Re: testing microphone - how?

[Rick Pasotto <rick@niof.net>]

On Wed, Mar 25, 2009 at 08:38:55AM +1100, Alex Samad wrote:
> On Tue, Mar 24, 2009 at 04:50:22PM -0400, Rick Pasotto wrote:
> > On Tue, Mar 24, 2009 at 04:44:24PM -0400, H.S. wrote:
> > > Alex Samad wrote:
> > > > On Tue, Mar 24, 2009 at 05:51:37PM +0000, Lisi Reisz wrote:
> > > >> On Tuesday 24 March 2009 17:21:06 Thorny wrote:
> > > >>> On Tue, 24 Mar 2009 11:26:33 +0000, Lisi Reisz posted:
> 
> [snip]
> 
> > > It will record from the device specified by "-D". You can list (to see
> > > which device number to use) your devices using:
> > > 
> > > ~$ arecord -l
> > 
> > Interesting but I have no idea what the output is telling me:
> > 
> > **** List of CAPTURE Hardware Devices ****
> > card 0: V8237 [VIA 8237], device 0: VIA 8237 [VIA 8237]
> >   Subdevices: 1/1
> >   Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
> > card 0: V8237 [VIA 8237], device 1: VIA 8237 [VIA 8237]
> >   Subdevices: 1/1
> >   Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
> 
> I am not a alsa expert, but the way I interpret this is there is 1
> counds card it has 2 devices (could be 1 analogue and 1 digital) each
> device has a set of functions / capabilities like play , record etc..

Well, I did what I should have done before -- read the man page. Turns
out 'arecord -L' (capital L) gives better info:

-------------------
$ arecord -L
default:CARD=V8237
    VIA 8237, VIA 8237
    Default Audio Device
front:CARD=V8237,DEV=0
    VIA 8237, VIA 8237
    Front speakers
surround40:CARD=V8237,DEV=0
    VIA 8237, VIA 8237
    4.0 Surround output to Front and Rear speakers
surround41:CARD=V8237,DEV=0
    VIA 8237, VIA 8237
    4.1 Surround output to Front, Rear and Subwoofer speakers
surround50:CARD=V8237,DEV=0
    VIA 8237, VIA 8237
    5.0 Surround output to Front, Center and Rear speakers
surround51:CARD=V8237,DEV=0
    VIA 8237, VIA 8237
    5.1 Surround output to Front, Center, Rear and Subwoofer speakers
iec958:CARD=V8237,DEV=0
    VIA 8237, VIA 8237
    IEC958 (S/PDIF) Digital Audio Output
null
    Discard all samples (playback) or generate zero samples (capture)
-------------------

So it looks like I don't have a mike although I have gotten it to barely
work before. The question now becomes, how do I turn the mike on?

Also, the -D parameter uses the PCM, which is what the -L gives -- not
that I know which of those numbers *is* a PCM.

-- 
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	-- Ralph Waldo Emerson
    Rick Pasotto    rick@niof.net    http://www.niof.net