LinuxQuestions.org - Can't get microphone working in Debian Etch (testing)

Help! I can't get my microphone to record in Debian Etch. It doesn't work with any VOIP providers that I've tried, Skype, Gizmo, or Wengo. When I run sound-recorder, I just get a 4096 byte file (regardless of how long it was recording). When I run arecord, I just get a 44 byte file (regardless of how long it was recording).

I've tested this microphone on the same machine with Ubuntu Dapper Drake LiveCD. It works fine there. In the Ubuntu sound recorder program, I had to use the "capture" device, as "microphone" didn't do it.

It was working with skype last month. I made a few gizmo calls too, even just a few weeks ago. I don't recall having changed any major settings.

I've checked alsamixer. Everything looks good. Microphone not muted, at full power. Also, "playback" seems to work. I can talk into the microphone, and hear my voice out of my speakers, but can't record it, or get skype or gizmo to understand it. Skype is the same version that it has been for quite some time. I've tried gizmo under the version that I was using before, as well as their new, upgraded version. Similar results. Echo tests fail with VOIP software. I can hear the computer, but can't get my voice recorded.

On the advice given to someone else on a different thread, I did this:

Code:

ALPHA:/home/wk# dd bs=8k count=6 < /dev/audio > test.au

dd: reading `standard input': Input/output error

0+0 records in

0+0 records out

0 bytes (0 B) copied, 10.0006 seconds, 0.0 kB/s

It just sits there for a few seconds, pretending to record, and gives me those errors. Both as my regular user with audio privileges, and as root.

Thanks in advance for any help given. VOIP is my only phone, except for an unactivated cell phone which only dials 911. Thank you.

UPDATE: Damn obsure settings. Somehow, my mixer setting "Import Source Select" and "Import Source Select 1" both got changed to Input2. I put them back to "Input1" (I guess that is where they were before), and it works now.

In might be interesting to note how I discovered this. I enabled, maximized and/or switched everything in alsamixer. That made it work! Then, two by two, I put things back how they were, until it failed again.

But before that, I updated and recompiled my alsa modules for nothing.