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

[Canek Peláez Valdés]

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.

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