Debian sound problems

ReeRD · 05-17-2010, 08:23 AM

I've just migrated to Debian unstable with KDE 4.4 and it's all fine except that I have no sound in certain cases. The default settings in the KDE Multimedia section had pcsp (Internal PC speaker) as the first device listed everywhere, so I had no sound anywhere at all (except the sound test button). After placing the sound card on top, I got sound in JuK and KDE login/logout sounds, for example, but there's still no sound in VLC or when viewing Flash videos (games seem to have no sound, too).

Another thing is that unless I mute the Beep channel (using KMix), I hear awful screeching even if nothing is playing. Muting the chanel stops that.

What could be the problem(s)?

I had no such problems running sidux + KDE 4.3.

brucehinrichs · 05-17-2010, 01:00 PM

Kinda hard to tell, seeing as how you don't list the type of sound card, the driver being used, error messages, etc.

EDIT: You might take time to read the sticky at the top of the hardware forum: http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...uestion-71791/

ReeRD · 05-17-2010, 03:40 PM

The sound card:

Code:

00:14.2 Audio device: ATI Technologies Inc SBx00 Azalia (Intel HDA)
        Subsystem: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. Device 1339
        Flags: bus master, slow devsel, latency 64, IRQ 16
        Memory at febf4000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=16K]
        Capabilities: [50] Power Management version 2
        Kernel driver in use: HDA Intel

There are no error messages when I login as the user created during OS installation. However, I've just created a new test user and I get a KDE notification (Phonon) upon login, or, say, when I run JuK: "The audio playback device Internal PC-Speaker (pcsp) does not work".

ReeRD · 05-18-2010, 05:17 AM

The problem is solved. I did not have alsa-base package installed. That package blacklists pcsp so it doesn't load at all thus giving the sound card priority. Sound seems to work properly now.

brucehinrichs · 05-18-2010, 01:11 PM

Glad to hear you worked it out! Please mark your post solved with the thread tools at the top of the thread.