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Re: Audio problems



Barry Samuels wrote:
> I'm running Debian Testing - up to date as of yesterday and I'm using 
> Kmix.
> 
> Since I have updated my kernel to 2.6.22 from kernel.org I am having 
> audio problems with the on-board Intel HDA system.
> 
> Sound output through the speakers is fine but sound from the microphone 
> is dreadful. The only slider which will control the microphone volume 
> is labelled 'Digital' and the voice volume level is reasonable with the 
> slider at about 55% but there is a very loud background hum/hiss which 
> makes the result unacceptable and I haven't found a way of improving 
> that. I have to have the first 'Capture' slider set on but the slider 
> position makes no difference and can be set at the bottom.
> 
> As I couldn't make things any better with the HDA I thought that I'd 
> put a SoundBlaster Live adapter I had into the computer as well.
> 
> The results from that seem even stranger. If I tap the microphone I can 
> hear the sound from the speakers but using Timidity to play a music 
> file produces nothing from the speakers and using Skype gives a 
> deafening silence too.

I believe that signals from the microphone pass directly to the speakers even
when the applications are not working. I would suggest you try these:

1. Run "alsaconf" and check that you have configured the correct sound card (eg
not any sound built into the motherboard).

2. Run "speaker-test" from the alsa-utils package. If you hear the pink noise
hiss, alsa is driving the correct card.

3. Some OSS apps have given trouble recently. (Alsa should be able to deal with
OSS apps automatically.) Check that /dev/dsp exists using "file /dev/dsp". If it
does not exist, create it using "modprobe snd_pcm_oss" and try again. If this
works, try the permanent fix from the recent thread "Some ALSA apps stopped
working"[1].

[1] http://lists.debian.org/debian-user/2007/07/msg00454.html


-- 
Chris.



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