Sound Recording

Wed Aug 6 23:49:01 UTC 2008

Bill Taylor wrote:
> Thanks for the reply Andy.  I'm running the 32 bit version of Hardy on a
> BioStar K8M800 with an AMD 64 X2 Athlon 3400 processor with 1 gig of
> memory.  I do not do much music any more so I am using the on board AC
> 97 for sound.
>
>   
I suggest you first look at the manual page for alsamixer:

man alsamixer

Then:

- type alsamixer in a terminal.
- decide whether you want to record from mic or line in.
- select one or the other as the capture source in alsamixer (you need 
to press f4 to see the capture channels)
- also make sure that both the channel you have selected and the 
'capture' channel have their levels turned up.
- as I said before you probably want the mic / line in playback channels 
turned off.
- if necessary turn on the 'mic boost' switch.

then see what happens and report back.

There are GUI ways of doing this as well, but I don't know if you're 
using Gnome or KDE.

andy
> Simple mixer control 'Master',0
>   Capabilities: pvolume pswitch pswitch-joined
>   Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right
>   Limits: Playback 0 - 31
>   Mono:
>   Front Left: Playback 15 [48%] [-24.00dB] [on]
>   Front Right: Playback 15 [48%] [-24.00dB] [on]
> Simple mixer control 'Master Mono',0
>   Capabilities: pvolume pvolume-joined pswitch pswitch-joined
>   Playback channels: Mono
>   Limits: Playback 0 - 31
>   Mono: Playback 25 [81%] [-9.00dB] [on]
> Simple mixer control 'PCM',0
>   Capabilities: pvolume pswitch pswitch-joined
>   Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right
>   Limits: Playback 0 - 31
>   Mono:
>   Front Left: Playback 25 [81%] [3.00dB] [on]
>   Front Right: Playback 25 [81%] [3.00dB] [on]
> Simple mixer control 'Surround',0
>   Capabilities: pvolume pswitch
>   Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right
>   Limits: Playback 0 - 31
>   Mono:
>   Front Left: Playback 0 [0%] [-46.50dB] [off]
>   Front Right: Playback 0 [0%] [-46.50dB] [off]
> Simple mixer control 'Surround Jack Mode',0
>   Capabilities: enum
>   Items: 'Shared' 'Independent'
>   Item0: 'Shared'
> Simple mixer control 'Center',0
>   Capabilities: pvolume pvolume-joined pswitch pswitch-joined
>   Playback channels: Mono
>   Limits: Playback 0 - 31
>   Mono: Playback 31 [100%] [0.00dB] [off]
> Simple mixer control 'LFE',0
>   Capabilities: pvolume pvolume-joined pswitch pswitch-joined
>   Playback channels: Mono
>   Limits: Playback 0 - 31
>   Mono: Playback 0 [0%] [-46.50dB] [off]
> 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]
> Simple mixer control 'CD',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 25 [81%] [3.00dB] [on] Capture [off]
>   Front Right: Playback 25 [81%] [3.00dB] [on] Capture [off]
> 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 30 [97%] [10.50dB] [off]
>   Front Left: Capture [off]
>   Front Right: Capture [off]
> Simple mixer control 'Mic Boost (+20dB)',0
>   Capabilities: pswitch pswitch-joined
>   Playback channels: Mono
>   Mono: Playback [off]
> Simple mixer control 'Mic Select',0
>   Capabilities: enum
>   Items: 'Mic1' 'Mic2'
>   Item0: 'Mic1'
> 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]
> 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]
> Simple mixer control 'IEC958',0
>   Capabilities: pswitch pswitch-joined cswitch cswitch-joined
>   Playback channels: Mono
>   Capture channels: Mono
>   Mono: Playback [on] Capture [off]
> Simple mixer control 'IEC958 Output',0
>   Capabilities: pswitch pswitch-joined
>   Playback channels: Mono
>   Mono: Playback [off]
> Simple mixer control 'IEC958 Playback AC97-SPSA',0
>   Capabilities: volume volume-joined
>   Playback channels: Mono
>   Capture channels: Mono
>   Limits: 0 - 3
>   Mono: 0 [0%]
> Simple mixer control 'IEC958 Playback Source',0
>   Capabilities: enum
>   Items: 'PCM' 'Analog In' 'IEC958 In'
>   Item0: 'PCM'
> Simple mixer control 'PC Speaker',0
>   Capabilities: pvolume pvolume-joined pswitch pswitch-joined
>   Playback channels: Mono
>   Limits: Playback 0 - 15
>   Mono: Playback 0 [0%] [-45.00dB] [off]
> 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 [on]
>   Front Right: Playback 0 [0%] [-34.50dB] [off] Capture [on]
> 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] [on]
>   Front Right: Capture 0 [0%] [0.00dB] [on]
> 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 'Channel Mode',0
>   Capabilities: enum
>   Items: '2ch' '4ch' '6ch'
>   Item0: '2ch'
> Simple mixer control 'Duplicate Front',0
>   Capabilities: pswitch pswitch-joined
>   Playback channels: Mono
>   Mono: Playback [off]
> Simple mixer control 'External Amplifier',0
>   Capabilities: pswitch pswitch-joined
>   Playback channels: Mono
>   Mono: Playback [on]
> 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'
> Simple mixer control 'VIA DXS',0
>   Capabilities: pvolume
>   Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right
>   Limits: Playback 0 - 31
>   Mono:
>   Front Left: Playback 25 [81%] [-57.00dB]
>   Front Right: Playback 25 [81%] [-57.00dB]
> Simple mixer control 'VIA DXS',1
>   Capabilities: pvolume
>   Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right
>   Limits: Playback 0 - 31
>   Mono:
>   Front Left: Playback 25 [81%] [-57.00dB]
>   Front Right: Playback 25 [81%] [-57.00dB]
> Simple mixer control 'VIA DXS',2
>   Capabilities: pvolume
>   Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right
>   Limits: Playback 0 - 31
>   Mono:
>   Front Left: Playback 25 [81%] [-57.00dB]
>   Front Right: Playback 25 [81%] [-57.00dB]
> Simple mixer control 'VIA DXS',3
>   Capabilities: pvolume
>   Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right
>   Limits: Playback 0 - 31
>   Mono:
>   Front Left: Playback 25 [81%] [-57.00dB]
>   Front Right: Playback 25 [81%] [-57.00dB]
>   