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nightmorph 07/01/31 15:54:35 |
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|
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Modified: alsa-guide.xml |
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Log: |
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the big alsa guide update to make the whole damn thing more neutral (among other additions), fixes bugs 164573, 164576, 164577, 164578, 164593, 164597, and 164598 |
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|
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Revision Changes Path |
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1.71 xml/htdocs/doc/en/alsa-guide.xml |
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|
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file : http://sources.gentoo.org/viewcvs.py/gentoo/xml/htdocs/doc/en/alsa-guide.xml?rev=1.71&view=markup |
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plain: http://sources.gentoo.org/viewcvs.py/gentoo/xml/htdocs/doc/en/alsa-guide.xml?rev=1.71&content-type=text/plain |
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diff : http://sources.gentoo.org/viewcvs.py/gentoo/xml/htdocs/doc/en/alsa-guide.xml?r1=1.70&r2=1.71 |
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|
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Index: alsa-guide.xml |
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=================================================================== |
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RCS file: /var/cvsroot/gentoo/xml/htdocs/doc/en/alsa-guide.xml,v |
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retrieving revision 1.70 |
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retrieving revision 1.71 |
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diff -u -r1.70 -r1.71 |
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--- alsa-guide.xml 2 Nov 2006 18:24:36 -0000 1.70 |
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+++ alsa-guide.xml 31 Jan 2007 15:54:35 -0000 1.71 |
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@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@ |
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<?xml version='1.0' encoding="UTF-8"?> |
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-<!-- $Header: /var/cvsroot/gentoo/xml/htdocs/doc/en/alsa-guide.xml,v 1.70 2006/11/02 18:24:36 nightmorph Exp $ --> |
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+<!-- $Header: /var/cvsroot/gentoo/xml/htdocs/doc/en/alsa-guide.xml,v 1.71 2007/01/31 15:54:35 nightmorph Exp $ --> |
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|
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<!DOCTYPE guide SYSTEM "/dtd/guide.dtd"> |
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|
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@@ -9,6 +9,12 @@ |
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<author title="Author"> |
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<mail link="fox2mike@g.o">Shyam Mani</mail> |
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</author> |
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+<author title="Author"> |
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+ <mail link="nightmorph@g.o">Joshua Saddler</mail> |
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+</author> |
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+<author title="Contributor"> |
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+ <mail link="flameeyes@g.o">Diego Pettenò</mail> |
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+</author> |
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|
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<abstract> |
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This document helps a user setup ALSA on Gentoo Linux. |
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@@ -18,8 +24,8 @@ |
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<!-- See http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5 --> |
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<license/> |
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|
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-<version>2.15</version> |
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-<date>2006-11-02</date> |
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+<version>2.16</version> |
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+<date>2007-01-31</date> |
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|
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<chapter> |
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<title>Introduction</title> |
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@@ -76,17 +82,18 @@ |
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</p> |
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|
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<ol> |
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- <li> |
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- Use ALSA provided by your kernel. This is the preferred/recommended |
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- method. |
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- </li> |
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- <li> |
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- Use Gentoo's <c>media-sound/alsa-driver</c> package. |
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- </li> |
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+ <li>Use ALSA provided by your kernel.</li> |
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+ <li>Use Gentoo's <c>media-sound/alsa-driver</c> package.</li> |
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</ol> |
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|
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<p> |
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-We shall take a peek into both before finally deciding on one. |
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+The in-kernel drivers and the <c>alsa-driver</c> package can vary a little; it's |
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+possible that features and fixes found in one might not yet be incorporated into |
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+the other. The upstream developers are aware of this, but the two drivers are |
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+effectively separate branches of the ALSA project; they are not entirely |
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+identical. You should be aware that they might function slightly differently, so |
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+if one doesn't work for you, try the other! We shall take a peek into both |
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+before finally deciding on one. |
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</p> |
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|
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<p> |
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@@ -101,7 +108,9 @@ |
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</tr> |
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<tr> |
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<th>+</th> |
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- <ti>Pretty stable as drivers are integrated into kernel.</ti> |
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+ <ti> |
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+ No need to emerge yet another package; drivers are integrated into kernel. |
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+ </ti> |
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</tr> |
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<tr> |
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<th>+</th> |
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@@ -109,7 +118,7 @@ |
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</tr> |
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<tr> |
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<th>-</th> |
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- <ti>Might be a slightly older version than <c>alsa-driver</c>.</ti> |
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+ <ti>Might be a slightly different version than <c>alsa-driver</c>.</ti> |
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</tr> |
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</table> |
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|
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@@ -124,7 +133,11 @@ |
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</tr> |
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<tr> |
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<th>+</th> |
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- <ti>Latest drivers from the ALSA Project.</ti> |
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+ <ti>Possibly the latest drivers from the ALSA Project.</ti> |
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+</tr> |
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+<tr> |
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+ <th>+</th> |
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+ <ti>Useful if you intend to develop audio drivers.</ti> |
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</tr> |
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<tr> |
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<th>-</th> |
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@@ -143,11 +156,11 @@ |
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<body> |
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|
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<p> |
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-The main difference between using <c>alsa-driver</c> and ALSA that comes with |
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-the kernel is that <c>alsa-driver</c> is generally more up to date than the |
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-version in the kernel. Since this does not make any huge difference as |
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-such, you are encouraged to use the ALSA provided by the kernel for ease of use. |
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-Before reporting any sound related issues to <uri |
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+The differences between <c>alsa-driver</c> and the in-kernel ALSA drivers are |
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+quite subtle, as mentioned earlier. Since there are not any huge differences, |
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+this guide will go through the process of using the ALSA provided by the kernel |
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+<e>first</e> for ease of use. However, if you run into problems, try switching |
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+to <c>alsa-driver</c>. Before reporting any sound related issues to <uri |
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link="https://bugs.gentoo.org">Gentoo Bugzilla</uri>, please try to reproduce |
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them using <c>alsa-driver</c> and file the bug report no matter what the |
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result. |
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@@ -210,6 +223,20 @@ |
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"Details" and that will take you to the <c>emu10k1</c> specific page. |
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</p> |
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|
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+<p> |
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+If you intend to use MIDI, then you should add <c>midi</c> to your USE flags in |
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+<path>/etc/make.conf</path> before emerging any ALSA packages. Later in the |
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+guide, we will show you how to set up <uri link="#midi">MIDI support</uri>. |
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+</p> |
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+ |
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+<pre caption="MIDI support in /etc/make.conf"> |
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+<comment>(If you want MIDI support)</comment> |
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+USE="midi" |
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+ |
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+<comment>(If you don't need MIDI)</comment> |
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+USE="-midi" |
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+</pre> |
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+ |
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</body> |
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</section> |
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<section id="kernel"> |
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@@ -254,8 +281,8 @@ |
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</p> |
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|
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<p> |
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-Please note that for the sake of ease, all examples show ALSA built as modules. |
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-It is advisable to follow the same as it then allows the use of <c>alsaconf</c> |
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+Please note that for ease of use, all examples show ALSA built as modules. It |
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+is advisable to follow the same as it then allows the use of <c>alsaconf</c> |
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which is a boon when you want to configure your card. Please do <e>not</e> skip |
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the <uri link="#alsa-config">Configuration</uri> section of this document. If |
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you still like to have options built-in, ensure that you make changes to your |
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@@ -393,8 +420,13 @@ |
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</pre> |
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|
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<impo> |
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-Please note that you will have to run <c>emerge alsa-driver</c> after every |
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-kernel (re)compile, as the earlier drivers are deleted. |
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+Please note that you will have to run <c>emerge alsa-driver</c> after every |
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+kernel (re)compile, as the earlier drivers are deleted. To make this task |
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+easier, you may want to emerge the <c>module-rebuild</c> package, which will |
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+keep track of module packages and rebuild them for you. First run <c>module |
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+rebuild populate</c> to create the list, and then after every kernel |
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+(re)compile, you just run <c>module-rebuild rebuild</c>, and your external |
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+modules will be rebuilt. |
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</impo> |
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|
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</body> |
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@@ -431,14 +463,21 @@ |
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<title>Configuration</title> |
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<body> |
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|
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+<p> |
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+Recent versions of <c>udev</c> (<c>>=udev-103</c>) provide some degree of |
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+kernel-level autoconfiguration of your sound card. If possible, try to rely on |
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+just letting your kernel automatically setup your sound card for you. Otherwise, |
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+use <c>alsaconf</c> to configure your card, as shown below. |
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+</p> |
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+ |
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<note> |
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Please shut down any programs that <e>might</e> access the sound card while |
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running <c>alsaconf</c>. |
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</note> |
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|
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<p> |
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-The easiest way to configure your sound card is to run <c>alsaconf</c>. Just |
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-type <c>alsaconf</c> in a shell as root. |
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+Another way to configure your sound card is to run <c>alsaconf</c>. Just type |
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+<c>alsaconf</c> in a shell as root. |
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</p> |
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|
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<pre caption="Invoking alsaconf"> |
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@@ -511,25 +550,13 @@ |
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<body> |
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|
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<p> |
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-We've completed all the setups and pre-requisites, so let's fire up ALSA. If |
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+We've completed all the setups and prerequisites, so let's fire up ALSA. If |
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you ran <c>alsaconf</c>, you can skip this step, since <c>alsaconf</c> already |
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does this for you. |
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</p> |
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|
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<pre caption="Start the service"> |
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-<comment>(ALSA as modules)</comment> |
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-# <i>/etc/init.d/alsasound start</i> |
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- * Loading ALSA modules ... |
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- * Loading: snd-card-0 ... [ ok ] |
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- * Loading: snd-pcm-oss ... [ ok ] |
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- * Loading: snd-seq ... [ ok ] |
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- * Loading: snd-emu10k1-synth ... [ ok ] |
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- * Loading: snd-seq-midi ... [ ok ] |
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- * Restoring Mixer Levels ... [ ok ] |
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-<comment>(ALSA compiled in)</comment> |
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-# <i>/etc/init.d/alsasound start</i> |
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- * Loading ALSA modules ... |
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- * Restoring Mixer Levels ... [ ok ] |
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+# <i>/etc/init.d/alsasound start</i> |
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</pre> |
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|
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<p> |
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@@ -815,11 +842,27 @@ |
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|
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<chapter> |
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<title>Other things ALSA</title> |
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-<section> |
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+<section id="midi"> |
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<title>Setting up MIDI support</title> |
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<body> |
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|
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<p> |
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+First, check to make sure that you enabled the <c>midi</c> USE flag in |
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+<path>/etc/make.conf</path>. |
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+</p> |
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+ |
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+<pre caption="MIDI support in /etc/make.conf"> |
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+USE="midi" |
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+</pre> |
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+ |
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+<p> |
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+If you didn't previously enable <c>midi</c>, go ahead and add it to |
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+<path>/etc/make.conf</path> now. You will also need to re-emerge any ALSA |
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+packages that use the <c>midi</c> flag, such as <c>alsa-lib</c>, |
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+<c>alsa-utils</c>, and <c>alsa-driver</c>. |
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+</p> |
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+ |
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+<p> |
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If your sound card is one of those that come with on-board MIDI synthesizers |
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and you would like to listen to some .mid files, you have to install |
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<c>awesfx</c> which is basically a set of utilities for controlling the AWE32 |
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@@ -895,22 +938,23 @@ |
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</pre> |
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|
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<p> |
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-For timidity to play sounds, it needs a sound font. If you do not have any, |
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-install <c>timidity-eawpatches</c> or <c>timidity-shompatches</c> which will |
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-give you some sound fonts. You can have multiple sound font configurations |
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-installed, and you can place your own in <path>/usr/share/timidity/</path>. |
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-To switch between different timidity configurations, you should use the |
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-<c>timidity-update</c> tool provided in the timidity++ package. |
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+For timidity to play sounds, it needs a sound font. Fortunately, the ebuild will |
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+install some sound font packages for you. There are a few other font packages |
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+available in Portage, such as <c>timidity-freepats</c> and |
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+<c>timidity-eawpatches</c>. You can have multiple sound font configurations |
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+installed, and you can place your own in <path>/usr/share/timidity/</path>. To |
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+switch between different timidity configurations, you should use the |
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+<c>timidity-update</c> tool provided in the timidity++ package. In later |
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+versions of timidity, <c>eselect</c> is used to switch configurations. |
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</p> |
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|
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-<pre caption="Installing sound fonts"> |
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-# <i>emerge timidity-eawpatches</i> |
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+<pre caption="Changing configurations"> |
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+<comment>(replace eawpatches with the name of your sound font package)</comment> |
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# <i>timidity-update -g -s eawpatches</i> |
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|
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-<comment>(or)</comment> |
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- |
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-# <i>emerge timidity-shompatches</i> |
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-# <i>timidity-update -g -s shompatches</i> |
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+<comment>(Use eselect if you have installed >=timidity-2.13.2-r3)</comment> |
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+# <i>eselect timidity list</i> |
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+# <i>eselect timidity set eawpatches</i> |
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</pre> |
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|
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<p> |
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@@ -934,28 +978,68 @@ |
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|
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<p> |
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Some specific sound cards can benefit from certain tools provided by the |
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-<c>alsa-tools</c> and <c>alsa-firmware</c> packages. If you need |
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-<c>alsa-tools</c>, be sure to define the ALSA_TOOLS variable in |
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-<path>/etc/make.conf</path> with the tools you require. For instance: |
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+<c>alsa-tools</c> and <c>alsa-firmware</c> packages. You may install either with |
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+a simple <c>emerge</c>. |
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</p> |
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|
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-<pre caption="Selecting ALSA Tools in /etc/make.conf"> |
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-ALSA_TOOLS="as10k1 ac3dec" |
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+<pre caption="Installing ALSA Tools"> |
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+# <i>emerge alsa-tools</i> |
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</pre> |
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|
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+</body> |
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+</section> |
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+<section> |
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+<title>Multiple sound cards</title> |
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+<body> |
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+ |
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<p> |
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-If the ALSA_TOOLS variable is not set, all available tools will be built. |
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-Now, install the <c>alsa-tools</c> (and/or <c>alsa-firmware</c>) package(s): |
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+You can more than one sound card in your system simultaneously, provided that |
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+you have built ALSA as modules in your kernel (or have installed |
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+<c>alsa-driver</c> instead). You just need to specify which should be started |
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+first in <path>/etc/modules.d/alsa</path>. Your cards are identified by their |
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+driver names inside this file. 0 is the first card, 1 is the second, and so on. |
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+Here's an example for a system with two sound cards. |
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</p> |
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|
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-<pre caption="Installing ALSA Tools"> |
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-# <i>emerge alsa-tools</i> |
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+<pre caption="Two sound cards in /etc/modules.d/alsa"> |
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+options snd-emu10k1 index=0 |
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+options snd-via82xx index=1 |
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+</pre> |
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+ |
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+<p> |
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+Or, if you have two cards that use the same driver, you specify them on the same |
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+line, using comma-separated numbers. Here's an example for a system with three |
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+sound cards, two of which are the same Intel High Definition Audio card. |
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+</p> |
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+ |
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+<pre caption="Multiple sound cards in /etc/modules.d/alsa"> |
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+options snd-ymfpci index=0 |
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+options snd-hda-intel index=1,2 |
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+</pre> |
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+ |
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+</body> |
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+</section> |
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+<section> |
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+<title>Plugins</title> |
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+<body> |
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+ |
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+<p> |
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+You may want to install some plugins for extra functionality. |
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+<c>alsa-plugins</c> is a collection of useful plugins, which include: PulseAudio |
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+output, a sample rate converter, jack (a low-latency audio server), and an |
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+encoder that lets you output 6-channel audio through digital S/PDIF connections |
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+(both optical and coaxial). You can choose which of its plugins you want |
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+installed by adding their USE flags to <path>/etc/portage/package.use</path>. |
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+</p> |
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+ |
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+<pre caption="Installing alsa-plugins"> |
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+# <i>emerge -avt alsa-plugins</i> |
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</pre> |
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|
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</body> |
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</section> |
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<section> |
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-<title>A Big thank you to...</title> |
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+<title>A big thank you to...</title> |
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<body> |
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|
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<p> |
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|
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|
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|
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-- |
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