Alsamixer errors sn_ctl_open error(Gentoo)
 

I run Gentoo 2004.1 fluxbox i have a soundblaster audigy when i lsmod i get this:
Module Size Used by
fglrx 203940 0
snd_pcm_oss 51492 0
snd_mixer_oss 19072 1 snd_pcm_oss
snd_emu10k1 96516 0
snd_rawmidi 22688 1 snd_emu10k1
snd_pcm 91680 2 snd_pcm_oss,snd_emu10k1
snd_timer 24836 1 snd_pcm
snd_seq_device 7944 2 snd_emu10k1,snd_rawmidi
snd_ac97_codec 63364 1 snd_emu10k1
snd_page_alloc 10244 2 snd_emu10k1,snd_pcm
snd_util_mem 4608 1 snd_emu10k1
snd_hwdep 8864 1 snd_emu10k1
snd 51428 10 snd_pcm_oss,snd_mixer_oss,snd_emu10k1,snd_rawmidi,snd_pcm,snd_timer,snd_seq_device,snd_ac97_codec,sn d_util_mem,snd_hwdep
soundcore 8800 1 snd
forcedeth 14976 0
agpgart 29868 0

my sound drivers are there... when i run alsaconf it says it cannot find my soundcard
when i un alsamier i get this error:
alsamixer: function snd_ctl_open failed for default: No such file or directory

does anyone have any clue what this means and how to get my sound working., i'm lost

thank you

I've run into that with my vortex2 based soundcard. Usually it's a sign of a buggy soundcard driver. You might try running alsaconf several times. It only has to succeed once and then the soundcard should work from then on. At least that has been my experience. Another thing to try is to download the lastest alsa-driver tarball from the alsa site and compiling the driver from source. The driver code included in the kernel tends to lag due to lead times for inclusion. The alsa site drivers are usually newer. It's best to install alsa-libs and alsa-utils also from the alsa site. And for some cards you should get alsa-oss. You need to be running the kernel for which you are compiling the driver. Then install in the order:

alsa-driver
alsa-lib
alsa-utils

The alsa site has detailed instructions for most cards.

i went onto the ALSA site and installed the drivers you said and the right order but i still get the same error when i run alsamixer... so i think it can't finds that driver somewhere.. but i have no clue how to really check

emerge emu10k1 didn't help

Are you using the 2.6 kernel? If so, alsa support is now included directly into the kernel. Go back and check your kernel config to make sure you compiled all the necessary alsa stuff.

yes i'm using a 2.6 kernel and yes its configured properly just doesn't seem to find snd_ctl_open thats whats stopping me from launching alsamixer

Actually, the error message means that the alsa (lib?) function snd_ctl_open fails to find a default device (soundcard). In this context it means that no card has been successfully configured. I don't know what causes this but I have seen it solved by changing/updatiing the driver and even simply by running alsaconf repeatedly until it succeeds. It has nothing to do with the /dev/snd files by the way, in spite of the alsa faq that suggests it might. It seems to happen mostly with emu101k1, i810 and au88x0 chip based soundcards. And 2.6.x kernels. I know that when this happens the card doesn't appear in /proc/asound even when the modules load without complaint. Afaik, that should _not_ happen. I for one would like to know why this error occurs. The only theory I've come up with is buggy drivers, probably due to the changeover to 2.6 kernels.