Sound problems

jeffneedle · 2016-10-24 03:30

Sound problems persist. I know there are some specs I can provide to help solve the problem. Can someone please tell me what to run -- I think in terminal -- to help me solve the problem? I have Kmixer set up correctly, I think. And still no sound in Youtube or VLC. Thanks.

bin · 2016-10-24 06:35

Install inxi through Synaptic or sudo apt-get install inxi

Then run inxi -F and post the results

Out of interest, you could boot from the live CD, install VLC and see what results you get. If that works then it is something that has been introduced.

jeffneedle · 2016-10-24 06:38

Here's the output. And the problems persists on both an installed and a live system. Thanks so much for any help you can offer.

System: Host: jeff Kernel: 3.16.0-4-amd64 x86_64 (64 bit) Desktop: KDE 3
Distro: Debian GNU/Linux 8
Machine: System: ASUS product: All Series
Mobo: ASUSTeK model: B85M-G v: Rev X.0x
Bios: American Megatrends v: 2501 date: 07/22/2015
CPU: Dual core Intel Pentium G3220 (-MCP-) cache: 3072 KB
Clock Speeds: 1: 3000 MHz 2: 2958 MHz
Graphics: Card: Intel Xeon E3-1200 v3/4th Gen Core Processor Integrated Graphic
s Controller
Display Server: X.Org 1.16.4 drivers: intel (unloaded: fbdev,vesa)
Resolution: 1280x1024@60.02hz
GLX Renderer: Mesa DRI Intel Haswell Desktop
GLX Version: 3.0 Mesa 10.3.2
Audio: Card-1 Intel 8 Series/C220 Series High Definition Audio Controller
driver: snd_hda_intel
Card-2 Intel Xeon E3-1200 v3/4th Gen Core Processor HD Audio Controll er
driver: snd_hda_intel
Sound: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture v: k3.16.0-4-amd64
Network: Card: Realtek RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet Controll er
driver: r8169
IF: eth0 state: up speed: 100 Mbps duplex: full
mac: 40:16:7e:69:34:5c
Drives: HDD Total Size: 1500.3GB (4.6% used)
ID-1: /dev/sda model: WDC_WD10EZEX size: 1000.2GB
ID-2: USB /dev/sdb model: External_USB_3.0 size: 500.1GB
Partition: ID-1: / size: 913G used: 7.5G (1%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda1
ID-2: swap-1 size: 4.16GB used: 0.01GB (0%) fs: swap dev: /dev/sda5
Sensors: System Temperatures: cpu: 29.8C mobo: 27.8C
Fan Speeds (in rpm): cpu: N/A
Info: Processes: 190 Uptime: 2:49 Memory: 1050.5/3836.8MB
Client: Shell (bash) inxi: 2.1.28

bin · 2016-10-24 07:14

OK, so this may involve a bit of trial and error.

Start up an app that you expect to provide sound. Set its volume to around 70%. I normally use a clip on the BBC web site as a source as a starting point.

Open a terminal and run alsamixer

Check the coloured columns - Master should be around 2/3rds up and PCM should be 100%.

Any joy? Make sure that the 3 left columns do not have MM at the base as that's Mute.

If you have any headphones slide that value down a bit and see if there's any sound there.

Check with all values at 100% - I have to run mine at about 80% with Alsa.

If all is quiet then press F6 and chose the card offered below Default. HDA ATI SB or similar.

Does that make a difference?

Dai_trying · 2016-10-24 13:36

You could check the settings in kmix also, I have had issues where I could not get sound until I selected my soundcard via the dropdown (see pic) and then I could make sure nothing was muted. On PulseAudio it only shows master volume.

And if that fails check The Docs might help too.

Last edited by Dai_trying (2016-10-24 13:39)

jeffneedle · 2016-10-24 19:14

Okay, installed alsamixer. Checking proc shows two sound cards -- HDMI and PCH. I've known this and none of the other utilities has any problem seeing both cards. I select PCH as that seems to be the card that works. But at the top of the alsamixer screen, it shows the HDMI card in both windows (displays at top of window). If alsamixer knows that both cards exist, why won't it let me adjust the volume on the PCH card? Kmix lets me do that, but to no avail.

bin · 2016-10-25 06:53

The inxi output shows you are using ALSA (Advanced Linux Sound Architecture) and that it sees 2 cards - which is causing it some confusion. You can down the road of editing the conf files - which is not a lot of fun.

I don't know if you've done this yet.
In Control Centre>Sound & Multimedia>Sound System>Hardware drop the list down and switch from Default to ALSA and apply.

That may give a working result, if not, then return to the same window and go down to the Override Device Location box.

What we want to do here is point to a specific device, I *think* this will be either /dev/dsp or /dev/dsp0 or /dev/dsp1

After each change, in the good old days you could just restart alsa, but the command I'd expect to work in Jessie doesn't - probably a reboot is easiest.

I'm not sure, ultimately it may be easier to install pulseaudio from Synaptic and see if that can do the job instead. If you do that, don't forget to reset the value above to Default.

Sorry I cannot be of more help with this.

jeffneedle · 2016-10-25 18:20

Thanks. I'll give it a try. I'm getting a little discouraged. This should be easier. I do hope the developers will consider smoothing this out a bit. Other distros I've used, like Mint, Fedora, etc., all have no problems with this. I like the speed of Q4OS. But these difficulties make it harder to adopt as a standard distro.

Many thanks.

Dai_trying · 2016-10-25 19:46

From what I have seen in the previous posts your soundcards appear to be recognised and configured so I would check for volume level and muting on both cards, if that doesn't work it might be worth removing one of the cards to see if the other one works and then there would be something to work around.
To ensure the volumes are ALL set to 70% and NOT muted cut and paste the following into a terminal.

for x in `amixer -c 0 controls  | grep -i playback | grep -i volume` ; do amixer cset "${x}" on ; done
for x in `amixer -c 0 controls  | grep -i playback | grep -i volume` ; do amixer cset "${x}" 70% ; done
for x in `amixer -c 1 controls  | grep -i playback | grep -i volume` ; do amixer cset "${x}" on ; done
for x in `amixer -c 1 controls  | grep -i playback | grep -i volume` ; do amixer cset "${x}" 70% ; done

After this all of your channels will be on and set to 70% and you could test by playing a system sound

aplay /opt/trinity/share/sounds/KDE_Startup.wav

Hopefully that will bring you some sound (fingers crossed)

jeffneedle · 2016-10-26 00:55

Sigh. No sound. I could get someone in to remove one of the sound cards. Thanks.

bin · 2016-10-26 06:05

Mint uses Pulse - at this point you've nothing to loose so :- sudo apt-get install pulseaudio should do the trick.

Reboot.

You'll need to reverse any changes in the Control Centre and set it back to Auto detect and switch Kmixer to Pulse per Dia's screenshot

Good luck

Q4OS Forum

#1 2016-10-24 03:30

Sound problems

#2 2016-10-24 06:35

Re: Sound problems

#3 2016-10-24 06:38

Re: Sound problems

#4 2016-10-24 07:14

Re: Sound problems

#5 2016-10-24 13:36

Re: Sound problems

#6 2016-10-24 19:14

Re: Sound problems

#7 2016-10-25 06:53

Re: Sound problems

#8 2016-10-25 18:20

Re: Sound problems

#9 2016-10-25 19:46

Re: Sound problems

#10 2016-10-26 00:55

Re: Sound problems

#11 2016-10-26 06:05

Re: Sound problems

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