[Pkg-alsa-devel] Bug#768383: Bug#768383: (alsa-base: sound is mixed with crackling static)

Elimar Riesebieter riesebie at lxtec.net
Fri Nov 7 18:18:00 UTC 2014


Please always reply to 768383 at bugs.debian.org as well. Others can
participate on the solution you'll find.


* Alan McConnell <alan at his.com> [2014-11-07 08:45 -0500]:

> On Fri, Nov 07, 2014 at 01:12:35AM +0100, Elimar Riesebieter wrote:
> > * Alan McConnell <alan at his.com> [2014-11-06 18:30 -0500]:
[...]
> > Could you please test as follows:
> > 
> > Run as user:
> > $ pulseaudio -k
> > Check whether pulse is running, but it should not:
> > $ ps aux | grep pulse
> > Test sound with an alsa application / plugin
> 
>        The first thing I did this morning, after reading your
>        kind and prompt message, but before running any audio
>        program, was to test if pulseaudio was running:
> 
> /home/alan> ps aux | grep pulse
> alan      4110  0.0  0.0   3548   768 pts/0    S+   08:13   0:00 grep pulse
> 
>        Not running.
> 
>        I then ran pulsedaudio -k
> 
> /home/alan> pulseaudio -k
> E: [pulseaudio] main.c: Failed to kill daemon: No such process
> 
>        I then ran    vlc  on a cute video of James Cagney and
>        Bob Hope tap-dancing, which has previously given me a
>        great video with good audio.  Alas, I got the same hideous
>        craclling as before.   An interesting feature: when I turn
>        off the    vlc  , the background music stops, the screen
>        disappears . . .  but the crackling continues for several
>        seconds before quiet is restored.

You can tell vlc to use an alsa-plugin instead of a pulse-one.

tools -> preferences -> Audio -> Output module -> ALSA audio output

>        I then tested to see if   pulse-audio was running. 
> 
> /home/alan/videos> ps aux | grep pulse
> alan      4179  1.0  0.0  98368  5508 ?        S<l  08:15   0:01 /usr/bin/pulseaudio --start --log-target=syslog
> alan      4251  0.0  0.0   3548   768 pts/0    S+   08:16   0:00 grep pulse

Well, pulse starts automagic. Please run as user:

$ echo "autospawn=no" >> $HOME/.pulse/client.conf

This will prevent pulseaudio to start.

> I await further advice/instruction.  But in my explorations I have
> read that sound must be built into the kernel.  Is that so?

Yes.

> I have just looked at the huge number of modules in /boot/grub/
> and don't see anything recognizable as a module connected with
> sound.

Do you mean the kernel modules, which are located in
/lib/modules/`uname -r`? To list loaded sound modules just type:

$ lsmod | grep snd

> Here is my kernel:
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 10159825 Oct 18 13:46 initrd.img-3.2.0-4-686-pae

Thats the intramfs image. Your kernel should be in
/boot/vmlinuz-3.2.0-4-686-pae.

Try:
$ cat /proc/version

It should be the best to update your systen at least to Lenny. It's
quiet solid now and will be frozen for stable release very soon :-)
This will bring you to a  more up to date software, kernel, etc....

Please notice, that the maintainers don't support stable anymore.
And we won't patch any file just for solving your individual
problem. Only in the case of needed security updates or backport
issues...

Elimar
-- 
 Experience is something you don't get until
  just after you need it!



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