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Audio issues with Asus M3N78-VM and FC9

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lunchtimelarry at gmail

Nov 1, 2008, 5:22 PM

Post #1 of 7 (2624 views)
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Audio issues with Asus M3N78-VM and FC9

Recently upgraded my Myth BE/FE combo machine using this new Asus board and
ATRPMs, and now I am having problems getting audio to work.

The onboard audio chipset is VIA VT1708B, which supports up to 8 channels.
The Northbridge is GeForce 8200.

My patch level:

Linux myth 2.6.26.5-45.fc9.i686 #1 SMP Sat Sep 20 03:45:00 EDT 2008 i686
athlon i386 GNU/Linux

First, based on what I read here, I uninstalled the pulse audio server, or
at least I think I did. I removed all the packages related to pulse that
did not also want to remove a ton of dependent things, including myth. What
I have left is

# rpm -qa | grep pulse
pulseaudio-libs-0.9.10-1.fc9.i386

Removing this package requires that I remove some stuff I want to keep, like
myth. :)

If there is a chance that the pulse server is causing this, how can I tell
if it is fully cleaned from my system?

My alsa packages look like this:

rpm -qa | grep alsa
alsa-lib-devel-1.0.16-3.fc9.i386
bluez-utils-alsa-3.30-2.fc9.i386
alsa-kmdl-2.6.26.5-45.fc9-1.0.17-70.fc9.i686
alsa-lib-1.0.16-3.fc9.i386
alsa-utils-1.0.16-2.fc9.i386
alsa-driver-1.0.17-70.fc9.i386

For simplicity, I am using the analog audio port for now (with a splitter to
RCA red and white), figuring I would tackle digital audio (optical) later,
once I get analog sound working. I have tried both headphones and my Onkyo
receiver, and neither can pick up more than a hint of sound, even at max
volume. alsamixer (and kmix) both confirm that the audio levels are unmuted
and turned up to 100%.

Any idea why I am having so much trouble configuring sound on this new box?
Is this hardware just a little bit ahead of the drivers?

Larry

promac at gmail

Nov 1, 2008, 6:01 PM

Post #2 of 7 (2524 views)
Permalink

Re: Audio issues with Asus M3N78-VM and FC9 [In reply to]

On Sat, Nov 1, 2008 at 10:22 PM, Larry K <lunchtimelarry [at] gmail> wrote:

> Recently upgraded my Myth BE/FE combo machine using this new Asus board and
> ATRPMs, and now I am having problems getting audio to work.
>
> The onboard audio chipset is VIA VT1708B, which supports up to 8 channels.
> The Northbridge is GeForce 8200.
>
> My patch level:
>
> Linux myth 2.6.26.5-45.fc9.i686 #1 SMP Sat Sep 20 03:45:00 EDT 2008 i686
> athlon i386 GNU/Linux
>
> First, based on what I read here, I uninstalled the pulse audio server, or
> at least I think I did. I removed all the packages related to pulse that
> did not also want to remove a ton of dependent things, including myth. What
> I have left is
>
> # rpm -qa | grep pulse
> pulseaudio-libs-0.9.10-1.fc9.i386
>
> Removing this package requires that I remove some stuff I want to keep,
> like myth. :)
>
> If there is a chance that the pulse server is causing this, how can I tell
> if it is fully cleaned from my system?
>

You do not need to "clean" anything. alsa woks through plugins.
The file /etc/alsa/pulse-default.conf from alsa-plugins-pulseaudio
is the one which defines pulse as the default for alsa:

# PulseAudio plugin configuration

# Let's create a virtual device "pulse" for mixer and PCM

pcm.pulse {
type pulse
}

ctl.pulse {
type pulse
}

# Let's make it the default!

pcm.!default {
type pulse
}

ctl.!default {
type pulse
}

You can redefine the default in your

~/.asoundrc

or just delete pulse-default.conf
Since you have already removed this package, alsa will not output
trough pulse anymore.

Also, alsa 1.0.18 is out. Maybe it will give you a better support for your
card.

--
Paulo Roma Cavalcanti
LCG - UFRJ

lunchtimelarry at gmail

Nov 1, 2008, 7:36 PM

Post #3 of 7 (2531 views)
Permalink

Re: Audio issues with Asus M3N78-VM and FC9 [In reply to]

The myth wiki (
http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/Configuring_Digital_Sound) suggests
that pulse (or any other sound server) should not be used with MythTV:

*The default in modern Linux systems that use the 2.6 kernel is now ALSA.
For MythTV installations it is advisable to turn off any sound servers that
sit on top of ALSA such as Pulse Audio or the KDE or Gnome sound servers. *

Are you saying I should reinstall pulse and use it? Perhaps this wiki is
dated? Seems like pulse just adds a layer of complexity. However, if it is
necessary for my configuration, I can certainly give it a shot...

On Sat, Nov 1, 2008 at 9:01 PM, Paulo Cavalcanti <promac [at] gmail> wrote:

>
>
> On Sat, Nov 1, 2008 at 10:22 PM, Larry K <lunchtimelarry [at] gmail> wrote:
>
>> Recently upgraded my Myth BE/FE combo machine using this new Asus board
>> and ATRPMs, and now I am having problems getting audio to work.
>>
>> The onboard audio chipset is VIA VT1708B, which supports up to 8
>> channels. The Northbridge is GeForce 8200.
>>
>> My patch level:
>>
>> Linux myth 2.6.26.5-45.fc9.i686 #1 SMP Sat Sep 20 03:45:00 EDT 2008 i686
>> athlon i386 GNU/Linux
>>
>> First, based on what I read here, I uninstalled the pulse audio server, or
>> at least I think I did. I removed all the packages related to pulse that
>> did not also want to remove a ton of dependent things, including myth. What
>> I have left is
>>
>> # rpm -qa | grep pulse
>> pulseaudio-libs-0.9.10-1.fc9.i386
>>
>> Removing this package requires that I remove some stuff I want to keep,
>> like myth. :)
>>
>> If there is a chance that the pulse server is causing this, how can I tell
>> if it is fully cleaned from my system?
>>
>
> You do not need to "clean" anything. alsa woks through plugins.
> The file /etc/alsa/pulse-default.conf from alsa-plugins-pulseaudio
> is the one which defines pulse as the default for alsa:
>
> # PulseAudio plugin configuration
>
> # Let's create a virtual device "pulse" for mixer and PCM
>
> pcm.pulse {
> type pulse
> }
>
> ctl.pulse {
> type pulse
> }
>
> # Let's make it the default!
>
> pcm.!default {
> type pulse
> }
>
> ctl.!default {
> type pulse
> }
>
>
> You can redefine the default in your
>
> ~/.asoundrc
>
> or just delete pulse-default.conf
> Since you have already removed this package, alsa will not output
> trough pulse anymore.
>
> Also, alsa 1.0.18 is out. Maybe it will give you a better support for your
> card.
>
>
> --
> Paulo Roma Cavalcanti
> LCG - UFRJ
>

promac at gmail

Nov 1, 2008, 7:55 PM

Post #4 of 7 (2529 views)
Permalink

Re: Audio issues with Asus M3N78-VM and FC9 [In reply to]

On Sun, Nov 2, 2008 at 12:36 AM, Larry K <lunchtimelarry [at] gmail> wrote:

> The myth wiki (
> http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/Configuring_Digital_Sound) suggests
> that pulse (or any other sound server) should not be used with MythTV:
>
> *The default in modern Linux systems that use the 2.6 kernel is now ALSA.
> For MythTV installations it is advisable to turn off any sound servers that
> sit on top of ALSA such as Pulse Audio or the KDE or Gnome sound servers.
> *
>

I use pulse audio with myth. It works just fine, and I like it.It allows me
to control my two
sound cards very easily.

>
> Are you saying I should reinstall pulse and use it? Perhaps this wiki is
> dated? Seems like pulse just adds a layer of complexity. However, if it is
> necessary for my configuration, I can certainly give it a shot...
>

What I am saying is that you do not need to uninstall anything to turn pulse
audio off.
Think of it as a path that alsa sends the sound before it reaches the sound
card.
You can just choose another path. It is like compiz/beryl for video. You can
use it or not.

I did not understand if you do not have sound at all, or just can not hear
it on your Onkio
amplifier.

Alsa is not easy to configure. If it works out-of-the-box, great. Otherwise,
you will have to look for a solution. The first attempt is always upgrading
to the newest version,
presently 1.0.18.

--
Paulo Roma Cavalcanti
LCG - UFRJ

lunchtimelarry at gmail

Nov 2, 2008, 4:57 AM

Post #5 of 7 (2524 views)
Permalink

Re: Audio issues with Asus M3N78-VM and FC9 [In reply to]

On Sat, Nov 1, 2008 at 10:55 PM, Paulo Cavalcanti <promac [at] gmail> wrote:

>
>
> On Sun, Nov 2, 2008 at 12:36 AM, Larry K <lunchtimelarry [at] gmail> wrote:
>
>> The myth wiki (
>> http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/Configuring_Digital_Sound) suggests
>> that pulse (or any other sound server) should not be used with MythTV:
>>
>> *The default in modern Linux systems that use the 2.6 kernel is now ALSA.
>> For MythTV installations it is advisable to turn off any sound servers that
>> sit on top of ALSA such as Pulse Audio or the KDE or Gnome sound servers.
>> *
>>
>
> I use pulse audio with myth. It works just fine, and I like it.It allows me
> to control my two
> sound cards very easily.
>
>
>>
>> Are you saying I should reinstall pulse and use it? Perhaps this wiki is
>> dated? Seems like pulse just adds a layer of complexity. However, if it is
>> necessary for my configuration, I can certainly give it a shot...
>>
>
> What I am saying is that you do not need to uninstall anything to turn
> pulse audio off.
> Think of it as a path that alsa sends the sound before it reaches the sound
> card.
> You can just choose another path. It is like compiz/beryl for video. You
> can use it or not.
>
> I did not understand if you do not have sound at all, or just can not hear
> it on your Onkio
> amplifier.
>

I have sound, but it is barely audible, even at maximum volume. Seems like
a driver/hardware problem to me...

>
>
> Alsa is not easy to configure. If it works out-of-the-box, great.
> Otherwise,
> you will have to look for a solution. The first attempt is always upgrading
> to the newest version,
> presently 1.0.18.
>
>
>
Yeah, but I am the latest version available through precompiled RPMs.
Unless there is a test/unstable repositiry I am not aware of.

My concern is that there may be issues with the M3N78-VM onboard sound. If
so, I need to ditch it and go with another board...

>
>
> --
> Paulo Roma Cavalcanti
> LCG - UFRJ
>

promac at gmail

Nov 2, 2008, 5:15 AM

Post #6 of 7 (2518 views)
Permalink

Re: Audio issues with Asus M3N78-VM and FC9 [In reply to]

On Sun, Nov 2, 2008 at 10:57 AM, Larry K <lunchtimelarry [at] gmail> wrote:

>
>
> On Sat, Nov 1, 2008 at 10:55 PM, Paulo Cavalcanti <promac [at] gmail>wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> On Sun, Nov 2, 2008 at 12:36 AM, Larry K <lunchtimelarry [at] gmail>wrote:
>>
>>> The myth wiki (
>>> http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/Configuring_Digital_Sound) suggests
>>> that pulse (or any other sound server) should not be used with MythTV:
>>>
>>> *The default in modern Linux systems that use the 2.6 kernel is now
>>> ALSA. For MythTV installations it is advisable to turn off any sound servers
>>> that sit on top of ALSA such as Pulse Audio or the KDE or Gnome sound
>>> servers. *
>>>
>>
>> I use pulse audio with myth. It works just fine, and I like it.It allows
>> me to control my two
>> sound cards very easily.
>>
>>
>>>
>>> Are you saying I should reinstall pulse and use it? Perhaps this wiki is
>>> dated? Seems like pulse just adds a layer of complexity. However, if it is
>>> necessary for my configuration, I can certainly give it a shot...
>>>
>>
>> What I am saying is that you do not need to uninstall anything to turn
>> pulse audio off.
>> Think of it as a path that alsa sends the sound before it reaches the
>> sound card.
>> You can just choose another path. It is like compiz/beryl for video. You
>> can use it or not.
>>
>> I did not understand if you do not have sound at all, or just can not hear
>> it on your Onkio
>> amplifier.
>>
>
> I have sound, but it is barely audible, even at maximum volume. Seems
> like a driver/hardware problem to me...
>
>>
>>
>> Alsa is not easy to configure. If it works out-of-the-box, great.
>> Otherwise,
>> you will have to look for a solution. The first attempt is always
>> upgrading to the newest version,
>> presently 1.0.18.
>>
>>
>>
> Yeah, but I am the latest version available through precompiled RPMs.
> Unless there is a test/unstable repositiry I am not aware of.
>
> My concern is that there may be issues with the M3N78-VM onboard sound. If
> so, I need to ditch it and go with another board...
>
>>

Go to the alsa lists first. I found some posts about your card. I saw
people complaining about distortion, but not low volume. They solved using
alsa 1.0.18.

http://www.alsa-project.org/main/index.php/Main_Page

I also created rpms for alsa 1.0.18. They work, but they did not solve
the problems with my laptop microphone. In fact, in my case, the headphones
stopped working with them, so I went back to 1.0.17. But they may be the
solution for you.

These are the source rpms. I have them built for F8 only.

http://people.atrpms.net/~pcavalcanti/srpms/alsa/

--
Paulo Roma Cavalcanti
LCG - UFRJ

lunchtimelarry at gmail

Nov 10, 2008, 7:59 AM

Post #7 of 7 (2435 views)
Permalink

Re: Audio issues with Asus M3N78-VM and FC9 [In reply to]

On Sat, Nov 1, 2008 at 9:55 PM, Paulo Cavalcanti <promac [at] gmail> wrote:

>
>
> On Sun, Nov 2, 2008 at 12:36 AM, Larry K <lunchtimelarry [at] gmail> wrote:
>
>> The myth wiki (
>> http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/Configuring_Digital_Sound) suggests
>> that pulse (or any other sound server) should not be used with MythTV:
>>
>> *The default in modern Linux systems that use the 2.6 kernel is now ALSA.
>> For MythTV installations it is advisable to turn off any sound servers that
>> sit on top of ALSA such as Pulse Audio or the KDE or Gnome sound servers.
>> *
>>
>
> I use pulse audio with myth. It works just fine, and I like it.It allows me
> to control my two
> sound cards very easily.
>
>
>>
>> Are you saying I should reinstall pulse and use it? Perhaps this wiki is
>> dated? Seems like pulse just adds a layer of complexity. However, if it is
>> necessary for my configuration, I can certainly give it a shot...
>>
>
> What I am saying is that you do not need to uninstall anything to turn
> pulse audio off.
> Think of it as a path that alsa sends the sound before it reaches the sound
> card.
> You can just choose another path. It is like compiz/beryl for video. You
> can use it or not.
>
> I did not understand if you do not have sound at all, or just can not hear
> it on your Onkio
> amplifier.
>
> Alsa is not easy to configure. If it works out-of-the-box, great.
> Otherwise,
> you will have to look for a solution. The first attempt is always upgrading
> to the newest version,
> presently 1.0.18.
>
>
>
>
> --
> Paulo Roma Cavalcanti
> LCG - UFRJ
>

ATRPMs posted the Alsa 1.0.18 driver, so I gave that a try. Finally, I can
get audio over HDMI.

Now, I have to figure out what to do with my almost-new Turtle Beach USB
sound card! :)

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