Can ALSA config change permanently upon mplayer freezing?

VinzC

Hi.

I've got an issue with ALSA yesterday (19th April around 19:00) that I cannot explain and I even wonder how it is just possible.

Until then, I didn't need any .asoundrc. [Okay, it's not the first time my system flaps on its own between "don't need an .asoundrc" and "WANT an .asoundrc" without ever being able to explain why. But it was so far only between reboots, not while the machine was running!] I had software mixing by default and sound was going through my SPDIF output. Out of the box!

Yesterday I was watching a movie with mplayer and accidentally typed a sequence of keys (which should have been typed in my chat client) and then mplayer froze. I had to kill mplayer.

Since then I get no sound through the SPDIF output (again... *sighs*) until I create an .asoundrc configuration file («asoundrc 33 1/3, the return»).

So far I have never been able

to explain why all of a sudden I need to create this file
to explain why the first days I installed my machine checking the "IEC958 default PCM" switch in the audio mixer was enough to make SPDIF the default output
to explain why another day that "IEC958 default PCM" didn't work anymore
to explain what makes my system change its desires (yeah, I'll end up believing it LIVES!)
to master .asoundrc syntax enough to write a file on my own without asking for help

If anybody has the slightest explanation, I'm fully open, even to a ghost in the machine.

All I want is a) SPDIF as the default output and b) software mixing (it must be possible since it was working out-of-the-box until yesterday).

Thanks a lot for any info/hint/hug/help/tutorial/exorcism.

EDIT: This gives me SPDIF output by default but fails dmix'ing as all my attempts at using dmix with digital output have failed.

PaulBredbury · Watchman Joined: 14 Jul 2005 Posts: 7310

See config in my sig, and all the useful info therein, e.g. this list of things that often go wrong.
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Improve your font rendering and ALSA sound

VinzC · Posted: Sat Apr 20, 2013 12:31 pm Post subject:

Thanks Paul. I remember you already helped me with Alsa and I tried your sound configuration. However that never worked and there are too many points I don't understand (I understand almost nothing there to be honest). I've tried again right now and it still doesn't work (aka I have no sound).

I have first tried copying only the pcm.dmixed block, no sound. I then copied everything and then I got a message from Parole (Xfce media player, it uses gstreamer) "L'élément autoaudiosink ne fonctionne pas." (The autoaudiosink element doesn't work). Fact is I don't know/understand what to copy and what to change.

Here's what I can provide.

PaulBredbury · Watchman Joined: 14 Jul 2005 Posts: 7310

You most likely don't want "device=spdif" - I assume that would not go through dmix.

To set what ALSA's card 0 is, I use in a file in /etc/modprobe.d/

VinzC · Posted: Sat Apr 20, 2013 2:14 pm Post subject: