[pulseaudio-discuss] Accessing audio as root

[Gene Heskett]

On Sunday 03 January 2010, Daniel Chen wrote:
>On Sun, Jan 3, 2010 at 4:48 PM, Gene Heskett <gene.heskett at gmail.com> wrote:
>> 01:07.0 Multimedia audio controller: Creative Labs SB0400 Audigy2 Value
>>        Subsystem: Creative Labs Device 1001
>>        Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 32, IRQ 17
>>        I/O ports at 9c00 [size=64]
>>        Capabilities: [dc] Power Management version 2
>>        Kernel driver in use: EMU10K1_Audigy
>>        Kernel modules: snd-emu10k1
>
>If this device isn't audible with speaker-test -Dplug:front:Audigy2
>-twav -c2 -l1 (substitute "Audigy2" with whatever corresponds from cat
>/proc/asound/cards), then my guess is that you're experiencing one of
>the many quirks of the Live and Audigy families where you need to
>toggle the Analog/Digital Output control. Tritech and Sigmatel both
>screwed up big time with no way to differentiate between codec
>revisions that require it to be unmuted (vice those that require it to
>be *muted*) for audible analog playback.
>
>But, as Colin recommended, that would be a separate thread.

It should be, I am rebooted to the mdv install at the moment.

Anyway I had to make myself root and:

[root at coyote ~]# speaker-test -Dplug:front:Audigy2 -twav -c2 -l1
-bash: speaker-test: command not found
[root at coyote ~]# urpmi speaker-test


    $MIRRORLIST: media/main/release/speaker-test-1.0.21-1mdv2010.0.x86_64.rpm
installing speaker-test-1.0.21-1mdv2010.0.x86_64.rpm from 
/var/cache/urpmi/rpms
Preparing...                     
#################################################################################################################
      1/1: speaker-test          
#################################################################################################################
[root at coyote ~]# speaker-test -Dplug:front:Audigy2 -twav -c2 -l1

speaker-test 1.0.21

Playback device is plug:front:Audigy2
Stream parameters are 48000Hz, S16_LE, 2 channels
WAV file(s)
Rate set to 48000Hz (requested 48000Hz)
Buffer size range from 64 to 16384
Period size range from 16 to 16384
Using max buffer size 16384
Periods = 4
was set period_size = 4096
was set buffer_size = 16384
 0 - Front Left
 1 - Front Right
Time per period = 2.731665

Absolute, total silence.  So I found kmix, configured it to include those 
channels, and I can hear thumps when I mute and unmute the analog channel, 
but the above command still represents silence, as me or as root. 

Continuing my beating of this about the brow, I just discovered a channel 
called IEC985 Optical Raw, brings it to life if its muted.  Now the above 
test works as expected.  As either me, or as root.

Unforch, some of the pa stuff I apparently need, is missing from the mirrors 
mandriva uses.  So pamon and padev* are not installed.  Is there a new 
method, or do I go fuss at the mdv people?

Next?

Thanks Daniel.

-- 
Cheers, Gene
"There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty:
 soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order."
-Ed Howdershelt (Author)
One Bell System - it works.