2.6.x sound woes

[Collins Richey]

On Tue, 16 Mar 2004 17:20:28 -0500 (EST)
Net Llama! <netllama at linux-sxs.org> wrote:

> On Tue, 16 Mar 2004, Klaus-Peter Schrage wrote:
> > Net Llama! wrote:
> > > I've been playing with assorted 2.6.x kernels on different boxes
> > > for a couple months now.  I've managed to get everything working
> > > except for sound.  I know that 2.6.x uses ALSA instead of OSS, and
> > > i've installed the assorted alsa userspace tools (alsa-lib &
> > > alsa-utils).  However, I still can't get sound to work at all, and
> > > i've had it working without a hitch on the same boxes under 2.4.

Technically, 2.6 does not require you to use alsa.  The OSS support is
still there (if deprecated, if no longer maintained), and a lot of folks
are continuing to use it, most especially for cards that support
surround sound, since alsa doesn't support that yet.

> > >
> > > I've tried both with OSS emulation, and without pure ALSA.  I've
> > > tried building as modules, and compiling the support into the
> > > kernel.  In all cases, i end up with zilch.  The functional
> > > problem is that if i go to play an MP3, i get the error:
> >


> > 2. lsmod | grep snd: should give a lot of noise, among others your
> > snd-ens1371, but there should be no other sound related modules
> > except soundcore.
> 
> Not in this case, cause i compiled everything into the kernel.

In my limited experience, alsa compiled as built in doesn't work very
well (don't know why); I compiled everything including alsa OSS
emulation as modules and set up the recommended aliases for alsa.

That being said, alsa is a POS, and ens1371 works sometimes and other
times it doesn't work.  On my machine with an ens1371, I have to load
snd-ens1371 twice to get it to work , ie. modprobe snd-ens1371,
delmod snd-ens1371, modprobe ens-13721 (!).  On the first attempt, I get
an error message, and devfs fails to create /dev/dsp.

You could try compiling in the alsa debugging options in the kernel.

Otherwise, try the alsa support list.

-- 
Collins Richey - Denver area
gentoo testing 2.6.3-rc2 nptl udev