ALSA, CS46xx (Game Theater XP), and me

colinb · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 22 Jun 2002 Posts: 114

After reading through around 20 threads here that seemed they might relate to my problem, and after checking and re-checking the ALSA project sound-card matrix, I still can't get sound working the way I'd like.

I've got a Game Theater XP 7.1 driving my Klipsch ProMedia 5.1 sound system. Inserting ALSA modules (snd-cs46xx) went fine. With ALSA 0.90rc2, all programs produced sound, but only on the front speakers. After installing ALSA 0.90rc6, I've got many more items in the ALSA mixer (listed below), but even with everything unmuted and with high volume, the rear speakers still aren't producing any sound. Also, it seems that, with 0.90rc6, Arts is broken. Noatun, XMMS using Arts output, and MPlayer using Arts output all used to produce sound, and now they don't. (Shouldn't Arts be working if KMix can see your sound device?)

I'm losing hope rapidly here. Can someone point me in the right direction? I guess my problems are:

(0) No rear-speaker sound.
(1) Arts is broken.
(2) Linux sound support is, in general, a frustrating mess.

--Colin

Game Theater XP ALSA mixer items:

zypher · Posted: Sun Dec 29, 2002 4:39 pm Post subject:

Hmmm I don't have this card but mine is using the same module (Terratec 1024 XFire).
Have you tried the kernel-module (cs46xx.o)?
I'm not using the digital-out but front and rear work, that's for sure.
Maybe it's worth a try for you.
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Matje · Posted: Sun Dec 29, 2002 7:34 pm Post subject:

The alsa drivers for cs46xx are far from complete. Currently they support rear speaker sound, but you have to redirect sound to the "second soundcard" that is available in alsamixer since rc4. And then you have only rear sound :-)

I don'k know how you can direct sound to both channels, don't even know how you can direct it to the rear channels, haven't tried it myself yet :-)

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Shades3D · n00b Joined: 25 Dec 2002 Posts: 39

Ha! You're in luck! I had been pondering this same problem for a week or so now. I have your solution!

With the rc6 drivers, I could get rear sound using -Dhw:0,1 with aplay, but never get it working with arts, xmms, mplayer, etc

What did I do?

removed alsa-0.9.0_rc6 and went with alsa-0.9.0_rc5!

I read on the alsa mailing list that the cs46xx driver didn't get 4 speaker sound till rc3. I tried to emerge rc3, but rc3 failed to compile. So I tried rc5 and it works! I can get 4 speaker sound with standard aplay, xmms, mplayer, etc. Only problem I face now, is that I hear there's a compatibility problem between arts and rc5

so I can't use KDE, looks like I'm back on *box

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colinb · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 22 Jun 2002 Posts: 114

Well, I'm using the kernel module (cs46xx.o) now and I've got Arts working again, but I still don't have rear sound. Is there anything special I have to do to get rear-speaker output?

--Colin

Matje · Posted: Mon Dec 30, 2002 11:52 am Post subject:

I have used rc5 for a long time and never heard any 4 speaker sound? :-)

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Shades3D · n00b Joined: 25 Dec 2002 Posts: 39

are you using the cs46xx chipset? :p

Also, make sure PCM, PCM 1, Master, and Master 1 is unmuted and turned up. PCM and PCM 1 should not be over 75%, or the sound gets really bad. Master and Master 1 can be up to 100% though.
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colinb · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 22 Jun 2002 Posts: 114

Yes, my card apparently has the CS4630 chipset (according to the back of the box, anyway.)

--Colin

Shades3D · n00b Joined: 25 Dec 2002 Posts: 39

colinb: I'm using the exact same card as you, the Hercules Game Theater XP :p My question about the chipset was directed to Matje
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Matje · Posted: Thu Jan 02, 2003 9:11 am Post subject:

I'm also the (lucky?) owner of a Hercules Game Theater XP ;-)

I'm also very patient :-)

Most of the time my rear and subwoofer connectors aren't plugged in, my boxset then generates the sounds for itself. Off course it's not the same, but hey, I'm as lazy as hell ;-)

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Shades3D · n00b Joined: 25 Dec 2002 Posts: 39

Well, what can we say..

Great piece of hardware backed by crappy tech support and even crappier drivers for both windows and linux

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timmfin · Posted: Thu Jan 02, 2003 4:48 pm Post subject:

I'm a herc owner toou sing alsa but I rarely have the rear speakers hooked up. I'm very pleased with the alsa sound quality, but the usb ports on the external box don't work very well. I can only use one of the four usb ports on it. Anyone else run into that problem?

Shades3D · n00b Joined: 25 Dec 2002 Posts: 39

I haven't actually tested them, but all 4 are detected by my gentoo setup.

LaSAR · Posted: Fri Jan 03, 2003 10:59 am Post subject:

im using a Hercules Gamesurround also but alsa-lib-0.9.0_rc6 failes
to compile here.. any ideas?
(never tested the usb ports btw)

collect2: ld terminated with signal 11 [Segmentation fault], core dumped
make[2]: *** [libasound.la] Error 1
make[2]: Leaving directory `/var/tmp/portage/alsa-lib-0.9.0_rc6/work/alsa-lib-0.9.0rc6/src'
make[1]: *** [all-recursive] Error 1
make[1]: Leaving directory `/var/tmp/portage/alsa-lib-0.9.0_rc6/work/alsa-lib-0.9.0rc6/src'
make: *** [all-recursive] Error 1

!!! ERROR: media-libs/alsa-lib-0.9.0_rc6 failed.
!!! Function src_compile, Line 21, Exitcode 2
!!! make failed

xenon · Guru Joined: 25 Dec 2002 Posts: 432 Location: Europe

Rc7 is out. Thought someone might be interested.

kappax · Posted: Fri Feb 07, 2003 8:49 pm Post subject:

guero61 · l33t Joined: 14 Oct 2002 Posts: 811 Location: Behind you

I have the Fortissimo II (same chipset), and the kernel sound is by far the best. If you're using KDE, try using kmixer to turn up PCM2, that's the rear speaker channel for me. I've got the cs46xx loaded as a module and it runs like a champ, especially using FreeVerb in aRts (available from the aRts control module in kdemultimedia). You should be able to get great sound that way; I actually get cleaner sound and better amplification with Linux now than Windows.

kappax · Posted: Sat Feb 08, 2003 10:59 am Post subject:

guero61 · l33t Joined: 14 Oct 2002 Posts: 811 Location: Behind you

I've never had a problem with aRts handling different inputs... I thought aRts was a "sound server"