Sudden loss of sound

[ewg]

Ubuntu 9.04, Sable

I was watching a streaming video from a newspaper when the sound just stopped. Now I have no sound on any application (rhythm box, movie player).

Card is recognized:
**** List of PLAYBACK Hardware Devices ****
card 0: NVidia [HDA NVidia], device 0: ALC861 Analog [ALC861 Analog]
Subdevices: 1/1
Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 0: NVidia [HDA NVidia], device 1: ALC861 Digital [ALC861 Digital]
Subdevices: 1/1
Subdevice #0: subdevice #0

I have previously used both ALSA and OSS. Now nothing works.

Thanks for any suggestions,

[pmlxuser]

have you tried rebooting your machine?? (sorry not thinking that you are dumb but sometimes thats all that is needed.)

[ewg]

Thanks for replying,
yes I have actually started and restarted a few times since this happened. Speakers are working. I can hear "pops" and other static when I turn the volume switch.

[pmlxuser]

i would try to uninstalling gstreamer ** plugins and reinstall them.

[thomasaaron]

Make sure your PCM slider is all the way up. If it's down too low, you get popping sometimes.

[ewg]

Thomas...I'm getting popping but nothing else. Sound just stopped working watching a video and now nothing works.

Thanks,

[thomasaaron]

Can you disconnect your speakers and put in some headphones? Does that work?
Trying to determine if we need to look deeper into the Sable or into your speakers.

Also, make sure all settings are like they were BEFORE the sound went out.

[jml]

ewg,

Since the sound cut out while you were streaming a video, the two things I think about is a partially unplugged audio jack. A partial connection would allow static and pops to come through but not sound.

A second thought is hardware failure. I am not familiar with the sound card in the Sable, but is it possible to swap it out with a sound card that is known to be working? Just my two cents.

Joe

[ewg]

Thanks for replies,
Disconnected speakers and then Plugged headphones into speaker jack and got nothing. Plugged them into front and got nothing. I have left all settings the same.

I don;t have another sound card available.

[balloooza]

Make sure *all* sliders are up, including that one, that might be irrelevant, can you report back that all are up, then try to play a sound, but tell me if all the sliders are up.

[ewg]

Yep, all sliders are up. PCM, line in and CD. Nothing.

[balloooza]

can you install pulse audio device chooser (I am on my mac, I do not know the exact package name, if you search synaptic you should find it, then start pulse volume control (from the menus)

[thomasaaron]

Can you boot from a Live CD and see if sound works from there out of the box? If it does, it is a configuration problem. If not, hardware.

[ewg]

I'll see if I can track down a live CD. This will be awhile. I'll post when I'm done.

Thanks,

[synapsys]

Sudden loss of sound for no reason while using device......hardware........

[ewg]

Found a live DVD (8.04) and the sound worked. I used system>preferences>Sound and played the teset for ALSA, OSS and pulse audio and they all worked through my speakers.

Next?

[thomasaaron]

Can you post screenshots of your volume control settings (that you get when you double-click your speaker icon). Capture each tab. Also, post a screenshot of System > Prefs > Sound.

I'll re-image a Sable and compare notes.

[ewg]

Sorry Thomas, I hope this is what you need. Not sure homw to get the image loaded. I also tried to 'attach' them.


/home/ewg/Desktop/Screenshot-Volume Control: HDA NVidia (Alsa mixer).png

/home/ewg/Desktop/Screenshot-Sound Preferences.png

[ewg]

Other 2 tabs you requested. Attached.

[thomasaaron]

OK. On System > Prefs > Sound, set all of those to Autodetect. Set the bottom one to HDA Intel (Alsa Mixer).

On your sound control panel (the one you get when you double-click your speaker icon), set it to HDA Intel (Alsa Mixer) as well.

[ewg]

Did that and rebooted but still no sound.
BTW: I don't have an HDA intel(ALSA) so I chose HDA nVidea(ALSA)

[ewg]

Thomas, found this in another forum.:....
fletchoid
May 1st, 2009, 07:39 AM
Found this solution in another thread. It worked for me (Creative Labs Audigy 2 soundcard) The Analog/Digital Output Jack function was reversed in an update.
To check, click on the speaker icon in top panel, then click on the volume control button. The mixer panel should open. Look for a 'switches' tab. If it's there then open and uncheck the 'Analog/Digital Output Jack'. If not there then click on 'preferences', scroll down and enable the Analog/Digital Output Jack switch, then go back and uncheck. Sound works fine now.
This is a totally stupid and un-necessary bug that could seriously turn people off Ubuntu. I spent hours trying to figure out what the heck went wrong with my upgrade to 9.04. The vast majority of people trying Ubuntu for the first time would have just deleted the whole OS from their computer, and NEVER tried Linux again. Too bad, it is such a fantastic OS once you get beyond some of the stupid little things that can go wrong.
--------------------------------------------------------

I do not have have an analog/digital but I checked 'digital' - recording and for whatever reason I now have sound. Very strange. Why did it all of a sudden stop working? Why did clicking a box related to recording give me playback sound? Seems like a nasty bug. I'll get back to you if problem happens again.

Thanks

[thomasaaron]

That is strange. I've not had any other reports of it. But good job finding the answer.