[linux-audio-user] ALSA issues

Hi all, I have some ALSA issues around for ages and I'd like to ask for help. I'm running a Gentoo box and just updated to a vanilla 2.6.14.2 with no further patches applied. I even updated ALSA to 1.0.10rc1. I'm using the kernel drivers, no external drivers installed. JACK was taken from CVS some time ago and is version 0.100.0, tmpdir /dev/shm installed. I run an internal AC '97 chip (with modem functionality), a Terratec USB audio device, a Midisport 8x8, a m-audio Trigger Finger USB-MIDI device and (occasionally) an Edirol UM-1S. The firmware for the Midisport gets loaded via hotplug (very cool script BTW, thanks to the author) as well as snd_usb_audio gets loaded by hotplug. Now the issues: I.) According to http://alsa.opensrc.org/MultipleCards I tried to set the cards to a certain order because I'd (mainly) to see the Terratec card with the same number each time I log in. Unfortunately this doesn't work. I have included the content of the file /etc/modules.d/alsa at the end of this mail. The path to this file is Gentoo specific, but at least alsaconf uses it to enter it's entries. I wanted the internal AC '97 card to be the first one and the default for desktop use, but the ordering is as follows: 0 [Audio ]: USB-Audio - USB Audio USB Audio at usb-0000:00:1d.2-1.3, full speed 1 [Finger ]: USB-Audio - USB Trigger Finger M-Audio USB Trigger Finger at usb-0000:00:1d.2-1.4, full speed 2 [I82801CAICH3 ]: ICH - Intel 82801CA-ICH3 Intel 82801CA-ICH3 with CS4205 at 0xd800, irq 11 3 [Modem ]: ICH-MODEM - Intel 82801CA-ICH3 Modem Intel 82801CA-ICH3 Modem at 0xd400, irq 11 4 [M8x8 ]: USB-Audio - MidiSport 8x8 M-Audio MidiSport 8x8 at usb-0000:00:1d.2-1.1, full speed Any hint would be really appreciated. II.) When doing an /etc/init.d/alsasound restart, all cards are lost. cat /proc/asound/cards tell me "no cards". I get back my USB devices as soon as I replug them thanks to hotplug, but the internal card is lost until I reload the modules manually *or* reboot the machine. There seems to be some magic, or does the boot process additional things except invoking /etc/init.d/alsasound?!? III.) Formerly I did loadthe snd_usb_audio module in /etc/conf.d/local.start so I could pass some parameters to improve USB audio latency: modprobe snd-usb-audio nrpacks=1 What is the right place now as the module gets loaded via hotplug? None of these problems is urgent, but I'd really like to know why my setup doesn't work as expected ("Computer, do what I want!" :) so any wee small hint would be great. Thanks & best regards ce ======= # /etc/modules.d/alsa alias /dev/mixer snd-mixer-oss alias /dev/dsp snd-pcm-oss alias /dev/midi snd-seq-oss options snd device_mode=0666 options snd cards_limit=7 alias snd-card-0 snd-intel8x0 alias sound-slot-0 snd-intel8x0 # alias snd-card-1 snd-intel8x0m alias snd-card-2 snd-usb-audio alias snd-card-3 snd-usb-audio alias snd-card-4 snd-usb-audio alias snd-card-5 snd-usb-audio alias snd-card-6 snd-virmidi options snd-intel8x0 index=0 options snd-intel8x0m index=1 options snd-usb-audio index=2,3,4,5 vid=0x0ccd,0x0763,0x0763,0x0582 pid=0x0028,0x1033,0x0117,0x0009 options snd-virmidi index=6 midi_devs=2