[gentoo-user] AMD hdaudio: why do I have two audio devices and two mixers?

[gentoo-user] AMD hdaudio: why do I have two audio devices and two mixers?

[walt]

Fresh gentoo install on new lenovo desktop.  Both linux and win7
(lenovo installed) tell me that this machine has two audio devices:

00:01.1 Audio device: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] nee ATI BeaverCreek HDMI Audio [Radeon HD 6500D and 6400G-6600G series]
	Subsystem: Lenovo Device 3625
	Kernel driver in use: snd_hda_intel
	Kernel modules: snd-hda-intel

00:14.2 Audio device: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] Hudson Azalia Controller (rev 01)
	Subsystem: Lenovo Device 3625
	Kernel driver in use: snd_hda_intel
	Kernel modules: snd-hda-intel

crw-rw----+ 1 root audio 14,  0 Mar 29 18:07 /dev/mixer
crw-rw----+ 1 root audio 14, 16 Mar 29 18:07 /dev/mixer1

crw-rw----+  1 root audio 116,  3 Mar 29 18:07 controlC0
crw-rw----+  1 root audio 116,  7 Mar 29 18:07 controlC1
crw-rw----+  1 root audio 116,  2 Mar 29 18:07 pcmC0D3p
crw-rw----+  1 root audio 116,  6 Mar 29 18:07 pcmC1D0c
crw-rw----+  1 root audio 116,  5 Mar 29 18:07 pcmC1D0p
crw-rw----+  1 root audio 116,  4 Mar 29 18:07 pcmC1D2c
crw-rw----+  1 root audio 116, 33 Mar 29 18:07 timer

lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root  12 Mar 29 18:07 pci-0000:00:01.1 -> ../controlC0
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root  12 Mar 29 18:07 pci-0000:00:14.2 -> ../controlC1


I spent an entire frustrating day discovering that the reason I
have no sound is that every app wants to use /dev/mixer when only
/dev/mixer1 actually works :(

Only some apps (like audacious) will let me choose which mixer to
use, and those apps work perfectly.

Anyone else seen this before, I hope?  Got a fix?

Thanks :)
-- 

P.S. -- No, I don't use pulseaudio.  Why do you ask?

Re: [gentoo-user] AMD hdaudio: why do I have two audio devices and two mixers?

[Hung Dang]

On 03/29/2012 09:18 PM, walt wrote:
> Fresh gentoo install on new lenovo desktop.  Both linux and win7
> (lenovo installed) tell me that this machine has two audio devices:
>
> 00:01.1 Audio device: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] nee ATI BeaverCreek HDMI Audio [Radeon HD 6500D and 6400G-6600G series]
> 	Subsystem: Lenovo Device 3625
> 	Kernel driver in use: snd_hda_intel
> 	Kernel modules: snd-hda-intel
>
> 00:14.2 Audio device: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] Hudson Azalia Controller (rev 01)
> 	Subsystem: Lenovo Device 3625
> 	Kernel driver in use: snd_hda_intel
> 	Kernel modules: snd-hda-intel
>
> crw-rw----+ 1 root audio 14,  0 Mar 29 18:07 /dev/mixer
> crw-rw----+ 1 root audio 14, 16 Mar 29 18:07 /dev/mixer1
>
> crw-rw----+  1 root audio 116,  3 Mar 29 18:07 controlC0
> crw-rw----+  1 root audio 116,  7 Mar 29 18:07 controlC1
> crw-rw----+  1 root audio 116,  2 Mar 29 18:07 pcmC0D3p
> crw-rw----+  1 root audio 116,  6 Mar 29 18:07 pcmC1D0c
> crw-rw----+  1 root audio 116,  5 Mar 29 18:07 pcmC1D0p
> crw-rw----+  1 root audio 116,  4 Mar 29 18:07 pcmC1D2c
> crw-rw----+  1 root audio 116, 33 Mar 29 18:07 timer
>
> lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root  12 Mar 29 18:07 pci-0000:00:01.1 ->  ../controlC0
> lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root  12 Mar 29 18:07 pci-0000:00:14.2 ->  ../controlC1
>
>
> I spent an entire frustrating day discovering that the reason I
> have no sound is that every app wants to use /dev/mixer when only
> /dev/mixer1 actually works :(
>
> Only some apps (like audacious) will let me choose which mixer to
> use, and those apps work perfectly.
>
> Anyone else seen this before, I hope?  Got a fix?
>
> Thanks :)
I guess the second audio device is either HDMI or HD audio generic. You 
could verify this by opening alsamixer then select F6 to see a list of 
audio devices. If you use pulseaudio then you can select the default 
output device. Or use /etc/asound.conf to select your preferred default 
device.

Hung

Re: [gentoo-user] AMD hdaudio: why do I have two audio devices and two mixers?

[Michael Mol]

On Thu, Mar 29, 2012 at 9:37 PM, Hung Dang <hungptit@gmail.com> wrote:
> On 03/29/2012 09:18 PM, walt wrote:
>>
>> Fresh gentoo install on new lenovo desktop.  Both linux and win7
>> (lenovo installed) tell me that this machine has two audio devices:
>>
>> 00:01.1 Audio device: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] nee ATI BeaverCreek
>> HDMI Audio [Radeon HD 6500D and 6400G-6600G series]
>>        Subsystem: Lenovo Device 3625
>>        Kernel driver in use: snd_hda_intel
>>        Kernel modules: snd-hda-intel
>>
>> 00:14.2 Audio device: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] Hudson Azalia
>> Controller (rev 01)
>>        Subsystem: Lenovo Device 3625
>>        Kernel driver in use: snd_hda_intel
>>        Kernel modules: snd-hda-intel
>>
>> crw-rw----+ 1 root audio 14,  0 Mar 29 18:07 /dev/mixer
>> crw-rw----+ 1 root audio 14, 16 Mar 29 18:07 /dev/mixer1
>>
>> crw-rw----+  1 root audio 116,  3 Mar 29 18:07 controlC0
>> crw-rw----+  1 root audio 116,  7 Mar 29 18:07 controlC1
>> crw-rw----+  1 root audio 116,  2 Mar 29 18:07 pcmC0D3p
>> crw-rw----+  1 root audio 116,  6 Mar 29 18:07 pcmC1D0c
>> crw-rw----+  1 root audio 116,  5 Mar 29 18:07 pcmC1D0p
>> crw-rw----+  1 root audio 116,  4 Mar 29 18:07 pcmC1D2c
>> crw-rw----+  1 root audio 116, 33 Mar 29 18:07 timer
>>
>> lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root  12 Mar 29 18:07 pci-0000:00:01.1 ->  ../controlC0
>> lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root  12 Mar 29 18:07 pci-0000:00:14.2 ->  ../controlC1
>>
>>
>> I spent an entire frustrating day discovering that the reason I
>> have no sound is that every app wants to use /dev/mixer when only
>> /dev/mixer1 actually works :(
>>
>> Only some apps (like audacious) will let me choose which mixer to
>> use, and those apps work perfectly.
>>
>> Anyone else seen this before, I hope?  Got a fix?
>>
>> Thanks :)
>
> I guess the second audio device is either HDMI or HD audio generic. You
> could verify this by opening alsamixer then select F6 to see a list of audio
> devices. If you use pulseaudio then you can select the default output
> device. Or use /etc/asound.conf to select your preferred default device.

Well, technically, the first one is HDMI, and the second one is the
more mundane one.

-- 
:wq

[gentoo-user] Re: AMD hdaudio: why do I have two audio devices and two mixers?

[masterprometheus]

walt wrote:

> Fresh gentoo install on new lenovo desktop.  Both linux and win7
> (lenovo installed) tell me that this machine has two audio devices:
> 
> 00:01.1 Audio device: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] nee ATI BeaverCreek
> HDMI Audio [Radeon HD 6500D and 6400G-6600G series] Subsystem: Lenovo
> Device 3625 Kernel driver in use: snd_hda_intel
> Kernel modules: snd-hda-intel

That's the HDMI output of your integrated GPU. All AMD graphics, 
including the APU you have, come with integrated HDMI Audio. 

> 00:14.2 Audio device: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] Hudson Azalia
> Controller (rev 01) Subsystem: Lenovo Device 3625
> Kernel driver in use: snd_hda_intel
> Kernel modules: snd-hda-intel

This is the one you have to use for laptop audio.

> I spent an entire frustrating day discovering that the reason I
> have no sound is that every app wants to use /dev/mixer when only
> /dev/mixer1 actually works :(
> 
> Only some apps (like audacious) will let me choose which mixer to
> use, and those apps work perfectly.

> Anyone else seen this before, I hope?  Got a fix?

I think you have to make the second one the default audio device. 
Possibly by editing the alsa.conf files found in /etc/modprobe.d and 
/usr/share/alsa. This thread may help :
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/gentoo-87/set-default-sound-
card-796566/

HTH

Re: [gentoo-user] AMD hdaudio: why do I have two audio devices and two mixers?

[Alex Schuster]

walt writes:

> 00:01.1 Audio device: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] nee ATI BeaverCreek
> HDMI Audio [Radeon HD 6500D and 6400G-6600G series] Subsystem: Lenovo
> Device 3625 Kernel driver in use: snd_hda_intel
> 	Kernel modules: snd-hda-intel
> 
> 00:14.2 Audio device: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] Hudson Azalia
> Controller (rev 01) Subsystem: Lenovo Device 3625
> 	Kernel driver in use: snd_hda_intel
> 	Kernel modules: snd-hda-intel

Probably those are HDMI and 'normal' device. I had similar problems on my
sister's PC.


> I spent an entire frustrating day discovering that the reason I
> have no sound is that every app wants to use /dev/mixer when only
> /dev/mixer1 actually works :(
> 
> Only some apps (like audacious) will let me choose which mixer to
> use, and those apps work perfectly.
> 
> Anyone else seen this before, I hope?  Got a fix?

My solution was to edit /usr/share/alsa/alsa.conf, and change
defaults.ctl.card and defaults.pcm.card from 0 to 1. Add this file to
CONFIG_PROTECT in make.conf, or else the next alsa update will overwrite
the file.

	Wonko

[gentoo-user] Re: AMD hdaudio: why do I have two audio devices and two mixers?

[walt]

On 03/30/2012 09:34 AM, Alex Schuster wrote:
> walt writes:
> 
>> 00:01.1 Audio device: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] nee ATI BeaverCreek
>> HDMI Audio [Radeon HD 6500D and 6400G-6600G series] Subsystem: Lenovo
>> Device 3625 Kernel driver in use: snd_hda_intel
>> 	Kernel modules: snd-hda-intel
>>
>> 00:14.2 Audio device: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] Hudson Azalia
>> Controller (rev 01) Subsystem: Lenovo Device 3625
>> 	Kernel driver in use: snd_hda_intel
>> 	Kernel modules: snd-hda-intel
> 
> Probably those are HDMI and 'normal' device. I had similar problems on my
> sister's PC.

First, thanks to all who replied.  All the answers were helpful and the
lightbulb is slowly getting brighter :)

I finally looked up HDMI on Wikipedia.  Software is driven by hardware
and this new machine is the only HDMI equipment I've ever used, so I
never had any need to understand it before now.

Now it's clear to me why there are two different sound devices on this
machine -- HDMI is a completely different animal and needs different
harware and drivers.  So, thanks for clearing that up for me.  Maybe
someday I'll actually want to use the HDMI hardware for something ;)

> My solution was to edit /usr/share/alsa/alsa.conf, and change
> defaults.ctl.card and defaults.pcm.card from 0 to 1.

I must have the syntax wrong in my alsa.conf, but I finally edited
/usr/share/alsa/alsa.conf and changed the default values to 1.  Now
alsamixer comes up with the right mixer displayed, thanks.

All apps but audacious still use the wrong mixer/card in spite of
the new defaults, though.

I'm finally understanding the value of pulseaudio as a side-effect of
buying this new computer.  Now I'm recompiling everything with the
pulse useflag, something I thought I'd never do :/

I think I can use pulse to solve this problem IIUC.  Here goes :)

Re: [gentoo-user] Re: AMD hdaudio: why do I have two audio devices and two mixers?

[Sebastian Beßler]

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On 31.03.2012 22:50, walt wrote:

> I'm finally understanding the value of pulseaudio as a side-effect of
> buying this new computer.  Now I'm recompiling everything with the
> pulse useflag, something I thought I'd never do :/
> 
> I think I can use pulse to solve this problem IIUC.  Here goes :)

As some of the features of pulseaudio are quite nice I set pulseaudio in
make.conf and build everything using that flag new.
First pulseaudio worked as it should, I was able to listen to 3 songs
and a Youtube video. Then the mixer from kde segfaulted and the sound
was gone as pulseaudio then prefered HDMI over my real soundcard. Even
with an hour of debugging I was unable to fix pulseaudio so now I switch
back.

I hope your results are better then mine.

Greetings

Sebastian Beßler



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[gentoo-user] Re: AMD hdaudio: why do I have two audio devices and two mixers?

[walt]

On 03/31/2012 10:25 PM, Sebastian Beßler wrote:

> Then the mixer from kde segfaulted and the sound
> was gone as pulseaudio then prefered HDMI over my real soundcard.

Well, I just spent an hour figuring out how to fix that problem :)

I assume your HDMI card is "sink number 0" and the analog device is
"sink number 1".  That's how it works in my new machine, anyway.

#grep sink /etc/pulse/client.conf 
 default-sink = 1

I changed the 0 to 1 and now everything works normally.  As for any
kde app segfaulting.....