speaker-test not separating channels as expected

English Multimedia
1

For convoluted reasons, I wound up trying the speaker-test utility this morning and found the left and right channels were coming out of both sides, whether with headphones or without, using this command:

speaker-test -c 2 -t wav

I have PulseAudio uninstalled because I use JACK for playing and recording music fairly often and because I want more control of my audio. My default card to which my older model Creative 2.1 speakers are connected is an Audigy 1 (SB0090). I’m considering purchasing a Logitech 5.1 system, but until then I’d like to find out why stereo isn’t working as I expected and if I can make it do so.

Output of alsa-info.sh is here for one month: http://pastebin.com/embed_js.php?i=UyxuZyys

2

I note 64-bit openSUSE-11.4 with the 2.6.37.6-0.7 desktop kernel on a Microstar MS-7551, with alsa driver 1.0.23, library 1.0.24.1 and utilities 1.0.24.2.

I note four sound devices :


 
!!Soundcards recognised by ALSA
!!-----------------------------
 
 0 [Audigy         ]: Audigy - SB Audigy 1 [SB0090]
                      SB Audigy 1 [SB0090] (rev.3, serial:0x511102) at 0xe800, irq 21
 1 [U0x46d0x81b    ]: USB-Audio - USB Device 0x46d:0x81b
                      USB Device 0x46d:0x81b at usb-0000:03:07.2-4, high speed
 2 [NVidia         ]: HDA-Intel - HDA NVidia
                      HDA NVidia at 0xfe97c000 irq 19
 3 [default        ]: USB-Audio - USB Audio CODEC
                      Burr-Brown from TI               USB Audio CODEC  at usb-0000:03:07.1-1, full s

with 4 kernel modules (sound drivers) loaded: snd_emu10k1, snd_usb_audio, snd_hda_intel, snd_usb_audio (ie two instances of the USB audio driver).

I note your aplay is very complex, with hw:0,0 (sb audigy 1 emu10k1 … with MANY subdevices), hw:0,2 (sb audigy 1 eumu10k1 efx multichannel capture/pt playback), hw:0,3 (sb audigy emu10k1 multichannel playback), hw:2,3 (HDMI), hw:2,7 (HDMI), hw:2,8 (HDMI), hw:2,9 (HDMI), hw:3,0 (usb audio) . Ergo I assume you have a USB headphone (or speaker) and also a couple USB mics (from the arecord).

How can you be certain speaker test is sending sound to the correct audio card ? Did you try to specify a card and/or device ?

Have you tried (and I am guessing here) :


speaker-test -c2 -D hw:0 -t wav

or


speaker-test -c2 -D hw:2 -t wav

or


speaker-test -c2 -D hw:3 -t wav

or even a more specific device:


speaker-test -c2 -D hw:0,2 -t wav

or


speaker-test -c2 -D hw:0,3 -t wav

I use pulse audio. I don’t use jack. Could jack be messing this up ?

3

One for a knockoff of a Behringer USB guitar interface with a TI Burr-Brown chip. It has its own set of speakers (ironically, a real pair of Behringer studio monitors) and the input is my guitar. The first USB device listed is just the mic on my Logitech webcam. I’ve used it a couple of times, but generally adjust any recording applications for voice to use the Audigy. The NVidia device is just the HDMI on my video card, which I don’t use at all.

I note your aplay is very complex, with hw:0,0 (sb audigy 1 emu10k1 … with MANY subdevices), hw:0,2 (sb audigy 1 eumu10k1 efx multichannel capture/pt playback), hw:0,3 (sb audigy emu10k1 multichannel playback), hw:2,3 (HDMI), hw:2,7 (HDMI), hw:2,8 (HDMI), hw:2,9 (HDMI), hw:3,0 (usb audio) . Ergo I assume you have a USB headphone (or speaker) and also a couple USB mics (from the arecord).

See above. I leave the NVidia HDMI configured mainly because it caused a couple of problems when I left it to be automatically configured. I have onboard audio, as well, but I have that turned off in the BIOS.

How can you be certain speaker test is sending sound to the correct audio card ? Did you try to specify a card and/or device ?

Because the speakers I’m hearing output from are connected to the Audigy. When I try headphones, I plug them into a wired remote control for the speakers connected to the Audigy. See below.

Have you tried (and I am guessing here) :

speaker-test -c2 -D hw:0 -t wav

I tried it just now and got the same results I was getting before.

or

speaker-test -c2 -D hw:2 -t wav

I got an error, which is expected since that’s the webcam and it has no audio output.

or

speaker-test -c2 -D hw:3 -t wav

That went to the studio monitors on my USB guitar link and, oddly, it worked correctly, which is kind of pointless since I’m playing a mono instrument through them. It does have right and left switched, but at least it separates it.

or even a more specific device:

speaker-test -c2 -D hw:0,2 -t wav

or

speaker-test -c2 -D hw:0,3 -t wav

The above two commands both gave errors. The first gave:

Playback open error: -19,No such device"

and the second gave:

“Access type not available for playback: Invalid argumentSetting of hwparams failed: Invalid argument”

I use pulse audio. I don’t use jack. Could jack be messing this up ?

JACK is not currently running. I only start it when I need it.

Just in case, I tried the studio monitors in the Audigy and got the same problem: sound was coming out of both speakers when it should have been alternating.

4

Oops. That second sample command was for the HDMI, not the webcam. I don’t know how HDMI works, but I’m guessing it has to detect that it’s connected to something, thus the error.

5

Oh, I should mention one more thing: JACK is set up to use the USB guitar link and no other device. It uses it for both input and output and leaves the Audigy (and everything else) to ALSA. Everything outside of music playing and recording (for which I use JACK and that USB device) is left to plain ALSA and I let the hardware mixer on the Audigy take care of mixing. JACK does not touch the Audigy or anything other than the specific programs I use only with JACK. (I don’t even use Audacity with JACK, leaving it to record from and play back to the Audigy devices.)

6

When I wish to test my Logitech surround sound system I download this zip file and uncompress it and play it with:


aplay chan-id.wav

I don’t know how that would sound on a 2 speaker system.

7

I just tried it and got, “Front left; front right,” and several seconds of silence. All of it came out of both speakers, rather than alternating.

8

Of course you will get several seconds of silence because that is for a surround sound system! You have only 2 speakers, not 5 ! Still, with sound coming from BOTH speakers simultaneous it reads like you have a misconfiguration then. Frankly, removing pulse could imho be part of the reason. openSUSE-11.4 was tested WITH pulse installed. When one removes pulse, they are really on their own as they are using a not-tested configuration.

Another command I use is:


speaker-test -c 6 -D front -twav

but note I get ‘front’ by typing:


aplay -L

which gives me:


oldcpu@corei7:~/sound-support-forums/surround> aplay -L
null
    Discard all samples (playback) or generate zero samples (capture)
**front**:CARD=Intel,DEV=0
    HDA Intel, AD198x Analog
    Front speakers
surround40:CARD=Intel,DEV=0
    HDA Intel, AD198x Analog
    4.0 Surround output to Front and Rear speakers
surround41:CARD=Intel,DEV=0
    HDA Intel, AD198x Analog
    4.1 Surround output to Front, Rear and Subwoofer speakers
surround50:CARD=Intel,DEV=0
    HDA Intel, AD198x Analog
    5.0 Surround output to Front, Center and Rear speakers
**surround51**:CARD=Intel,DEV=0
    HDA Intel, AD198x Analog
    5.1 Surround output to Front, Center, Rear and Subwoofer speakers
surround71:CARD=Intel,DEV=0
    HDA Intel, AD198x Analog
    7.1 Surround output to Front, Center, Side, Rear and Woofer speakers
iec958:CARD=Intel,DEV=0
    HDA Intel, AD198x Digital
    IEC958 (S/PDIF) Digital Audio Output

and I note what also works for me is:


speaker-test -c 6 -D surround51 -twav

in your case, try ‘aplay -L’ and try to see what control you should use? You will need to adjust the value associated with ’ -D ’ . It may not be ‘front’ nor will it be ‘surround51’ but it may be something else. AND you will need to adjust the value with ’ -c’ . It won’t be 6. I don’t know if ‘2’ is the best. Perhaps ‘3’ ? You should hopefully get errors that give you hints.

9

Also, the mixer setting in an audigy is complex. I recommend you take a HARD look at your mixer settings.

10

Okay, I just fixed my own dumb mistake. I had the speakers in the wrong jack.

I know why, but it’s convoluted. Anyway, they’re in the correct jack now and working exactly as they should. Thank you so much for your attempt at helping me and I apologize that my cluelessness wasted your time, lol.

11

Glad to read you sorted this and that its working now! :slight_smile: