Double soundcard config HELL

[jaegermeister]

Hello,

this is actually the scene on an almost fresh (2 months) desperado install:

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lspci | grep -i audio
00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation 631xESB/632xESB High Definition Audio Controller (rev 09)
11:09.0 Multimedia audio controller: Creative Labs SB Live! EMU10k1 (rev 0a)


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cat /proc/asound/cards
0 [Intel          ]: HDA-Intel - HDA Intel
                     HDA Intel at 0xf3500000 irq 90
1 [Live           ]: EMU10K1 - SB Live! 5.1 [SB0220]
                     SB Live! 5.1 [SB0220] (rev.10, serial:0x80651102) at 0x3400, irq 52


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aplay -L
null
   Discard all samples (playback) or generate zero samples (capture)
default:CARD=Intel
   HDA Intel, ALC262 Analog
   Default Audio Device
sysdefault:CARD=Intel
   HDA Intel, ALC262 Analog
   Default Audio Device
front:CARD=Intel,DEV=0
   HDA Intel, ALC262 Analog
   Front speakers
surround40:CARD=Intel,DEV=0
   HDA Intel, ALC262 Analog
   4.0 Surround output to Front and Rear speakers
surround41:CARD=Intel,DEV=0
   HDA Intel, ALC262 Analog
   4.1 Surround output to Front, Rear and Subwoofer speakers
surround50:CARD=Intel,DEV=0                                                                                                                
   HDA Intel, ALC262 Analog                                                                                                              
   5.0 Surround output to Front, Center and Rear speakers                                                                                
surround51:CARD=Intel,DEV=0                                                                                                                
   HDA Intel, ALC262 Analog
   5.1 Surround output to Front, Center, Rear and Subwoofer speakers
surround71:CARD=Intel,DEV=0
   HDA Intel, ALC262 Analog
   7.1 Surround output to Front, Center, Side, Rear and Woofer speakers
default:CARD=Live
   SB Live! 5.1 [SB0220], ADC Capture/Standard PCM Playback
   Default Audio Device
sysdefault:CARD=Live
   SB Live! 5.1 [SB0220], ADC Capture/Standard PCM Playback
   Default Audio Device
front:CARD=Live,DEV=0
   SB Live! 5.1 [SB0220], ADC Capture/Standard PCM Playback
   Front speakers
rear:CARD=Live,DEV=0
   SB Live! 5.1 [SB0220], ADC Capture/Standard PCM Playback
   Rear speakers
center_lfe:CARD=Live,DEV=0
   SB Live! 5.1 [SB0220], ADC Capture/Standard PCM Playback
   Center and Subwoofer speakers
surround40:CARD=Live,DEV=0
   SB Live! 5.1 [SB0220], ADC Capture/Standard PCM Playback
   4.0 Surround output to Front and Rear speakers
surround41:CARD=Live,DEV=0
   SB Live! 5.1 [SB0220], ADC Capture/Standard PCM Playback
   4.1 Surround output to Front, Rear and Subwoofer speakers
surround50:CARD=Live,DEV=0
   SB Live! 5.1 [SB0220], ADC Capture/Standard PCM Playback
   5.0 Surround output to Front, Center and Rear speakers
surround51:CARD=Live,DEV=0
   SB Live! 5.1 [SB0220], ADC Capture/Standard PCM Playback
   5.1 Surround output to Front, Center, Rear and Subwoofer speakers
iec958:CARD=Live,DEV=0
   SB Live! 5.1 [SB0220], Multichannel Capture/PT Playback
   IEC958 (S/PDIF) Digital Audio Output


So I have the intel on-board and the SBLive on PCI. I'd like to use the Live with digital output for most of the things (music, movies, multimedia) and the Intel for some headphones which are being used either with skype or at late night

The basic idea would be issuing a file like the following:

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cat /etc/asound.conf
pcm.Live {
   type hw
   card 0
}
ctl.Live {
   type hw
   card 0
}


pcm.Intel {
   type hw
   card 1
}
ctl.Intel {
   type hw
   card 1
}

pcm.!default iec958:CARD=Live,DEV=0


This still leaves some problems unsolved:

1. for all those applications which cannot choose the device (like vlc or audacious instead do) the default card is the only possible one, so, for instance, it looks like I cannot have two different internet browsers with different configs, true?

2. in case I would find/create a strange config which replicates exactly the sound on both cards phonecalling with just the Intel card would get a problem?

3. right now, if I play movies (songs are ok) from vlc via the iec958 to the amplifier, after 15-20min some "sound loop" begins (the same audio card did pretty well on the previous box) and does not finish unless I stop the player skip/rewind a bit and restart playing; this is getting me total nuts;

4. in systemsettings -> multimedia -> phonon there's no single option to associate a soundcard to a program which hasn't the choice options (e.g. radiotray), plus the global ranking gets completely ignored (why?).

Do you please have some sensible advice for me?
THX

[dibl]

I will probably get yelled at by towo for this ....

Have you given pulseaudio a try?  Here I have:

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don@imerabox:~$ lspci | grep -i audio
00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation 82801JI (ICH10 Family) HD Audio Controller
05:00.1 Audio device: NVIDIA Corporation GF100 High Definition Audio Controller (rev a1)
don@imerabox:~$ lsusb | grep -i logitech
Bus 010 Device 002: ID 046d:08d7 Logitech, Inc. QuickCam Communicate STX


I use the Intel HDA for all output (music and skype), and the webcam mic for skype input.  I don't use the onboard Nvidia chip at all.  With pavucontrol you can set the default devices, and then you can switch them if needed.  Occasionally a d-u can change the defaults, but it is easy to reset them.

[jaegermeister]

Well, thanks for your first answer.

So I see... if I were to apply your suggestion to get out of the mud it would be by excluding a soundcard, using both S/PDIF out (to amp) and analog out (to headphones), controlling mic in by webcam.

In this case I could directly use mic in from headphones, avoiding extra complications, yet I don't get (if the soundcard were just one) what would be the role of pulseaudio (of which I btw heard all the kinds of hell about).

Btw, I've just run a full d-u and, at least, the audio loop problem got solved. Dunno if it was due to either krnl3.5.4 or vlc or kde4.8.4-3 or their combination, but, at least now, it works.

Btw, also tried the config file I posted, alsa refused it horrified (some syntax has changed from the old times, meanwhile?) (((

Some questions are still on the table and, especially, whether I can use kde/phonon to fine-grain choose which soundcard for which application (thing which would cut off all my troubles away) or if I still have to act on asound.conf and how (also considering that my config was rejected by soundserver).

My ideal target would be sth like:

- default on Live S/PDIF
- skype, 1 web browser, 1 player on Intel

Of course the web browser part is the trickiest!
Any more suggestions?