[pulseaudio-discuss] Microphone no longer recording

[Tanu Kaskinen]

On Sun, 2013-01-20 at 20:33 -0800, Terry wrote:
> Hello.  I have been unable to find a solution to this problem.
> 
> At first I thought it was a problem with Skype because I was able to
> hear callers but they couldn't hear me.  I tried adjusting the PA
> controller in various ways, none of which resulted in a successful
> Skype test call in that each time my message was not played back to
> me.
> 
> Subsequently, however, I discovered that recording to Audacity does
> not work.  I am able to create a create a .wav file using a script
> created by a member of my distro's forum.  The file should have
> contained a record of what I spoke into the microphone.  I tried
> several times selecting either the headset or its monitor as the
> recording device and played the files with VLC.  No message was
> audible during playback.

Don't bother with the monitor. From the headset monitor you get the same
audio that you play to the headset.

> There are a number of PA files relating to microphone configuration
> and they all seem to state that the microphone volume is off.  Of
> course, I don't know whether to or how to alter those files.
> 
> 
> I have snapshots taken during several attempts to record messages.  To
> avoid this email being treated as spam, this is a broken link to the
> folder containing the snapshots: http:// xanthon.minus.com/m7lGta1kR

It's visible in the "PA input tab" and "Skype-recording" pictures that
the headset microphone is working: the volume meter contains a blue bar,
so at least pavucontrol is getting data from the microphone. In the
"script-recording" image the volume meter is all-gray, so either in that
case there's no audio coming from the microphone, or the screenshot is
just taken when the signal happens to be zero.

I don't have much else to say. Things seem to mostly work. Watch that
volume meter: if it stays all-gray, you can immediately see that there's
no signal. Play with the headset microphone volume: it should affect the
length of the blue bar (i.e. signal loudness).

-- 
Tanu