Kubuntu 8.10 - No Audio Output

[Tempus]

So I've used Kubuntu in the past, and I've always had issues and reverted back to Ubuntu although it's not nearly as nice to look at, but everything (usually) has worked for me. I'm trying to separate myself from Windoze, but there are some things I just can not live without, music/sound is one of those things.

So, short story. I have a Soundblaster Audigy2 card, it works in windows and it works in ubuntu. I have not tried the Kubuntu LiveCD, I'll try that here after I make this post. However under Kubuntu, KDE 4.1.X ( i have not upgraded to 4.2.X yet) I can not play any sound. It's been like that since I installed, this includes the login/off sounds. Doesn't happen. I went ahead and installed mps/mp4/restricted codec support so I could listen to music. Opened a random MP3 (tried wma, wmv, mp4, wav also) with Amarok. It plays but there is zero audio output. Same applies to VLC.

I looked around and my Kmix is muted. Great, I'll unmute it. Wrong answer. I am completely unable to unmute kmix. I've uninstalled it, I've reinstalled it, nothing. When I click the icon in the tray it shows PCM and PCM (Capture) both cranked to the max. But when I right click the icon, MUTE is checked and a right/left click on the checkbox does nothing.

I opened alsamixer and my sound was muted. I unmuted my primary channels, cranked them to fullblast, saved it and restarted. Alsamixer reset my settings. I went in and set alsa to remember the settings by following the guide here: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=205449

In fact, I did everything in that guide and I still do not have sound. I'll admit I'm still quite a Linux Newb and am probably overlookign something. I've searched this forum for "kmix mute", "kmix unmute" and "kmix" to pull anything that might be jacking up kmix. Nothing of those results were of use. I've ran several searches on google.com/linux/ and I have seen several people reporting a similar problem I have, with no solution.

I'm at a loss as to what I can do to fix this problem. Without sound, I won't use linux, I cannot stand the quiet. I'll be happy to give anyoutput or follow any CLI commands folks need me to cough up to figure out and solve this. Im just unsure of what I need to give to help you all help me. If someone is able to throw some help this direction, it'd be hugely appreciated. Thanks!

{edit}
Checked the Kubuntu LiveCD. Copied various file formats from my windows drive and the same problem exists. Kmix will not unmute, supported audio types play but there is no sound. I'm at a loss.

[leadwt]

Re: Kubuntu 8.10 - No Audio Output

Hi.

I found that link you mentioned very interesting - wish I had found it myself some time ago!

Anyway I have had similar fun and it was a matter of disabling the on-board sound card (in my case and if you have one) and playing around with kmix plus running asoundconf-gtk to see what was the default card.

I had 'Pulseaudio' 'Audigy' and 'CA0106' (which as far as I know IS the Audigy card!) listed so I made CAO106 the default.

Next look at 'mixer' within kmix and see if everything is 'on'. I had to mute the IEC958 channel before the system burst into sound after ticking/un-ticking the various channels.

Currently 3 speakers out of 5 working but that is to do with CAO106 not being fully supported yet - unless anyone knows different?

Hope this helps if you can decypher it!

[Tempus]

Re: Kubuntu 8.10 - No Audio Output

I have my onboard sound disabled in my BIOS, it's one of the first things I do when I have a soundcard installed, unless I need to disabled that in Kubuntu also? I do not believe I have PulseAudio installed, and I know I do not have asoundconf-gtk installed. I'll try to grab that tonight and attempt to work with that and see if I can fix the issue.

Ive gone into alsamixer and I've tried unmuting and re-muting everything, including the IEC958 channel. I've got a 2.1 speaker system, so as long as I get sound I'm ok. I'm very tempted to re-download a kubuntu cd and reinstall with a new cd, although the one I used is less than a week old.

Still pretty sure it's a kmix problem and being unable to unmute it.

[Tempus]

Re: Kubuntu 8.10 - No Audio Output

Installed asoundconf-gtk. Ran it, and my options are 'Audigy2' and 'Pulseaudio'
Ensured it was the Audigy2, logged out/in, nothing.

i tried 'asoundconf list' to retrieve the listed cards (Audigy2, nothing else), then ran 'asoundconf set-default-card Audigy2' loggedout/in, again, nothing. I tried opening alsamixer and muting/unmuting everything, did the same for Kmix. No sound. Nothing.

It is something about kmix refusing to allow me to unmute it. I've had no issue with Ubuntu 8.10 and sound, and I even tried Fedora 10 (KDE), and my sound worked from the get-go. I cannot fathom how Kubuntu 8.10, running the same variant of KDE as Fedora (I think), and the same core as ubuntu 8.10 does not work, but the others do. The only thing I can think of, is maybe for some crackhead reason kmix is under root privileges and as a normal user I don't have authority to unmute it, but that seems awful silly, and a bit far fetched. I don't know how to test that theory either unfortunately.

So once again, Kubuntu community, is there anything I can do to fix this, or provide y'all any further cli data that would assist? I really don't want to try to learn a different distro, i understand *buntu decently well and I like the KDE interface, so this is where I should be.. but.. no sound and thats a huge issue.

[sithlord48]

Re: Kubuntu 8.10 - No Audio Output

i don't know if this will help with your sound issue but i just did an install on a friend of mine's laptop and before his sound would work i had to select a diffrent master channel. then sound worked very nice .his laptop has two onboard sound cards.i have a similar issue w/ my desktop and my hdmi passthru showing up as a card. (this is what i suspect on his laptop btw) .after i selected a new master channel in kmix it switched the default device to the correct one. (and thats odd cause i did it manually w/ no luck before that from system settings.)

also if everything works w/ ubuntu install it then install the kubunt-desktop package and you will have kubuntu now w/ the ubuntu hw settings (plus the ability to choose between Gnome or Kde when you log in) check the sessions menu on your log in screen