[linux-audio-user] Dual Soundcard Woes

[Clemens Ladisch]

Peter Hutnick wrote:
> I have a "VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82C686 AC97 Audio Controller (rev 80)."
> [...]
> I also have a "Burr-Brown Japan PCM2702"
> [...]
> My first problem is that the USB device seems to be /dev/dsp and the sound
> card (actually on board audio) is /dev/dsp1.  I'd like this to be the
> other way around.  There is no entry in /etc/modules.conf for the USB
> device . . . my first instinct was to just switch them around there.

The USB drivers get loaded before the sound drivers. You'd have to
modify your init scripts. Or try something like
"pre-install audio viaxxxx".

The recommended solution is, of course, to use ALSA:

	alias snd-card-0 snd-via82xx
	alias snd-card-1 snd-usb-audio
	options snd-via82xx index=0
	options snd-usb-audio index=1

> The other thing is that control over which device gets used seem to be
> flakey.  For instance the motv -C switch seems to do nothing. [...]

Just use Alsa.

> PS: I suspect someone will suggest "Just use Alsa." but there doesn't seem
> to be an Alsa driver for the USB device.

If it works with audio, it will work with snd-usb-audio, too.
(ALSA's soundcard matrix hasn't been maintained lately.)

> PPS: Anyone know of any good "CD Player" app that supports CDDA?  I'd like
> to be able to use my CDROM->USB->Home Stereo.

This depends of your definition of "good". I often work in the
console, without X, so I have a script that pipes the output of
cdda2wav into aplay.  :-)


HTH
Clemens