Surely someone must have a solution to my recording problem?

[Barry Samuels <barry@datamansys.co.uk>]

I have a SoundBlaster PCI 128 Live and I am running Debian 2.2
with kernel 2.2.17.

Using the Emu modules everything works as expected except for
sound recording.  Sound recording creates a properly formated
.Wav file except that the values are so low as to be inaudible! 
I am trying to record using input via the line input and this
certainly gives audible sound via the speakers even when
recording is supposed to be taking place.

I haven't forgotten anything so silly as to un-mute the
appropriate inputs unless there is a hidden mute somewhere that I
don't know about.

If I boot the machine into Windows and use the software supplied
with the SoundBlaster I can create normal recordings, using
signals from the line input, which will also play back under
Debian.  So I have ruled out hardware problems.

I did contact the Emu people at Creative and I quote part of the
reply below:

===============================================================
"I looked at the file, and as you suspected it is a
properly-formatted WAV file with almost-null data in it.  Quite
telling is the fact that the data isn't actually null -- but the
values are incredibly small and aren't audible.  What this is
telling me is that recording _is_ taking place, but on an input
which is inactive (through software or hardware -- can't tell).

I was not expecting these results.  I was thinking that either
the file would be formatted incorrectly or that it would have
true null data.  In either of those cases, the problem would have
likely been with either faulty recording software or with the
configuration of the Live.  As it is, I'm stumped as to 
what the problem is."
===============================================================

I have tried recording using a number of different Linux
applications (e.g. khdrec, kmedia, krecord, gramofile) for
recording together with different mixers ( e.g. kmix, aumix ) and
various versions of the Emu modules but all to no avail.

So - a brief resume:

1. He's stumped.
2. I'm stumped.
3. Everybody else, so far, is stumped.

Is there a genius in the house?

Barry Samuels