Gentoo Archives: gentoo-user

From: covici@××××××××××.com
To: gentoo-user@l.g.o
Subject: Re: [gentoo-user] problem trying to play sound when pulse audio is enabled
Date: Mon, 29 Apr 2013 08:44:01
Message-Id: 30378.1367225026@ccs.covici.com
In Reply to: Re: [gentoo-user] problem trying to play sound when pulse audio is enabled by "Canek Peláez Valdés"
1 Canek Peláez Valdés <caneko@×××××.com> wrote:
2
3 > On Mon, Apr 29, 2013 at 12:35 AM, <covici@××××××××××.com> wrote:
4 > > Canek Peláez Valdés <caneko@×××××.com> wrote:
5 > >
6 > >> On Sun, Apr 28, 2013 at 11:57 PM, <covici@××××××××××.com> wrote:
7 > >> > Canek Peláez Valdés <caneko@×××××.com> wrote:
8 > >> >
9 > >> >> On Sun, Apr 28, 2013 at 11:08 PM, <covici@××××××××××.com> wrote:
10 > >> >> > Canek Peláez Valdés <caneko@×××××.com> wrote:
11 > >> >> >
12 > >> >> >> On Sun, Apr 28, 2013 at 10:07 PM, <covici@××××××××××.com> wrote:
13 > >> >> >> > Canek Peláez Valdés <caneko@×××××.com> wrote:
14 > >> >> >> >
15 > >> >> >> >> On Sun, Apr 28, 2013 at 7:56 PM, <covici@××××××××××.com> wrote:
16 > >> >> >> >> > Hi. I have not used pulseaudio at all, but with gnome 3.8 I guess it
17 > >> >> >> >> > must be there, but when I try to play a sound using either mplayer from
18 > >> >> >> >> > the console which works fine withalsa, or even aplay, I get no sound
19 > >> >> >> >> > unless I change the /etc/pulse/client.conf to spawn=no .
20 > >> >> >> >>
21 > >> >> >> >> Unless you have a very specific setup, you should not need to touch
22 > >> >> >> >> the files under /etc/pulse. Also, are you trying to run the
23 > >> >> >> >> system-wide PulseAudio service? Because that's basically wrong:
24 > >> >> >> >>
25 > >> >> >> >> http://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/PulseAudio/Documentation/User/WhatIsWrongWithSystemWide
26 > >> >> >> >>
27 > >> >> >> >> > Anyway to fix this?
28 > >> >> >> >>
29 > >> >> >> >> If you are running PA as a normal user (as you should), then perhaps
30 > >> >> >> >> the per-application volume for MPlayer is muted. While playing
31 > >> >> >> >> something with MPlayer, go to Settings -> Sound, then select the
32 > >> >> >> >> Applications tab, and there should be a volume slider for all the
33 > >> >> >> >> applications using audio. Just adjust as necessary.
34 > >> >> >> >
35 > >> >> >> > I got no sound when pa was run as a user. I am running these apps from
36 > >> >> >> > the console -- apps such as aplay or anything which uses alsa. So I
37 > >> >> >> > can't adjust any volumes under gnome, etc.
38 > >> >> >>
39 > >> >> >> Also, from the console you can use pactl. To play a sample sound there, do:
40 > >> >> >>
41 > >> >> >> pactl play-sample 0
42 > >> >> >> pactl play-sample 1
43 > >> >> >>
44 > >> >> >> It should work. You can also set the volume from here:
45 > >> >> >>
46 > >> >> >> pactl set-sink-volume 0 "100%"
47 > >> >> >>
48 > >> >> >> 0 is usually the "master" volume.
49 > >> >> >>
50 > >> >> >> Check out man pactl.
51 > >> >> >
52 > >> >> > Well, in either system or user mode, root can play sound whereas a
53 > >> >> > regular user gets silent, but without pulseaudio -- spawn=no, then a
54 > >> >> > regular user can play sound. Does this give a clue?
55 > >> >>
56 > >> >> Not really; as I said, the PA documentation clearly says that if you
57 > >> >> use system mode "You are on your own. You need to know you way around,
58 > >> >> be able to write init scripts, dbus policies, to fix up device
59 > >> >> permissions, and unix users, you need to pass around security cookies
60 > >> >> and more."
61 > >> >>
62 > >> >> I haven't ever used system-wide PA.
63 > >> >>
64 > >> >> I think of the following; try to delete both /root/.pulse and
65 > >> >> $HOME/.pulse, and rebooting (probably a logout/login should suffice,
66 > >> >> but you never know).
67 > >> >>
68 > >> >> Another thing: if you installed PA since GNOME 3.8 needs it, why are
69 > >> >> you using it without GNOME? If you use GNOME, the session manager will
70 > >> >> automatically start PA as a user for you, and everything should work.
71 > >> >> If you are not running GNOME, why do you run PA? If you are at the
72 > >> >> console without X running, just don't use PA. Use mplayer -ao alsa or
73 > >> >> whatever.
74 > >> >>
75 > >> >> Or do you want to run several audio apps in the console?
76 > >> >
77 > >> > I want to run apps from the console, but to start gnome when I need it.
78 > >>
79 > >> Then do that. When you start GNOME, it will start PA automatically:
80 > >> you don't need to do anything. Don't try to start PA yourself; it's
81 > >> DBus activated.
82 > >>
83 > >>
84 > >> > I am running pa as a user and things are still not working, except for
85 > >> > the root user who can play sounds.
86 > >>
87 > >> I repeat: you don't need to run PA. GNOME will start it for you.
88 > >
89 > > But will that workif I have spawn=no in my /etc/pulse/client.conf which
90 > > I have to have for regular apps to work from theconsole? Or is there
91 > > some other way to make this happen?
92 >
93 > I don't understand the question. If you don't run PA by yourself, then
94 > it will be started only when using GNOME. And if you are using GNOME,
95 > you can use the nice sound settings dialog to get your sound.
96 >
97 > If you don't start GNOME, then PA will not be started. If you don't
98 > have sound in your console even without PA running, then is for some
99 > issue completely unrelated to PA.
100 >
101 > PA should not be started if you only log in through the console.
102 > Unless you are still running it system-wide, which is basically
103 > unsupported.
104
105 OK, we will see what happens, so I have set spawn=no which should work
106 to prevent pa except in gnome, so hopefully that should work.
107
108 Thanks for clarifying this for me.
109
110
111 --
112 Your life is like a penny. You're going to lose it. The question is:
113 How do
114 you spend it?
115
116 John Covici
117 covici@××××××××××.com

Replies

Subject Author
Re: [gentoo-user] problem trying to play sound when pulse audio is enabled Kevin Thompson <phlux@×××××.net>