[pulseaudio-discuss] why is this giving an error and failing to start?

[Christ Schlacta]

I'm running in system mode on a headless media server.  xbmc has to play 
sound as one user, mpd as another user, and I've got two more reserved 
virtual outputs on my sound card if I need them..  my system.pa is thus:

load-module module-native-protocol-unix

### COnfigure my actual Soundcard.
load-module module-alsa-sink sink_name=raw device=surround71 channels=8 
channel_map=aux0,aux1,aux2,aux3,aux4,aux5,aux6,aux7

load-module module-remap-sink sink_name=xbmc.001 master=raw channels=2 
master_channel_map=aux0,aux1 channel_map=left,right

load-module module-remap-sink sink_name=mpd.001 master=raw channels=2 
master_channel_map=aux2,aux3 channel_map=left,right

load-module module-remap-sink sink_name=t02 master=raw channels=2 
master_channel_map=aux4,aux5 channel_map=left,right

load-module module-remap-sink sink_name=t03 master=raw channels=2 
master_channel_map=aux6,aux7 channel_map=left,right

load-module module-ladspa-sink sink_name=xbmc master=xbmc.001 
plugin=dyson_compress_1403 label=dysonCompress control=1.0,0.5,0.5,0.8

load-module module-combine sink_name=mpd.002 slaves=mpd.001 channels=2
load-module module-remap-sink sink_name=mpd.003.lr master=mpd.002 
channels=2 master_channel_map=left,right channel_map=left,right
load-module module-remap-sink sink_name=mpd.003.rl master=mpd.002 
channels=2 master_channel_map=right,left channel_map=left_right
load-module module-combine sink_name=mpd slaves=mpd.003-rl,mpd.003.lr 
channels=2

update-sink-proplist raw device.description="actual soundcard"
update-sink-proplist xbmc device.description="XBMC stereo output"
update-sink-proplist mpd device.description="MPD Stereo output"

### ENd config snippet.

The problem is that I'm getting some perculiar errors on starting 
pulseaudio:
Dec 21 11:19:06 rebirth pulseaudio[14764]: module-combine.c: No slave 
sinks specified.
Dec 21 11:19:06 rebirth pulseaudio[14764]: module-remap-sink.c: No 
remapping configured, proceeding nonetheless!
then, despite the fact that it says it's proceeding, it simply proceeds 
to exit with no further log entries.

So you may ask what I'm trying to accomplish.  I'm trying to downmix 
stereo audio to mono before passing it off to the virtual sink mpd.001.  
the reason is that I've got a blown speaker, that I've gotten rid of and 
only one speaker left.  THis christmas music sounds terrible when you 
can't hear alvin, or you can't hear simon and theodore.  If you can help 
me fix this existing config, or find a better way to downmix my music to 
mono (actually mix l and r, not just one or the other) I'd be very 
happy, and the children's christmas would be immeasurably merrier!
thank you.