Hi,

can someone give me a hint where can I find a good HOWTO or guide for configuring surround (5.1) on my SB Live card? I'm using emu10k1 (Open Source not ALSA). Does this require any packages or just configuration?

Or if I have to switch to ALSA then I'd also need the URL for that HOWTO.

Thanks

Zahoo

What distribution are you uing. Alsa is not a sound card driver but a sound system, so you are probably using it but the sound cards driver is emu10k1. To enable 5.1 sound, I think all you have to do is unmute, the appropriate settings using "alsamixer" and then as root do "alsactl store". You can then use any mixer available to you to tinker around with the sound settings.

I'm using Debian Linux unstable. The emu10k1 driver was compiled as module in the kernel (2.6.5). I didn't compile any ALSA stuff and didn't even install any ALSA package so I doubt that I have any ALSA in my system. Bur maybe that would be the only way for getting surround? When I wrote that I have OSS emu10k1 then I meant that I choosed Open Sound System emu10k1 driver in the kernel config.

Thanks for helping!

yea i thik switch to the alsa driver
snd-emu10k1

the alsa driver is already a part of the kernel so it's just a config thing
however in order for user space apps to have access to the alsa interface
you need generally
ALSA Library
ALSA Utilities
don't know how they are packaged for debian
here is my config if it helps (2.6.8.1)
#
# Sound
#
CONFIG_SOUND=m

#
# Advanced Linux Sound Architecture
#
CONFIG_SND=m
CONFIG_SND_TIMER=m
CONFIG_SND_PCM=m
CONFIG_SND_HWDEP=m
CONFIG_SND_RAWMIDI=m
CONFIG_SND_SEQUENCER=m
# CONFIG_SND_SEQ_DUMMY is not set
CONFIG_SND_OSSEMUL=y
CONFIG_SND_MIXER_OSS=m
CONFIG_SND_PCM_OSS=m
CONFIG_SND_SEQUENCER_OSS=y
CONFIG_SND_RTCTIMER=m
# CONFIG_SND_VERBOSE_PRINTK is not set
# CONFIG_SND_DEBUG is not set

#
# Generic devices
#
CONFIG_SND_MPU401_UART=m
# CONFIG_SND_DUMMY is not set
CONFIG_SND_VIRMIDI=m
# CONFIG_SND_MTPAV is not set
# CONFIG_SND_SERIAL_U16550 is not set
CONFIG_SND_MPU401=m

#
# PCI devices
#
CONFIG_SND_AC97_CODEC=m
# CONFIG_SND_ALI5451 is not set
# CONFIG_SND_ATIIXP is not set
# CONFIG_SND_AU8810 is not set
# CONFIG_SND_AU8820 is not set
# CONFIG_SND_AU8830 is not set
# CONFIG_SND_BT87X is not set
# CONFIG_SND_CS46XX is not set
# CONFIG_SND_CS4281 is not set
CONFIG_SND_EMU10K1=m

lets see what else -- this in /etc/modprobe.conf
alias char-major-14-* soundcore
# this is the alsa section
alias char-major-116 snd
alias snd-card-0 snd-emu10k1
alias sound-slot-0 snd-card-0
alias sound-service-0-0 snd-mixer-oss
alias sound-service-0-1 snd-seq-oss
alias sound-service-0-3 snd-pcm-oss
alias sound-service-0-8 snd-seq-midi
alias sound-service-0-12 snd-pcm-oss

and if you have to load the modules yourself do it in this order
soundcore
snd
snd-emu10k1
snd-mixer-oss
snd-seq-oss
snd-pcm-oss
snd-seq-midi
snd-mpu401-uart


also might as well make the game port work while you are doing
#
# Input I/O drivers
#
CONFIG_GAMEPORT=y
CONFIG_SOUND_GAMEPORT=y
CONFIG_GAMEPORT_EMU10K1=y
#
# Input Device Drivers
#
CONFIG_INPUT_JOYSTICK=y
# pick out a joystick driver
CONFIG_JOYSTICK_ANALOG=y

there is also a utilllity called awesfx you can get it off the net so alsa can load the midi fonts off
the sound blaster live install cd into the card for you at boot

Thanks a lot foo_bar_foo!!!! That was a really useful help what you wrote. I got it working!

Zahoo