Re: [gentoo-user] problem trying to play sound when pulse audio is enabled

[Canek Peláez Valdés]

On Mon, Apr 29, 2013 at 12:35 AM,  <covici@××××××××××.com> wrote:
> Canek Peláez Valdés <caneko@×××××.com> wrote:
>
>> On Sun, Apr 28, 2013 at 11:57 PM,  <covici@××××××××××.com> wrote:
>> > Canek Peláez Valdés <caneko@×××××.com> wrote:
>> >
>> >> On Sun, Apr 28, 2013 at 11:08 PM,  <covici@××××××××××.com> wrote:
>> >> > Canek Peláez Valdés <caneko@×××××.com> wrote:
>> >> >
>> >> >> On Sun, Apr 28, 2013 at 10:07 PM,  <covici@××××××××××.com> wrote:
>> >> >> > Canek Peláez Valdés <caneko@×××××.com> wrote:
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> >> On Sun, Apr 28, 2013 at 7:56 PM,  <covici@××××××××××.com> wrote:
>> >> >> >> > Hi.  I have not used pulseaudio at all, but with gnome 3.8 I guess it
>> >> >> >> > must be there, but when I try to play a sound using either mplayer from
>> >> >> >> > the console which works fine withalsa, or even aplay, I get no sound
>> >> >> >> > unless I change the /etc/pulse/client.conf to spawn=no .
>> >> >> >>
>> >> >> >> Unless you have a very specific setup, you should not need to touch
>> >> >> >> the files under /etc/pulse. Also, are you trying to run the
>> >> >> >> system-wide PulseAudio service? Because that's basically wrong:
>> >> >> >>
>> >> >> >> http://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/PulseAudio/Documentation/User/WhatIsWrongWithSystemWide
>> >> >> >>
>> >> >> >> > Anyway to fix this?
>> >> >> >>
>> >> >> >> If you are running PA as a normal user (as you should), then perhaps
>> >> >> >> the per-application volume for MPlayer is muted. While playing
>> >> >> >> something with MPlayer, go to Settings -> Sound, then select the
>> >> >> >> Applications tab, and there should be a volume slider for all the
>> >> >> >> applications using audio. Just adjust as necessary.
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> > I got no sound when pa was run as a user.  I am running these apps from
>> >> >> > the console -- apps such as aplay or anything which uses alsa.  So I
>> >> >> > can't adjust any volumes under gnome, etc.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> Also, from the console you can use pactl. To play a sample sound there, do:
>> >> >>
>> >> >> pactl play-sample 0
>> >> >> pactl play-sample 1
>> >> >>
>> >> >> It should work. You can also set the volume from here:
>> >> >>
>> >> >> pactl set-sink-volume 0 "100%"
>> >> >>
>> >> >> 0 is usually the "master" volume.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> Check out man pactl.
>> >> >
>> >> > Well, in either system or user mode, root can play sound whereas a
>> >> > regular user gets silent, but without pulseaudio -- spawn=no, then a
>> >> > regular user can play sound.  Does this give a clue?
>> >>
>> >> Not really; as I said, the PA documentation clearly says that if you
>> >> use system mode "You are on your own. You need to know you way around,
>> >> be able to write init scripts, dbus policies, to fix up device
>> >> permissions, and unix users, you need to pass around security cookies
>> >> and more."
>> >>
>> >> I haven't ever used system-wide PA.
>> >>
>> >> I think of the following; try to delete both /root/.pulse and
>> >> $HOME/.pulse, and rebooting (probably a logout/login should suffice,
>> >> but you never know).
>> >>
>> >> Another thing: if you installed PA since GNOME 3.8 needs it, why are
>> >> you using it without GNOME? If you use GNOME, the session manager will
>> >> automatically start PA as a user for you, and everything should work.
>> >> If you are not running GNOME, why do you run PA? If you are at the
>> >> console without X running, just don't use PA. Use mplayer -ao alsa or
>> >> whatever.
>> >>
>> >> Or do you want to run several audio apps in the console?
>> >
>> > I want to run apps from the console, but to start gnome when I need it.
>>
>> Then do that. When you start GNOME, it will start PA automatically:
>> you don't need to do anything. Don't try to start PA yourself; it's
>> DBus activated.
>>
>>
>> > I am running pa as a user and things are still not working, except for
>> > the root user who can play sounds.
>>
>> I repeat: you don't need to run PA. GNOME will start it for you.
>
> But will that workif I have spawn=no in my /etc/pulse/client.conf which
> I have to have for regular apps to work from theconsole?  Or is there
> some other way to make this happen?

I don't understand the question. If you don't run PA by yourself, then
it will be started only when using GNOME. And if you are using GNOME,
you can use the nice sound settings dialog to get your sound.

If you don't start GNOME, then PA will not be started. If you don't
have sound in your console even without PA running, then is for some
issue completely unrelated to PA.

PA should not be started if you only log in through the console.
Unless you are still running it system-wide, which is basically
unsupported.

Regards.
--
Canek Peláez Valdés
Posgrado en Ciencia e Ingeniería de la Computación
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México