[linux-audio-user] newbie trying to record

[Lee Revell]

On Fri, 2004-12-03 at 14:24 -0600, Reuben Martin wrote:
> >> Beyond that I can't help you much. SB cards are an absolute nightmare.
> >> Perhaps somebody else on this list who has a SB card can offer more 
> >> help. The Alsa Wiki can sometimes help.
> >> 
> >
> >This is a well known problem.  The emu10k1 needs an hwdep mixer app,
> >like on Windows.  It's just too complex for a generic mixer API.
> >
> >We get a lot of complaints about the mixer but not a lot of suggestions
> >to improve it.  A good way to start it to open an ALSA bug report like
> >"emu10k1: mixer sux0r" and suggest how we could improve it.
> 
> 
> The Sound Blaster / Audigy, AC97, and Nvidia related cards or chips 
> are becomming a real pain in the ass. Something needs to be done to 
> make the configuration of these idiot proof. (Not that I'm calling 
> anybody with said hardware an idiot.)  I try to help out people on 
> the Gentoo Multimedia forums and there must be several posts a day 
> reading something like "I can't get this POS audio device to work with Alsa".
> 

The SBLive is not a POS, it works well, but the mixer is a mess.  The
AC97 and Nvidia cards I can't comment on.

> Since most of the noobs to linux are comming from a windows background, 
> wouldn't it help if the mixer app was modeled after the mixer app used 
> for these cards / chips on windows? i.e. no learning curve. (maybe it 
> already is, I've tried to stay away from them)

Yes but this is harder than you think and requires time and a lot of
work.

Lee