[Multimedia] Sound configuration for new install

[clh333]

Just installed kubuntu 20 lts from a live CD and am working through configuration issues. Machine is a dual-boot ASUS / AMD with an AMD XONAR sound card. The problem I experience is that there is no sound output. The card has been recognized as the output device (headphones, which I take to mean dual-channel stereo) but the speaker test (left, right) makes no sound. Neither does any other activity on the machine. Yes, output has been enabled and levels are set at about 70%.

The other OS on the machine is Win10 and with the same hardware Windows plays system sounds (out the card, to an amp and to speakers) regularly. I infer therefore that the problem is with the K20 configuration.

I found reference to the problem through an Internet search. The suggested solution was to run "alsactl restore" from the CLI. No special privileges were required, according to the post.

charlesh@ASUS:~$ alsactl restore
alsactl: state_lock:125: file /var/lib/alsa/asound.state lock error: File exists
alsactl: load_state:1683: Cannot open /var/lib/alsa/asound.state for reading: File exists
alsa-lib main.c:997snd_use_case_mgr_open) error: failed to import hw:0 use case configuration -2
Found hardware: "CMI8786" "CMI8786" "CS4245 CMI8786" "0x1043" "0x8467"
Hardware is initialized using a generic method
alsa-lib main.c:1004snd_use_case_mgr_open) error: failed to import hw:1 (empty configuration)
Found hardware: "HDA-Intel" "ATI R6xx HDMI" "HDA:1002aa01,00aa0100,00100500" "0x1043" "0x85cb"
Hardware is initialized using a generic method
alsa-lib main.c:1004snd_use_case_mgr_open) error: failed to import hw:2 (empty configuration)
Found hardware: "HDA-Intel" "ATI R6xx HDMI" "HDA:1002aa01,00aa0100,00100300" "0x1043" "0xaab0"
Hardware is initialized using a generic method
alsa-lib main.c:997snd_use_case_mgr_open) error: failed to import hw:3 use case configuration -2
Found hardware: "CX23885" "" "" "0x0070" "0x7801"
Hardware is initialized using a generic method
charlesh@ASUS:~$

I entered again as SUDO and there was no error response. However, there was still no sound output. If anyone has a suggestion for troubleshooting this issue I would appreciate their advice.

Thanks,
-CH-

[mr_raider]

What's your hardware? Run this command

inxi -Fxxxz

[clh333]

What's your hardware? Run this command

inxi -Fxxxz

So:

charlesh@ASUS:~$ inxi -Fxxxz
System: Kernel: 5.4.0-52-generic x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 9.3.0
Desktop: KDE Plasma 5.18.5 tk: Qt 5.12.8 wm: kwin_x11 dm: SDDM
Distro: Ubuntu 20.04.1 LTS (Focal Fossa)
Machine: Type: Desktop Mobo: ASUSTeK model: A88XM-A v: Rev X.0x serial: <filter>
BIOS: American Megatrends v: 1003 date: 12/30/2013
CPU: Topology: Quad Core model: AMD A10-7850K APU with Radeon R7 Graphics bits: 64
type: MCP arch: Steamroller rev: 1 L2 cache: 2048 KiB
flags: avx lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 sse4a ssse3 svm bogomips: 29747
Speed: 1708 MHz min/max: 1700/3700 MHz boost: enabled Core speeds (MHz): 1: 1705
2: 1705 3: 1708 4: 1707
Graphics: Device-1: AMD Kaveri [Radeon R7 Graphics] vendor: ASUSTeK driver: radeon v: kernel
bus ID: 00:01.0 chip ID: 1002:130f
Device-2: AMD Oland PRO [Radeon R7 240/340] vendor: ASUSTeK driver: radeon v: kernel
bus ID: 01:00.0 chip ID: 1002:6613
Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.8 driver: radeon FAILED: ati
unloaded: fbdev,modesetting,vesa compositor: kwin_x11 resolution: 1920x1080~60Hz
OpenGL: renderer: AMD OLAND (DRM 2.50.0 5.4.0-52-generic LLVM 10.0.0)
v: 4.5 Mesa 20.0.8 direct render: Yes
Audio: Device-1: AMD Kaveri HDMI/DP Audio vendor: ASUSTeK driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel
bus ID: 00:01.1 chip ID: 1002:1308
Device-2: AMD Oland/Hainan/Cape Verde/Pitcairn HDMI Audio [Radeon HD 7000 Series]
vendor: ASUSTeK driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel bus ID: 01:00.1 chip ID: 1002:aab0
Device-3: C-Media CMI8788 [Oxygen HD Audio] vendor: ASUSTeK CMI8786
driver: snd_oxygen v: kernel bus ID: 02:05.0 chip ID: 13f6:8788
Device-4: Conexant Systems CX23887/8 PCIe Broadcast Audio and Video Decoder with 3D
Comb
vendor: Hauppauge works driver: cx23885 v: 0.0.4 bus ID: 03:00.0 chip ID: 14f1:8880
Sound Server: ALSA v: k5.4.0-52-generic
Network: Device-1: Realtek RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet vendor: ASUSTeK
driver: r8169 v: kernel port: c000 bus ID: 04:00.0 chip ID: 10ec:8168
IF: enp4s0 state: up speed: 1000 Mbps duplex: full mac: <filter>
Drives: Local Storage: total: 1.82 TiB used: 11.28 GiB (0.6%)
ID-1: /dev/sda vendor: Western Digital model: WD10EZEX-00BN5A0 size: 931.51 GiB
speed: 3.0 Gb/s rotation: 7200 rpm serial: <filter> rev: 1A01 temp: 34 C scheme: MBR
ID-2: /dev/sdb vendor: Western Digital model: WD10EZEX-00BN5A0 size: 931.51 GiB
speed: 3.0 Gb/s rotation: 7200 rpm serial: <filter> rev: 1A01 temp: 31 C scheme: MBR
Partition: ID-1: / size: 91.19 GiB used: 10.59 GiB (11.6%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sdb1
ID-2: /home size: 741.68 GiB used: 706.9 MiB (0.1%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sdb6
ID-3: swap-1 size: 83.83 GiB used: 0 KiB (0.0%) fs: swap dev: /dev/sdb5
Sensors: System Temperatures: cpu: 0.0 C mobo: N/A
Fan Speeds (RPM): N/A
GPU: device: radeon temp: N/A device: radeon temp: 42 C
Info: Processes: 214 Uptime: 9m Memory: 30.32 GiB used: 1.43 GiB (4.7%) Init: systemd
v: 245 runlevel: 5 Compilers: gcc: 9.3.0 alt: 9 Shell: bash v: 5.0.17
running in: konsole inxi: 3.0.38
charlesh@ASUS:~$

-CH-

[mr_raider]

You have no less than 4 sound devices.

Start by clicking on the audio volume icon on your panel bar and select configure audio volume.

Look for this screen;

[clh333]

You have no less than 4 sound devices.

Start by clicking on the audio volume icon on your panel bar and select configure audio volume.

Look for this screen;

Thanks for your reply. Here is what I see: Only one device for output and one for input, and not even the same device! On the Advanced tab the others are listed, but with limited options. -CH-

[mr_raider]

Can you switch the cx23887/8 from Stereo Input to Duplex?

[clh333]

Can you switch the cx23887/8 from Stereo Input to Duplex?

Options for cx23887/8 are Stereo Input, Multichannel Input, or Off. It's a Hauppage digital TV tuner, in case I wanted to use the machine as a DVR. There's nothing connected to it at the moment.

[jglen490]

All those are great suggestions. Do you have the pulse audio tools installed, especially pulseaudio volume Control (PAVU), and the related/recommended packages. They've always been my goto solution for sound issues. Just go into Synaptic and search for "pulseaudio".

[clh333]

All those are great suggestions. Do you have the pulse audio tools installed, especially pulseaudio volume Control (PAVU), and the related/recommended packages. They've always been my goto solution for sound issues. Just go into Synaptic and search for "pulseaudio".

Thank you for suggesting Synaptic; it's a much better package manager than Discover. I found and installed the volume control. It looks a lot like the one pre-installed by the live CD but maybe with more options. I'm not sure it has solve my problem but I'll keep working on it.

Thanks for your reply.

-CH-

[clh333]

The solution to the problem was both simple and obscure: I went to the ALSA site and read their recommendations for testing your sound card. This required installing alsa-tools, so I could use AlsaMixer from a console window. After scrolling through various options I discovered that the default output was set to Headphones, not Stereo Headphones. I selected that option instead, but still did not get an output (using the speaker test under system settings). Then I noticed that "Stereo Headphones" output option had "FP" at the end of it. "FP" as in "Front Panel"? My output was plugged into the back port of the card. I moved the cable to the output on the computer chassis and got sound!

I have no idea why ALSA selected that port in preference to the card itself, but that's another mystery to examine. I hope to find the solution, but in the meantime I hope this helps anyone else struggling with the same configuration issue.

-CH-