I don't remember how to troubleshoot a soundcard!

Message

axlotl · Post by **axlotl** » Wed Mar 09, 2005 6:59 am

They've always just worked, alsa and whatever that old c-thing was.
So now I have a new Dell computer which came with a soundblaster live ("24 bit!" did they used to be different? Actually I thought my old one was a "32!") I have tried compiling emu10k1 into the kernel and loading it as a module. I installed udev before I really dealt with any hardware outside of block devices. I can't even find the card in the /sys filetree using udevinfo.

How can I tell it's working? Give me some commands to poke it with.

thebigslide · Post by **thebigslide** » Wed Mar 09, 2005 7:09 am

lspci -vv
Does it show up? What's the particulars. Could be a new PCI ID that isn't in alsa. Seems possible knowing Dell.

Revellion · Post by **Revellion** » Wed Mar 09, 2005 7:13 am

most soundcards from like 2002-2003 and earlier were 16bits, except some professional soundcards and the audigy series

you can test and see if you can even use the mixer to set the volume: $ alsamixer

if that gives a permission error you can just check: $ ls -lah /dev/sound/* /dev/snd/* and see if the devices is owned by root:audio and got permissions crw-rw---

axlotl · Post by **axlotl** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 1:03 am

Oh, yeah! lspci!

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bash-2.05b# lspci
[...]
0000:01:01.0 Modem: Intel Corporation: Unknown device 1080 (rev 04)
0000:01:02.0 Multimedia audio controller: Creative Labs SB Audigy LS
0000:01:08.0 Ethernet controller: Intel Corporation 82562EZ 10/100 Ethernet Cont
roller (rev 02)
bash-2.05b#

There it is. Here's the /dev listings. Alsamixer gives me a response I haven't seen before:

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bash-2.05b# alsamixer         

alsamixer: function snd_ctl_open failed for default: No such device

bash-2.05b# ls -lah /dev/sound/*
crw-------  1 root audio 14, 1 Mar  8 20:09 /dev/sound/sequencer
crw-------  1 root audio 14, 8 Mar  8 20:09 /dev/sound/sequencer2
bash-2.05b# ls -lah /dev/snd/*
crw-------  1 root audio 116,  0 Mar  8 20:09 /dev/snd/controlC0
crw-------  1 root audio 116,  1 Mar  8 20:09 /dev/snd/seq
crw-------  1 root audio 116, 33 Mar  8 20:09 /dev/snd/timer

I actually haven't looked at since I posted because I had to sleep and work. I'll see where I can take it from here.
Thanks!

axlotl · Post by **axlotl** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 1:15 am

udev for sound so far as I've found:

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bash-2.05b# pwd
/sys/class/sound
bash-2.05b# ls
ieee1394       ieee1394_node  mem   net     pci_bus  scsi_device   scsi_host  tty  usb_host
ieee1394_host  input          misc  nvidia  printer  scsi_generic  sound      usb  vc
bash-2.05b# cd sound
bash-2.05b# ls
controlC0  seq  sequencer  sequencer2  timer
bash-2.05b# udevinfo -a -p controlC0/
couldn't get the class device
bash-2.05b# udevinfo -a -p seq
couldn't get the class device

It's that way for all of them. I'm kinda shaky on udev so far, any hints?

thebigslide · Post by **thebigslide** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 5:00 am

the snd-emu10k1 module didn't load.
Can you insmod it and see if there's any message in dmesg?

Cintra · Post by **Cintra** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 6:12 am

axlotl wrote: How can I tell it's working? Give me some commands to poke it with.

http://www.linux-mag.com/2004-12/sound_01.html
Testing and Using Sound Tools
mvh

Revellion · Post by **Revellion** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 3:02 pm

axlotl wrote:Oh, yeah! lspci!

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bash-2.05b# lspci
[...]
0000:01:01.0 Modem: Intel Corporation: Unknown device 1080 (rev 04)
0000:01:02.0 Multimedia audio controller: Creative Labs SB Audigy LS
0000:01:08.0 Ethernet controller: Intel Corporation 82562EZ 10/100 Ethernet Cont
roller (rev 02)
bash-2.05b#

There it is. Here's the /dev listings. Alsamixer gives me a response I haven't seen before:

Code: Select all

bash-2.05b# alsamixer         

alsamixer: function snd_ctl_open failed for default: No such device

bash-2.05b# ls -lah /dev/sound/*
crw-------  1 root audio 14, 1 Mar  8 20:09 /dev/sound/sequencer
crw-------  1 root audio 14, 8 Mar  8 20:09 /dev/sound/sequencer2
bash-2.05b# ls -lah /dev/snd/*
crw-------  1 root audio 116,  0 Mar  8 20:09 /dev/snd/controlC0
crw-------  1 root audio 116,  1 Mar  8 20:09 /dev/snd/seq
crw-------  1 root audio 116, 33 Mar  8 20:09 /dev/snd/timer

I actually haven't looked at since I posted because I had to sleep and work. I'll see where I can take it from here.
Thanks!

Those permissions are way off

, should be crw-rw--- not crw-------,
and you say you use UDEV,

Your /etc/udev/permissions.d/50-udev.permissions should say this if you Ctrl + W: audio <= in nano

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# audio devices
dsp*:root:audio:0660
audio*:root:audio:0660
midi*:root:audio:0660
mixer*:root:audio:0660
sequencer*:root:audio:0660
sound/*:root:audio:0660
snd/*:root:audio:0660
beep:root:audio:0660
admm*:root:audio:0660
adsp*:root:audio:0660
aload*:root:audio:0660
amidi*:root:audio:0660
dmfm*:root:audio:0660
dmmidi*:root:audio:0660
sndstat:root:audio:0660

axlotl · Post by **axlotl** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 2:28 am

ok, snd-emu10k as module:

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bash-2.05b# modprobe snd-emu10k1
bash-2.05b# lsmod
Module                  Size  Used by
snd_emu10k1            93828  0 
snd_rawmidi            21152  1 snd_emu10k1
snd_util_mem            4480  1 snd_emu10k1
snd_hwdep               8452  1 snd_emu10k1
nvidia               3464348  12 
bash-2.05b# alsamixer
alsamixer: function snd_ctl_open failed for default: No such device

And, looking in /etc/udev/permissions.d/50-udev.permissions, we see:

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bash-2.05b# nano /etc/udev/permissions.d/50-udev.permissions 
[...]
# audio devices
dsp*:root:audio:0660
audio*:root:audio:0660
midi*:root:audio:0660
mixer*:root:audio:0660
sequencer*:root:audio:0660
sound/*:root:audio:0660
snd/*:root:audio:0660
beep:root:audio:0660
admm*:root:audio:0660
adsp*:root:audio:0660

As noted above, the soundcard does show up in lspci. Here it is with the arguments:

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bash-2.05b# lspci -vv
[...]
0000:01:02.0 Multimedia audio controller: Creative Labs SB Audigy LS
        Subsystem: Creative Labs: Unknown device 1007
        Control: I/O+ Mem- BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Stepping- SERR+ FastB2B-
        Status: Cap+ 66Mhz- UDF- FastB2B+ ParErr- DEVSEL=medium >TAbort- <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR-
        Latency: 64 (500ns min, 5000ns max)
        Interrupt: pin A routed to IRQ 3
        Region 0: I/O ports at dda0
        Capabilities: [dc] Power Management version 2
                Flags: PMEClk- DSI+ D1+ D2+ AuxCurrent=0mA PME(D0-,D1-,D2-,D3hot-,D3cold-)
                Status: D0 PME-Enable- DSel=0 DScale=0 PME-

And as to this:

Those permissions are way off Confused, should be crw-rw--- not crw-------,
and you say you use UDEV,

Cut me some slack man, I've been using udev for like 2 weeks so far!

And it's not as if I went in and set those permisions; that's just what it defaulted to from the emerge. What could have caused that? Should I chmod the whole /sys directory tree or something? All the other devices work fine (I think). I'm looking at that linux-mag article right after I post this.

[edit]
I tried writing my own udev rule in 20-udev.permissions:

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BUS="pci", ID="01:02.0", NAME="dsp"

Whether it's because the syntax is wrong or some other reason, it didn't help.
[/edit]

Revellion · Post by **Revellion** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 3:36 am

that would be in /etc/udev/rules.d/50-udev.rules

anyways, from earlier it seems the permissions are being screwy, do you have
in your /etc/conf.d/rc

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RC_DEVICE_TARBALL="no" or "yes"?

I experienced some permissions issues on some other systems before. so you could check if you can temporary/permanently fix it with.

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chmod 660 /dev/snd/* /dev/sound/*

Come back and tell me if it works

axlotl · Post by **axlotl** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 4:15 am

that would be in /etc/udev/rules.d/50-udev.rules

This page on udev rule writing rules says that the rules in that directory are loaded in a lexically sequential manner and applied as found so that you should put your own rules in a file with a name that precedes 50-udev-etc. Then you don't have to edit that file and can toss all your rules in the other file. That's my authority on that filename for what it's worth.

On the permissions, I had that same problem on another machine, interestingly, but with an nvidia graphix card. In this case, I think I've traced the problem to another source. Namely, I'm trying to load the wrong driver! This page on alsa-project.org says that this "SoundBlaster Live 24 Bit" card uses the snd-ca0106 driver, which would explain why snd-emu10k1 didn't drive the chipset, don't you agree?

Anyway, that module isn't listed in the ALSA options in kernel configuration (at least in 'make menuconfig' -- I assume they're all the same) so now I have to figure out how to compile a driver into the kernel manually, I guess. Thaks for all the replies. I think I'm off to the kernel forum.

[edit]
though any pointers here will be gladly accepted!
[/edit]

axlotl · Post by **axlotl** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 4:21 am

The alsa page on this driver says, "You must turn on the sound support soundcore module."

I remember this option in the kernel config from a while ago, but I don't find it now. Is this directive obsolete?

Revellion · Post by **Revellion** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 4:42 am

you mean, Device Drivers -> Sound -> Advanced Linux Sound Architecture?

axlotl · Post by **axlotl** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 4:47 am

I don't see the "soundcore" module there. Here's what

Device Drivers -> Sound -> Advanced Linux Sound Architecture?

looks like to me:

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                             <*> Advanced Linux Sound Architecture                                    x x  
  x x                                  <*> Sequencer support                                                    x x  
  x x                                  < >   Sequencer dummy client                                             x x  
  x x                                  <*> OSS Mixer API                                                        x x  
  x x                                  <*> OSS PCM (digital audio) API                                          x x  
  x x                                  [*] OSS Sequencer API                                                    x x  
  x x                                  [ ] Verbose printk                                                       x x  
  x x                                  [ ] Debug                                                                x x  
  x x                                      Generic devices  --->                                                x x  
  x x                                      PCI devices  --->                                                    x x  
  x x                                      USB devices  --->                                                    x x  
  x x

Then I go into "PCI devices" and don't see the snd-ca0106 module anywhere.

Revellion · Post by **Revellion** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 5:25 am

From what i've researched you will have to patch your kernel source with the alsa-drivers from alsa-project.org, dunno if the portage package: alsa-driver would patch the current symlinked kernel automagically but you could always try.

seems the Live! 24bit is not included in the ALSA that comes bundled with the 2.6.x kernel i have at least which is 2.6.9 :S

axlotl · Post by **axlotl** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 5:30 am

oh, you had me excited for a minute, like it might be a fuller list of drivers. Alas:

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bash-2.05b# emerge -pv alsa-driver

These are the packages that I would merge, in order:

Calculating dependencies ...done!
[ebuild  N    ] media-sound/alsa-driver-1.0.8_rc1  -debug -doc +oss 0 kB 

Total size of downloads: 0 kB
bash-2.05b# emerge -v alsa-driver
Calculating dependencies ...done!
>>> emerge (1 of 1) media-sound/alsa-driver-1.0.8_rc1 to /
>>> md5 src_uri ;-) alsa-driver-1.0.8rc1.tar.bz2
 * Determining the location of the kernel source code
 * Found kernel source directory:
 *     /usr/src/linux
 * Found sources for kernel version:
 *     2.6.10-gentoo-r6-snd_mod
 * Checking for suitable kernel configuration options
 *   ALSA is already compiled into the kernel.
 * Please check to make sure these options are set correctly.
 * Once you have satisfied these options, please try merging
 * this package again.

!!! ERROR: media-sound/alsa-driver-1.0.8_rc1 failed.

Oh well! : (

Revellion · Post by **Revellion** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 7:06 am

forgot to mention that you have to goto Device Drivers --> Sound --> then un-check Advanced Linux Sound Architecture :S, then you can emerge the alsa-driver

I don't remember how to troubleshoot a soundcard!

I don't remember how to troubleshoot a soundcard!

Re: I don't remember how to troubleshoot a soundcard!