[Pkg-alsa-devel] Bug#814757: Bug#814757: alsa-base: dmix/software mixing doesn't work

[Elimar Riesebieter]

* Andoru <aekkusu at gmail.com> [2016-02-15 07:09 +0200]:

> Package: alsa-base
> Version: 1.0.27+1
> Severity: normal
> 
> So I've been trying to fix this problem for a while now, but I can't seem
> to set up ALSA in a way to enable multiple sound sources at once (2 or more
> apps/programs to use the soundcard simultaneously). Despite having a dmix
> entry in /etc/asound.conf, it still refuses to work the way I intend it to.

Sometimes pulseaudio is the cause.....

> And speaking of which, here's how my asound.conf looked like:
[...] 

According to http://alsa.opensrc.org/DmixPlugin you don't need to
setup dmix for analogue output. Dmix is enabled by default for
soundcards which don't support hardware mixing. You still need to
set it up for digital outputs.

> And here's what 'aplay -l' gives me:
> 
> ____________________________________________________________________________
> 
>     **** List of PLAYBACK Hardware Devices ****
>     card 0: HDMI [HDA Intel HDMI], device 3: HDMI 0 [HDMI 0]
>       Subdevices: 1/1
>       Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
>     card 0: HDMI [HDA Intel HDMI], device 7: HDMI 1 [HDMI 1]
>       Subdevices: 1/1
>       Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
>     card 0: HDMI [HDA Intel HDMI], device 8: HDMI 2 [HDMI 2]
>       Subdevices: 1/1
>       Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
>     card 1: PCH [HDA Intel PCH], device 0: ALC887-VD Analog [ALC887-VD
> Analog]
>       Subdevices: 1/1
>       Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
> 
> ____________________________________________________________________________
> 
> As you probably guessed, I'm using an integrated soundcard (that's on a
> Intel B85 chipset), and I've set it to use the jack plug output instead of
> the HDMI one.

No need for a dmix setup.

> Another issue that I'm having is that the sounds/music/etc that are
> supposed to be outputted by Firefox, don't get played at all (like for
> example add-ons that notify me when I get an e-mail, or HTML5 audio and/or
> video players, or other such stuff). Curiously the flash player seems to be
> unaffected by this issue, probably because it's stand-alone to the browser
> itself.
> 
> Before attempting to submit this bug request, I tried asking for help on
> the alsa user mailing list (
> http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.linux.alsa.user/39409), 

A better source for help is users at lists.debian.org as this was
discussed multiple times in the past.

> and out of that I tried those asound.conf configurations:

A good start is just to throw away all the asoud.conf and .asoundrc
stuff. It overconstrains your system. The latest alsa

ii     alsa-base                 1.0.27+1
ii     alsa-utils                1.1.0-2
ii     libasound2:amd64          1.1.0-1
ii     libasound2-data           1.1.0-1
ii     libasound2-plugins:amd64  1.1.0-1


is very tough and should do what you need.

Elimar
-- 
  Obviously the human brain works like a computer.
  Since there are no stupid computers humans can't be stupid.
  There are just a few running with Windows or even CE ;-)