[gentoo-user] After yrs of silence... I need sound

[gentoo-user] After yrs of silence... I need sound

[Harry Putnam]

I've gone literally for yrs with no sound on my desktop machines.... I
rarely find a need for it.

But now I'm trying to take some online courses and find trying to work
on windows machine when coding and other sorts of editor intensive
stuff is involved... I really feel much more adept on linux.

Anyway cutting to the chase... its been so long since I even looked
into gettting sound working.. I'm sort of stunned at the realization I
have no clue at all as to how to get started.

I hoped to avoid reading acres of documentation.  Starting way at the
bottom etc etc.

Hoping some kind sole will take the time to provide a brief outline
off the top of there head... how to get started and cut right to the
chase in an hour or two.

My setup is profile x86/2008.0
On this architecture and kernel <past the `-r1' is my own versioning
Linux reader 2.6.30-gentoo-r1_rdr_5 #6 [...]i686 Intel(R) Celeron(R) 
  CPU 3.06GHz GenuineIntel GNU/Linux
I try to keep within a week or two being up to date most of the time.

I've got speakers hooked up at back of the machine in the `green'
hole.

I get nothing sound wise when attempting to play a music or video
file.

Neither do I see any errors:  mplayer some.wav from a cmdprompt shows
the file playing... but I'm hearing nothing.

Below are a few chunks of info that hopefully will be useful to
someone diagnostically:

My kernel has also enabled pci sound devices/:
  <M>   (Creative) Ensoniq AudioPCI 1370
  <M>   (Creative) Ensoniq AudioPCI 1371/1373   

lspci -vv shows this item:

  00:1f.5 Multimedia audio controller: Intel Corporation 82801EB/ER
   (ICH5/ICH5R) AC'97 Audio Controller (rev 02)

   Subsystem: Micro-Star International Co., Ltd. 865PE Neo2-V
   (MS-6788) Mainboard

   Control: I/O+ Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr-
   Stepping- SERR- FastB2B- DisINTx-

   Status: Cap+ 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B+ ParErr- DEVSEL=medium >TAbort-
   <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR- INTx-

   Latency: 0
   Interrupt: pin B routed to IRQ 12
   Region 0: I/O ports at dc00 [size=256]
   Region 1: I/O ports at d800 [size=64]
   Region 2: Memory at febffa00 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=512]
   Region 3: Memory at febff900 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=256]
   Capabilities: <access denied>
   Kernel driver in use: Intel ICH
   Kernel modules: snd-intel8x0

Re: [gentoo-user] After yrs of silence... I need sound

[Arttu V.]

On 9/7/09, Harry Putnam <reader@newsguy.com> wrote:
> Neither do I see any errors:  mplayer some.wav from a cmdprompt shows
> the file playing... but I'm hearing nothing.

Run alsamixer and un-mute the channels?

-- 
Arttu V.

Re: [gentoo-user] After yrs of silence... I need sound

[Dale]

Harry Putnam wrote:
> I've gone literally for yrs with no sound on my desktop machines.... I
> rarely find a need for it.
>
> But now I'm trying to take some online courses and find trying to work
> on windows machine when coding and other sorts of editor intensive
> stuff is involved... I really feel much more adept on linux.
>
> Anyway cutting to the chase... its been so long since I even looked
> into gettting sound working.. I'm sort of stunned at the realization I
> have no clue at all as to how to get started.
>
> I hoped to avoid reading acres of documentation.  Starting way at the
> bottom etc etc.
>
> Hoping some kind sole will take the time to provide a brief outline
> off the top of there head... how to get started and cut right to the
> chase in an hour or two.
>
> My setup is profile x86/2008.0
> On this architecture and kernel <past the `-r1' is my own versioning
> Linux reader 2.6.30-gentoo-r1_rdr_5 #6 [...]i686 Intel(R) Celeron(R) 
>   CPU 3.06GHz GenuineIntel GNU/Linux
> I try to keep within a week or two being up to date most of the time.
>
> I've got speakers hooked up at back of the machine in the `green'
> hole.
>
> I get nothing sound wise when attempting to play a music or video
> file.
>
> Neither do I see any errors:  mplayer some.wav from a cmdprompt shows
> the file playing... but I'm hearing nothing.
>
> Below are a few chunks of info that hopefully will be useful to
> someone diagnostically:
>
> My kernel has also enabled pci sound devices/:
>   <M>   (Creative) Ensoniq AudioPCI 1370
>   <M>   (Creative) Ensoniq AudioPCI 1371/1373   
>
> lspci -vv shows this item:
>
>   00:1f.5 Multimedia audio controller: Intel Corporation 82801EB/ER
>    (ICH5/ICH5R) AC'97 Audio Controller (rev 02)
>
>    Subsystem: Micro-Star International Co., Ltd. 865PE Neo2-V
>    (MS-6788) Mainboard
>
>    Control: I/O+ Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr-
>    Stepping- SERR- FastB2B- DisINTx-
>
>    Status: Cap+ 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B+ ParErr- DEVSEL=medium >TAbort-
>    <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR- INTx-
>
>    Latency: 0
>    Interrupt: pin B routed to IRQ 12
>    Region 0: I/O ports at dc00 [size=256]
>    Region 1: I/O ports at d800 [size=64]
>    Region 2: Memory at febffa00 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=512]
>    Region 3: Memory at febff900 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=256]
>    Capabilities: <access denied>
>    Kernel driver in use: Intel ICH
>    Kernel modules: snd-intel8x0
>
>
>
>   

Well, this has always been a pet peeve of mine.  It is the default way. 
Try using kmix, alsamixer or some of its friends to unmute the sound. 
It may not be all of the problem but it has to be unmuted first and
foremost. 

Hopefully that will make those speakers thump a little. 

Dale

:-)  :-) 

Re: [gentoo-user] After yrs of silence... I need sound

[Mick]

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On Sunday 06 September 2009, Harry Putnam wrote:
> Kernel modules: snd-intel8x0

Assuming you have the right kernel driver compiled and the module loaded 
(search in the help pages of the Intel sound device drivers when you run make 
menuconfig to make sure you have chosen the right one) then you should check:

a) dmesg for any errors when you boot up or load the respective module.
b) Run alsaconf as root which will unmute your card and configure sound.
c) Run alsamixer as plain user to set up the sound as you like it (after you 
check that your user belongs to the audio group).
d) Read http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/alsa-guide.xml and 
http://en.gentoo-wiki.com/wiki/ALSA in case I have missed something 
important.

Hope this helps.
-- 
Regards,
Mick

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Re: [gentoo-user] After yrs of silence... I need sound

[Joshua Murphy]

On Sun, Sep 6, 2009 at 5:41 PM, Harry Putnam<reader@newsguy.com> wrote:
> I've gone literally for yrs with no sound on my desktop machines.... I
> rarely find a need for it.
>
> But now I'm trying to take some online courses and find trying to work
> on windows machine when coding and other sorts of editor intensive
> stuff is involved... I really feel much more adept on linux.
>
> Anyway cutting to the chase... its been so long since I even looked
> into gettting sound working.. I'm sort of stunned at the realization I
> have no clue at all as to how to get started.
>
> I hoped to avoid reading acres of documentation.  Starting way at the
> bottom etc etc.
>
> Hoping some kind sole will take the time to provide a brief outline
> off the top of there head... how to get started and cut right to the
> chase in an hour or two.
>
> My setup is profile x86/2008.0
> On this architecture and kernel <past the `-r1' is my own versioning
> Linux reader 2.6.30-gentoo-r1_rdr_5 #6 [...]i686 Intel(R) Celeron(R)
>  CPU 3.06GHz GenuineIntel GNU/Linux
> I try to keep within a week or two being up to date most of the time.
>
> I've got speakers hooked up at back of the machine in the `green'
> hole.
>
> I get nothing sound wise when attempting to play a music or video
> file.
>
> Neither do I see any errors:  mplayer some.wav from a cmdprompt shows
> the file playing... but I'm hearing nothing.
>
> Below are a few chunks of info that hopefully will be useful to
> someone diagnostically:
>
> My kernel has also enabled pci sound devices/:
>  <M>   (Creative) Ensoniq AudioPCI 1370
>  <M>   (Creative) Ensoniq AudioPCI 1371/1373
>
> lspci -vv shows this item:
>
>  00:1f.5 Multimedia audio controller: Intel Corporation 82801EB/ER
>   (ICH5/ICH5R) AC'97 Audio Controller (rev 02)
>
>   Subsystem: Micro-Star International Co., Ltd. 865PE Neo2-V
>   (MS-6788) Mainboard
>
>   Control: I/O+ Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr-
>   Stepping- SERR- FastB2B- DisINTx-
>
>   Status: Cap+ 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B+ ParErr- DEVSEL=medium >TAbort-
>   <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR- INTx-
>
>   Latency: 0
>   Interrupt: pin B routed to IRQ 12
>   Region 0: I/O ports at dc00 [size=256]
>   Region 1: I/O ports at d800 [size=64]
>   Region 2: Memory at febffa00 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=512]
>   Region 3: Memory at febff900 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=256]
>   Capabilities: <access denied>
>   Kernel driver in use: Intel ICH
>   Kernel modules: snd-intel8x0

Well... here we go then, the order I check things myself:

1) Drivers. According to your lspci output there, your kernel already
has the drivers for the card
--
Kernel driver in use: Intel ICH
--
and so that's covered.

2) Are the needed channels muted? Once you unmute them, assuming
alsa-utils is installed and the alsa service is started, the volumes
and muted/unmuted state should be saved between reboots (configurable
in /etc/conf.d/).

3) ... I rarely get this far.

-- 
Poison [BLX]
Joshua M. Murphy

[gentoo-user] Re: After yrs of silence... I need sound

[Harry Putnam]

Harry Putnam <reader@newsguy.com> writes:

[...]

> Hoping some kind sole will take the time to provide a brief outline
> off the top of there head... how to get started and cut right to the
> chase in an hour or two.
>

[...]

Thanks too:
Arttu V.,  Dale, Mick, Joshua Murphy

That alsaconf is way cool...