FC3 Sound Blaster Live ... no sound

[rclark]

Hate to bother you all, but I searched and tried what I've found to fix this problem ... but the sound system continues to not work.

History : I installed FC3 on a fairly new NorthGate PC AM Athlon XP 2500. It has a built in sound system (VIA I think) . No sound. In frustation, I installed a SB Live card from a RedHat 9.0 system I have. I got a test sound. But then it stopped working and no sound since. I then disabled the onboard sound system in BIOS. Still nothing. Then tried the fixes found here. Still no sound.

I am downloading the ALSA drivers and librarys as I write this although I can't find documentation on what to do with it :o . Anyway.... help! [edited] I did find an old install document on the site. Dated back in 2002. Wonder if still valid with Fedora core 3 :o ...


Looks like one other problem solved with the new UDEV drivers installed..... But that is another story ...

From a user standpoint, this sure doesn't look like a system ready for the desktop when sound doesn't work, cd doesn't work properly, and shutdown doesn't even turn off the PC :rolleyes: . BTW, My background is a computer programmer working with embedded linux (a new project), windows, and other RT systems .....

Oh, I haven't updated the KDE yet from the current Updates, but I don't think that should matter....

[imdeemvp]

post your: /sbin/lsmod so we can see your sound driver

[rclark]

here is the lsmod dump :

Module Size Used by
parport_pc 24705 1
lp 11565 0
parport 41737 2 parport_pc,lp
autofs4 24005 0
i2c_dev 10433 0
i2c_core 22081 1 i2c_dev
sunrpc 160421 1
dm_mod 54741 0
button 6481 0
battery 8517 0
ac 4805 0
md5 4033 1
ipv6 232577 12
sd_mod 16961 0
usb_storage 61321 0
scsi_mod 118417 2 sd_mod,usb_storage
uhci_hcd 31449 0
ehci_hcd 31557 0
emu10k1_gp 3649 0
gameport 4801 1 emu10k1_gp
snd_emu10k1 98600 0
snd_rawmidi 27432 1 snd_emu10k1
snd_seq_device 9228 2 snd_emu10k1,snd_rawmidi
snd_ac97_codec 68320 1 snd_emu10k1
snd_pcm_oss 48680 0
snd_mixer_oss 18048 1 snd_pcm_oss
snd_pcm 95880 3 snd_emu10k1,snd_ac97_codec,snd_pcm_oss
snd_timer 30340 2 snd_emu10k1,snd_pcm
snd_page_alloc 10120 2 snd_emu10k1,snd_pcm
snd_util_mem 5248 1 snd_emu10k1
snd_hwdep 9988 1 snd_emu10k1
snd 55524 9 snd_emu10k1,snd_rawmidi,snd_seq_device,snd_ac97_co dec,snd_pcm_oss,snd_mixer_oss,snd_pcm,snd_timer,sn d_hwdep
soundcore 9889 1 snd
via_rhine 23497 0
mii 4673 1 via_rhine
floppy 58609 0
ext3 116809 3
jbd 74969 1 ext3

[imdeemvp]

emu10k1_gp 3649 0
gameport 4801 1 emu10k1_gp
snd_emu10k1 98600 0
snd_rawmidi 27432 1 snd_emu10k1
snd_seq_device 9228 2 snd_emu10k1,snd_rawmidi
snd_ac97_codec 68320 1 snd_emu10k1
snd_pcm_oss 48680 0
snd_mixer_oss 18048 1 snd_pcm_oss
snd_pcm 95880 3 snd_emu10k1,snd_ac97_codec,snd_pcm_oss
snd_timer 30340 2 snd_emu10k1,snd_pcm
snd_page_alloc 10120 2 snd_emu10k1,snd_pcm
snd_util_mem 5248 1 snd_emu10k1
snd_hwdep 9988 1 snd_emu10k1
snd 55524 9 snd_emu10k1,snd_rawmidi,snd_seq_device,snd_ac97_co dec,snd_pcm_oss,snd_mixer_oss,snd_pcm,snd_timer,sn d_hwdep
soundcore 9889 1 snd
That is your sound devide ^^ now follow this thread: http://www.fedoraforum.org/forum/showthread.php?p=102097

[rclark]

I see in that thread he got the latest kernel and that fixed his problem. Okay. I notice that RedHat has an updated kernel 2.6.9-1.681 . Mine is 2.6.9-1.667 out of the box. I'll try that next tonight. Gotta do that 'work thing' now however :) .

BTW, I updated the ALSA drivers, libs, utils last night per the given script... hope I didn't screw something else up now :rolleyes: . Sound still didn't work ....

[rclark]

Okay new kernel installed (681) and still no sound. The Soundcard clicks when system loads but that is it. When I enable the sound system in KDE, I get :

Error while initializing the sound driver

device: default can't be opened for playback (No such file or directory)

The sound server will continue, using the null output device.

This is just one example...


I've updated the KDE, the Kernel, xorg, udev, and the rest from the update directory at Redhat so I am up to date.

BTW, the "acpi=ht" parameter works great for the system shutdown problem ..... So one more problem solved.

Appears I still have problem with CDs as well . I inserted a CD with all the updates on it and the system reports that it is 'busy' or some other process is using it .... anyway I went back and loaded the updates via my other windoze machine and a shared directory to get them over on the Linux box .... :o . Go figure ....

[rclark]

An update . Still no sound. Looks like my /dev/* sound links (such as /dev/sequencer) are no longer there !!!!! alsaconf runs fine (says card is ready to use) , but running say alsamixer I get " alsamixer: function snd_ctl_open failed for default: No such file or directory " l. How do you create these links if they keep disappearing on reboot (or how to create in the first place!!!!) :confused: . a udev problem (I have upgraded as stated above) ???

[rclark]

Update : The detect sound card utility works! May have been working before. The sound is VERY faint. With the speakers turned up all the way and the volume control in Gnome all the way up, I can just hear it.

Still have the dev problem of course, but I am hearing a 'sound' :) even if reduced volume.... So getting closer. Boy this is hard work just to get a sound card working :rolleyes: .

[imdeemvp]

Just play around with you volume control settings...you'll make it work.

[rclark]

Maybe, but can't get to the mixers until the /dev/* entries are back :o . I think once those links to /dev/sequencer , etc. are back (and STAY PUT) then I can play with the controls for the card ..... Seems ALSA and the KDE utilities are all looking for these links .....

Hopefully someone has ran into this one before .....

[bob]

Don't forget to maximize those kmix settings in KDE, since they affect Gnome settings as well. Once you do get sound, it will probably be pretty awful - then it's back to playing with individual settings until you get it the way you like.

[rclark]

Thanks, but again, before I can play with any mixer .... I HAVE to get the /dev/dsp, /dev/sequencer, etc. links back as all the 'kde tools' won't run without them!!!! I don't know how to do that however (that's the current problem).

[rclark]

At lunch time, I did some poking around and now have plenty of volume. Had to go to Gnome's Volume control. (good thing you have have both KDE and Gnome to switch between :rolleyes: :o ) . Even have nice surrond sound with both speaker systems plugged into the SB Live board in both Gnome and KDE. Unfortunately the only sound that works is the 'test sound' from the detect sound card utility :rolleyes: Arrgh .

Back to /dev problem ....

While looking in Google, I ran across a './MAKEDEV sound' command (in the /dev folder) . This did create the devices but not pointing at anything useful :( . Also when rebooted the devices all disappeared again anyway so useless .....

Soooo, looks like if some guru had the solution to how to keep the sound device links in place, my system would be that much closer to a 'producton' level system.....

-----

Tonight I removed the card. booted up. System unconfigured the card. Shutdown and restarted with card in place. Found the card and reconfigured.... but SAME problem. No devices in /DEV present for the sound card....

On the other hand the CD player is working now that I hooked the CD/DVD audio cable to the SB Live card. Music comes through with not bad sound at all. Pleasantly surprised :D .

BTW I had to use the Gnome volume control (gnome-volume-control) tool to configure the sound. KMix is too limited.

So where it sits tonight is still no /DEV entrys for the sound card..... Only sound that works is the test sound in the sound card detection utility and Music CDs .... Yawn ... time for bed....

[imdeemvp]

Good to know you getting more familiar with the settings.

[rclark]

I am. What is frustrating is we manage a RedHat 7.0 Server and a RedHat 9.0 server at work (rock solid). I loaded Fedora Core 2 at home which went ok. Then upgraded to Fedora 3 . Every one of them are different to manage!!!! Things are in different places (Ex. cdrom is now /media/cdrecorder) . Samba got moved around... Tools that once work, don't .... Packages that were included are no longer .... I thought MS was bad .... Linux needs to 'standardize' , so each upgrade is 'painless' . Grrrr. Off my soapbox .....


Search continues for /Dev sound device problem ...

[rclark]

One more piece of the puzzle. There is a file called '/etc/asound.conf' . The default card settings were to card 1 . Changed to card 0 and now the dings/dongs of KDE work and some of the sound utilitlies now function..... Makes sense as I only have one sound card now.....

What is funny is standard volume control now doesn't change the volume in synch for both sets of speakers. Raising the volume raises the volume of the front speakers and lowers the back. Going the other way it reverses. No way to just 'turn down the volume' :p . Oh what fun ......

Still no /dev sound devices and can't play midi files either .....

Getting closer ....

[rclark]

Saga continues .... First I booted this afternoon and guess what? Had to go reset all my volume settings... Didn't save through a reboot. Great... Now what...

Then, I find a new version of 'udev' (-4) in the RedHat Fedora 3 Updates folder. Install it thinking this may solve my /dev/ directory problems. Now the CD player is broken. Won't play CDs. But I can rip the tracks with Sound Juicer CD Ripper just fine and play them through mplayer.... Go figure....

Getting old guys :) .

Guess I should just forget it and just use it as my home 'backend' file/print/http/database server and leave the Multi-media stuff to my Windoze XP box..... Linux seems to work well for that.

[rclark]

Okay updating to version 5 of the udev program, I now can play CDs from the CD player. And I still can rip the CDs and play from the hard disk. The sound quality from the hard disk is MUCH MUCH better than playing the CDs directly. So even though I can play CDs, I'll spend the time to rip the tracks I like and play from the hard disk. Wav files still play. System sounds still work :eek: . Getting closer closer closer :o .

So the only known issue for me now (music wise) is playing my old midi files :o . Anyone know how an application other than Kmidi (broken due to /dev/sequencer not found) to play midi files?


Now the next problem is just USING the CD ROM. When I put a non music disk in the drive I get :

mount: block device /dev/hdc is write-protected, mounting read-only
mount: /dev/hdc already mounted or /media/cdrecorder busy
please check that the disk is entered correctly.

Of course the disk is entered correctly and no other applicatin is using it.... How to you tell anyway???? I know I haven't opened any application other than Konqueror to read the CD.... I am logged in as root...

Any thoughts??

[rclark]

Opps. I did have an ICON saying I had the KsCD loaded. Quit out of that and I can load the data CDs ..... Yea Ha...... :D . udev version 5 has helped a lot!!! Going to go for broke and see if I can burn a CD now and/or read a DVD :) .

So back to just midi files not playing :o .

[rclark]

I can burn a CD.... At least a music CD :) . Assume the Data CD will be just as easy and fast. Used K3b. Nice...... Played CD burned on Linux box on my Windoze box just fine. Cool.

Tried a DVD in the drive but that didn't work. Said the drive was 'busy' again :eek: . Probably some proprietry DVD software needs to be downloaded to get that to work ......

So looks like midi and DVD are the missing links right now :o .

[bob]

Rjc, since I don't have dvd on my boxes and midi isn't my thing, I can't offer any help, but I just wanted to let you know that people admire your tenacity on this problem. You now qualify as a 'go-to-guy' for sound issues. ;)

[rclark]

Umm, if I am the go to guy, we are in BIG trouble :) . I am just fumbling my way thorugh this like everyone else :o . When I find something that works for me, I post it ...

No update yet on remaining issues.... The 'w' word is interfering with the fun :eek: .

[rclark]

Midi SUCCESS in a round about way. The program that works is called 'timidity' . I downloaded the source and recompiled (timidity++). I had to place the 'timidity.cfg file where timidity could find it after the install... Then all I had to do is type 'timidity <midi file>' and it started to play a midi file!

Example : [root@fedora common]# timidity DannyBoy.mid

There is a ton of options you can pass too :eek: . There may be a graphical interface to it but I haven't found it yet if there is one :rolleyes:

I can at last play some of my old midi files if I want to :) .

Note : I haven't looked but try the command BEFORE you download the source. It may already be on your system.... I didn't go look before I downloaded the source and configured and made it .....

now for reading DVDs....

[ryanfitz]

Great thread, as my card (driver: snd_ali5451) has responded to all but cd playback since my clean install of FC2 and cranking up of all alsamixer channels. CD was muted in gnome-volume-control (not a very nice deafault) . Unmuted that and all was well.