Pulseaudio error on HP Probook 4515s

Fri Aug 20 16:14:45 UTC 2010

2010/8/20 Rick Sewill <rsewill at gmail.com>

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> On 08/19/2010 01:08 PM, Zoltan Hoppar wrote:
> > Hi,
> >
> > This is an smaller problem around pulseaudio. I couldn't explain why is
> > so, but I think this is an PA bug. Currently the playback works every
> > way but, recording not. When I try to use Empathy jabber voice call
> > option to my partner, then rings out with voice, but after pick up - for
> > an shiny brief moment - the mic works, after that no more - and pops out
> > an error that "couldn't link source" (maybe the thread makes itsef
> > suicide, perhaps?). After that I have made an second try - I have
> > attached an USB soundcard - what is widely usable on many linux (it uses
> > Cystal Sound chipset). The result was disappointing - here the mic
> > worked as should, but I heard no voice in my headphone, nor even at my
> > speakers.
> > Anybody could confirm this is an bug? Is there a known solution?
>
 >
> > PS: If needed, I'm ready to debug.
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Zoltan
> >
> > --
> > PGP:  06853DF7
> >
>
> Usually, when I say things about Pulse Audio, others gently correct me.
>
> Sounds like you have two separate problems...without the USB sound card,
> your microphone stops working.
>
> With the USB sound card, your speakers/headphones stop working.
>
> I think you need to debug each problem separately.
>
> Do you have pavucontrol installed?
> rpm -q -i pavucontrol -- yum install pavucontrol
>

Yes. The whole PA set.

>
> I'd check what pavucontrol tells you about the volume settings for your
> input devices and output devices.  Please make sure nothing is muted.
>
>
Checked twice. Nothing is turned off.

> When you add the USB sound card, I'd expect separate controls for the
> second sound card.
>
> I only have one sound card...I'd expect Pulse Audio to supply a way to
> select the sink (speaker/headphone) and the source (microphone) to use
> when you have multiple sound cards.  I'm not sure how to select the
> source or sink when one has multiple sound cards.  Hopefully, others
> will answer.
>
> Before running empathy, does your microphone work when you do not have
> the USB sound card?

There is no sign, to there is some activity on monitors. For the stereo
analog device monitoring - it's pulsing as should, but for mic - it's only
seems for me nothing happens.

>  After running empathy, do you need to reboot to get
> your microphone to work?

No.

> If you look at the pavucontrol settings for
> the microphone before starting empathy and compare those settings after
> you start empathy, what changes?
>

Nothing. I could control the volume up to 4x to the default, but nothing
changes. If I call my partner through empathy, then, I could hear him, but I
couldn't answer - he says he only hears from me garbage noice, or snatches.

>
> Before running empathy, your speaker/headphones work when you have a
> second sound card?

When the second usb card is inserted, and switching to the output, and input
- strangely the situation flips. There is totally silence from speakers, but
mic works. The problem gets harder, when I say that I have also an
integrated mic next to the built-in cam, and there is no any control/adjust
it/switch between the headphone mic and the built-in one.

> After running empathy, do you need to reboot to have
> your speaker/microphones work?

Sometimes Empathy Voip part immediatelly brokes, when the call is received -
or sent and picked up. Sometimes when I call - then doesn't get's broken,
just works without my mic. But when gets broken, yes - I need to restart the
whole machine, or kill the whole empathy - to release from freeze.

>  What pavucontrol settings change for
> your speaker/headphones?
>
> I always look at http://www.pulseaudio.org/wiki/PerfectSetup when I have
> problems with Pulse Audio...nothing jumps out at me that may help you.
> I'm curious what does Empathy think it's using for sound?  Is it Alsa or
> what?
>
>
It's alsa, with the control of PA - I think. I have installed earler alsa
and oss compatibility, Jack, and ESD too - sometimes earlier this repaired
the PA. But this time not. Also I know perfectSetup, I always begin here -
when problems appearing around PA.

> Is there anything in /var/log/messages from pulseaudio when you run
> empathy?
>
> Some bug reports suggest doing "pulseaudio -vvv".  Normally, pulseaudio
> is running as a user startup application (or so I think).  Can one do
> "kill pulseaudio"
> "pulseaudio -vvv > somefile.txt"
> and see if there are any useful pulseaudio messages.
> I have no idea what pulseaudio -vvv produces...it may be lots of output.
> pulseaudio -vvv may have so many messages audio quality will be bad.
>

Here is the output from pulseaudio -vvv:
------------------------------------------------------------
[zoltan at localhost ~]$ pulseaudio -vvv
I: main.c: setrlimit(RLIMIT_NICE, (31, 31)) meghiúsult: A művelet nem
engedélyezett
I: main.c: setrlimit(RLIMIT_RTPRIO, (9, 9)) meghiúsult: A művelet nem
engedélyezett
D: core-rtclock.c: Timer slack is set to 50 us.
D: core-util.c: RealtimeKit worked.
I: core-util.c: Successfully gained nice level -11.
I: main.c: PulseAudio 0.9.21
D: main.c: Összeépítő számítógép: i386-redhat-linux-gnu
D: main.c: Összeépítési CFLAGS jelzők: -O2 -g -pipe -Wall
-Wp,-D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 -fexceptions -fstack-protector
--param=ssp-buffer-size=4 -m32 -march=i686 -mtune=atom
-fasynchronous-unwind-tables -Wall -W -Wextra -pipe -Wno-long-long -Winline
-Wvla -Wno-overlength-strings -Wunsafe-loop-optimizations -Wundef -Wformat=2
-Wlogical-op -Wsign-compare -Wformat-security -Wmissing-include-dirs
-Wformat-nonliteral -Wold-style-definition -Wpointer-arith -Winit-self
-Wdeclaration-after-statement -Wfloat-equal -Wmissing-prototypes
-Wstrict-prototypes -Wredundant-decls -Wmissing-declarations
-Wmissing-noreturn -Wshadow -Wendif-labels -Wcast-align -Wstrict-aliasing=2
-Wwrite-strings -Wno-unused-parameter -ffast-math -Wp,-D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2
-fno-common -fdiagnostics-show-option
D: main.c: Kiszolgáló: Linux i686 2.6.33.6-147.2.4.fc13.i686 #1 SMP Fri Jul
23 17:27:40 UTC 2010
D: main.c: 2 CPU található a rendszerben.
I: main.c: Oldalméret: 4096 bájt
D: main.c: Összeépítés Valgrind támogatással: Nem
D: main.c: Futás Valgrind üzemmódban: no
D: main.c: Running in VM: no
D: main.c: Optimalizált összeépítés: Igen
D: main.c: Minden érvényesítés engedélyezve.
I: main.c: Számítógép-azonosító: 87b15e3e2ba84de6c2bb975f00000010.
I: main.c: Munkamenet-azonosító:
87b15e3e2ba84de6c2bb975f00000010-1282313019.361607-323207233.
I: main.c: A futásidőben használt mappa:
/home/zoltan/.pulse/87b15e3e2ba84de6c2bb975f00000010-runtime.
I: main.c: Az állapottároló mappa: /home/zoltan/.pulse.
I: main.c: A modulok mappája: /usr/lib/pulse-0.9.21/modules.
I: main.c: Futás rendszer üzemmódban: no
E: pid.c: Daemon already running.
E: main.c: A „pa_pid_file_create()” calling failed: no
--------------------------------------------EOF-------------------------------------------------------------

>
> My best guess, if the pavucontrols look correct after running empathy,
> but the microphone or speakers/headphones stop working, I'd suspect
> Pulse Audio or Alsa or both.  If the volume controls are being changed,
> I'd wonder what empathy is doing.
>

Nothing happens. Just the garbage noice gets louder on this side. Well -
also I have given a chance also to an podcast recorder wich uses PA. It's
called pulsecaster, but records only empty files, and very tiny noice....

>
> I haven't tried empathy yet...I should.
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I hope this info helps, but if the driver has failed around the chip then -
it means - I couldn't do much.

Thanks for help,

Zoltan

-- 
PGP:  06853DF7
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