[linux-audio-user] Soundless ALSA Newbie

[Patrick Shirkey]

Sakari Aaltonen wrote:
> On 9 Jan 2003, Jan "Evil Twin" Depner wrote:
> 
> 
>>There was a reply earlier about running ./snddevices.  If you don't do
>>that you won't get anything.  After you do that you'll probably have to
>>run modprobe again.  If you install exactly as directed in the INSTALL
>>file in the alsa-driver.. directory it should work.
>>
>>Jan
> 
> 
> Well, my ALSA setup could be OK right now, but I don't seem to under-
> stand how to *use* it. For example, I didn't know the M's on top of
> alsamixer's bars meant "mute" - I thought muting was accomplished by
> setting the volume to zero... I have no idea what some of the bars
> are for. amixer says there are some 20 simple controls and some 40
> complex ones. This is much too complicated for me.
> 

Have you been using the alsa-docs to do the installation?

http://www.alsa-project.org/alsa-doc/

Click on the link for your card.

> After I unmuted Main and PCM, I did get some sound output with
> aplay and a MIDI file (from the old playmidi package.) But it
> was garbage - evidently, aplay didn't recognize the format.
> And xine won't use ALSA at all, so the unmuting didn't help
> the DVD-and-TV thing.
> 

xine will still work with oss emulation. What are the permissions for 
/dev/dsp?

Try chmod a+rw /dev/dsp

> As I said earlier, I was unable to compile TiMidity. I'm still
> looking for a MIDI player that I could make run. 
> 

There is a timidity howto available through http://www.djcj.org and some 
example soundfonts with the correct timidity config setup.


-- 
Patrick Shirkey - Boost Hardware Ltd.
For the discerning hardware connoisseur
Http://www.boosthardware.com
Http://www.djcj.org - The Linux Audio Users guide
========================================

Being on stage with the band in front of crowds shouting, "Get off! No! 
We want normal music!", I think that was more like acting than anything 
I've ever done.

Goldie, 8 Nov, 2002
The Scotsman