[Solved] [PC-BSD] Cannot use microphone [Archive]

Peter2121

December 25th, 2011, 17:49

I installed PCBSD 9 at my notebook DELL and I cannot use microphone.
OSS system seems to work well - I can use my sound card to playback in any app.

[peter@peter-pcbsd /usr/home/peter]$ cat /dev/sndstat
FreeBSD Audio Driver (newpcm: 64bit 2009061500/amd64)
Installed devices:
pcm0: <HDA NVidia (Unknown) PCM #0 DisplayPort> (play)
pcm1: <HDA NVidia (Unknown) PCM #1 DisplayPort> (play)
pcm2: <HDA IDT (Unknown) PCM #0 Analog> (play/rec) default
pcm3: <HDA IDT (Unknown) PCM #1 Analog> (play/rec)
[peter@peter-pcbsd /usr/home/peter]$ mixer
Mixer vol is currently set to 96:96
Mixer pcm is currently set to 88:98
Mixer speaker is currently set to 75:75
Mixer line is currently set to 75:75
Mixer mic is currently set to 98:98
Mixer mix is currently set to 100:100
Mixer rec is currently set to 100:100
Mixer ogain is currently set to 100:100
Recording source: mic

I tried to change rec source and default card - no result.
Please, help

mav@

January 3rd, 2012, 17:05

What other record sources do you have? "mic" can be external microphone. Internal microphone can be named as "monitor". Also you have another sound device pcm3 that also supports recording, but there is not enough information to tell what it is.

Peter2121

January 6th, 2012, 14:13

Thank you for your answer, that is!

So, I have 3 mixers. With the mixer by default (sysctl hw.snd.default_unit=2) I can playback correctly but I cannot use microphone. With the third mixer (sysctl hw.snd.default_unit=3) I can use microphone for recording but I cannot playback.

So, the question IS - how to use the second mixer to playback and the third mixer for recording?
For example, neither Skype nor Jokosher do not give me to choose a mixer to use.

mav@

January 10th, 2012, 05:54

Skype and most of other applications are able to choose which device to use. Problem with the latest Skype could be in ALSA wrapper configuration that exports only one dsp device. On my FreeBSD machine after tuning that config I am successfully using Skype playing sound to default /dev/dsp device that varies depending on whether I am at home or not, but recording always from /dev/dsp0. Unluckily I have no idea how to do it properly on PC-BSD.

Peter2121

January 10th, 2012, 10:51

Your FreeBSD approach should work for PC-BSD - it's just FreeBSD 9 with some pre-installed packages and new PBI package management system. I'm using ALSA wrapper for Skype too. Please give me some information about your ALSA wrapper tuning.

What about native OSS applications? Lot of them use default mixer and cannot "separate" playback and recording sources to two different mixers...

mav@

January 12th, 2012, 16:32

On my FreeBSD I went into /compat/linux/etc/alsa/pcm/, copied pcm-oss.conf-dist into pcm-oss.conf and added there few more sections for additional dsp and mixer devices. But on my PC-BSD I see no such file there.

mav@

January 12th, 2012, 16:34

All OSS applications I use have options to choose device. Even XMMS has GUI to choose it.

Peter2121

January 14th, 2012, 13:39

The ports/audio/linux-f10-alsa-plugins-oss is needed in PC-PSD. It was not included in RC, it will be added in RELEASE.
When I add the package manually - /compat/linux/etc/alsa/pcm/pcm-oss.conf is present.
I've modifier it:

# pcm-oss plugin configuration

pcm.oss {
type oss
device /dev/dsp
hint {
description "Open Sound System"
}
}

ctl.oss {
type oss
device /dev/mixer
hint {
description "Open Sound System"
}

pcm.oss3 {
type oss
device /dev/dsp3.0
hint {
description "Open Sound System dsp3.0"
}
}

ctl.oss3 {
type oss
device /dev/mixer3
hint {
description "Open Sound System mixer3"
}

}

...but i still have no choice in Skype - the only oss (oss) line is present.
What am I doing wrong?

mav@

January 15th, 2012, 08:59

This config works for me:

pcm.oss {
type oss
device /dev/dsp
hint {
description "Open Sound System"
}
}

pcm.oss0 {
type oss
device /dev/dsp0
hint {
description "Open Sound System 0"
}
}

pcm.oss1 {
type oss
device /dev/dsp1
hint {
description "Open Sound System 1"
}
}

ctl.oss {
type oss
device /dev/mixer
hint {
description "Open Sound System"
}
}

ctl.oss0 {
type oss
device /dev/mixer0
hint {
description "Open Sound System 0"
}
}

ctl.oss1 {
type oss
device /dev/mixer1
hint {
description "Open Sound System 1"
}
}

Peter2121

January 15th, 2012, 23:15

Thank you, it works now :)
There was just a syntax error in my pcm-oss.conf file.

sg1efc

May 16th, 2012, 01:07

Thank you both so much mav@ and Peter2121! :) I never would have figured this out without you. :stud

My info looks like this, maybe it might help someone else a bit:

[meow@pcbsd-220] ~> cat /dev/sndstat
FreeBSD Audio Driver (newpcm: 64bit 2009061500/amd64)
Installed devices:
pcm0: <HDA Realtek ALC888 PCM #0 Analog> (play/rec) default
pcm1: <HDA Realtek ALC888 PCM #1 Analog> (play/rec)
pcm2: <HDA Realtek ALC888 PCM #2 Digital> (play)
pcm3: <USB audio> (play/rec)
pcm4: <USB audio> (rec)

# PCBSD pcm-oss plugin configuration

pcm.oss {
type oss
device /dev/dsp
hint {
description "Open Sound System"
}
}

pcm.oss0 {
type oss
device /dev/dsp0
hint {
description "Open Sound System 0"
}
}

pcm.oss1 {
type oss
device /dev/dsp1
hint {
description "Open Sound System 1"
}
}

pcm.oss2 {
type oss
device /dev/dsp2
hint {
description "Open Sound System 2"
}
}

pcm.oss3 {
type oss
device /dev/dsp3
hint {
description "Open Sound System 3"
}
}

pcm.oss4 {
type oss
device /dev/dsp4
hint {
description "Open Sound System 4"
}
}

ctl.oss {
type oss
device /dev/mixer
hint {
description "Open Sound System"
}
}

ctl.oss0 {
type oss
device /dev/mixer0
hint {
description "Open Sound System 0"
}
}

ctl.oss1 {
type oss
device /dev/mixer1
hint {
description "Open Sound System 1"
}
}

ctl.oss2 {
type oss
device /dev/mixer2
hint {
description "Open Sound System 2"
}
}

ctl.oss3 {
type oss
device /dev/mixer3
hint {
description "Open Sound System 3"
}
}

ctl.oss4 {
type oss
device /dev/mixer4
hint {
description "Open Sound System 4"
}
}
Now I can use audio in Skype, just have to get webcam working. :stud :e

Thanks again! :)