Re: [gentoo-user] My Continuing ALSA Woes

[Holly Bostick]

Michael Sullivan schreef:
> On Sat, 2005-10-22 at 00:53 -0700, Richard Fish wrote:
>
>> Mark Knecht wrote:
>>
>>
>>> On 10/21/05, Richard Fish <bigfish@××××××××××.org> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>> Mark Knecht wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> I'm tellin' ya. alsamixer is jsut a gui for amixer and amixer
>>>>>  does not work for every Alsa supported card. You need to
>>>>> find out from the Alsa folks what is the supported mixer for
>>>>> this card.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Just an FYI, I also have an intel-hda (in my laptop). Alsamixer
>>>> supports it just fine, except that the stupid card doesn't
>>>> provide a "Master Volume" control, so you have to adjust the
>>>> speaker volume with the "Front" control.  Stupid card.
>>>>
>>>> -Richard
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>> What kernel are you running? Can you give Michael a hint as to
>>> how you set it up?
>>>
>>>
>>
>> Kernel version is from suspend2-sources-2.6.13-r5.  I didn't have
>> to do anything special for setup though..."it just worked".
>>
>> I suspect you are correct that it is a driver bug and a newer
>> version of the driver would help.  Michael, sorry I haven't been
>> following this thread closely, but have you tried a .14-rc kernel?
>> I just looked at vanilla-sources-2.6.14-rc5, and there seems to be
>> some significant changes with the newest kernel.
>>
>> Anyway, some basic information about my setup follows.  I can
>> provide more if desired (particularly /etc/asound.state,
>> ~/.asoundrc, or amixer output).
>>
>> carcharias linux # lsmod Module                  Size  Used by ...
>>  snd_hda_intel          15872  1 snd_hda_codec          73536  1
>> snd_hda_intel snd_pcm                78600  2
>> snd_hda_intel,snd_hda_codec snd_timer              22212  1 snd_pcm
>>  snd                    43192  6
>> snd_hda_intel,snd_hda_codec,snd_pcm,snd_timer soundcore 9056  1 snd
>> snd_page_alloc          9800  2 snd_hda_intel,snd_pcm ...
>>
>> carcharias linux # emerge -vp alsa-lib alsa-utils alsa-tools
>> alsa-headers These are the packages that I would merge, in order:
>> Calculating dependencies ...done! [ebuild   R   ]
>> media-libs/alsa-lib-1.0.9  +doc -jack 0 kB [ebuild   R   ]
>> media-sound/alsa-utils-1.0.9a-r1  +nls 0 kB [ebuild   R   ]
>> media-sound/alsa-tools-1.0.9  +X 0 kB [ebuild   R   ]
>> media-sound/alsa-headers-1.0.9b  0 kB
>>
>> carcharias linux # lspci -n ... 00:1b.0 0403: 8086:2668 (rev 04)
>> ...
>>
>> carcharias linux # lspci -vv ... 00:1b.0 Class 0403: Intel
>> Corporation 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family) High Definition
>> Audio Controller (rev 04) Subsystem: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. Unknown
>> device 10c3 Control: I/O- Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV-
>> VGASnoop- ParErr- Stepping- SERR- FastB2B- Status: Cap+ 66MHz- UDF-
>>  FastB2B- ParErr- DEVSEL=fast >TAbort- <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR-
>> <PERR- Latency: 0, Cache Line Size 08 Interrupt: pin A routed to
>> IRQ 16 Region 0: Memory at febf8000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable)
>> [size=16K] Capabilities: [50] Power Management version 2 Flags:
>> PMEClk- DSI- D1- D2- AuxCurrent=55mA
>> PME(D0+,D1-,D2-,D3hot+,D3cold+) Status: D0 PME-Enable- DSel=0
>> DScale=0 PME- Capabilities: [60] Message Signalled Interrupts:
>> 64bit+ Queue=0/0 Enable- Address: 0000000000000000  Data: 0000
>> Capabilities: [70] Express Unknown type IRQ 0 Device: Supported:
>> MaxPayload 128 bytes, PhantFunc 0, ExtTag- Device: Latency L0s
>> <64ns, L1 <1us Device: Errors: Correctable- Non-Fatal- Fatal-
>> Unsupported- Device: RlxdOrd- ExtTag- PhantFunc- AuxPwr- NoSnoop+
>> Device: MaxPayload 128 bytes, MaxReadReq 128 bytes Link: Supported
>> Speed unknown, Width x0, ASPM unknown, Port 0 Link: Latency L0s
>> <64ns, L1 <1us Link: ASPM Disabled CommClk- ExtSynch- Link: Speed
>> unknown, Width x0 Capabilities: [100] Virtual Channel Capabilities:
>>  [130] Unknown (5) ...
>>
>> -Richard
>>
>
>
> I built and rebooted with the vanilla kernel  2.6.14-rc5 and started
> /etc/init.d/alsasound:
>
> camille ~ # /etc/init.d/alsasound start * Loading ALSA modules ... *
> Loading: snd-card-0 ... [ ok ] *   Loading: snd-seq-oss ... [ ok ] *
> Loading: snd-pcm-oss ... [ ok ] * Restoring Mixer Levels ... * No
> mixer config in /etc/asound.state, you have to unmute your card! [ ok
>  ]

OK that works (we know you haven't unmuted your card, and we know (or
are almost sure) that running alsamixer is what creates
/etc/asound.state, so it's no surprise that it's not there.

> I can modprobe snd-hda-intel successfully.
>
> Here is lsmod:
>
> camille ~ # lsmod Module                  Size  Used by snd_pcm_oss
> 36256  0 snd_mixer_oss          12224  1 snd_pcm_oss snd_seq_oss
> 21280  0 snd_seq_midi_event      2976  1 snd_seq_oss snd_seq 30384  4
> snd_seq_oss,snd_seq_midi_event snd_seq_device          4588 2
> snd_seq_oss,snd_seq snd_hda_intel          11328  0 snd_hda_codec
> 58816  1 snd_hda_intel snd_pcm                49960  3
> snd_pcm_oss,snd_hda_intel,snd_hda_codec snd_timer              14436
> 2 snd_seq,snd_pcm snd                    28676  9
> snd_pcm_oss,snd_mixer_oss,snd_seq_oss,snd_seq,snd_seq_device,snd_hda_intel,snd_hda_codec,snd_pcm,snd_timer
>  snd_page_alloc          6312  2 snd_hda_intel,snd_pcm
<snip>

looks good

>
> camille ~ # emerge -vp alsa-lib alsa-utils alsa-tools
>
> These are the packages that I would merge, in order:
>
> Calculating dependencies ...done! [ebuild   R   ]
> media-libs/alsa-lib-1.0.10_rc2  +doc +jack* 0 kB [ebuild   R   ]
> media-sound/alsa-utils-1.0.10_rc2  +nls 0 kB [ebuild   R   ]
> media-sound/alsa-tools-1.0.8-r1  +X 0 kB


You could probably use alsa-oss as well, since you're using ALSA OSS
emulation; you might consider alsa-headers, and alsa-firmware, too.

>
>
<snip>
>
> 0000:00:1b.0 Class 0403: Intel Corporation 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW
> (ICH6 Family) High Definition Audio Controller (rev 03) Subsystem:
> Intel Corporation: Unknown device e213 Control: I/O- Mem+ BusMaster+
> SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Stepping- SERR- FastB2B-
> Status: Cap+ 66Mhz- UDF- FastB2B- ParErr- DEVSEL=fast >TAbort-
> <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR- Latency: 0, cache line size 10
> Interrupt: pin A routed to IRQ 11 Region 0: Memory at ffac0000
> (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=16K] Capabilities: [50] Power
> Management version 2 Flags: PMEClk- DSI- D1- D2- AuxCurrent=55mA
> PME(D0+,D1-,D2-,D3hot+,D3cold+)                Status: D0 PME-Enable-
>  DSel=0 DScale=0 PME- Capabilities: [60] Message Signalled
> Interrupts: 64bit+ Queue=0/0 Enable- Address: 0000000000000000  Data:
> 0000 Capabilities: [70] #10 [0091]

Well, we knew the card was being detected, so that's good. I wonder if
any of this additional information needs to be set as extra parameters
for the card in one or more of the ALSA configuration files?

>
>
> alsamixer and amixer still refuse to start.  When I restart
> /etc/init.d/alsasound it gives me an alsactl error on stopping:
>
> camille ~ # /etc/init.d/alsasound restart * Storing ALSA Mixer Levels
>  ... /usr/sbin/alsactl: get_control:149: Cannot read control info
> '2,0,0,Front Playback Volume,0': Invalid argument [ !! ] * Unloading
> ALSA ... [ ok ] * Unloading ALSA modules ... [ ok ] * Loading ALSA
> modules ... *   Loading: snd-card-0 ... [ ok ] *   Loading:
> snd-seq-oss ... [ ok ] *   Loading: snd-pcm-oss ... [ ok ] *
> Restoring Mixer Levels ... * No mixer config in /etc/asound.state,
> you have to unmute your card!               [ ok
>
First of all, what error does *alsamixer* (not amixer) give you when you
attempt to start it.

Second of all.. I just attempted a restart of alsasound to see what
'correct' output should be, and I noticed that one instance of GKrellm2
closed (the instance that uses the 'Volume' plugin, unsurprisingly).
Which got me thinking... are you doing this under a loaded DE/WM? if so,
which one? Both GNOME and KDE have audio subsystems which kinda actively
interfere with ALSA when first installed (or rather, until you get them
synchronized). It's possible that aRTS or eds is interfering with ALSA
reading the card information, but.....

...third of all, I notice that the error you're getting just *happens*
to be in the very control that Richard says is a 'problem':

Richard Fish schreef:
> Just an FYI, I also have an intel-hda (in my laptop).  Alsamixer
> supports it just fine, except that the stupid card doesn't provide a
> "Master Volume" control, so you have to adjust the speaker volume
> with the "Front" control.  Stupid card.

Right, so the idea (generally) is that this card maps Master to Front,
which seems to be confusing to alsasound, which cannot read 'Front' for
some reason (possibly because it does not understand/has not been told
that Master=Front, so it's still looking for a 'Master' control that
does not exist, and is not expecting the 'Master' control output to be
labelled 'Front'?).

Richard, did you have to do anything to make ALSA understand that there
was no Master control and that Front should be used for this purpose?

Holly
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