I updated suse from 11.0 to 11.1
Sound system didn’t work very well even before update, but now is worse than before.
I had a look to some post on the forum about the topic, but as I am not so expert I didn’t understand how to solve the problem.
I gather the following information about my sound system:
# uname -a
Linux linux-carla 2.6.27.7-9-pae #1 SMP 2008-12-04 18:10:04 +0100 i686 athlon i386 GNU/Linux
linux-carla:/usr/src/linux-2.6.27.7-9/Documentation/sound/alsa # cat /etc/modprobe.d/sound
alias snd-card-0 snd-hda-intel
alias sound-slot-0 snd-hda-intel
What further steps would I follow in order to solve my sound problems.
I don’t know how relevant (especially since I do not know what your sound problem might be), but I note this in your dmesg:
hda-intel: Invalid position buffer, using LPIB read method instead.
The HD-Audio.txt file has this to say about position buffer and LPIB:
DMA-Position Problem
The most common problem of the controller is the inaccurate DMA pointer reporting. The DMA pointer for playback and capture can be read in two ways, either via a LPIB register or via a position-buffer map. As default the driver tries to read from the io-mapped position-buffer, and falls back to LPIB if the position-buffer appears dead. However, this detection isn't perfect on some devices. In such a case, you can change the default method via `position_fix` option.
`position_fix=1` means to use LPIB method explicitly.
`position_fix=2` means to use the position-buffer.
0 is the default value, the automatic check and fallback to LPIB as described in the above. If you get a problem of repeated sounds, this option might
help.
In addition to that, every controller is known to be broken regarding the wake-up timing. It wakes up a few samples before actually processing the data on the buffer. This caused a lot of problems, for example, with ALSA dmix or JACK. Since 2.6.27 kernel, the driver puts an artificial delay to the wake up timing. This delay is controlled via `bdl_pos_adj` option.
When `bdl_pos_adj` is a negative value (as default), it's assigned to an appropriate value depending on the controller chip. For Intel chips, it'd be 1 while it'd be 32 for others. Usually this works. Only in case it doesn't work and you get warning messages, you should change this parameter to other values.
According to the diagnostic script, your PC has applied:
bdl_pos_adj : 32
position_fix : 0
a) my audio power is very low, for example with win vista home basic I can hear a louder sound
b) with some video I hear a cut sound (intermittent sound)
c) I have CREATIVE INSPIRE T10 amplifiers that with vista work with a powerfull sound, with suse power is very low
d) I don’t get to do sound test service with Skype, even changing audio device, with suse 11.0 I could use Skype (even if sound quality it was not so good)
That means you do have sound, but just the volume is low. Typically, to increase the sound level, one should go to:
YAST > HARDWARE > SOUND > OTHER > VOLUME and move both the PCM and Master volume there up to close to the maximum. Then close YaST. Then open one’s mixer, and move up both the PCM and Master volume there.
Now note, EVERY TIME you start a multimedia application, there is the possibilty that the PCM volume will dynamically be lowered. So if you experience low volume, you MUST check your mixer each time, to ensure that the PCM volume was not inappropriately lowered.
Can you expound on this? This could be various problems … (such as pulse audio problem). For example if it is choppy/skipping, then its possible the following pulse audio fix will address it. Take a look at this guide:SDB:AudioTroubleshooting - fix choppy - skipping sound - openSUSE
See my answer it item " a) ".
I don’t use Skype. I can’t help there.
Its possible, but I think that unlikely to help. That is basically for users who have NO sound. You do have sound, … its just the volume level is not as high as you would like.
In YAST > HARDWARE > SOUND > OTHER > VOLUME and I found that SBx00 Azalia (Intel HDA) wasn’t configured.
Do I have to avtivate PulseAudio?
I moved PCM and Master volume at 95% now volume is better.
I noted that test button doesn’t work… is it normal?
When you say “Then open one’s mixer, and move up both the PCM and Master volume there”, where I can find mixer application?
Did you find it under YAST > HARDWARE > SOUND > OTHER > VOLUME or under ** YAST > HARDWARE > SOUND (edit)** or under both? There is a difference.
No. It should be active automatically.
Good.
There are various test buttons. I do not know which one you refer to. I do note that many users have reported the test button under YAST > HARDWARE > SOUND > OTHER does not work for them (there is purportedly a bug report).
Typically KDE users will use “kmix” (its often a small speaker in the lower right hand corner when kde is running) and gnome users will use “alsaxmixer” . But I’m not an openSUSE gnome mixer, so I can’t be certain as to what gnome uses in openSUSE.
Great! That helps some users with the current openSUSE-11.1 . I found it also significantly helped my Fedora-10 install music playback.
I found it under YAST > HARDWARE > SOUND > OTHER > VOLUME.
Now if I go in YAST > HARDWARE > SOUND (edit) I find just n.3 options:
-model
-position_fix
-single_cmd