[linux-audio-user] Audigy2 ZS Notebook capture support

[Michal Seta]

njcross <njcross at sbcglobal.net> writes:

> Thanks for the heads-up. I forgot about support for the Audigy2 ZS, which I 
> still own! Installing 1.0.14rc1 on your distro must involve breaking a lot of 
> deps - is there an easier way?

hmm.. I think I did not follow up on this...  I haven't really
investigated an easier way because sometimes I get trigger-happy when
I want something and the only way to get is to compile it on my own
(and sometimes breaking dependiencies does not cross my mind until I
have actually done so).

So, after a little fiddling, and a new kernel I am still having issues
with the Audigy2 ZS.  Now, come to think of it, perhaps it is due to
the fact that all apps were compiled with an older version of ALSA.

First off, running with jack I get a lot of 
delay of 5721.000 usecs exceeds estimated spare time of 5713.000;
restart ..

type of messages.  There are very few actual xruns, mostly when
starting or stopping an app but I get thousands of these messages.

The audio sounds fine, though, except for the occasional xrun, and
even then, sometiumes it goes by unnoticed.  On some occasions,
however, a "distortion" slowly fades in and then it disappears (after
a few seconds, sometimes switching desktops or minimizing a window
stops it right away).

I haven't really have the time to investigate thouroughly as I am in
the middle of preparations for a show (besides my dayjob) so I can
report what I have stumbled upon up until now.

I think I've done all the real-time improving steps.

current kernel:

Linux potegowa 2.6.18-rt7 #1 PREEMPT Sat Jan 20 14:03:41 EST 2007 i686
GNU/Linux

I figured that it was due to interrupts...  In my first PCMCIA slot,
the Audigy shares the interrupt with the radeon card (IRQ 4), in the
second slot it get IRQ 5.  I don't seem to be ble to change the IRQ
ordering/numbering.  After having fiddled with the BIOS some things
got reassigned but the Audigy always shares IRQ 4 with radeon or IRQ 5
with yenta, which I understand is the PCMCIA hardware itself.

cat /proc/interrupts
           CPU0
  0:    2030171  XT-PIC         [........N/  0]-level    timer
  1:       7792  XT-PIC         [........./  0]-level    i8042
  2:          0  XT-PIC         [........N/  0]-level    cascade
  4:     783804  XT-PIC         [........./  0]-level    uhci_hcd:usb2, yenta, eth0, radeon at pci:0000:01:00.0
  5:     315306  XT-PIC         [........./  0]-level    yenta, Intel 82801DB-ICH4, EMU10K1
  6:          5  XT-PIC         [........./  1]-level    floppy
  7:          4  XT-PIC         [..P....../  0]-level    parport0
  8:          3  XT-PIC         [........./  0]-level    rtc
  9:      19219  XT-PIC         [........./  0]-level    acpi, uhci_hcd:usb4, eth1
 10:          0  XT-PIC         [........./  0]-level    uhci_hcd:usb3
 11:          0  XT-PIC         [........./  0]-level    ehci_hcd:usb1
 12:      59816  XT-PIC         [........./  0]-level    i8042
 14:      64779  XT-PIC         [........./  0]-level    ide0
 15:     225241  XT-PIC         [........./  0]-level    ide1
NMI:          0
LOC:          0
ERR:          0
MIS:          0


I tried raising the IRQ 5 priority (and jack, too) but I get no real
improvement.

This is ubuntu Dapper, running on an IBM ThinkPad T40.

I welcome any other ideas...

Thanks.

./MiS