i have some problems with my sound blaster

i have a sound blaster x-fi titanium (not hd) pci-e.
i have configured alsa (under /usr/share/alsa/alsa.conf)
defaults.pcm.dmix.rate 96000

i have also installed pulseaudio and i have configured it for 24 bit and 96.000 Hz
under /etc/pulse/daemon.conf

default-sample-format = s24le
default-sample-rate = 96000
alternate-sample-rate = 96000
default-sample-channels = 2
default-channel-map = front-left,front-right

i want to digitalize my vinyls and i use the line-in of my sound blaster (i have a sansui au-317 with a turn table sr-222)
but the volume of line-in (in audacity is disabled) and sometimes is too low.
what can i do?
thank you very much

Can you control the volume of the line in with a mixer such as ‘amixer’ or ‘alsamixer’ ?

yes but it is always too low…

Can you post the mixer configuration so we can do a quality/sanity check ? You can do so by running in a konsole/xterm diagnostic script (as a regular user) with PC connected to internet:


/usr/sbin/alsa-info.sh

and then when script completes, in konsole/xterm will be address indicating where on Internet diagnostic information was uploaded. Post that web/url address here.

http://www.alsa-project.org/db/?f=a75ea4d305442dbf2d36996343b3f8a670b9a046

i have uninstalled pulse-audio…maybe it seems a bit better…maybe

From your mixer I note:


!!Amixer output
!!-------------

!!-------Mixer controls for card 0 [XFi]

Card hw:0 'XFi'/'Creative X-Fi 20K2 Unknown'
...
**Simple mixer control 'PCM',0**
  Front Left: Playback 256 [100%] [0.00dB] Capture 256 [100%] [0.00dB]** [off]**
  Front Right: Playback 256 [100%] [0.00dB] Capture 256 [100%] [0.00dB]** [off]**
**Simple mixer control 'Surround',0**
  Front Left: Playback 0 [0%] -99999.99dB] [off]
  Front Right: Playback 0 [0%] -99999.99dB] [off]
**Simple mixer control 'Center/LFE',0**
  Front Left: Playback 0 [0%] -99999.99dB] [off]
  Front Right: Playback 0 [0%] -99999.99dB] [off]
**Simple mixer control 'Side',0**
  Front Left: Playback 0 [0%] -99999.99dB] [off]
  Front Right: Playback 0 [0%] -99999.99dB] [off]
**Simple mixer control 'Line',0**
  Front Left: Playback 256 [100%] [0.00dB] Capture 248 [97%] -2.00dB] [on]
  Front Right: Playback 256 [100%] [0.00dB] Capture 248 [97%] -2.00dB] [on]
**Simple mixer control 'Mic',0**
  Front Left: Playback 0 [0%] -99999.99dB] Capture 0 [0%] -99999.99dB] [off]
  Front Right: Playback 0 [0%] -99999.99dB] Capture 0 [0%] -99999.99dB] [off]
**Simple mixer control 'IEC958',0**
  Front Left: Playback 0 [0%] -99999.99dB] Capture 0 [0%] -99999.99dB] [off]
  Front Right: Playback 0 [0%] -99999.99dB] Capture 0 [0%] -99999.99dB] [off]
**Simple mixer control 'Digital',0**
  Front Left: Playback 0 **[0%]** -99999.99dB] **[off]**
  Front Right: Playback 0** [0%] **-99999.99dB] **[off]**

Clearly surround sound is OFF, and this is thus not relevant to your line-in problem. Line is at 97% capture, which is good. But PCM muted (OFF) puzzles me. How can you monitor the line-in to see if it is working, if it is OFF ? Also, is having the ‘digital’ playbck off Muted (OFF and at 0%) correct if you wish to monitor the line in ?

I note you stated you disabled pulse audio. I only test now with pulse audio installed/enabled, and no longer recall much about sound behaviour when pulse is not used. Hence I hope someone else who shares a ‘pulse disabled approach’ now chimes in on this thread, as its now out of an area of my current limited expertise.

the log … has been created after than i have uninstalled pulse-audio and the things are a bit better.
the audio is now a far better. ok i have to enable pcm … thanks

Line in has no amplification, how do you expect to gain acceptable levels without an external amplifier?

You need a pre-amp for it.

i use tape-rec (out) of my sansui au-317
in the past i used this out with a cassette recorder (sansui)
the sansui au-317 has a phono-stage amp
i think that it is a pulse-audio problems…because now the level of the audio is more high (between 0.5 and 1)
very important: the audio < 0 decibel (clipping problems)