[mythtv-users] Trouble with Sound Blaster Live 24 bit.

Dewey Smolka dsmolka at gmail.com
Wed May 4 14:14:59 UTC 2005


Has anyone managed to get the Sound Blaster Live 24 bit (ca-0106) card working? 

I'm trying to set it up on a fresh FC3 install with atrpms after
screwing up alsa on a previous install trying to get the damn thing
up.

I've followed Jarod's directions and the steps at alsa.opensrc.org and
everything appears to be in place. I'm running alsa 1.08 and the right
driver for the card, ca0106, is loaded. I've adjusted the
modprobe.conf and .asoundrc files according to the directions from the
alsa site.

The system is a P3 733, 512 RAM, PVR-250, nvidia g2. The sound
previoulsly ran through the on-board VIA 82xx, which worked but with
low levels.

I've set levels in alsamixer and Kmix, which both show the CA0106 card
having all allowable levels set at around 70. I've disabled arts.

System Settings -> Soundcard Detection finds Creative  Labs SB Audigy
LS and the snd-ca0106 module and has it set as primary device, but no
test sound plays.

Everything I see indicates the card is working, but I can't get any
sound out to a pair of standard PC speakers. I know that they work,
and I know the card works properly in XP Home.

Some relevant output:
___________________________________
[root at mythbox mythtv]# /bin/rpm -qa | grep alsa | sort
alsa-driver-1.0.8-36.rhfc3.at
alsa-kmdl-2.6.11-1.14_FC3-1.0.8-36.rhfc3.at
alsa-lib-1.0.8-18.rhfc3.at
alsa-lib-devel-1.0.8-18.rhfc3.at
alsa-utils-1.0.8-12.rhfc3.at
[root at mythbox mythtv]#

[root at mythbox mythtv]# /sbin/lsmod | grep snd
snd_via82xx_modem      14500  0
snd_via82xx            26304  1
gameport                5057  1 snd_via82xx
snd_mpu401_uart         9088  1 snd_via82xx
snd_rawmidi            26656  1 snd_mpu401_uart
snd_seq_device          8204  1 snd_rawmidi
snd_ca0106             28324  2
snd_ac97_codec         70008  3 snd_via82xx_modem,snd_via82xx,snd_ca0106
snd_pcm_oss            49952  0
snd_mixer_oss          17408  1 snd_pcm_oss
snd_pcm                97416  6
snd_via82xx_modem,snd_via82xx,snd_ca0106,snd_ac97_codec,snd_pcm_oss
snd_timer              30724  1 snd_pcm
snd                    53860  16
snd_via82xx_modem,snd_via82xx,snd_mpu401_uart,snd_rawmidi,snd_seq_device,snd_ca0106,snd_ac97_codec,snd_pcm_oss,snd_mixer_oss,snd_pcm,snd_timer
soundcore              10785  1 snd
snd_page_alloc          7940  4
snd_via82xx_modem,snd_via82xx,snd_ca0106,snd_pcm[root at mythbox mythtv]#
cat /proc/asound/version
Advanced Linux Sound Architecture Driver Version 1.0.8.
Compiled on Apr 11 2005 for kernel 2.6.11-1.14_FC3.

[root at mythbox mythtv]# cat /proc/asound/devices
 19: [0- 3]: digital audio playback
 27: [0- 3]: digital audio capture
 18: [0- 2]: digital audio playback
 26: [0- 2]: digital audio capture
 17: [0- 1]: digital audio playback
 25: [0- 1]: digital audio capture
 16: [0- 0]: digital audio playback
 24: [0- 0]: digital audio capture
  0: [0- 0]: ctl
 33:       : timer
 48: [1- 0]: digital audio playback
 56: [1- 0]: digital audio capture
 32: [1- 0]: ctl

[root at mythbox mythtv]# cat modules
cat: modules: No such file or directory
[root at mythbox mythtv]# cat /proc/asound/modules
0 snd_ca0106
1 snd_via82xx

[root at mythbox mythtv]# cat /proc/asound/cards
0 [CA0106         ]: CA0106 - CA0106
                     Live! 7.1 24bit [SB0410] at 0xdc00 irq 9
1 [rev21          ]: VIA686A - VIA 82C686A/B rev21
                     VIA 82C686A/B rev21 with AD1881 at 0xcc00, irq 9
[root at mythbox mythtv]# exit
exit
[mythtv at mythbox ~]$ aplay -l
**** List of PLAYBACK Hardware Devices ****
card 0: CA0106 [CA0106], device 0: ca0106 [CA0106]
  Subdevices: 0/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 0: CA0106 [CA0106], device 1: ca0106 [CA0106]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 0: CA0106 [CA0106], device 2: ca0106 [CA0106]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 0: CA0106 [CA0106], device 3: ca0106 [CA0106]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 1: rev21 [VIA 82C686A/B rev21], device 0: VIA 82C686A/B rev21
[VIA 82C686A/B rev21]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
_______________________________

Here is the output of system-config-soundcard:

[mythtv at mythbox asound]$ system-config-soundcard
/usr/share/system-config-soundcard/soundcard.py:151:
DeprecationWarning: use gtk.ComboBox
  self.primaryDeviceOptionMenu = gtk.OptionMenu()
amixer: Unable to find simple control 'Master',0

amixer: Unable to find simple control 'PCM',0

Playing WAVE '/usr/share/system-config-soundcard/sound-sample.wav' :
Signed 16 bit Little Endian, Rate 44100 Hz, Stereo
Warning: rate is not accurate (requested = 44100Hz, got = 48000Hz)
         please, try the plug plugin (-Dplug:hw:0,0)
[mythtv at mythbox asound]$

_____________________________________

I know that this card has been a problem and I probably wouldn't be
spending time on it, but it worked when I first installed it. I was
also putting in an ATA controller at the same time, and pretty much
skipped over configuring the soundcard when it worked right away.

I don't think I changed anything with the ATA, but after loading it
and unloading it and a few reboots, the sound didn't work anymore, and
I've been completely unable to get it back.

Any ideas? Will this card run or should I exchange it?


More information about the mythtv-users mailing list