Subject: Re: [linux-audio-user] A most bizarre problem.
From: Malcolm Baldridge (linux-audio_AT_paypc.com)
Date: Sat May 22 2004 - 03:18:04 EEST
Jos Laake <jos_AT_radiks.net> kindly wrote:
> Hi Malcolm. I don't know if you ever got your problem resolved
Not really, but I was able to work around it by using the MIC-IN jack instead.
> In my mixer (I'm using the KDE sound mixer) there are a bunch
> of sliders, some with record buttons underneath. If I use the
> line-in slider ('Line' on my mixer) with the record button on,
> I get the results you're talking about.
>
> BUT!!!
>
> If I turn on the record button under the 'Line' slider, but
> leave the slider all the way down and instead use the slider
> marked 'IGain', then my line-in signal goes into the recording
> but *NOT* directly through to the line out.
Hrm, I have two problems here.
1) This machine does not have X11, and cannot have X11 on it. Let alone KDE.
2) I don't see "IGain" in the alsamixer at all. I think if I turn down the
slider all of the way for "Line-In" I don't get any recorded audio from LINE-IN.
When I examine the asound.state file, the line controls are labelled thusly:
name 'Line Playback Switch'
name 'Line Playback Volume'
comment.item.4 Line
HOWEVER, I see:
control.24 {
comment.access 'read write'
comment.type ENUMERATED
comment.item.0 Mic
comment.item.1 CD
comment.item.2 Video
comment.item.3 Aux
comment.item.4 Line
comment.item.5 Mix
comment.item.6 'Mix Mono'
comment.item.7 Phone
iface MIXER
name 'Capture Source'
value.0 Mic
value.1 Mic
Which seems to imply I can change the SOURCE of captured audio.
I think I understand what you've done though, and I could probably figure
out how to replicate how you've setup your volume controls with alsamixer's
understanding of how things are configured on the sound hardware. But it
will be alot of trial-and-error. :( Alas, this setup is used during the
day so such experimentation will have to wait. Maybe some kind soul knows
what "IGain" is under the alsamixer? Maybe it's "Capture Volume"?
OK, maybe I can get what I want my manually editing the asound.state file
and doing an alsactl restore... So much for the GUI! :)
I'd really like to see the source document referenced by the engineers who
setup the volume control software for ALSA/OSS, because the appearance is
one of total chaos and disorganisation. This isn't rocket science, and we
aren't talking about THAT many inputs, outputs, and mixers: there's a
microphone input (mono, with selectable +20dB boost, and maybe optional
power), line input (stereo), CD audio (stereo), PCM wave output (stereo),
master output level (stereo).
So what do I see under alsamixer? A dozen sliders, some with tri-state
toggles in addition to levels, with additional state for "record" or
"capture", with non-obvious interdependencies when I switch "sources".
Crazy.
Even the Dark Lord could not have designed a more intentionally obfuscatory
interface to audio hardware,
=MB=
-- A focus on Quality.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b28 : Sat May 22 2004 - 03:14:47 EEST