HOWTO: Surround sound in pulseaudio

[dageng1]

This is my audio controller, it's the onboard one on the Asus P5Q-E:

00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation 82801JI (ICH10 Family) HD Audio Controller

This is the only line I changed in this file (the only line that isn't commented out):

default-sample-channels = 6

My two front speakers work, but I'm unable to get my center, sub and the two rear ones to work.

When I run alsamixer I don't see any extra channels, I'm only able to change the volume of the "Master", "PCM" and "Digital".

I've tried both the methods, and none of them worked. I'm running a 5.1 system, and yes, surround works in Windows XP.

This is the 64 bit version of Ubuntu Hardy Heron.

Ps. Apparently my post was too long, so I've included the "pulseaudio -k && pulseaudio -vv" content, in a file. Hope that's okay with everyone.

Thanks in advance!

[b-george]

Hello friends, last time i used ubuntu was for 2 years ago and now i'm back to the 8.04 this version rocks:guitar: i'm pleased with it. I have problem with my speakers i only get sound from the two front speakers.

I have 5.1 speakers

Card: Intel ICH5 │
│ Chip: Analog Devices AD1980 │
│ View: [Playback] Capture All │
│ Item: Master [dB gain=0.00, 0.00]

default.pa

#!/usr/bin/pulseaudio -nF
#
# This file is part of PulseAudio.
#
# PulseAudio is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
# under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License as published by
# the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or
# (at your option) any later version.
#
# PulseAudio is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but
# WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
# MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU
# General Public License for more details.
#
# You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public License
# along with PulseAudio; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation,
# Inc., 59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307 USA.

.nofail

### Load something into the sample cache
#load-sample-lazy x11-bell /usr/share/sounds/gtk-events/activate.wav
load-sample-lazy pulse-hotplug /usr/share/sounds/startup3.wav
#load-sample-lazy pulse-coldplug /usr/share/sounds/startup3.wav
#load-sample-lazy pulse-access /usr/share/sounds/generic.wav

.fail

### Load audio drivers statically (it's probably better to not load
### these drivers manually, but instead use module-hal-detect --
### see below -- for doing this automatically)
#load-module module-alsa-sink
#load-module module-alsa-source device=hw:1,0
#load-module module-oss device="/dev/dsp" sink_name=output source_name=input
#load-module module-oss-mmap device="/dev/dsp" sink_name=output source_name=input
#load-module module-null-sink
#load-module module-pipe-sink

### Automatically load driver modules depending on the hardware available
.ifexists module-hal-detect.so
load-module module-hal-detect
.else
### Alternatively use the static hardware detection module (for systems that
### lack HAL support)
load-module module-detect
.endif

### Load several protocols
.ifexists module-esound-protocol-unix.so
load-module module-esound-protocol-unix
.endif
load-module module-native-protocol-unix

### Network access (may be configured with paprefs, so leave this commented
### here if you plan to use paprefs)
#load-module module-esound-protocol-tcp
#load-module module-native-protocol-tcp
#load-module module-zeroconf-publish

### Load the RTP reciever module (also configured via paprefs, see above)
#load-module module-rtp-recv

### Load the RTP sender module (also configured via paprefs, see above)
#load-module module-null-sink sink_name=rtp format=s16be channels=2 rate=44100 description="RTP Multicast Sink"
#load-module module-rtp-send source=rtp.monitor

### Automatically restore the volume of playback streams
load-module module-volume-restore

### Automatically restore the default sink/source when changed by the user during runtime
load-module module-default-device-restore

### Automatically move streams to the default sink if the sink they are
### connected to dies, similar for sources
load-module module-rescue-streams

### Automatically suspend sinks/sources that become idle for too long
load-module module-suspend-on-idle

### Load X11 bell module
#load-module module-x11-bell sample=x11-bell

### Register ourselves in the X11 session manager
# Deactivated by default, to avoid deadlock when PA is started as esd from gnome-session
# Instead we load this via /etc/xdg/autostart/ and "pactl load-module" now
# load-module module-x11-xsmp

### Load additional modules from GConf settings. This can be configured with the paprefs tool.
### Please keep in mind that the modules configured by paprefs might conflict with manually
### loaded modules.
.ifexists module-gconf.so
.nofail
load-module module-gconf
.fail
.endif

### Publish connection data in the X11 root window
.ifexists module-x11-publish.so
.nofail
load-module module-x11-publish
.fail
.endif

### Make some devices default
#set-default-sink output
#set-default-source input

daemon.conf

# $Id: daemon.conf.in 2175 2008-03-27 23:39:10Z lennart $
#
# This file is part of PulseAudio.
#
# PulseAudio is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
# it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License as published by
# the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or
# (at your option) any later version.
#
# PulseAudio is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but
# WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
# MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU
# General Public License for more details.
#
# You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public License
# along with PulseAudio; if not, write to the Free Software
# Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307
# USA.

## Configuration file for the PulseAudio daemon. See pulse-daemon.conf(5) for
## more information. Default values a commented out. Use either ; or # for
## commenting.

; daemonize = no
; fail = yes
; disallow-module-loading = no
; use-pid-file = yes
; system-instance = no
; disable-shm = no

; high-priority = yes
; nice-level = -11

; realtime-scheduling = no
; realtime-priority = 5

; exit-idle-time = -1
; module-idle-time = 20
; scache-idle-time = 20

; dl-search-path = (depends on architecture)

; default-script-file =

; log-target = auto
; log-level = notice

; resample-method = speex-float-3
; disable-remixing = no

; no-cpu-limit = no

; rlimit-as = -1
; rlimit-core = -1
; rlimit-data = -1
; rlimit-fsize = -1
; rlimit-nofile = 256
; rlimit-stack = -1
; rlimit-nproc = -1
; rlimit-memlock = -1
; rlimit-nice = 31
; rlimit-rtprio = 9

; default-sample-format = s16le
; default-sample-rate = 44100
default-sample-channels = 6

; default-fragments = 4
; default-fragment-size-msec = 25

pulseaudio -k && pulseaudio -vv

I: main.c: We're in the group 'pulse-rt', allowing real-time and high-priority scheduling.
I: core-util.c: Successfully gained nice level -11.
I: main.c: setrlimit(RLIMIT_NICE, (31, 31)) failed: Operationen inte tillåten
I: main.c: setrlimit(RLIMIT_RTPRIO, (9, 9)) failed: Operationen inte tillåten
I: main.c: This is PulseAudio 0.9.10
I: main.c: Page size is 4096 bytes
I: main.c: Fresh high-resolution timers available! Bon appetit!
D: cli-command.c: Checking for existance of '/usr/lib/pulse-0.9/modules/module-hal-detect.so': success
I: module-hal-detect.c: Trying capability alsa
D: module-hal-detect.c: Not loaded device /org/freedesktop/Hal/devices/computer_alsa_timer
D: module-hal-detect.c: Not loaded device /org/freedesktop/Hal/devices/computer_alsa_sequencer
D: module-hal-detect.c: Not loaded device /org/freedesktop/Hal/devices/pci_8086_24d5_sound_card_0_alsa_playback_4
D: module-hal-detect.c: Not loaded device /org/freedesktop/Hal/devices/pci_8086_24d5_sound_card_0_alsa_capture_3
D: module-hal-detect.c: Not loaded device /org/freedesktop/Hal/devices/pci_8086_24d5_sound_card_0_alsa_capture_2
D: module-hal-detect.c: Not loaded device /org/freedesktop/Hal/devices/pci_8086_24d5_sound_card_0_alsa_capture_1
D: module-hal-detect.c: Loading module-alsa-sink with arguments 'device_id=0 sink_name=alsa_output.pci_8086_24d5_sound_card_0_a lsa_playback_0'
D: alsa-util.c: Trying surround51:0...
I: module-alsa-sink.c: Successfully opened device surround51:0.
I: module-alsa-sink.c: Successfully enabled mmap() mode.
ALSA lib control.c:909:(snd_ctl_open_noupdate) Invalid CTL surround51:0
I: alsa-util.c: Unable to attach to mixer surround51:0: Filen eller katalogen finns inte
I: alsa-util.c: Successfully attached to mixer 'hw:0'
I: alsa-util.c: Using mixer control "Master".
I: sink.c: Created sink 0 "alsa_output.pci_8086_24d5_sound_card_0_alsa_playb ack_0" with sample spec "s16le 6ch 44100Hz"
I: source.c: Created source 0 "alsa_output.pci_8086_24d5_sound_card_0_alsa_playb ack_0.monitor" with sample spec "s16le 6ch 44100Hz"
I: module-alsa-sink.c: Using 4 fragments of size 13224 bytes.
I: alsa-util.c: ALSA device lacks separate volumes control for channel 'rear-left', falling back to software volume control.
D: module-alsa-sink.c: Thread starting up
D: rtpoll.c: Acquired POSIX realtime signal SIGRTMIN+29
I: module-alsa-sink.c: Starting playback.
I: module.c: Loaded "module-alsa-sink" (index: #0; argument: "device_id=0 sink_name=alsa_output.pci_8086_24d5_sound_card_0_a lsa_playback_0").
D: module-hal-detect.c: Loading module-alsa-source with arguments 'device_id=0 source_name=alsa_input.pci_8086_24d5_sound_card_0_ alsa_capture_0'
D: alsa-util.c: Trying surround51:0...
I: alsa-util.c: PCM device surround51:0 refused our hw parameters: Ogiltigt argument
D: alsa-util.c: Trying surround71:0...
ALSA lib conf.c:3952:(snd_config_expand) Unknown parameters 0
ALSA lib pcm.c:2145:(snd_pcm_open_noupdate) Unknown PCM surround71:0
I: alsa-util.c: Couldn't open PCM device surround71:0: Ogiltigt argument
D: alsa-util.c: Trying surround50:0...
I: alsa-util.c: PCM device surround50:0 refused our hw parameters: Ogiltigt argument
D: alsa-util.c: Trying surround41:0...
I: alsa-util.c: PCM device surround41:0 refused our hw parameters: Ogiltigt argument
D: alsa-util.c: Trying surround40:0...
I: alsa-util.c: PCM device surround40:0 refused our hw parameters: Ogiltigt argument
D: alsa-util.c: Trying front:0...
I: module-alsa-source.c: Successfully opened device front:0.
I: module-alsa-source.c: Successfully enabled mmap() mode.
ALSA lib control.c:909:(snd_ctl_open_noupdate) Invalid CTL front:0
I: alsa-util.c: Unable to attach to mixer front:0: Filen eller katalogen finns inte
I: alsa-util.c: Successfully attached to mixer 'hw:0'
I: alsa-util.c: Using mixer control "Capture".
I: source.c: Created source 1 "alsa_input.pci_8086_24d5_sound_card_0_alsa_captur e_0" with sample spec "s16le 2ch 44100Hz"
I: module-alsa-source.c: Using 4 fragments of size 4408 bytes.
I: alsa-util.c: All 2 channels can be mapped to mixer channels. Using hardware volume control.
D: module-alsa-source.c: Thread starting up
D: rtpoll.c: Acquired POSIX realtime signal SIGRTMIN+28
I: module.c: Loaded "module-alsa-source" (index: #1; argument: "device_id=0 source_name=alsa_input.pci_8086_24d5_sound_card_0_ alsa_capture_0").
D: module-hal-detect.c: Not loaded device /org/freedesktop/Hal/devices/pci_8086_24d5_sound_card_0_alsa_control__1
I: module-hal-detect.c: Loaded 2 modules.
I: module.c: Loaded "module-hal-detect" (index: #2; argument: "").
D: cli-command.c: Checking for existance of '/usr/lib/pulse-0.9/modules/module-esound-protocol-unix.so': success
I: module.c: Loaded "module-esound-protocol-unix" (index: #3; argument: "").
I: protocol-native.c: loading cookie from disk.
I: module.c: Loaded "module-native-protocol-unix" (index: #4; argument: "").
I: module.c: Loaded "module-volume-restore" (index: #5; argument: "").
D: module-default-device-restore.c: Restored default sink 'alsa_output.pci_8086_24d5_sound_card_0_alsa_playb ack_0'.
D: module-default-device-restore.c: No previous default source setting, ignoring.
I: module.c: Loaded "module-default-device-restore" (index: #6; argument: "").
I: module.c: Loaded "module-rescue-streams" (index: #7; argument: "").
D: module-suspend-on-idle.c: Sink alsa_output.pci_8086_24d5_sound_card_0_alsa_playba ck_0 becomes idle.
D: module-suspend-on-idle.c: Source alsa_output.pci_8086_24d5_sound_card_0_alsa_playba ck_0.monitor becomes idle.
D: module-suspend-on-idle.c: Source alsa_input.pci_8086_24d5_sound_card_0_alsa_capture _0 becomes idle.
I: module.c: Loaded "module-suspend-on-idle" (index: #8; argument: "").
D: cli-command.c: Checking for existance of '/usr/lib/pulse-0.9/modules/module-gconf.so': success
I: module.c: Loaded "module-gconf" (index: #9; argument: "").
D: cli-command.c: Checking for existance of '/usr/lib/pulse-0.9/modules/module-x11-publish.so': success
D: module-x11-publish.c: using already loaded auth cookie.
I: module.c: Loaded "module-x11-publish" (index: #10; argument: "").
I: main.c: Daemon startup complete.
D: module-hal-detect.c: dbus: interface=org.freedesktop.DBus, path=/org/freedesktop/DBus, member=NameAcquired
I: module-suspend-on-idle.c: Source alsa_input.pci_8086_24d5_sound_card_0_alsa_capture _0 idle for too long, suspending ...
I: module-alsa-source.c: Device suspended...
I: module-suspend-on-idle.c: Source alsa_output.pci_8086_24d5_sound_card_0_alsa_playba ck_0.monitor idle for too long, suspending ...
I: module-suspend-on-idle.c: Sink alsa_output.pci_8086_24d5_sound_card_0_alsa_playba ck_0 idle for too long, suspending ...
I: module-alsa-sink.c: Device suspended...

when i play music file and movies i get sound from all 5.1 speakers.
when i watch flash videos i only get sound from my 2 front speakers.

when i play this file

speaker-test -c 6

it comes only from my two front speakers.

all the sound is unmuted from alsanixer...


please help:(

[sammydee]

This is my audio controller, it's the onboard one on the Asus P5Q-E:


This is the only line I changed in this file (the only line that isn't commented out):


My two front speakers work, but I'm unable to get my center, sub and the two rear ones to work.

When I run alsamixer I don't see any extra channels, I'm only able to change the volume of the "Master", "PCM" and "Digital".

I've tried both the methods, and none of them worked. I'm running a 5.1 system, and yes, surround works in Windows XP.

This is the 64 bit version of Ubuntu Hardy Heron.

Ps. Apparently my post was too long, so I've included the "pulseaudio -k && pulseaudio -vv" content, in a file. Hope that's okay with everyone.

Thanks in advance!

I had a good look at the text file and it looks like alsa is not exposing more than two channels to pulseaudio for whatever reason.

I have no idea why this is, it could be incomplete alsa drivers (is your computer very new?) or a bug. Either way, the best place to report this is the pulseaudio bug tracker, the devs there should point you in the right direction if it is an alsa problem.

Sam

[sammydee]

Hello friends, last time i used ubuntu was for 2 years ago and now i'm back to the 8.04 this version rocks i'm pleased with it. I have problem with my speakers i only get sound from the two front speakers.

when i play music file and movies i get sound from all 5.1 speakers.
when i watch flash videos i only get sound from my 2 front speakers.

when i play this file


it comes only from my two front speakers.

all the sound is unmuted from alsanixer...


please help

Hi George.

This is actually working perfectly. All pulseaudio applications are fully 5.1 capable as they should be. The reason the sound test and flash are only two channels is because they are using alsa, which is directly accessing the sound card in it's own way. If you REALLY want alsa aware applications like flash to work as well, you need to follow part A in this guide.

Be advised that I don't think this is an ideal solution for a number of reasons. If I were you I'd leave it the way it is. All music and movies will work find, only flash and very few other applications that are not pulseaudio aware will only use two channels.

There is a third option, which involves editing ~/.asoundrc. I can't help with this, you need to get on the #alsa irc channel and get a guru to help you if you want to expose 5.1 surround sound directly to alsa aware applications.

Sam

[b-george]

Hi George.

This is actually working perfectly. All pulseaudio applications are fully 5.1 capable as they should be. The reason the sound test and flash are only two channels is because they are using alsa, which is directly accessing the sound card in it's own way. If you REALLY want alsa aware applications like flash to work as well, you need to follow part A in this guide.

Be advised that I don't think this is an ideal solution for a number of reasons. If I were you I'd leave it the way it is. All music and movies will work find, only flash and very few other applications that are not pulseaudio aware will only use two channels.

There is a third option, which involves editing ~/.asoundrc. I can't help with this, you need to get on the #alsa irc channel and get a guru to help you if you want to expose 5.1 surround sound directly to alsa aware applications.

Sam

thank u sam!

it's not necessary i will leave it like it's. thanks for the great support.

//George

[dageng1]

Thanks Sam!
From what I know the SoundMAX Audio chip on my motherboard is fairly new, so it's probably incomplete ALSA drivers.

Should I report this as a bug, or should I just wait for the next Ubuntu release (and hope for it to be fixed)?

Dag

[tarunjindal]

Hi,

I tried all i can but unable to get my 5.1 channel audio working i m sending you my configuration files please see to it.
Thanks

My default.pa

#!/usr/bin/pulseaudio -nF
#
# This file is part of PulseAudio.
#
# PulseAudio is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
# under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License as published by
# the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or
# (at your option) any later version.
#
# PulseAudio is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but
# WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
# MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU
# General Public License for more details.
#
# You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public License
# along with PulseAudio; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation,
# Inc., 59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307 USA.

.nofail

### Load something into the sample cache
#load-sample-lazy x11-bell /usr/share/sounds/gtk-events/activate.wav
load-sample-lazy pulse-hotplug /usr/share/sounds/startup3.wav
#load-sample-lazy pulse-coldplug /usr/share/sounds/startup3.wav
#load-sample-lazy pulse-access /usr/share/sounds/generic.wav

.fail

### Load audio drivers statically (it's probably better to not load
### these drivers manually, but instead use module-hal-detect --
### see below -- for doing this automatically)
load-module module-alsa-sink device=hw:0 channels=6 channel_map=front-left,front-right,rear-left,rear-right,center,lfe

load-module module-alsa-source device=hw:0
#load-module module-oss device="/dev/dsp" sink_name=output source_name=input
#load-module module-oss-mmap device="/dev/dsp" sink_name=output source_name=input
#load-module module-null-sink
#load-module module-pipe-sink

### Automatically load driver modules depending on the hardware available
.ifexists module-hal-detect.so
load-module module-hal-detect
.else
### Alternatively use the static hardware detection module (for systems that
### lack HAL support)
load-module module-detect
.endif

### Load several protocols
.ifexists module-esound-protocol-unix.so
load-module module-esound-protocol-unix
.endif
load-module module-native-protocol-unix

### Network access (may be configured with paprefs, so leave this commented
### here if you plan to use paprefs)
#load-module module-esound-protocol-tcp
#load-module module-native-protocol-tcp
#load-module module-zeroconf-publish

### Load the RTP reciever module (also configured via paprefs, see above)
#load-module module-rtp-recv

### Load the RTP sender module (also configured via paprefs, see above)
#load-module module-null-sink sink_name=rtp format=s16be channels=2 rate=44100 description="RTP Multicast Sink"
#load-module module-rtp-send source=rtp.monitor

### Automatically restore the volume of playback streams
load-module module-volume-restore

### Automatically restore the default sink/source when changed by the user during runtime
load-module module-default-device-restore

### Automatically move streams to the default sink if the sink they are
### connected to dies, similar for sources
load-module module-rescue-streams

### Automatically suspend sinks/sources that become idle for too long
load-module module-suspend-on-idle

### Load X11 bell module
#load-module module-x11-bell sample=x11-bell

### Register ourselves in the X11 session manager
# Deactivated by default, to avoid deadlock when PA is started as esd from gnome-session
# Instead we load this via /etc/xdg/autostart/ and "pactl load-module" now
# load-module module-x11-xsmp

### Load additional modules from GConf settings. This can be configured with the paprefs tool.
### Please keep in mind that the modules configured by paprefs might conflict with manually
### loaded modules.
.ifexists module-gconf.so
.nofail
load-module module-gconf
.fail
.endif

### Publish connection data in the X11 root window
.ifexists module-x11-publish.so
.nofail
load-module module-x11-publish
.fail
.endif

### Make some devices default
#set-default-sink output
#set-default-source input

My daemon.conf

# $Id: daemon.conf.in 2175 2008-03-27 23:39:10Z lennart $
#
# This file is part of PulseAudio.
#
# PulseAudio is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
# it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License as published by
# the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or
# (at your option) any later version.
#
# PulseAudio is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but
# WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
# MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU
# General Public License for more details.
#
# You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public License
# along with PulseAudio; if not, write to the Free Software
# Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307
# USA.

## Configuration file for the PulseAudio daemon. See pulse-daemon.conf(5) for
## more information. Default values a commented out. Use either ; or # for
## commenting.

; daemonize = no
; fail = yes
; disallow-module-loading = no
; use-pid-file = yes
; system-instance = no
; disable-shm = no

; high-priority = yes
; nice-level = -11

; realtime-scheduling = no
; realtime-priority = 5

; exit-idle-time = -1
; module-idle-time = 20
; scache-idle-time = 20

; dl-search-path = (depends on architecture)

; default-script-file =

; log-target = auto
; log-level = notice

; resample-method = speex-float-3
; disable-remixing = no

; no-cpu-limit = no

; rlimit-as = -1
; rlimit-core = -1
; rlimit-data = -1
; rlimit-fsize = -1
; rlimit-nofile = 256
; rlimit-stack = -1
; rlimit-nproc = -1
; rlimit-memlock = -1
; rlimit-nice = 31
; rlimit-rtprio = 9

; default-sample-format = s16le
; default-sample-rate = 44100
default-sample-channels = 6

; default-fragments = 4
; default-fragment-size-msec = 25

Output after pulseaudio -k && pulseaudio -vv


I: main.c: Called SUID root and real-time/high-priority scheduling was requested in the configuration. However, we lack the necessary priviliges:
I: main.c: We are not in group 'pulse-rt' and PolicyKit refuse to grant us priviliges. Dropping SUID again.
I: main.c: For enabling real-time scheduling please acquire the appropriate PolicyKit priviliges, or become a member of 'pulse-rt', or increase the RLIMIT_NICE/RLIMIT_RTPRIO resource limits for this user.
I: main.c: Note that real-time/high-priority scheduling is NOT normally required. If you experience crackling or other sound anomalies, consider one or more of the above solutions.
I: main.c: High-priority scheduling enabled in configuration but now allowed by policy. Disabling forcibly.
I: main.c: setrlimit(RLIMIT_NICE, (31, 31)) failed: Operation not permitted
I: main.c: setrlimit(RLIMIT_RTPRIO, (9, 9)) failed: Operation not permitted
I: main.c: This is PulseAudio 0.9.10
I: main.c: Page size is 4096 bytes
I: main.c: Fresh high-resolution timers available! Bon appetit!
W: alsa-util.c: Device hw:0 doesn't support 6 channels, changed to 2.
I: module-alsa-sink.c: Successfully opened device hw:0.
I: module-alsa-sink.c: Successfully enabled mmap() mode.
I: alsa-util.c: Successfully attached to mixer 'hw:0'
I: alsa-util.c: Using mixer control "Master".
I: sink.c: Created sink 0 "alsa_output.hw_0" with sample spec "s16le 2ch 44100Hz"
I: source.c: Created source 0 "alsa_output.hw_0.monitor" with sample spec "s16le 2ch 44100Hz"
I: module-alsa-sink.c: Using 4 fragments of size 4352 bytes.
I: alsa-util.c: ALSA device lacks independant volume controls for each channel, falling back to software volume control.
D: module-alsa-sink.c: Thread starting up
D: rtpoll.c: Acquired POSIX realtime signal SIGRTMIN+29
I: module-alsa-sink.c: Starting playback.
I: module.c: Loaded "module-alsa-sink" (index: #0; argument: "device=hw:0 channels=6 channel_map=front-left,front-right,rear-left,rear-right,center,lfe").
W: alsa-util.c: Device hw:0 doesn't support 6 channels, changed to 2.
I: module-alsa-source.c: Successfully opened device hw:0.
I: module-alsa-source.c: Successfully enabled mmap() mode.
I: alsa-util.c: Successfully attached to mixer 'hw:0'
I: alsa-util.c: Using mixer control "Capture".
I: source.c: Created source 1 "alsa_input.hw_0" with sample spec "s16le 2ch 44100Hz"
I: module-alsa-source.c: Using 4 fragments of size 4352 bytes.
I: alsa-util.c: All 2 channels can be mapped to mixer channels. Using hardware volume control.
D: module-alsa-source.c: Thread starting up
D: rtpoll.c: Acquired POSIX realtime signal SIGRTMIN+28
I: module.c: Loaded "module-alsa-source" (index: #1; argument: "device=hw:0").
D: cli-command.c: Checking for existance of '/usr/lib/pulse-0.9/modules/module-hal-detect.so': success
I: module-hal-detect.c: Trying capability alsa
D: module-hal-detect.c: Not loaded device /org/freedesktop/Hal/devices/computer_alsa_timer
D: module-hal-detect.c: Not loaded device /org/freedesktop/Hal/devices/computer_alsa_sequencer
D: module-hal-detect.c: Not loaded device /org/freedesktop/Hal/devices/pci_10de_7fc_sound_card_0_alsa_playback_1
D: module-hal-detect.c: Loading module-alsa-sink with arguments 'device_id=0 sink_name=alsa_output.pci_10de_7fc_sound_card_0_al sa_playback_0'
D: alsa-util.c: Trying surround51:0...
I: alsa-util.c: Couldn't open PCM device surround51:0: Device or resource busy
D: alsa-util.c: Trying surround71:0...
I: alsa-util.c: Couldn't open PCM device surround71:0: Device or resource busy
D: alsa-util.c: Trying surround50:0...
I: alsa-util.c: Couldn't open PCM device surround50:0: Device or resource busy
D: alsa-util.c: Trying surround41:0...
I: alsa-util.c: Couldn't open PCM device surround41:0: Device or resource busy
D: alsa-util.c: Trying surround40:0...
I: alsa-util.c: Couldn't open PCM device surround40:0: Device or resource busy
D: alsa-util.c: Trying front:0...
I: alsa-util.c: Couldn't open PCM device front:0: Device or resource busy
D: alsa-util.c: Trying hw:0 as last resort...
E: alsa-util.c: Error opening PCM device hw:0: Device or resource busy
E: module.c: Failed to load module "module-alsa-sink" (argument: "device_id=0 sink_name=alsa_output.pci_10de_7fc_sound_card_0_al sa_playback_0"): initialization failed.
D: module-hal-detect.c: Not loaded device /org/freedesktop/Hal/devices/pci_10de_7fc_sound_card_0_alsa_playback_0
D: module-hal-detect.c: Loading module-alsa-source with arguments 'device_id=0 source_name=alsa_input.pci_10de_7fc_sound_card_0_a lsa_capture_0'
D: alsa-util.c: Trying surround51:0...
I: alsa-util.c: Couldn't open PCM device surround51:0: Device or resource busy
D: alsa-util.c: Trying surround71:0...
I: alsa-util.c: Couldn't open PCM device surround71:0: Device or resource busy
D: alsa-util.c: Trying surround50:0...
I: alsa-util.c: Couldn't open PCM device surround50:0: Device or resource busy
D: alsa-util.c: Trying surround41:0...
I: alsa-util.c: Couldn't open PCM device surround41:0: Device or resource busy
D: alsa-util.c: Trying surround40:0...
I: alsa-util.c: Couldn't open PCM device surround40:0: Device or resource busy
D: alsa-util.c: Trying front:0...
I: alsa-util.c: Couldn't open PCM device front:0: Device or resource busy
D: alsa-util.c: Trying hw:0 as last resort...
E: alsa-util.c: Error opening PCM device hw:0: Device or resource busy
E: module.c: Failed to load module "module-alsa-source" (argument: "device_id=0 source_name=alsa_input.pci_10de_7fc_sound_card_0_a lsa_capture_0"): initialization failed.
D: module-hal-detect.c: Not loaded device /org/freedesktop/Hal/devices/pci_10de_7fc_sound_card_0_alsa_capture_0
D: module-hal-detect.c: Not loaded device /org/freedesktop/Hal/devices/pci_10de_7fc_sound_card_0_alsa_hw_specific_0
D: module-hal-detect.c: Not loaded device /org/freedesktop/Hal/devices/pci_10de_7fc_sound_card_0_alsa_control__1
I: module-hal-detect.c: Loaded 0 modules.
I: module.c: Loaded "module-hal-detect" (index: #2; argument: "").
D: cli-command.c: Checking for existance of '/usr/lib/pulse-0.9/modules/module-esound-protocol-unix.so': success
I: module.c: Loaded "module-esound-protocol-unix" (index: #3; argument: "").
I: protocol-native.c: loading cookie from disk.
I: module.c: Loaded "module-native-protocol-unix" (index: #4; argument: "").
I: module.c: Loaded "module-volume-restore" (index: #5; argument: "").
D: module-default-device-restore.c: Restored default sink 'alsa_output.hw_0'.
D: module-default-device-restore.c: No previous default source setting, ignoring.
I: module.c: Loaded "module-default-device-restore" (index: #6; argument: "").
I: module.c: Loaded "module-rescue-streams" (index: #7; argument: "").
D: module-suspend-on-idle.c: Sink alsa_output.hw_0 becomes idle.
D: module-suspend-on-idle.c: Source alsa_output.hw_0.monitor becomes idle.
D: module-suspend-on-idle.c: Source alsa_input.hw_0 becomes idle.
I: module.c: Loaded "module-suspend-on-idle" (index: #8; argument: "").
D: cli-command.c: Checking for existance of '/usr/lib/pulse-0.9/modules/module-gconf.so': success
I: module.c: Loaded "module-gconf" (index: #9; argument: "").
D: cli-command.c: Checking for existance of '/usr/lib/pulse-0.9/modules/module-x11-publish.so': success
D: module-x11-publish.c: using already loaded auth cookie.
I: module.c: Loaded "module-x11-publish" (index: #10; argument: "").
I: main.c: Daemon startup complete.
D: module-hal-detect.c: dbus: interface=org.freedesktop.DBus, path=/org/freedesktop/DBus, member=NameAcquired
I: module-suspend-on-idle.c: Source alsa_input.hw_0 idle for too long, suspending ...
I: module-alsa-source.c: Device suspended...
I: module-suspend-on-idle.c: Source alsa_output.hw_0.monitor idle for too long, suspending ...
I: module-suspend-on-idle.c: Sink alsa_output.hw_0 idle for too long, suspending ...
I: module-alsa-sink.c: Device suspended...
I: main.c: Got signal SIGINT.
I: main.c: Exiting.
I: main.c: Daemon shutdown initiated.
I: module.c: Unloading "module-alsa-sink" (index: #0).
D: module-rescue-streams.c: No sink inputs to move away.
D: module-rescue-streams.c: No source outputs to move away.
D: module-alsa-sink.c: Thread shutting down
I: sink.c: Freeing sink 0 "alsa_output.hw_0"
I: source.c: Freeing source 0 "alsa_output.hw_0.monitor"
I: module.c: Unloaded "module-alsa-sink" (index: #0).
I: module.c: Unloading "module-alsa-source" (index: #1).
D: module-rescue-streams.c: No source outputs to move away.
D: module-alsa-source.c: Thread shutting down
I: source.c: Freeing source 1 "alsa_input.hw_0"
I: module.c: Unloaded "module-alsa-source" (index: #1).
I: module.c: Unloading "module-hal-detect" (index: #2).
D: module-hal-detect.c: dbus: interface=org.freedesktop.DBus.Local, path=/org/freedesktop/DBus/Local, member=Disconnected
I: module.c: Unloaded "module-hal-detect" (index: #2).
I: module.c: Unloading "module-esound-protocol-unix" (index: #3).
I: module.c: Unloaded "module-esound-protocol-unix" (index: #3).
I: module.c: Unloading "module-native-protocol-unix" (index: #4).
I: module.c: Unloaded "module-native-protocol-unix" (index: #4).
I: module.c: Unloading "module-volume-restore" (index: #5).
I: module.c: Unloaded "module-volume-restore" (index: #5).
I: module.c: Unloading "module-default-device-restore" (index: #6).
I: module.c: Unloaded "module-default-device-restore" (index: #6).
I: module.c: Unloading "module-rescue-streams" (index: #7).
I: module.c: Unloaded "module-rescue-streams" (index: #7).
I: module.c: Unloading "module-suspend-on-idle" (index: #8).
I: module.c: Unloaded "module-suspend-on-idle" (index: #8).
I: module.c: Unloading "module-gconf" (index: #9).
I: module.c: Unloaded "module-gconf" (index: #9).
I: module.c: Unloading "module-x11-publish" (index: #10).
I: module.c: Unloaded "module-x11-publish" (index: #10).
I: main.c: Daemon terminated.
This stopped responding here so i had to press ctrl+c.

[sammydee]

Thanks Sam!
From what I know the SoundMAX Audio chip on my motherboard is fairly new, so it's probably incomplete ALSA drivers.

Should I report this as a bug, or should I just wait for the next Ubuntu release (and hope for it to be fixed)?

Dag

I'd report it as a bug to the pulseaudio website. First though, can you please post your ~/.asoundrc here, I just wanna confirm something.

Sam

[sammydee]

Tarunjindal:

I'm a little confused, why have you specified your card manually in your default.pa? You should let HAL autodetect it instead, try commenting out these lines:

load-module module-alsa-sink device=hw:0 channels=6 channel_map=front-left,front-right,rear-left,rear-right,center,lfe

load-module module-alsa-source device=hw:0

and then run pulseaudio -k && pulseaudio -vv again and post the output here.


Do you have more than one sound card in your pc? What make is it/are they?

Sam

[dageng1]

@sammydee:
It doesn't seem like I have that file
I don't find one in my home directory, and not in the /etc path either...

Thanks for being som helpful