Sound problem no speakers

[Ric Moore]

On Fri, 2011-03-25 at 00:00 -0700, MR ZenWiz wrote: 
> On Mon, Mar 21, 2011 at 5:06 PM, Patton Echols <p.echols at comcast.net> wrote:
> :
> >
> > Thanks for the suggestion.  Seemed like such a good idea.  Apparently
> > something is overriding the saved info because the changes still do not
> > survive reboot.  I also discovered in the process "amixer" a CLI utility
> > that will allow you to make and show sound settings.
> >
> Have you removed the pulseaudio drivers from the system?  Although
> some people here swear by it, I have found that ALSA by itself works
> where ALSA + Pulse = silence.  This could be related.

I have had a problem with Xine, as it always seems to set the volume to
zero when I use it. But, that doesn't mess up my bootup sounds. 

I use alsamixer to set the sound levels and muting just once. Then,
afterwards, until something updates and screws it all up, pulse handles
it and remembers the last state you used it in when you crank up any
given application. I call that a feature, not a bug. Just use
"pavucontrol" to manage your pulse settings after you run alsamixer for
the first time. I usually set everything to 80%, initially. If something
goes screwy, I just check alsamixer. Something is usually muted again.
Why, I have no clue. 

But, I'm happier with alsa+pulse than I was with alsa alone. I can
switch between my 5.1 sound system and my USB headphones easily. And, if
I last listened to a DVD with the headphones, then the headphones are
switched to automatically the next time I play a DVD. pavucontrol allows
you to select/switch sources and outputs on the fly. Nice! There was a
time I hated pulse though. Now, it behaves for me ...mostly.  :) Ric

-- 
My father, Victor Moore (Vic) used to say:
"There are two Great Sins in the world...
..the Sin of Ignorance, and the Sin of Stupidity.
Only the former may be overcome." R.I.P. Dad.
Linux user# 44256