[linux-audio-user] crunchy sound from snd-via686

New Message Reply About this list Date view Thread view Subject view Author view Other groups

Subject: [linux-audio-user] crunchy sound from snd-via686
From: Russell Neches (russell_AT_ccs.neu.edu)
Date: Sat Aug 10 2002 - 12:00:25 EEST

[insert your favorite salutation here]

I'm trying to stabilize a Debian installation on a VIA EPIA system. I
have sound working with the snd-via686 driver in ALSA 0.9.0beta12, but
it has some "minor" problems. As long as you don't move any windows,
playback sounds fine. Moving windows around causes playback to stutter
and "crunch" - not static, exactly, but a more or less random
secession of dull pops. Taxing the system in other ways doesn't cause
the noise - glxgears and xmms happily coexist, as long as you don't
drag them around. This is Debian Woody's package of the ALSA source
tree, so this problem could have been fixed in newer releases (I
haven't tried).

I remember having this problem a long, long time ago with different
drivers and different hardware. If I recall correctly, the problem is
caused by the way the kernel handles interrupts, so boosting the
priority of the daemon or the application doesn't help.

I'm running the generic 2.4.19 tree, and I've noticed some strange
interrupt behavior on my other two systems (spurious interrupts, and
such) that did not happen under 2.4.18. Has anyone else had trouble
with 2.4.19?

Anyone know how to get rid of the crunchies? I know I could install a
better sound card, but I was hoping to use the machine's only PCI slot
for a SCSI card.

Thanks!

Russell

Random info about the platform:

http://www.viavpsd.com/product/epia_mini_itx_spec.jsp?motherboardId=21

russell_AT_shorty:/proc$ cat interrupts
           CPU0
  0: 545663 XT-PIC timer
  1: 8525 XT-PIC keyboard
  2: 0 XT-PIC cascade
  5: 0 XT-PIC usb-uhci, usb-uhci
 10: 108748 XT-PIC VIA686A
 11: 43981 XT-PIC eth0
 12: 59251 XT-PIC PS/2 Mouse
 14: 31175 XT-PIC ide0
NMI: 0
LOC: 0
ERR: 0
MIS: 0

russell_AT_shorty:/proc$ cat cpuinfo
processor : 0
vendor_id : CentaurHauls
cpu family : 6
model : 7
model name : VIA Ezra
stepping : 8
cpu MHz : 800.047
cache size : 64 KB
fdiv_bug : no
hlt_bug : no
f00f_bug : no
coma_bug : no
fpu : yes
fpu_exception : yes
cpuid level : 1
wp : yes
flags : fpu de tsc msr cx8 mtrr pge mmx 3dnow
bogomips : 1595.80

russell_AT_shorty:/proc$ uname -a
Linux shorty 2.4.19 #1 Sat Aug 10 01:21:03 EDT 2002 i686 unknown unknown GNU/Linux

russell_AT_shorty:/proc$ lspci
00:00.0 Host bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT8601 [Apollo ProMedia] (rev 05)
00:01.0 PCI bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT8601 [Apollo ProMedia AGP]
00:11.0 ISA bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT8231 [PCI-to-ISA Bridge] (rev 10)
00:11.1 IDE interface: VIA Technologies, Inc. Bus Master IDE (rev 06)
00:11.2 USB Controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. UHCI USB (rev 1e)
00:11.3 USB Controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. UHCI USB (rev 1e)
00:11.4 Bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT8235 Power Management (rev 10)
00:11.5 Multimedia audio controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. AC97 Audio Controller (rev 40)
00:12.0 Ethernet controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. Ethernet Controller (rev 51)01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: Trident Microsystems CyberBlade/i1 (rev 6a)

russell_AT_shorty:/proc$ lsmod
Module Size Used by Not tainted
snd-pcm-oss 35328 0 (autoclean)
snd-mixer-oss 9088 0 (autoclean) [snd-pcm-oss]
snd-via686 6464 0
snd-pcm 47808 0 [snd-pcm-oss snd-via686]
snd-timer 10080 0 [snd-pcm]
snd-ac97-codec 22240 0 [snd-via686]
snd-mpu401-uart 2560 0 [snd-via686]
snd-rawmidi 12512 0 [snd-mpu401-uart]
snd-seq-device 3920 0 [snd-rawmidi]
snd 25064 0 [snd-pcm-oss snd-mixer-oss snd-via686 snd-pcm snd-timer snd-ac97-codec snd-mpu401-uart snd-rawmidi snd-seq-device]
via-rhine 12484 1

New Message Reply About this list Date view Thread view Subject view Author view Other groups

This archive was generated by hypermail 2b28 : Sat Aug 10 2002 - 11:49:56 EEST