Skype 4.3 on OpenSUSE 13.1: No microphone input

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#1

Hello,

Please let me request your advice to resolve the following issue.

My system is an OpenSUSE 13.1 64bit on an Aspire E1-572-G laptop. Since the OS was out before I bought the machine, I run a more recent kernel from http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/Kernel:/stable/standard/ to make the network card work. Multimedia is installed from Packman repository following https://forums.opensuse.org/entry.php/149-openSUSE-13-1-Multi-media-and-Restricted-Format-Installation-Guide . [Remark: At the time of this writing, this page is blocked from public access. Why? This was different only a few weeks ago.] Skype is currently installed by the OpenSUSE 12.1 32bit RPM (ver. 4.3.0.37) from http://www.skype.com/en/download-skype/skype-for-computer/ . I am aware of https://en.opensuse.org/SDB:Skype ; specifically, I installed various 32bit packages.

When I do a Skype test call, I hear the announcement loud and clear, yet not my own voice. I found a thread related to my issue, yet it does not help me to resolve the issue. Launching pavucontrol from Skype - Options - Sound Devices shows two entries on the “Input Devices” tab, “Internal Microphone” and “Microphone (unplugged)”. The Internal “wiggles” randomly at a slightly higher level than the Unplugged. Playing the output from

arecord -vv -fdat foo.wav

results in seemingly static noise. From other threads I gather that the output of

/usr/sbin/alsa-info.sh

may be helpful; here is the listing.

Two more remarks: 1.) The described behavior seems to be the same when Skype (ver. 4.3.0.37) is installed from home:XRevan86:non-free. – 2.) Using a headset shows the equivalent symptoms for the headset microphone.

Have I forgotten anything? How can this issue (if necessary to distinguish, considering only the internal microphone) be resolved?

Please be specific in your instructions since I consider myself rather a high-level Linux user.

Thank you in advance.

#2

Go to the sound settings on YaST, and under recording options check the devices priority. I just installed 13.2 this past weekend, and the same issue. I had two input devices, built-in and webcam, webcam is the real one but it was as the second option, so as Skype uses pulseaudio, it tried to record audio with a nonexistent device. Just moving webcam up solved the issue.

#3

Also be sure that things are not muted and the volume is up for the mic. Installing and using pavolcontrol can be a large help in fixing this kind of problem

#4

Thank you for your quick replies so far.

When I open Yast - Hardware - Sound, I can see entries that I compiled in a collage. Entry Zero does not play any test sound (button Other - Play Test Sound), whereas entry One does. Clicking on entry One and choosing Other - Set as the Primary Card does not seem to change anything.

Do you mean pavucontrol? It is installed (as mentioned in my original post), I do not see anything muted.

#5

Sorry I answered from smartphone earlier xD

Now checking, I meant KDE’s Configure Desktop > Multimedia > Audio and Video Settings

#6

Open pavucontrol. Verify that your mic is present under Input Devices and that its volume is turned up. Tap on the mic to see (visually) if it is capturing sound. Next, click on the “Recording” tab. Make a Skype test call. When Skype appears in the list, select your input source from the options provided. Things should now work. :slight_smile:

#7

Going there and checking Audio Recording - Communication/ Recording/ Control, all these categories have “Built-in Audio Analog Stereo” as top entry.

In pavucontrol tab Input Devices, showing All Except Monitors, I see Built-in Audio Analog Stereo. It usually appears with Port: Internal Microphone. Level is at 100% (0dB) and not muted. Tapping just about everywhere on the laptop shows only random wiggles at low level.

Now this is weird, it used to be different, i.e., before I had to do a complete fresh install after a system crash (see this thread (still unresolved).

I happened to find an old USB webcam around. When I plug that in, it appears as new input device in the corresponding pavucontrol tab, and Skype can use it properly as well.

Well, that’s nice to know, but I don’t usually want to carry that old thing with me…

#8

you could also use something like Audacity to determine whether or not the built-in device is properly working. Preferences > Device > Recording.

#9

OK. So it is not a Skype thing at all. Have you configure your internal sound card through Yast->Hardward->Sound? Have you tried setting the volume using “alsamixer -c0” from command line?

#10

Regarding configuration in Yast, I am repeating an earlier post of mine with minor editing: When I open Yast - Hardware - Sound, I can see entries that I compiled in this collage. Entry “0” does not play any test sound (button Other - Play Test Sound), whereas entry “1” does. Clicking on entry One and choosing Other - Set as the Primary Card does not seem to change anything. I have not done any particular manual configuration.

Regarding alsamixer, I am not familiar with this tool. How does it relate to the Yast sound configuration? When I launch “alsamixer -c0” in a console, I see a quite empty screen. Choosing sound card “1” by “F6 > 1” shows a very different screen.

#11

You can use pavolcontrol to choose which sound device is in control for each application that uses sound.You might also try changing the order by setting the 1 device to be default in yast.

#12

I’m running out of ideas, but have you tried pushing that “Mic Boost” slider up?

#13

I am late coming to this thread. I would like to try and help.

Skype and pavucontrol will only work if the Mic recording is not blocked at the alsa level.

I read the Original Posters (OPs) posts a couple of times, and it is not clear to me if the functionaly to record with the Mic. It is also not totally clear to me if this is the laptop internal mic that is being tested, or an external mic plugged into the input jack on the laptop that is being tested. What is clear is that Skype works with an old external webcam, suggesting the problem is wrt the laptop sound configuration - either alsa or pulse.

I noted this script output that the OP provided:

http://www.alsa-project.org/db/?f=8e025a04ce83cd839b270298bac9ce317aee4fd7

That script clearly shows the mic is muted at alsa level. Consider:


**Simple mixer control 'Mic',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 '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]
....
**Simple mixer control 'Capture',0**
  Capabilities: cvolume cswitch
  Capture channels: Front Left - Front Right
  Limits: Capture 0 - 63
  Front Left: Capture 63 [100%] [30.00dB] [on]
  Front Right: Capture 63 [100%] [30.00dB] [on]
...
**Simple mixer control 'Auto-Mute Mode',0**
  Capabilities: enum
  Items: 'Disabled' 'Enabled'
  Item0: 'Enabled'
**Simple mixer control 'Internal 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 'Internal Mic Boost',0**
  Capabilities: volume
  Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right
  Capture channels: Front Left - Front Right
  Limits: 0 - 1
  Front Left: 1 [100%] [12.00dB]
  Front Right: 1 [100%] [12.00dB]

Simple mixer control ‘Mic’ playback is set to 0%. This makes it very difficult to determine if a Mic is working. I recommend setting it to 65% or so.

Simple mixer control ‘Mic Boost’ is set to 0%. Many mics will not record at all if set to 0% boost. I recommend moving this up 65% boos or so.

Simple mixer control ‘Auto-Mute Mode’ is enabled. If I had a problem with my Mic, I would disable that, and only AFTER I managed to get my Mic working, would I then disable that (to reduce noise).

Simple mixer control ‘Internal Mic’ is set to 0% and it is OFF. Again, if using the internal Mic, this makes it very difficult to determine if an Internal Mic is working. It needs to be switched from OFF to ON. I also recommend setting it to 65% or so.

You were given advise to use alsamixer to tune that. That was good advice. I recommend you follow up on it. Take the time to learn alsamixer. It is actually easy and we should only be talking a few minutes of expermentation. Open a konsole/xterm, and type “alsamixer”. Take a screen shot of the settings before you start playing with them (so you can restore later if need be) and then start in that konsole/xterm with alsamixer try to increase the Mic levels, including the boost, and change the internal Mic from OFF to ON.

Now for testing, do not test with only Skype. I use the simple konsole/xterm application amixer. I note that:


ARECORD

**** List of CAPTURE Hardware Devices ****
**card 1:** PCH [HDA Intel PCH], **device 0**: ALC282 Analog [ALC282 Analog]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0

This IS a bit unusual. It means your Mic is hw:1,0 (ie on Card-1). Typically applications will look for the Mic on hw:0,0 (ie on Card-0). To test for basic Mic functionaliy, in a separate konsole/xterm type the following:


arecord -vv -f S16_LE -c 2 -D hw:1,0 new.wav

and that should record any audio the Mic picks up to a file called new.wav. Stop the recording by pressing <ctrl><c> when the konsole/xterm has focus. Then with a play back application (such as “aplay new.wav” ) playback the file ‘new.wav’ to see if anything was recorded. Take note of any errors when running arecord and post the output here.

Note you may need to use ‘alsaxmixer’ as noted previous to increase playback and boost. And then once you get sound with ‘arecord’, then try Skype, using pulse audio to enusre that hw:1,0 is selected in the configuration tab (it may have a different name).

Because your PC has two instances of the snd_hda_intel module running at the same time (one associated with HDMI and the other with the analog sound) this is a bit more tricky.

Good luck.
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