Hey y'all:
i've seen this topic posted around, but never with a coherent solution. Here it goes, again:

Running Debian Sarge on a Dell computer w/ integrated Intel chipsets incl. soundcard. XMMS is the preferred audio player (not that it's especially effective...grr...), and it doesn't work. intermittenly, either in the middle of a playlist (while changing songs) or when the user starts up a song (either by double-clicking on a playlist item or by pressing play or by sending `xmms -p` to the terminal), it pops up a little window, which is named "Couldn't open audio", and reads:

CLIP
"Please check that:
Your soundcard is configured properly
You have the correct output plugin selected
No other program is blocking the soundcard"
CLIP

check out what happens when i start xmms from a command line, and then cue up the playlist a few times:

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bikecoop@coopcomp:~$ xmms
Message: device: hw:0,0

** WARNING **: alsa_setup(): Failed to open pcm device (hw:0,0): Device or resource busy

** WARNING **: alsa_setup(): Failed to open pcm device (hw:0,0): Device or resource busy

** WARNING **: alsa_setup(): Failed to open pcm device (hw:0,0): Device or resource busy
bikecoop@coopcomp:~$
CLIP

I've tried changing the output to all available options (ALSA 1.2.10; Disk Writer Plugin 1.2.10; eSound Output Plugin 1.2.10; OSS Driver 1.2.10), all to no avail. I've also tried starting xmms up as root, which seems, sometimes, to help a little - but inconsistently so. Sometimes when I restart it helps, sometimes when I just close the program down and restart it it helps...
but no real solution has popped up. I've also had the same problem on my Fedora machine (under all of FC-1,2,3) with a SoundBlaster Live! Platinum card, but not to the same extent as it is now on the Debian machine - for the last three or four days (during which time i've rebooted, logged out, etc...) i haven't been able to play a single song). I've also tried using Amarok (whose interface is awkward), with similar results - check this out:

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bikecoop@coopcomp:~$ amarok
[amaroK loader] connecting to /home/bikecoop/.kde/socket-coopcomp/amarok.loader_ socket
[amaroK loader] amaroK not running. Trying to start it..
amarok: BEGIN [static EngineBase* EngineController::loadEngine()]
amarok: [PluginManager] Plugin trader constraint: [X-KDE-amaroK-framework-versio n] == 3 and [X-KDE-amaroK-plugintype] == 'engine' and [X-KDE-amaroK-name] == 'vo id-engine' and [X-KDE-amaroK-rank] > 0
amarok: [PluginManager] Trying to load: libamarok_void-engine_plugin
amarok: [amaroK::Plugin::Plugin(bool)]
amarok:
amarok: PluginManager Service Info:
amarok: ---------------------------
amarok: name : <no engine>
amarok: library : libamarok_void-engine_plugin
amarok: desktopEntryPath : amarok_void-engine_plugin.desktop
amarok: X-KDE-amaroK-plugintype : engine
amarok: X-KDE-amaroK-name : void-engine
amarok: X-KDE-amaroK-authors : (Max Howell,Mark Kretschmann)
amarok: X-KDE-amaroK-rank : 1
amarok: X-KDE-amaroK-version : 1
amarok: X-KDE-amaroK-framework-version: 3
amarok:
amarok: END [static EngineBase* EngineController::loadEngine()]
amarok: [browserBar] Initialisation statistics:
amarok: Init: ContextBrowser
amarok: [ContextBrowser::ContextBrowser(const char*)]
amarok: [void ContextBrowser::setStyleSheet()]
amarok: Initial Color Properties: s:137 v:255
amarok: Unapplied Contrast: 23
amarok: Over-compensation: 23
amarok: Final Colour Properties: s:30 v:255
amarok: [void ContextBrowser::setStyleSheet()]
amarok: Initial Color Properties: s:137 v:255
amarok: Unapplied Contrast: 23
amarok: Over-compensation: 23
amarok: Final Colour Properties: s:30 v:255
amarok: Time: 0.12s
amarok: Init: CollectionBrowser
amarok: [CollectionView::CollectionView(CollectionBrowser*)]
amarok: [void CollectionView::renderView()]
amarok: Time: 0.06s
amarok: Init: PlaylistBrowser
amarok: Time: 0.05s
amarok: Init: SearchBrowser
amarok: Time: 0.01s
amarok: Init: FileBrowser
amarok: Time: 0.03s
amarok: Session Playlist: /home/bikecoop/.kde/share/apps/amarok/current.xml
amarok: BEGIN [void App::applySettings(bool)]
amarok: Discovered 191 widgets in PlaylistWindow
amarok: [void ContextBrowser::setStyleSheet()]
amarok: Initial Color Properties: s:137 v:255
amarok: Unapplied Contrast: 23
amarok: Over-compensation: 23
amarok: Final Colour Properties: s:30 v:255
amarok: BEGIN [static EngineBase* EngineController::loadEngine()]
amarok: [PluginManager] Plugin trader constraint: [X-KDE-amaroK-framework-versio n] == 3 and [X-KDE-amaroK-plugintype] == 'engine' and [X-KDE-amaroK-name] == 'gs t-engine' and [X-KDE-amaroK-rank] > 0
amarok: [PluginManager] Trying to load: libamarok_gstengine_plugin
amarok: [amaroK::Plugin::Plugin(bool)]
amarok: [GstEngine::GstEngine()]
amarok:
amarok: PluginManager Service Info:
amarok: ---------------------------
amarok: name : GStreamer Engine
amarok: library : libamarok_gstengine_plugin
amarok: desktopEntryPath : amarok_gstengine_plugin.desktop
amarok: X-KDE-amaroK-plugintype : engine
amarok: X-KDE-amaroK-name : gst-engine
amarok: X-KDE-amaroK-authors : (Mark Kretschmann)
amarok: X-KDE-amaroK-rank : 255
amarok: X-KDE-amaroK-version : 1
amarok: X-KDE-amaroK-framework-version: 3
amarok:
amarok: BEGIN [virtual bool GstEngine::init()]
amarok: Thread scheduling priority: 2
amarok: Sound output method: osssink
amarok: CustomSoundDevice: false
amarok: Sound Device:
amarok: CustomOutputParams: false
amarok: Output Params:
amarok: [static void GstEngine:utputError_cb(GstElement*, GstElement*, GError* , gchar*, void*)]
amarok: ERROR: Could not set outputThread to state PLAYING!
amarok: [void GstEngine::destroyPipeline()]
amarok: ERROR: [Gst-Engine] createPipeline() failed.
amarok: END [virtual bool GstEngine::init()]
amarok: [static void PluginManager::unload(amaroK::Plugin*)]
amarok: [virtual amaroK::Plugin::~Plugin()]
amarok: [PluginManager] Unloading library: libamarok_void-engine_plugin
amarok: END [static EngineBase* EngineController::loadEngine()]
amarok: END [void App::applySettings(bool)]
amarok: [App] Pruned 0 of 5 amazon cover images.
[amaroK loader] startup successful.
[amaroK loader] exiting.
bikecoop@coopcomp:~$ amarok: [virtual void LoaderServer::newConnection(int)]
amarok: Received: STARTUP (8 bytes)
amarok: [void GstEngine::destroyPipeline()]
amarok: ERROR: [GStreamer Error] OSS device "/dev/dsp" is already in use by anot her program.
bikecoop@coopcomp:~$
CLIP

the last line is what's relevant - the program outputs the same thing to the GUI whenever I cue a song up, and it won't play anything.

what's the deal?

thanks
Spencer Wright/The Bike Co-op

If you are using KDE, disable arts sound system overlay in control panel.
Choose alsa for sound in xmms. Make sure your sound card is enabled in the BIOS.

It would also solve the issue if you got a sb live/audigy 2 or another that can play more than 1 sound at a time.

thanks a lot! worked like a charm; if i have any other problems i'll post them!

love that linux community... thanks everyone (esp. Thoreau!)

Spencer Wright/The Bike Co-op

Not a problem, Spencer.

so its not possible to have multiple audio outputs with motherboard card?
its not a rant but, in windows is possible... i can do it with the same audio card.



forget this post.. ive read about audio servers

How to do this? (new to linux - slackware)

Daniel

Press Alt + F2 and in the box that opens enter kcontrol, expand the Sound & Multimedia section and select the Sound System icon. Remove the Enable the sound system option. This will prevent the annoying system sounds such are opening and closing windows and such.

Hope this helps.
Eric.

I have the same problem, but I'm running with Gnome!
Any solutions?? Tanks...

HI Thoreau,
I read your reply to the question labelled "XMMS: cant play audio" as I had almost the same problem.
I disabled the sound in the Control center, and tried using alsa in vain.
This time xmms didnt give any error messages like "check if the device is busy......" so on and so forth but it didnt play the file either. It just stopped at the beginning.
I'd like to know another thing. How could I know if the sound card in enabled in BIOS?
Thanks.

PS: The initial error messages are the same as those put up by bikecoop

1. Your soundcard is configured properly
2. You have the correct output plugin selected
3. No other program is blocking the soundcard"

Try to reboot, your card will be unblocked if it's blocked. Also u could try lsof | grep audio --- with this you will se which program is using sound device ( be sure that u type su (and password when it requests), so lsof could do what it is meant to do)

2. go to options>preferences> and select alsa or aRts as output plugin (than chose configure below them and try some combinations, it may help)

Q: How could I know if the sound card in enabled in BIOS?
A: Enter in BIOS (when u turn on the PC, hit del key) and navigate through the menus, you will find it (if u can't find, than be sure that it's enabled - no problem in BIOS)


Q: Do u have sound in other applications (such as amaroK, Kaffeine, MPlayer...) or the problem is only in xmms?
A: please respnd

1.Regarding BIOS:
I am workin on Toshiba satellite pro 4600. I didnt find any entry corresponding to the sound in BIOS. Morever, I get sound in the Windows partition; so, my intuition is that it might have been enabled in BIOS.
2.About Rebooting:
Initially I disabled the sound in control center(as told by thoreau earlier). This time I enabled it and played test sound, I heard a sound!. In my prev attempts I couldnt.

3.Reg Plugins:
I tried all plugins in vain.

4.lsof output:
Before running xmms the output is this:
fam ----some info
kdeinit
rhn-apple
eggcups
After running xmms(and stopping it by Ctrl+c), I found 2 entries corr to xmms. Simultaneously, xmms got stuck(I had to kill it with -9 option).

5. Other players:
I tried using mplayer. mplayer stopped at the point where it said "Starting playback... A: 0.0 (00.0) ??,?". That is, it found the sound card.

6.Other info:
When I play .wav files using aplay, I could hear the sound.