[linux-audio-user] Sound Blaster Live External USB does not work with jack

From: Peter Butler <peter.butler@email-addr-hidden>
Date: Mon Jul 25 2005 - 15:48:16 EEST

I'm having problems using jack with the Sound Blaster Live 24 Bit
External USB sound card. I can use non-jack ALSA applications (e.g.
xmms) with the card with no problems.

This machine has the following sound cards:

- Onboard Intel (intel8x0) hw:0
- MOTU USB MIDI Interface (snd-usb-audio)
- Sound Blaster Live 24 Bit External (snd-usb-audio) hw:1

Starting jack like this:

jackd -v -d alsa -d hw:1

Results in the following error message:

registered builtin port type 32 bit float mono audio
loading driver ..
new client: alsa_pcm, id = 1 type 1 @ 0x8056860 fd = -1
creating alsa driver ... hw:1|hw:1|1024|2|48000|0|0|nomon|swmeter|-|32bit
control device hw:1
configuring for 48000Hz, period = 1024 frames, buffer = 2 periods
Couldn't open hw:1 for 32bit samples trying 24bit instead
Couldn't open hw:1 for 32bit samples trying 24bit instead
new buffer size 1024
registered port alsa_pcm:capture_1, offset = 4096
registered port alsa_pcm:capture_2, offset = 8192
registered port alsa_pcm:playback_1, offset = 0
registered port alsa_pcm:playback_2, offset = 0
registered port alsa_pcm:playback_3, offset = 0
registered port alsa_pcm:playback_4, offset = 0
registered port alsa_pcm:playback_5, offset = 0
registered port alsa_pcm:playback_6, offset = 0
++ jack_rechain_graph():
client alsa_pcm: internal client, execution_order=0.
-- jack_rechain_graph()
could not start playback (Broken pipe)
DRIVER NT: could not start driver
cannot start driver

When I start jack using hw:0 everything works well. I can use the MIDI
controller to play qsynth (and other instruments) through the onboard
Intel sound. However the sound quality and noise from this card is
terrible, so I want to use the external USB card.

I am running ALSA driver version 1.0.9rc4a on Ubuntu Linux (kernel
2.6.10-5-686). Jack version is 0.99.0. I compiled the ALSA driver and
libraries from source.

Other (possibly relevant) information is below. If anyone can help me
out with this I would be very grateful.

Thanks in advance

Peter Butler

# cat /dev/sndstat
Sound Driver:3.8.1a-980706 (ALSA v1.0.9rc4a emulation code)
Kernel: Linux laptop 2.6.10-5-686 #1 Fri Jun 24 17:33:34 UTC 2005 i686
Config options: 0

Installed drivers:
Type 10: ALSA emulation

Card config:
Intel 82801CA-ICH3 with AD1881A at 0x1c00, irq 11
Creative Technology SB Live! 24-bit External at usb-0000:00:1d.1-1.3,
full spee
MOTU Fastlane at usb-0000:00:1d.1-1.4, full speed

Audio devices: NOT ENABLED IN CONFIG

Synth devices: NOT ENABLED IN CONFIG

Midi devices:
2: Fastlane

Timers:
7: system timer

Mixers: NOT ENABLED IN CONFIG

# cat /etc/modprobe.d/sound
options snd device_mode=0666
alias char-major-116 snd
alias char-major-14 soundcore

# On-board Intel Sound Card

alias snd-card-0 snd-intel8x0
options snd-intel8x0 index=0
install snd-intel8x0 /sbin/modprobe --ignore-install snd-intel8x0 && \
         /usr/sbin/alsactl restore >/dev/null 2>&1 || :
remove snd-intel8x0 { /usr/sbin/alsactl store >/dev/null 2>&1 || : ; }; \
         /sbin/modprobe -r --ignore-remove snd-intel8x0

alias sound-slot-0 snd-card-0
alias sound-service-0-0 snd-mixer-oss
alias sound-service-0-1 snd-seq-oss
alias sound-service-0-3 snd-pcm-oss
alias sound-service-0-8 snd-seq-oss
alias sound-service-0-12 snd-pcm-oss

# USB Sound Blaster Live Sound Card

alias snd-card-1 snd-usb-audio
options snd-usb-audio index=1

alias sound-slot-1 snd-card-1
alias sound-service-1-0 snd-mixer-oss
alias sound-service-1-3 snd-pcm-oss
alias sound-service-1-12 snd-pcm-oss

alias /dev/mixer snd-mixer-oss
alias /dev/dsp snd-pcm-oss
alias /dev/midi snd-seq-oss

options snd cards_limit=2

# cat /etc/asound.conf
pcm.intel {
   type hw
   card 0
}

pcm.dmix_intel {
   type dmix
   ipc_key 1024 ## needs to be a power of 2
   slave {
     pcm "intel"
     period_time 0
     period_size 1024
     buffer_size 8192
     rate 48000 ## not necessary
   }
}

pcm.dsnoop_intel {
   type dsnoop
   ipc_key 2048
   slave {
     pcm "intel"
   }
}

pcm.asym_intel {
   type asym
   playback.pcm "dmix_intel"
   capture.pcm "dsnoop_intel"
}

pcm.pasym_intel {
   type plug
   slave.pcm "asym_intel"
}

pcm.dsp_intel {
   type plug
   slave.pcm "asym_intel"
}

ctl.dsp_intel {
   type hw
   card 0
}

pcm.sblive {
   type hw
   card 1
}

pcm.dmix_sblive {
   type dmix
   ipc_key 1024
   slave {
     pcm "sblive"
     period_time 0
     period_size 4096
     buffer_size 32768
     rate 48000
   }
}

pcm.dsnoop_sblive {
   type dsnoop
   ipc_key 2048
   slave {
     pcm "sblive"
   }
}

pcm.asym_sblive {
   type asym
   playback.pcm "dmix_sblive"
   capture.pcm "dsnoop_sblive"
}

pcm.pasym_sblive {
   type plug
   slave.pcm "asym_sblive"
}

pcm.dsp_sblive {
   type plug
   slave.pcm "asym_sblive"
}

ctl.dsp_sblive {
   type hw
   card 1
}

pcm.!default {
   type plug
   slave.pcm "asym_sblive"
}

ctl.!default {
   type hw
   card 1
}
Received on Mon Jul 25 16:15:16 2005

This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.8 : Mon Jul 25 2005 - 16:15:16 EEST