Unable to get the microphone input to work

I have a multiboot system with OpenSUSE 42.1, Linux Mint and Windows XP. The headset microphone does not work with OpenSuse 42.1 but it does with the Linux Mint and XP OS, proving that the hardware is working. I last used Skype on this system with opensuse about six weeks ago and that was working fine.
I have used pulseaudio control and meter to configure the microphone levels and I have used Audio Recorder and Audacity to record. Neither package indicated any input sound at all, and the pulseaudio meter does not show any indication of sound either. I have checked with Yast to ensure that pulseaudio is enabled, and from the command line arecord -l indicates that the onboard card is working. I also switched back to the earlier kernel and that made no difference.

The system details are:
System is a dual core pentium x86_64
VIA8237 ALC 655 (RealTek)
Kernel K.4.1.21_14.default
driver snd_via82xx
pulseaudio 7.05.1-x86_64

I tried to revert back to pulseaudio 7.03.1-x86-64 but Yast would not revert back because it kept looking for a CD.

Any ideas as to how to debug this issue?

As you likely know, pulse audio provides the capability to access one’s hardware devices on a per application basis. The program for doing such is ‘pavucontrol’. If you do not have ‘pavucontrol’ installed yet, I recommend you install it and use it to tune your mics. Some years back I created a basic guide on pavucontrol: https://forums.opensuse.org/entry.php/96-Pulseaudio-Basics-for-openSUSE-with-pavucontrol

Now in the off chance this is not a pulse audio problem, then we need to look deeper. In that case please run a diagnostic script to provide more information. Specially, in a terminal/xterm, as a regular user, with your PC connected to the internet, send this command:


/usr/sbin/alsa-info.sh

and let the script run to completion. Select the SHARE/UPLOAD option when prompted. At the end, in the xterm/konsole will be an address where the diagnostic information was uploaded. Please post that address here. The forum experts can then look at that, and likely provide a recommendation or request further tests.
.

Thanks for responding.
I had already run pavucontrol with no success but just in case I followed both your steps as well as jdmcdaniels blog instructions. Once again with no success.

So I ran the script as you suggested and this is the upload address:
Your ALSA information is located at http://www.alsa-project.org/db/?f=a11d61139cdb3f73baa20d029dea273f988de3e0

I do not have your hardware, and with your hardware comes a number of alsa selections that I am not familiar with - but this does look to me that you have alsa misconfigured on your PC. Look at the following:

First also module is loaded which is good.


!!Loaded ALSA modules
!!-------------------
snd_via82xx

Second we can see the hardware audio codec is an ALC655


!!AC97 Codec information
!!----------------------
--startcollapse--

0-0/0: Realtek ALC655 rev 0

Next we can see the device recognized in arecord :


ARECORD

**** List of CAPTURE Hardware Devices ****
card 0: V8237 [VIA 8237], device 0: VIA 8237 [VIA 8237]
  Subdevices: 0/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 0: V8237 [VIA 8237], device 1: VIA 8237 [VIA 8237]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0

From the above we can see your mic will record on hw:0,0 or hw:0,1 dependent on which mic is selected. From that I assume you have two mics.

The mixer settings your PC has applied leaves me puzzled as to why ?


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

**!!-------Mixer controls for card 0 [V8237]**

Card hw:0 'V8237'/'VIA 8237 with ALC655 at 0xbc00, irq 22'
  Mixer name    : 'Realtek ALC655 rev 0'
--------
**Simple mixer control 'Master Mono',0**
  Capabilities: pvolume pvolume-joined pswitch pswitch-joined
  Playback channels: Mono
  Limits: Playback 0 - 31
  Mono: Playback 0 [0%] -46.50dB] [off]

With playback off, how can you easily tell if the mic is working ? It can be done, but this complicates the feedback.

From the following “line” input we can see you have any mic plugged into the ‘line’ in will NOT record.


**Simple mixer control 'Line',0**
  Capabilities: pvolume pswitch pswitch-joined cswitch cswitch-exclusive
  Capture exclusive group: 0
  Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right
  Capture channels: Front Left - Front Right
  Limits: Playback 0 - 31
  Front Left: **Playback 0 [0%] -34.50dB] [off] Capture [off]**
  Front Right: **Playback 0 [0%] -34.50dB] [off] Capture [off]**

The following is good wrt mixer control of the mic (albeit its not enough)


**Simple mixer control 'Mic',0**
  Capabilities: pvolume pvolume-joined pswitch pswitch-joined cswitch cswitch-exclusive
  Capture exclusive group: 0
  Playback channels: Mono
  Capture channels: Front Left - Front Right
  Limits: Playback 0 - 31
  Mono: Playback 31 [100%] [12.00dB] [on]
  Front Left: Capture [on]
  Front Right: Capture [on]

The following is bad. Why set boost OFF ? This makes it very difficult for the mic to work. Boost should be ON.


**Simple mixer control 'Mic Boost ( 20dB)',0 **
  Capabilities: pswitch pswitch-joined
  Playback channels: Mono
  Mono: Playback [off]

OK, Mic1 is selected. Can you tell us more about your hardware ? What is Mic1 ? What is Mic2 ? Is one on the front of your PC and one on the back of your PC ?


**Simple mixer control 'Mic Select',0**
  Capabilities: enum
  Items: 'Mic1' 'Mic2'
  Item0: 'Mic1'

I don’t know if this is important, but you have muted an capture wrt the mixer control for video. That could impact some recording applications.


**Simple mixer control 'Video',0**
  Capabilities: cswitch cswitch-exclusive
  Capture exclusive group: 0
  Capture channels: Front Left - Front Right
  Front Left: Capture [off]
  Front Right: Capture [off]

Again here is the phone part of the mixer muted. Presumeably any applications that need to use the phone functionality (Skype ? < not sure > ) won’t capture as this is muted off.


**Simple mixer control 'Phone',0**
  Capabilities: pvolume pvolume-joined pswitch pswitch-joined cswitch cswitch-exclusive
  Capture exclusive group: 0
  Playback channels: Mono
  Capture channels: Front Left - Front Right
  Limits: Playback 0 - 31
  Mono: Playback 0 [0%] -34.50dB] [off]
  Front Left: Capture [off]
  Front Right: Capture [off]

I don’t know if you are using digital audio, but note the digital audio is also muted for record:


**Simple mixer control 'IEC958',0 **
  Capabilities: pswitch pswitch-joined cswitch cswitch-joined
  Playback channels: Mono
  Capture channels: Mono
  Mono: Playback [off] Capture [off]
**Simple mixer control 'IEC958 Playback Source',0**
  Capabilities: enum
  Items: 'PCM' 'Analog In' 'IEC958 In'
  Item0: 'PCM'
**Simple mixer control 'Aux',0**
  Capabilities: pvolume pswitch pswitch-joined cswitch cswitch-exclusive
  Capture exclusive group: 0
  Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right
  Capture channels: Front Left - Front Right
  Limits: Playback 0 - 31
  Front Left: Playback 0 [0%] -34.50dB] [off] Capture [off]
  Front Right: Playback 0 [0%] -34.50dB] [off] Capture [off]

Further, the input control for the mixer is set not to a Mic, but rather it is set to mix input from multiple sources when there is input. And we know from above Mic is muted going into mixer. Look at all the controls below that are off.

**Simple mixer control 'Mono Output Select',0 **
  Capabilities: enum
  Items: 'Mix' 'Mic'
  Item0: 'Mix'
**Simple mixer control 'Capture',0**
  Capabilities: cvolume cswitch cswitch-joined
  Capture channels: Front Left - Front Right
  Limits: Capture 0 - 15
  Front Left: Capture 0 [0%] [0.00dB] [off]
  Front Right: Capture 0 [0%] [0.00dB] [off]
**Simple mixer control 'Mix',0**
  Capabilities: cswitch cswitch-exclusive
  Capture exclusive group: 0
  Capture channels: Front Left - Front Right
  Front Left: Capture [off]
  Front Right: Capture [off]
**Simple mixer control 'Mix Mono',0**
  Capabilities: cswitch cswitch-exclusive
  Capture exclusive group: 0
  Capture channels: Front Left - Front Right
  Front Left: Capture [off]
  Front Right: Capture [off]
**Simple mixer control 'Input Source Select',0**
  Capabilities: enum
  Items: 'Input1' 'Input2'
  Item0: 'Input1'
**Simple mixer control 'Input Source Select',1**
  Capabilities: enum
  Items: 'Input1' 'Input2'
  Item0: 'Input1' 

The mixer on your PC is misconfigured from what I can see.

You note you have audio working on another partition in this GNU/Linux PC. Run that diagnostic script I noted on that other partition, and see what output it gives you. That will help point out to you exactly which of the items I noted is configured incorrectly.

If I had your precise hardware I could be more precise, but I don’t have your hardware.

The system is now working and you were correct that it was the mixer that had switched off playback, the microphone capture and boost. I used Gmixer to enable playback, capture and boost. For the record I am not using digital audio and I assume that the phone input is for analog phones like in the ol’ days.

Thank you for your assistance.

Congratulations on getting this to work. Thank you for sharing your solution.

Hi there, could you please check your URL’s on that page? Thanks.

I know I’ve been here before, but every time something clobbers my config, it has been several years since I last had my sound scrogged up and I’ve forgotten the rigmarole during the interim. So, for now, I am reading your guide (trying to) hoping to be able to use my mic once again.

You will need to scroll down further in the blog to find those.

The board functionality to reference specific comments in a post no longer functions as near as I can tell. Hence I can not repair the links. So i removed them.

If you can’t sort this I recommend you start a new thread.