Internal microphone doesn't work (HDA Intel STAC92xx Analog)

====================
This is a repost of a thread I started in the Multimedia forum five days ago. Since it didn’t get any response (and I discovered I was posting in the wrong forum) I’m reposting it here in the hopes of getting my issue resolved.

My laptop’s internal microphone doesn’t work. I ran alsa-info.sh to collect data about my configuration. Hopefully it helps diagnose the problem.

upload=true&script=true&cardinfo=
!!################################
!!ALSA Information Script v 0.4.58
!!################################

!!Script ran on: Sat Jun 25 15:52:34 UTC 2011


!!Linux Distribution
!!------------------

Welcome to openSUSE 11.4 "Celadon" - Kernel \r (\l). openSUSE 11.4 (x86_64) LSB_VERSION="core-2.0-noarch:core-3.2-noarch:core-4.0-noarch:core-2.0-x86_64:core-3.2-x86_64:core-4.0-x86_64"


!!DMI Information
!!---------------

Manufacturer:      Hewlett-Packard
Product Name:      HP ProBook 6550b


!!Kernel Information
!!------------------

Kernel release:    2.6.37.6-0.5-desktop
Operating System:  GNU/Linux
Architecture:      x86_64
Processor:         x86_64
SMP Enabled:       Yes


!!ALSA Version
!!------------

Driver version:     1.0.23
Library version:    1.0.24.1
Utilities version:  1.0.24.2


!!Loaded ALSA modules
!!-------------------

snd_hda_intel
snd_hda_intel


!!Sound Servers on this system
!!----------------------------

Pulseaudio:
      Installed - Yes (/usr/bin/pulseaudio)
      Running - Yes

ESound Daemon:
      Installed - Yes (/usr/bin/esd)
      Running - No

Jack:
      Installed - Yes (/usr/bin/jackd)
      Running - No

Since the full info dump was a little bit too big to post here, I put the file in its entirety on Pastebin. I also noticed that KMix doesn’t display any inputs/outputs…

http://i.imgur.com/Z2LWX.png

What can I do to resolve my issue?

Multimedia was a good location for the post.

I’ve been out of country with very limited internet access and no one else chimed in.

Thanks for the information you provided, but I confess I am not smart enough to understand how it can help. Instead I need the information that is requested to be provided from the multimedia stickie (quoted section): Welcome to multimedia sub-area

I note you provided a partial output of /usr/sbin/alsa-inf.sh, and then a paste bin of the full. Did not the app automatically paste the content to a URL ? I think the images in the quoted multimedia stick make it pretty clear how to do that: Welcome to multimedia sub-area

Again, I would like to try help , but I need more information.

While waiting for the rest of the information I took a look at your mic. You did say ‘internal’ mic ? I’m puzzling over your mixer settings. Look at the mixer settings (especially those I highlighted in red)


**!!Amixer output**
!!-------------
 
!!-------Mixer controls for card 0 [Intel]
 
**Card hw:0 'Intel'/'HDA Intel at 0xd4520000 irq 47'**
**  Mixer name    : 'IDT 92HD75B3X5'**
**Simple mixer control 'Mic Jack Mode',0**
  Items: 'Mic In' 'Line In'
  Item0: 'Mic In'
**Simple mixer control 'Capture',0**
  Front Left: Capture 0 **[0%]** [0.00dB] **[off]**
  Front Right: Capture 0 **[0%]** [0.00dB] **[off]**
**Simple mixer control 'Capture',1**
  Front Left: Capture 0 [0%] [0.00dB] **[off]**
  Front Right: Capture 0 **[0%]** [0.00dB] **[off]**
**Simple mixer control 'Dock Line Jack Mode',0**
  Items: 'Mic In' 'Line In'
  Item0: 'Line In'
**Simple mixer control 'Input Source',0**
  Items: 'Mic' **'Internal Mic'** 'Line'
  Item0: **'Mic'**
**Simple mixer control 'Input Source',1**
  Items: 'Mic' **'Internal Mic'** 'Line'
  Item0: **'Mic'**
Simple mixer control 'Mux',0
  Front Left: Capture 0 [0%] [0.00dB]
  Front Right: Capture 0 [0%] [0.00dB]
Simple mixer control 'Mux',1
  Front Left: Capture 0 [0%] [0.00dB]
  Front Right: Capture 0 [0%] [0.00dB]

Is it possible to capture sound with the internal mic when not selected, when capture is OFF, and when capture levels are at 0% ? I’m still learning pulse audio, but its it possible that will also prevent even pulse audio from recording ?

Could you look at selecting the ‘internal mic’, and changing the capture from OFF to ON, and moving up the capture levels higher than 0% ?

Wrt openSUSE-11.4 I like to use the application pavucontrol (it needs to be installed extra from oss repos) for controlling my mics and volumee and ensure the selected tabs show all devices and all streams.

Thanks for mentioning pavucontrol – this tool helped activate the microphone simply by unmuting it. I’m definitely keeping this piece of software in my tool belt, because KMix doesn’t let me configure my audio devices for some reason, as shown above.

http://i.imgur.com/P1SOx.png

Why isn’t KMix displaying my sound inputs/outputs? I’ve reuploaded my ALSA info here for your convenience:
http://www.alsa-project.org/db/?f=455fb07791644c7e6c0fb00bc569d62e03d10b3a

Yes, me too !

I don’t know why. Was it a design decision wrt pulse integration in KDE ? Was it a ‘fall out’ of pulse being used on KDE that was unavoidable ? I simply do not know.

I do know that some KDE uses have taken to using the xfce mixer as a result of kmix being less useful.

But like you, I find pavucontrol more useful.

Reference ‘input device’ in pavucontrol, I recommend you change “Show” from "All except monitors’ to “all input devices” . Also, in the ‘Recording tab’ change to all streams

Does the internal microphone work now ?

That still shows things muted wrt the mic, but its possible Pulse audio can ignore that amixer output ? I don’t know. I’m curious to read of the results of your pavucontrol efforts.

Yes, it’s working perfectly now. Thanks for your assistance!

Good news.

I see internal mic is selected as source 0. Its strange capture 0 is flagged as muted, but it seems the ‘amixer’ does not fully reflect the settings as applied by pulse:


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

**!!-------Mixer controls for card 0 [Intel]**

**Card hw:0 'Intel'/'HDA Intel at 0xd4520000 irq 49'**
  Mixer name	: 'IDT 92HD75B3X5'
**Simple mixer control 'Capture',0**
  Front Left: Capture 7 **[47%] **[10.50dB] **[off]**
  Front Right: Capture 7 **[47%]** [10.50dB] **[off]**
**Simple mixer control 'Input Source',0**
  Items: 'Mic' 'Internal Mic' 'Line'
  Item0: **'Internal Mic'**