Re: [gentoo-user] Anyone get Acer laptop internal microphone working in Gentoo?

[Mick]

On Sunday 20 February 2011 08:50:48 Elaine C. Sharpe wrote:
> In linux.gentoo.user, you wrote:
> > On Sat, Feb 19, 2011 at 11:54:38PM +0000, Mick wrote
> >
> >> Ah ... mine have more.  <F4> in alsamixer brings up all these Capture
> >> devices:
> >>
> >> Front Mic  67<>67
> >> Mic        67<>67
> >> Capture    80<>80
> >> Capture    80<>80
> >> Digital    61<>61
> >> Digital    33<>33
> >> Input So   Digital Mic  (other options are: Front Mic, Mic)
> >> Input So   Digital Mic  (other options are: Front Mic, Mic)
> >>
> >> There's a microphone on the top of the screen and a jack on the
> >> front left of the keyboard.
> >>
> >   Another search on Goggle finally found something, but I'm not sure I
> >
> > like it.  My card shows up in "lspci -v" as...
> >
> > 00:14.2 Audio device: ATI Technologies Inc SBx00 Azalia (Intel HDA) (rev
> > 40)
> >
> >         Subsystem: Acer Incorporated [ALI] Device 0372
> >         Flags: bus master, slow devsel, latency 64, IRQ 16
> >         Memory at d0400000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=16K]
> >         Capabilities: [50] Power Management version 2
> >         Kernel driver in use: HDA Intel
> >
> > alsamixer shows...
> > Card: HDA ATI SB
> > Chip: Realtek ALC272X
> >
> >   One solution I've seen involves modprobing the sound driver with a
> >
> > parameter.  Problem is I've been using kernel-mode alsa for years and
> > I'm an absolute newbie on "alsa-driver".  alsa-driver is keyworded
> > ~amd64 but I'm desparate enough to try it.  Maybe even desparate enough
> > to try the other solution, namely revert to OSS.
> >
> >   If I want to keyword alsa-driver and install it, I assume that I have
> >
> > to remove all kernel support for sound, i.e in "make menuconfig"...
> >
> >< > Sound card support  --->
> >
> >   Is that correct?
>
> I don't think so. One of my machines is a mac mini with the
> intel HDA chipset, and I don't recall right now whether it
> was alsa-driver, alsa-firnmware, or both but I did get it
> working without disabling audio in the kernel.
>
> >Also, what should I specify in ALSA_CARDS in
> >
> > /etc/make.conf ?
>
> ALSA_CARDS="hda-intel"

Around a couple of years ago my alsa stopped working and was getting some 
errors about not finding the right modules or similar.  Until that moment I 
had it build in the kernel.  I remember raising a bug, only to be told that I 
should rebuild my kernel with alsa drivers as modules, because alsaconf should 
be able to probe them.

Indeed, the Gentoo Alsa Guide still says pretty much the same thing:

"Please note that for ease of use, all examples show ALSA built as modules. It 
is advisable to follow the same as it then allows the use of alsaconf which is 
a boon when you want to configure your card."

I've added some options for my alsa modules in /etc/modprobe.d/alsa-base.conf, 
e.g.:

  options snd-hda-intel enable_msi=1

HTH.
-- 
Regards,
Mick