after doing some heavy reading on the gentoo website, i thought i had alsa down for sure. i've built the alsa drivers, i've got my soundcard's modules all loaded, fired up several different media players, bam - no sound.

i've unmuted channels with amixer - including 'headphones' and still no sound. how can i be sure all proper channels are unmuted?

yes, my speakers are plugged in and working fine. tested them on another box.

lspci:

0000:01:01.0 Multimedia audio controller: Creative Labs SB0400 Audigy2 Value


lsmod:

snd_seq_midi 6688 0
snd_emu10k1_synth 6784 0
snd_emux_synth 35456 1 snd_emu10k1_synth
snd_seq_virmidi 5888 1 snd_emux_synth
snd_seq_midi_emul 6784 1 snd_emux_synth
snd_pcm_oss 48288 0
snd_mixer_oss 17536 1 snd_pcm_oss
snd_seq_oss 33536 0
snd_seq_midi_event 6016 3 snd_seq_midi,snd_seq_virmidi,snd_seq_oss
snd_seq 48400 8 snd_seq_midi,snd_emux_synth,snd_seq_virmidi,snd_seq_midi_emul,snd_seq_oss,snd_seq_midi_event
snd_emu10k1 94724 1 snd_emu10k1_synth
snd_rawmidi 19616 3 snd_seq_midi,snd_seq_virmidi,snd_emu10k1
snd_seq_device 7436 7 snd_seq_midi,snd_emu10k1_synth,snd_emux_synth,snd_seq_oss,snd_seq,snd_emu10k1,snd_rawmidi
snd_ac97_codec 74720 1 snd_emu10k1
snd_pcm 81288 3 snd_pcm_oss,snd_emu10k1,snd_ac97_codec
snd_timer 20612 3 snd_seq,snd_emu10k1,snd_pcm
snd_page_alloc 7812 2 snd_emu10k1,snd_pcm
snd_util_mem 3584 2 snd_emux_synth,snd_emu10k1
snd_hwdep 7456 2 snd_emux_synth,snd_emu10k1
snd 47460 13 snd_emux_synth,snd_seq_virmidi,snd_pcm_oss,snd_mixer_oss,snd_seq_oss,snd_seq,snd_emu10k1,snd_rawmidi ,snd_seq_device,snd_ac97_codec,snd_pcm,snd_timer,snd_hwdep

tia.

When you compiled your kernel, did you only enable Sound card support and nothing else (if you emerged alsa stuff)?

[code]<M> Sound card support │ │
│ │ Advanced Linux Sound Architecture ---> │ │
│ │ Open Sound System ---> [code]

yep. :-)

it's very strange... it's as if it's muted - i mean, there's literally nothing coming out. but i've checked the channels, nothing muted. very odd indeed.

any more idears? :-)

gentoo is lots of fun btw. i'm sure it'll be my main distro for some time.

Have you added your user to the audio group?

yes indeed.

strange stuff eh? :-)

more idears!

i'm seriously at a loss with this one. :-)

I think I would ask on the Gentoo forums next.

Although I don't have an Audigy2 (I have an Audigy 1 OEM), with Alsa 1.0.8, I found I had to turn up all the surround speaker channels (Front, Surround, Centre) as well for sound to start working again - a charming little 'undocumented feature' they added...

Perhaps that will work for you?

Edit:

Oh, and disable any optical or digital outputs in alsamixer! (usually by muting those channels with 'm' - look for something like "Audigy Analog/Digital Output Jack"). If they're enabled, the Audigy won't send out an analogue signal for your speakers/headphones.