[pulseaudio-discuss] Digital input on Creative Sound Blaster X-FI HD

[Oddbjørn Norstrand]

On Fri, Oct 21, 2016 at 04:35:46PM +0300, Tanu Kaskinen wrote:
> On Wed, 2016-10-19 at 19:03 +0200, Oddbjørn Norstrand wrote:
> > Hi
> > 
> > I am having problems recording from digital input on a Creative Sound
> > Blaster X-FI HD. Recordings work using alsa, but I only receive
> > samples with value zero when using pulseaudio.
> > 
> > This is the source from pacmd list-sources:
> >    index: 3
> >         name: <alsa_input.usb-Creative_Technology_USB_Sound_Blaster_HD_000000tf-00.iec958-stereo>
> >         driver: <module-alsa-card.c>
> >         flags: HARDWARE DECIBEL_VOLUME LATENCY DYNAMIC_LATENCY
> >         state: RUNNING
> >         suspend cause: 
> >         priority: 9048
> >         volume: front-left: 65634 / 100% / 0.04 dB,   front-right: 65634 / 100% / 0.04 dB
> >                 balance 0.00
> >         base volume: 65536 / 100% / 0.00 dB
> >         volume steps: 65537
> >         muted: no
> >         current latency: 0.17 ms
> >         max rewind: 0 KiB
> >         sample spec: s16le 2ch 44100Hz
> >         channel map: front-left,front-right
> >                      Stereo
> >         used by: 1
> >         linked by: 1
> >         configured latency: 40.00 ms; range is 0.50 .. 2000.00 ms
> >         card: 1 <alsa_card.usb-Creative_Technology_USB_Sound_Blaster_HD_000000tf-00>
> >         module: 7
> >         properties:
> >                 alsa.resolution_bits = "16"
> >                 device.api = "alsa"
> >                 device.class = "sound"
> >                 alsa.class = "generic"
> >                 alsa.subclass = "generic-mix"
> >                 alsa.name = "USB Audio #1"
> >                 alsa.id = "USB Audio"
> >                 alsa.subdevice = "0"
> >                 alsa.subdevice_name = "subdevice #0"
> >                 alsa.device = "1"
> >                 alsa.card = "2"
> >                 alsa.card_name = "USB Sound Blaster HD"
> >                 alsa.long_card_name = "Creative Technology USB Sound Blaster HD at usb-0000:00:14.0-2, full speed"
> >                 alsa.driver_name = "snd_usb_audio"
> >                 device.bus_path = "pci-0000:00:14.0-usb-0:2:1.0"
> >                 sysfs.path = "/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:14.0/usb2/2-2/2-2:1.0/sound/card2"
> >                 udev.id = "usb-Creative_Technology_USB_Sound_Blaster_HD_000000tf-00"
> >                 device.bus = "usb"
> >                 device.vendor.id = "041e"
> >                 device.vendor.name = "Creative Technology, Ltd"
> >                 device.product.id = "3232"
> >                 device.product.name = "USB Sound Blaster HD"
> >                 device.serial = "Creative_Technology_USB_Sound_Blaster_HD_000000tf"
> >                 device.string = "iec958:2"
> >                 device.buffering.buffer_size = "352800"
> >                 device.buffering.fragment_size = "176400"
> >                 device.access_mode = "mmap+timer"
> >                 device.profile.name = "iec958-stereo"
> >                 device.profile.description = "Digital Stereo (IEC958)"
> >                 device.description = "USB Sound Blaster HD Digital Stereo (IEC958)"
> >                 alsa.mixer_name = "USB Mixer"
> >                 alsa.components = "USB041e:3232"
> >                 module-udev-detect.discovered = "1"
> >                 device.icon_name = "audio-card-usb"
> >         ports:
> >                 iec958-stereo-input: Digital Input (S/PDIF) (priority 0, latency offset 0 usec, available: unknown)
> >                         properties:
> > 
> >         active port: <iec958-stereo-input>
> > 
> > When I configure the the sound card to off in tab Configuration in
> > pavucontrol this command works giving me a out.wav file with nonzero
> > samples.
> > ffmpeg -f alsa -i hw:2,1 -t 30 out.wav
> > 
> > When I configure the digital input in pavucontrol and try this command
> > I get a recording where all samples are zero.
> > parec --device=alsa_input.usb-Creative_Technology_USB_Sound_Blaster_HD_000000tf-00.iec958-stereo --format=s16le --rate=44100 --channels=2 > samples
> > 
> > Can anyone see what is wrong or help me further investigate the
> > problem?
> 
> This is pretty weird. It really looks like it should be working. Maybe
> it's a mixer issue? That doesn't seem likely, but I don't have any
> other ideas. So, start recording with parec, and while it's running,
> save the output from "amixer -c2" and "pactl list". Then, stop parec,
> set the card profile to "off" and start recording with ffmpeg. Save the
> output from "amixer -c2" again. Then send the amixer and pactl output.
> 
> "pactl list" will be so big that it's best to either upload it
> somewhere where I can download it from, or attach it as a compressed
> file.
> 
> -- 
> Tanu
> _______________________________________________
> pulseaudio-discuss mailing list
> pulseaudio-discuss at lists.freedesktop.org
> https://lists.freedesktop.org/mailman/listinfo/pulseaudio-discuss

Thank you for trying to solve my problem. I have attached a compressed
file with the outputs you requested. I hope it helps.

Since the last post I have also tried recording from analog input from
the device and that works as expected using pulseaudio, but
unfortunately at this time it is digital input I need.
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