Re: usb audio device & sound card

[Mark Grieveson <dg135@torfree.net>]

> Greetings Mark:

> This script would set your on-board card (CS46xx) to be your default
> card for alsa regardless of which card it is in the system (0 or 1):


> #!/bin/bash
> #
> # The awk statement should get the first "word" (the card number)
> # from the line which contains the text (the card name)
> defcard=`awk '/\[CS46xx/ {print $1}' /proc/asound/cards`

> # Create the .asoundrc file as a "here" document inserting the
> # card number that the awk statement generated above
> cat > ~/.asoundrc <<EOF
> pcm.!default {
>     type hw
>     card $defcard
> }

> ctl.!default {
>     type hw
>     card $defcard
> }
> EOF


> The script is going to require both bash and awk to be installed on the
> system (I think both are installed by default).  I would dump that code
> into a script file (maybe /usr/local/bin/setasoundrc) and make sure that
> the file is executable (chmod +x), and then call that script from your
> .bashrc file.  Reboot a couple of times and make sure that your
> ~/.asoundrc file always lists the on-board device as the default card.

> Let me know if it's not doing what you need.

> -Scott


Thanks for the work.  I finally did get around to trying this.  I followed your advice, and created the file in /usr/local/bin/setasoundrc, making it executable.  I altered the .bashrc file, and rebooted.  The default soundcard was still the usb device, however.  Also, when I would run the terminal, it would give me an error stating something like "/usr/local/bin/setasoundrc, line 5, {print: $1 command not found" and it would be stuck like that, until I changed the .bashrc file back (using gedit), and rebooted.  I tried installing mawk, then gawk, and finally awk-original, but still no luck.

However, after a recent upgrade, it seems that the system itself is now correctly finding the soundcard as the default, and the usb device as the alternate (for skype); so, for the time being, problem solved.  I say, "for the time being", because in the past, I did have it working, until a dist-upgrade fouled it up.  Hopefully that won't happen again (I'm keeping my fingers crossed).  This is part of the excitement of using testing, I guess.

Thanks again for your efforts.  Much appreciated.

Mark