ALSA doesn't mix

dbsynegry · n00b Joined: 26 Jan 2003 Posts: 2

I have been using gentoo for a while now and I don't think I have ever had this problem before. I just got this new computer and ALSA doesn't mix sound between different apps. For example, I am playing sound though xmms, then I start xine to play a movie and it hangs untill I stop xmms. Same goes for any other combination of audio apps.

I have also played with aplay as root with no sucess.

The module I am using is snd-via82xx and my Via Southbrige is a Via8235. I am using the onboard sound and I don't have any other sound cards.

Herodot · Posted: Sun Jan 26, 2003 8:56 am Post subject:

This must be the most common question in multimedia.

Only with very few sound cards will ALSA mix sound for you. You'll have to go through a software sound server, such as Arts or ESD. They work just fine.
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drakonite · l33t Joined: 02 Nov 2002 Posts: 768 Location: Lincoln, NE

Unfortunatly alsa will only use hardware sound mixing, and it sounds like there are some sound cards with hardware mixing that alsa doesn't support.

Like the other poster said, you'll have to use Arts or ESD, but IMHO they just don't cut it. If you are running kde then maybe arts will work out, but I'm using E16 and haven't been able to get ANY kind of software sound mixing working.

Hehe... I'm this close to installing my other sound card and splitting apps between the two so I can get multiple sounds at once

It would be way more effective than anything else I've tried...
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Herodot · Posted: Sun Jan 26, 2003 5:40 pm Post subject:

Drakonite: what programs do you want? I'd think that ALSA + Arts + XMMS (with the Arts plugin) would work. But of course they have to communicate correctly. I don't know how to set up Arts outside of KDE, but maybe that's your problem. Your ALSA is working, right? XMMS with ALSA plug-in?
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dbsynegry · n00b Joined: 26 Jan 2003 Posts: 2

Thanks for the reply. This should then become a feature request so support hardware mixing with ALC650 chipsets. I guess I'll send it in.

Agian, thanks for your time.

drakonite · l33t Joined: 02 Nov 2002 Posts: 768 Location: Lincoln, NE

Herodot · Posted: Sun Jan 26, 2003 10:09 pm Post subject:

So you have OSS then? Arts works with that also, I think. You're right that ALSA can be a pain to get working, but you'll get there I'm sure. I think most programs support output to both ALSA and OSS. So getting a basic system (be that ALSA or OSS) working is the first step.
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drakonite · l33t Joined: 02 Nov 2002 Posts: 768 Location: Lincoln, NE

I have OSS working fine. Unless alsa gets software sound mixing I'm not even going to touch it again.
It's not a problem of getting arts to work with OSS or alsa... That is just fine. The problem is making every program use arts, or esd, or whatever else. All it takes is the one program that refuses to use it, and it blocks all the others from using it. And I can't get any to work with it correctly.
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Herodot · Posted: Sun Jan 26, 2003 10:59 pm Post subject:

Oh, sorry, I see your point. XMMS and Mplayer and possibly more can use Arts, no problem. If not, there's artsdsp, which is a wrapper:

drakonite · l33t Joined: 02 Nov 2002 Posts: 768 Location: Lincoln, NE

Well, I hadn't known about artsdsp until earlier this week.. I gave it a couple tried but didn't have much luck. I was aggitated enough with this today that I was messing around with it again, I replaced my kernel because of somethign else today, and it started to almost work.. I dont' knwo what to think about this now.... I didn't change anything even close to audio support... I just removed win4lin support..
After some very idiot configuration work it somewhat works now... It still is very far from ideal though.. Performance is so-so, arts currently has to be started manually to work (don't know if it's a oddity of my computer or if that's normal...) and using artsdsp to run every single program that might make sounds is a hassle..
I tried running X with the line "artsdsp startx" and it works... not near as good as I wish it would but it is working some. I use enough things from command lines on virtual terminals it still doesn't solve all the problems.. Changning my default shell to "artsdsp /bin/bash" instead of "/bin/bash" might work but I do NOT want to do that...

I guess I should quit complains as I finally have something working... It doesn't work as well as it should, and it's just a sloppy hack... But I guess thats as good as it gets.
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