FC3 Sound Blaster Live ... no sound

rclark · #1 30th November 2004, 05:57 AM

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

. 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 · #2 30th November 2004, 07:30 AM

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

rclark · #3 30th November 2004, 08:05 AM

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 · #4 30th November 2004, 08:19 AM

Quote:

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/sho...d.php?p=102097

rclark · #5 30th November 2004, 03:09 PM

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

. Sound still didn't work ....

rclark · #6 30th November 2004, 07:53 PM

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 · #7 1st December 2004, 05:11 AM

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!!!!)

. a udev problem (I have upgraded as stated above) ???

rclark · #8 1st December 2004, 06:27 AM

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

.

imdeemvp · #9 1st December 2004, 07:26 AM

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

rclark · #10 1st December 2004, 02:58 PM

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*** · #11 1st December 2004, 04:40 PM

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 · #12 1st December 2004, 06:08 PM

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 · #13 1st December 2004, 09:00 PM

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

: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

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

.

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 · #14 2nd December 2004, 07:49 AM

Good to know you getting more familiar with the settings.

rclark · #15 2nd December 2004, 05:02 PM

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 ...