# USB headset, skype and esd

## pmatos

Hi all,

I'm currently using Gnome, skype and a logitech USB headset. When I plug it to USB /dev/dsp2 shows up but in skype it doesn't seem to work. Using ALSA and gentoo kernel 2.6.12. For testing I tried the recording vol app in gnome but it said I should start esd. On a terminal I did that:

```
$ esd

ALSA lib pcm_dmix.c:802:(snd_pcm_dmix_open) unable to open slave
```

What might be wrong. I'm not listening to music so sound is not even in use.

Any ideas?

Paulo Matos

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## Bill Thompson

I have a Logitech headset that work perfectly. In the skype configuration with is shown as /dev/dsp1, because Skype uses OSS rather than ALSA. Do you have OSS emulation enabled in the kernel?

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## pmatos

 *Bill Thompson wrote:*   

> I have a Logitech headset that work perfectly. In the skype configuration with is shown as /dev/dsp1, because Skype uses OSS rather than ALSA. Do you have OSS emulation enabled in the kernel?

 

Hum, I'm using gentoo-sources and I think OSS emulation comes as default. Anyway, I hear in through my PC sound card the ringing. And when I plug the headsets a /dev/dsp2 shows up. But if I select it in skype I hear nothing on my headsets.

Have you done any special configuration for you headsets?

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## Bill Thompson

A Logitech USB Headset has its own sound card. Youj do not need the sound on your motherboard. Alsa has a snd-usb-audio  driver.

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## pmatos

 *Bill Thompson wrote:*   

> A Logitech USB Headset has its own sound card. Youj do not need the sound on your motherboard. Alsa has a snd-usb-audio  driver.

 

Can you show me your alsa conf file?

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## Bill Thompson

working on it. will  revert.

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## Bill Thompson

Here are some of the things I have done:

1. The Gentoo Linux ALSA Guide

I wound up using the drivers in the kernel because I could not find 'soundcore'. The downloaded drivers were the same, so I kept them. Soundcore is, of cource, the basic sound module and was there all along. this should be pointed out to the users trying to get this going.

I tried to follow the guide as closely as possible. There were two changes:

a. In addition to /etc/modules.d/alsa, I also loaded the drivers in /etc/modules.autoload.d/kernel-2.6 as

snd_ice1712 and snd_usb_audio.

The syntax here calls for an underscore rather than a dash. I don't know if there entries are needed, but they don't seem to hurt.

b. In code listing 5.1, the Guide calls for the entry of

ALSA_TOOLS="ice1712,usb-audio"

It didn't work and I removed both so that I could emerge alsa-tools.

2. .asoundrc

Just a vanilla file

pcm.ice {

type hw

card 0

}

ctl.ice {

type hw

card 0

}

pcm.usb {

type hw

card 1

}

ctl.usb {

type hw

card 1

}

3. /etc/modules.d/alsa

This took some tinkering. dmesg shows the option for ice1712: enable_midi="1" as an unknown parameter. However, it is all over the documentation. It's there, but probably inoperative. You will also see the following option for both drivers: id="first" and "second". Both show up on /proc/asound. I have no idea what they do. Probably not necessary.

The option that is necessary is: index="0" and index="1". This sets the identitly of the drivers permanently, so that the USB headset is always recognized as the second driver.

Herewith etc/modules.d/alsa

# Alsa 0.9.X kernel modules' configuration file.

# $Header: /var/cvsroot/gentoo-x86/media-sound/alsa-utils/files/alsa-modules.con

f-rc,v 1.4 2004/11/16 01:31:22 eradicator Exp $

# ALSA portion

alias char-major-116 snd

# OSS/Free portion

alias char-major-14 soundcore

##

## IMPORTANT:

## You need to customise this section for your specific sound card(s)

## and then run `update-modules' command.

## Read alsa-driver's INSTALL file in /usr/share/doc for more info.

##

##ALSA portion

alias snd-card-0 snd-ice1712

alias snd-card-1 snd-usb-audio

options snd-ice1712 id="first" enable_midi="1" index="0"

options snd-usb-audio id="second" index="1"

##OSS/Free portion

alias sound-slot-0 snd-card-0

alias sound-slot-1 snd-card-1

## OSS/Free portion - card #1

alias sound-service-0-0 snd-mixer-oss

alias sound-service-0-1 snd-seq-oss

alias sound-service-0-3 snd-pcm-oss

alias sound-service-0-8 snd-seq-oss

alias sound-service-0-12 snd-pcm-oss

:## OSS/Free portion - card #2

alias sound-service-1-0 snd-mixer-oss

alias sound-service-1-3 snd-pcm-oss

alias sound-service-1-12 snd-pcm-oss

alias /dev/mixer snd-mixer-oss

alias /dev/dsp snd-pcm-oss

alias /dev/midi snd-seq-oss

# Set this to the correct number of cards.

options snd device_mode=0666

options snd cards_limit=2

3. Permissions

This is really screwed up, because my fear was that the headset did not play because of some permission problem. I did the following:

a. chmod 0666 /proc/bus/usb/, and for devices 001 thru 004 and also specifically for /proc/bus/usb/devices. It didn't hurt, but probably not necessary.

b. chmod -R go+rw for /dev/snd and /dev/sound.

c. changes to /etc/udev/rules.d/50-udev.rules by adding GROUP="audio". This is what it looks like

# alsa devices

SUBSYSTEM="sound",GROUP="audio"

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

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

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

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

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

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

4. USB Connections.

I have a relatively new motherboard with USB 2.0. My monitor is brand new: a Dell 2005FPW wide screen (21 inch) with USB connections. I dutifully connected the USB cable that came with the monitor to a USB port, and to correct port on the monitor, so I could run the headset off the monitor (more room to move, etc.). While all of the outward signs of recognition were there: /proc, dmesg, etc., the headset did not work from that USB connection. Once I plugged it directly into the motherboard, it worked perfectly.

There has been an enormous amount of frustration trying to get everything together, the final blow being the USB connection : it is always a software problem, the hardware is always right!!

My guess is that it is a very simple setup. I managed to make it difficult. Any comments would be greatly appreciated. Ask any questions that you have.

Bill Thompson

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