HOWTO: PulseAudio Fixes & System-Wide Equalizer Support

[ferrarix]

UPDATE: I forwarded the port. Used the port found under Skype>Options>Connections

Made no difference. Sound I send is disastrous. The one I receive is close to perfect though.

Uhm what do you think can be the problem?

[psyke83]

Thanks for your replies.

I can't modify the audio input as I only have 1 choice in the list (I used to have around 5 before doing the edits in the first post).

Sound in: /dev/dsp
Sound out: /dev/dsp
Ringing: /dev/dsp

Will try to forward a port on my ADSL router. BTW, I didn't have any probs with Skype when I had on Vista before I put Ubuntu, so I kinda believe it's not the router. Anyway I'm gonna give it a try.

Ok, you're using the OSS version of skype (in Medibuntu, that's skype-oss-static). Try installing the package "skype" instead (that's the ALSA version). You do not need to use "padsp" for the ALSA version, so launch Skype normally.

When you run Skype, you'll see different options presented in Options/Sound Devices. Set "Sound In" to "pulse" and set "Sound Out" to your microphone device.

[kamitsukai]

Just to let you know that this workaround wont work if you have the game "Teeworlds" installed as it sounds like your in a fish tank when you shoot each other...

[hyperair]

I'd like to mention that Skype 2.0.0.68 works fine for me using ALSA's pcm_pulse plugin. My configuration is as follows:

Sound In: SiS SI7012 (hw:SI7012,0)
Sound Out: pulse
Ringing: pulse

My send packet loss is approximately 13-19%, but my recv packet loss is approximately 0.3-0.4%. My voice sounds just fine when I receive it from Skype Test Call, but the lady's voice telling instructions comes slightly jittered at times.

[Meson]

Has anyone had any luck with this HOWTO and a Dell docking station? I have the same sound card as the original poster, Psyke83, "Intel Corporation 82801DB/DBL/DBM (ICH4/ICH4-L/ICH4-M) AC'97 Audio Controller (rev 01)" in my Latitude D800, docked with the D/Port. But this howto does not fix my problems. I think it has something to do with audio coming out of the dock at line-level - an issue I had in Gutsy as well.

Currently, sound out of the laptop speakers themselves works fine, but I'm using external speakers connected to the dock.

[psyke83]

Has anyone had any luck with this HOWTO and a Dell docking station? I have the same sound card as the original poster, Psyke83, "Intel Corporation 82801DB/DBL/DBM (ICH4/ICH4-L/ICH4-M) AC'97 Audio Controller (rev 01)" in my Latitude D800, docked with the D/Port. But this howto does not fix my problems. I think it has something to do with audio coming out of the dock at line-level - an issue I had in Gutsy as well.

Currently, sound out of the laptop speakers themselves works fine, but I'm using external speakers connected to the dock.

Meson, so what is your problem? Stuttering sound, or simply no sound while connected to the external speakers?

Remember that PulseAudio is not a sound card driver, it picks up sound from ALSA. If your problem is with ALSA, configuring PulseAudio will not and cannot help.

If your problem is getting *any* sound, I suggest you forget about PulseAudio and start experimenting with the switches in "alsamixer" (many of which are hidden by default in the GNOME Volume Applet) to see if you can get sound working that way.

[Meson]

Meson, so what is your problem? Stuttering sound, or simply no sound while connected to the external speakers?

I guess stuttering is a good way to describe it. I've been saying it sounds like the speakers are blown out. My problem is not no sound at all.

[psyke83]

I guess stuttering is a good way to describe it. I've been saying it sounds like the speakers are blown out. My problem is not no sound at all.

I'm not sure how the docking station functions, e.g. if audio output uses a different device.

In the case of Part D (the EQ) in my HOWTO, it defines the device to use as "plughw", which basically means the default hw device, usually "hw0,0". If you can find out the proper hardware device it should be, try editing /etc/asound.conf, then replace "plughw" with "plughw:x,y" where x,y is the proper hardware device.

It's a bit messy, though.

How is your sound when using Windows?

[psyke83]

I'd like to mention that Skype 2.0.0.68 works fine for me using ALSA's pcm_pulse plugin. My configuration is as follows:

Sound In: SiS SI7012 (hw:SI7012,0)
Sound Out: pulse
Ringing: pulse

My send packet loss is approximately 13-19%, but my recv packet loss is approximately 0.3-0.4%. My voice sounds just fine when I receive it from Skype Test Call, but the lady's voice telling instructions comes slightly jittered at times.

Adjusting the fragment values helps the jitter in Skype. As we talked about before, it seems skype opens and closes dozens of connection per second, and I have a feeling that a larger buffer means a longer wait for the buffer to be filled, causing sound to stutter as the connection keeps closing and reopening. Remember this is just a workaround for a bug, not a real fix .

[psyke83]

Just to let you know that this workaround wont work if you have the game "Teeworlds" installed as it sounds like your in a fish tank when you shoot each other...

I just tried this game and it seems that it tries to directly connect to a hardware device. This is bad programming and means it bypasses PulseAudio. You should ask the authors to add proper support.

Edit: http://www.teeworlds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=1221