bit (SND_CA0106)' as during my

research each of these have been mentioned with reference to sound

problems and my sound card.  When I watch the kernel build all appropriate

parts seem to be there and when I try use the kernel for sound there is

nothing, ebuild alsa-lib only seems to work when I compile emu10k1 into

the kernel otherwise I can't get any sound.

Pastebin http://pastebin.com/vs1cj0iN my .config

The sound card drivers that I have selected are the emu10k drivers in the kernel which according to my research are correct my sound card though I have tried all the other drivers on the off chance both built in and as modules.  As a side note, media-libs/asla-lib doesn't work unless the emu10k drivers are installed in the kernel so can't get any sound with the drivers installed as a module.

Thanks.

--

Stephen.

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## maxime1986

Maybe your card is using a wrong driver...

You can find what kernel driver your card is actually using with :

lspci -k

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## VoidMage

Well, if you build it as a module, you need to load the module before you get sound.

Use 'aplay </dev/urandom' in tests - that's most simple.

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## Duco Ergo Sum

Hi.

lspci -k reports

04:06.0 Multimedia audio controller: Creative Labs SB Audigy (rev 04)

        Subsystem: Creative Labs Device 2001

        Kernel driver in use: EMU10K1_Audigy

04:06.1 Input device controller: Creative Labs SB Audigy Game Port (rev 04)

        Subsystem: Creative Labs SB Audigy Game Port

        Kernel driver in use: Emu10k1_gameport

aplay </dev/urandom a hissing noise when using alsa-lib

 emerge -C alsa-lib alsa-headers ;

aplay: error while loading shared libraries: libasound.so.2: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory

current dmesg:

EMU10K1_Audigy 0000:04:06.0: PCI INT A -> GSI 20 (level, low) -> IRQ 20

gameport gameport0: EMU10K1 is pci0000:04:06.1/gameport0, io 0xbe00, speed 784kHz

Installing spdif_bug patch: SB Audigy 2 ZS [SB0360]

ALSA device list:

  #0: SB Audigy 2 ZS [SB0360] (rev.4, serial:0x20011102) at 0xbf00, irq 20

Thanks.

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## VoidMage

It seems you are confused about things: kernel drivers are one thing,

but alsa-lib is the userspace end - unless you have very specific needs, both are required.

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## Duco Ergo Sum

Being confused doesn't surprise me.

 * Please try in-kernel ALSA drivers instead of the alsa-drivers ebuild.

 * If alsa-drivers works for you where a *recent* kernel does not, we want 

 * to know about this. Our e-mail address is alsa-bugs@gentoo.org

 * However, if you notice no sound output or instability, please try to 

 * upgrade your kernel to a newer version first.

I confess, I think understand now and feel very foolish.  Sometimes I read things wrong, so where it is written, alsa-drivers ebuild I was sure it said alsa-lib...  All that I need to do now is a very dark hole to slop off, into.  Sadly this isn't the first time nor will it be the last that I miss read something like this.  I apologize, sorry.

Thank you for your help anyway...  but this (below) is what has prompted my inquiry question.  Further more and I don't know if this is connected but IEC958 Optical Raw switch causes the sound from flash player to stop working when it is on.  This is something I have to switch off every time I log in to kde so may not be related.  As I mentioned before, sound only works with the drivers built into the kernel and then I get the message WARNING: Module snd_emu10k1 not found.

init.d # ./alsasound restart

 * WARNING:  you are stopping a boot service.

 * Storing ALSA Mixer Levels ...                                                                                                                                      [ ok ]

 * Loading ALSA modules ...

 *   Loading: snd-card-0 ...

WARNING: Module snd_emu10k1 not found.

WARNING: Module snd_emu10k1 not found.                                                                                                                                [ ok ]

 *   Loading: snd-card-0 ...

WARNING: Module snd_emu10k1 not found.

WARNING: Module snd_emu10k1 not found.                                                                                                                                [ ok ]

 * Restoring Mixer Levels ...                                                                                                                                         [ ok ]

Thanks and sorry about the confusion.

Stephen.

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## VoidMage

Well, that's not a bug - if it's builtin, there are no modules to load.

So, is that block about IEC958 all the info on your real problem ?

Is alsasound in default runlevel ?

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## Duco Ergo Sum

IEC958 it appears would be it for my sound, alsasound is in the boot run level.  I'd have to ask if the drivers are built in why is looking for modules to load anyway.  That could confuse a stupid person!

I am now considering upgrading this from idiocy to joining the happy people where they make the wicker baskets and you're surround by the men in they're clean white coats...

Here I am going to choose my words very carefully.  This has turned out to be red herring of my own making.  At this point I think am chasing so many things that I have thought that this is one of them I know I've seen error messages for alsa flash passed during boot but they were gone so quickly I couldn't make head nor tail of them.  I'm sorry I've wasted your time but at least it was an easy fix  :Smile: 

I think the IEC958 issue is to do with the way the window manager initialises.  If you're interested in a real problem I've got two others currently floating about on the Gentoo Forum and these aren't so simple.  Thanks for your help.

--

You can make something fool proof but you can't make it idiot proof.

Stephen.

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