Audio Conferecing - Unable to get Microphone Working

English Multimedia
#1

Guys, I am on 15.1 + XFCE

I can listen to music online, watch movies etc. But with WFH being more rampant - I want to use my linux machie for Zoom / Google Meet etc.

Currently I am forced to use Windows for the above purposes ( Zoom / Google Meet ) which i dislike. I rather use my linux box
for these activities as well. BUT I JUST HAVENT BEEN ABLE TO GET MY MIC WORKING.

I have read the posts at ;

https://forums.opensuse.org/showthread.php/530099-Internal-Microphone-not-working-anymore
https://forums.opensuse.org/showthread.php/545338-XFCE-No-microphone-input

My alsa info is at http://alsa-project.org/db/?f=01e71101c415c41e1497b8cd0ae88a089223bcd3

My xfce4-mixer screenshots are at;

https://pasteboard.co/JvDXRL5.png
https://pasteboard.co/JvDYcNZ.png
https://pasteboard.co/JvDYoMa.png

Pls save my sanity.

Thanks in advance.

#2

Zoom and Skype work fine here. Don’t use Google meet…Also run KDE

#3

Alsa , PulseAudio are not desktop dependent ?

xfce4-mixer, pulseaudio-qt are the gui tools ? What gui tool do you use ?
If you could share yr mic settings that will be great.

#4

Note - my username is in the audio group.

IS KDE the only way to get the mic to work ?

#5

I have also tried https://en.opensuse.org/SDB:Audio_troubleshooting

Also

amixer -c 0 ( Shows Front Mic is on )

Simple mixer control ‘Master’,0
Capabilities: pvolume pvolume-joined pswitch pswitch-joined
Playback channels: Mono
Limits: Playback 0 - 31
Mono: Playback 31 [100%] [0.00dB] [on]

Simple mixer control ‘Headphone’,0
Capabilities: pvolume pswitch
Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right
Limits: Playback 0 - 31
Mono:
Front Left: Playback 0 [0%] -46.50dB] [off]
Front Right: Playback 0 [0%] -46.50dB] [off]

Simple mixer control ‘Speaker’,0
Capabilities: pvolume pvolume-joined pswitch pswitch-joined
Playback channels: Mono
Limits: Playback 0 - 31
Mono: Playback 0 [0%] -46.50dB] [off]

Simple mixer control ‘PCM’,0
Capabilities: pvolume
Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right
Limits: Playback 0 - 255
Mono:
Front Left: Playback 255 [100%] [0.00dB]
Front Right: Playback 255 [100%] [0.00dB]

Simple mixer control ‘Front Mic’,0
Capabilities: pvolume pswitch
Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right
Limits: Playback 0 - 31
Mono:
Front Left: Playback 26 [84%] [4.50dB] [on]
Front Right: Playback 26 [84%] [4.50dB] [on]

Simple mixer control ‘Front Mic Boost’,0
Capabilities: volume
Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right
Capture channels: Front Left - Front Right
Limits: 0 - 3
Front Left: 1 [33%] [10.00dB]
Front Right: 1 [33%] [10.00dB]

Simple mixer control ‘Line’,0
Capabilities: pvolume pswitch
Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right
Limits: Playback 0 - 31
Mono:
Front Left: Playback 0 [0%] -34.50dB] [on]
Front Right: Playback 0 [0%] -34.50dB] [on]

Simple mixer control ‘Line Boost’,0
Capabilities: volume
Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right
Capture channels: Front Left - Front Right
Limits: 0 - 3
Front Left: 0 [0%] [0.00dB]
Front Right: 0 [0%] [0.00dB]

Simple mixer control ‘Line Out’,0
Capabilities: pvolume pswitch
Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right
Limits: Playback 0 - 31
Mono:
Front Left: Playback 31 [100%] [0.00dB] [on]
Front Right: Playback 31 [100%] [0.00dB] [on]

Simple mixer control ‘Beep’,0
Capabilities: pvolume pswitch
Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right
Limits: Playback 0 - 31
Mono:
Front Left: Playback 0 [0%] -34.50dB] [on]
Front Right: Playback 0 [0%] -34.50dB] [on]

Simple mixer control ‘Capture’,0
Capabilities: cvolume cswitch
Capture channels: Front Left - Front Right
Limits: Capture 0 - 31
Front Left: Capture 31 [100%] [34.50dB] [on]
Front Right: Capture 31 [100%] [34.50dB] [on]

Simple mixer control ‘Capture’,1
Capabilities: cvolume cswitch
Capture channels: Front Left - Front Right
Limits: Capture 0 - 31
Front Left: Capture 31 [100%] [34.50dB] [on]
Front Right: Capture 31 [100%] [34.50dB] [on]

Simple mixer control ‘Capture’,2
Capabilities: cvolume cswitch
Capture channels: Front Left - Front Right
Limits: Capture 0 - 31
Front Left: Capture 27 [87%] [28.50dB] [off]
Front Right: Capture 27 [87%] [28.50dB] [off]

Simple mixer control ‘Auto-Mute Mode’,0
Capabilities: enum
Items: ‘Disabled’ ‘Speaker Only’ ‘Line Out+Speaker’
Item0: ‘Line Out+Speaker’

Simple mixer control ‘Digital’,0
Capabilities: cvolume
Capture channels: Front Left - Front Right
Limits: Capture 0 - 120
Front Left: Capture 60 [50%] [0.00dB]
Front Right: Capture 60 [50%] [0.00dB]

Simple mixer control ‘Input Source’,0
Capabilities: cenum
Items: ‘Front Mic’ ‘Rear Mic’ ‘Line’
Item0: ‘Front Mic’

Simple mixer control ‘Input Source’,1
Capabilities: cenum
Items: ‘Front Mic’ ‘Rear Mic’ ‘Line’
Item0: ‘Front Mic’

Simple mixer control ‘Input Source’,2
Capabilities: cenum
Items: ‘Front Mic’ ‘Rear Mic’ ‘Line’
Item0: ‘Front Mic’

Simple mixer control ‘Loopback Mixing’,0
Capabilities: enum
Items: ‘Disabled’ ‘Enabled’
Item0: ‘Disabled’

Simple mixer control ‘Rear Mic’,0
Capabilities: pvolume pswitch
Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right
Limits: Playback 0 - 31
Mono:
Front Left: Playback 0 [0%] -34.50dB] [off]
Front Right: Playback 0 [0%] -34.50dB] [off]

Simple mixer control ‘Rear Mic Boost’,0
Capabilities: volume
Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right
Capture channels: Front Left - Front Right
Limits: 0 - 3
Front Left: 0 [0%] [0.00dB]
Front Right: 0 [0%] [0.00dB]

#6

Do you try alsamixer and see. if something is muted.
Maybe you have to install alsamixer before.

zypper in alsa-utils

Or use pavucontrol as user to configure your sound-card.

#7

In xfce4-mixer you will be able to see if microphone is mute or not.
You will be able to find the source also.

In pavucontrol to configure the input source it might be the same as
how you configure the audacity and some other audio app like so:
Open your chat app e.g zoom start a chat probably (I never use this app)
then open pavucontrol and set the source input audio for chat app.
In pavucontrol you will not be able to set the input audio for chat app if the chat app is not open.
When you figure out your input audio source in pavucontrol, the next time you open your
chat app pavucontrol will default to the input source that you set for that app.

#8

Back when I first install zoom audio did not work. But I reinstalled newer zoom and it now does

Be sure you have latest zoom

Also work around may be to run zoom in a Windows VM

#9

Hi,

My xfce4-mixer screenshots are at;

https://pasteboard.co/JvDXRL5.png
https://pasteboard.co/JvDYcNZ.png
https://pasteboard.co/JvDYoMa.png

Anything not right ?

#10

I actually use a few online sites to test the mic … for example https://mictests.com or https://www.onlinemictest.com
I have also used arecord but same results as well - no audio at all.

Using windows in VM - I really really really dont want to do that man …

#11

Hi…

a. https://pasteboard.co/JvM6HnY.png

Referring to the link above, using alsamixer, i notice my default card is PulseAudio.
Is this right ?

b. https://pasteboard.co/JvM8jIi.png

Referring to b., I have to use F6 to select the actual onboard soundcard ( Realtek ALC262 ). Or else the default is PulseAudio.
Is this normal ?

Also when i select the sound card using F6, i can see the Front Mic is ok but Input is non existent ?

Do i need to set my default sound card ? Is this done via alsa or via pulseaudio ?

Pls advise.

#12

Do i need to set my default sound card ? Is this done via alsa or via pulseaudio ?

Pulseaudio will see them.

Is the micro muted in the TAB?

set it to 20 and then see in pavucontrol.

Open an app with recording and press in the app record to get the app seen in pavucontrol.

#13

Hi … where is the TAB ? Are you referring to any of my screenshots ?

Could you refer to one of them specifically ?

#14

https://susepaste.org/images/86885390.jpg

https://susepaste.org/images/25213853.jpg

Might help also
Your configuration should be the same with the one I highlighted.
Noticed the "Analog Output + Analog input.
That should be the config to make the microphone work in my machine.

#15

Try all of them.

#16

Thanks … Will test and revert …

#17

Hi … These are my PulseAudio screenshots …

a. Configuration - https://pasteboard.co/JvWYd3g.png

Pls notice that i dont have " Analog Output + Analog input ", therefore the nearest thing that i can think off
is "Analog  Stereo Duplex"

b. Input Devices - https://pasteboard.co/JvX0EfD.png

Correct ?

c. Output Devices - https://pasteboard.co/JvX4aKP.png

 Movies / Youtube, etc  is working fine.

d. Recording - https://pasteboard.co/JvX6Ez2l.png - Blank except when an application is recording -

Do i select "Monitor of Built-in Audio Analog Stereo"  or  "Built-in Audio Analog Stereo"

e. Playback - https://pasteboard.co/JvX6W56.png - Application name appears when in use -

 Movies / Youtube, etc  is working fine.

Thanks in advance …

#18

When you want to see something recording in pavucontrol, you have to start an app thats records something, i. e. audacity and press the record button, goto pavucontrol and see in recording Tab.
Or use instead of audacity some other such as mumble, skype or similar.
In that Tab you can switch your input-source if you have more.

https://www.krauttranslate.de/~sauerland/Lautstärkeregler_089.jpg

#19

PS
in your configuration tab:
duplex means input and output.

#20

Hi … I notices you are using a usb microphone ? What make / model / cost ?
Maybe thats my solution ?