Emulating a sound card?
 

Hi everyone,

I have a remote server which has no sound card. I'd like to use it to run Skype in order to make a call and play from an existing wave file.

So far, I've got Skype running, and I've installed PulseAudio with the following configuration in ~/.asoundrc:

The command `aplay -l` yields "no soundcards found...", as expected. I have the pulse daemon running, and I'm able to select "pulse" under Skype's Sound Options for Input/Output/Ringing. But when I actually try to make a call, pulse fails:

I understand that the immediate reaction is to suggest that I grab the machine and install a sound card, but because it is remote, I'm looking for a way to emulate the functionality of a sound card without actually having one installed. I've searched for existing solutions, but the closest thing I've found is sound card virtualization.

How can I do this?

What you are asking for sounds like a hack. Where you want the sound to be heard is where skype should run, and where your soundcard should be.

The thing is, the sound doesn't need to be heard on the server, just sent over IP. Because this is a software operation, shouldn't it be possible to emulate a sound card so that Skype works on the server?

Why do you not do it locally? Why not have a soundcard on your box and run skype from there? No messing, no fuss.