USB sound

[Ric Moore]

On 10/05/2013 01:29 AM, Basil Chupin wrote:
> On 05/10/13 14:09, Ric Moore wrote:
>> On 10/04/2013 11:12 PM, Basil Chupin wrote:
>>> On 05/10/13 08:14, Ric Moore wrote:
>>>> On 10/04/2013 08:48 AM, R Kimber wrote:
>>>>> On Thu, 03 Oct 2013 23:49:03 -0400
>>>>> Ric Moore wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>>> I've been having problems with UBS sound for some time (it used to
>>>>>>> work
>>>>>>> about 6 months ago). I find that any USB sound device that I
>>>>>>> connect is
>>>>>>> not recognised, and is not listed by aplay -l
>>>>>
>>>>>> sudo apt-get install pavucontrol
>>>>>> Then open it. Under the playback tab you select the device you
>>>>>> want to
>>>>>> play back through from a drop down selection of all the audio devices
>>>>>> your system sees. I switch between my USB headset and my 6.1 sound
>>>>>> systm
>>>>>> all the time using that. I use the headset to not bother other's
>>>>>> sleeping. Or, I can blow the cat out the window with 6.1. pavucontrol
>>>>>> SHOULD be installed during the install process, but it's not. Go
>>>>>> figure.
>>>>>> Ric
>>>>>
>>>>> Thanks, but pavucontrol gives:-
>>>>>
>>>>> Error: unable to connect to pulseaudio: OK
>>>>>
>>>>> I should explain that in attempting to resolve this issue I have made
>>>>> many
>>>>> changes, including disabling pulseaudio.  None of the changes
>>>>> worked.  I
>>>>> then purged alsa-base, pulseaudio, and pavucontrol, and then
>>>>> re-installed
>>>>> them.  This has made no difference, and pulseaudio remains disabled,
>>>>> although I reversed the changes that I made previously, and anyway
>>>>> purging
>>>>> should have removed any changed settings.
>>>>>
>>>>> All the relevant modules seem to be loaded OK, including
>>>>> snd_usb_audio.
>>>>
>>>> Methinks if you had pavucontrol installed first, before taking a
>>>> hammer to everything, you might have had a chance to be listening to
>>>> your tunes. Even a complete purge doesn't always remove all config
>>>> files. Maybe look to see if you have any ~/.alsa config
>>>> files/directories still lying around, or ~/.asound. rm them with great
>>>> prejudice. Something is telling it not to work/start.
>>>>
>>>> It might be easier to re-install cleanly, which I have had to do from
>>>> some of my own 'hammering round pegs into square holes" sessions. Heh,
>>>> I've done that more than once! Or, just for grins, create a new user
>>>> and test my theory, unless you blew something up system wide.
>>>>
>>>> You might just go into /etc/init.d/ and type ./pulseaudio start
>>>>     to see what error messages you see. But, if you're like me, you
>>>> blew it up real good. :) Ric
>>>
>>> Or you could open a terminal and run the file on the command line. Doing
>>> so will show an error message showing what caused it to fail to run.
>>
>> Ah, but the OP related that "Error: unable to connect to pulseaudio:"
>> so starting/restarting the deamon might yield more info? Heh, it's
>> gonna be a good bit O fun!
>
> "Nothing ventured nothing gained", as the Actress said to the Bishop.
>
> What the OP quoted may have been the gui message which may be different
> to what one sees on a command line. "Suck it and see", as the Actress
> said to the Bishop :-) .
>
>
>> Creating a new user would be the easiest test you think? If the new
>> user has the same problem, then the fault will be system wide.
>
> True - but unless one runs it from the command line you will (probably)
> get the same error message and be still none the wiser.
>
>> Mostly some hand edit up somewhere in /etc/alsa?
>> Huh, no more alsa in my /etc directory but there is a /etc/pulse
>> directory. Maybe the hand edit is there? I have no .asound in my home
>> directory as well. If he added it, rm it. :) Ric
>
> I don't see any references to alsa in my home directory. But to help to
> find where alsa and pulseaudio are lurking I have posted these
> screenshots of the list of files and where they lurk:
>
> Alsa - http://susepaste.org/24907885
>
> Pulseaudio - http://susepaste.org/29585303
>
>                   -  http://susepaste.org/48724861
>
>                   -  http://susepaste.org/31582696
>
> Note that for pulse the list overlaps from image to image but in all
> there are 155 files for pulseaudio (and only 27 for alsa - and who is it
> that dislikes blotware, hmmmmmm? :-) ).
>
> (The screenshots, btw, come from YaST, the openSUSE file manager
> extraordinaire.)
I'm going to sic Liam on you. RPM should just roll over and die.

Still waiting for the OP to relate what he is finding. I WOULD say that 
since he broke it, he gets to keep both pieces, but I am curious about a 
resolution to the problem as well. He says the pulse server isn't 
running, while he has all the packages installed. We shall see. At least 
he has his problem bumped. :) 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.
/https://linuxcounter.net/cert/44256.png /