14 Mar
2014
14 Mar
'14
12:09 p.m.
Of late I am getting some amount of hiss from my speakers.
I believe its a software problem because it is absent at startup and
audibly starts sometime during the boot process.
My system is fairly vanilla h/w -- ordinary Intel desktop with builtin
soundcard, ordinary speakers.
The only non-vanilla things maybe some things I installed when playing
around with a TASCAM
Any suggestions where/how to look?
14 Mar
14 Mar
1:11 p.m.
On Fri, Mar 14, 2014 at 05:39:08PM +0530, Rustom Mody wrote:
Of late I am getting some amount of hiss from my
speakers.
I believe its a software problem because it is absent at startup and
audibly starts sometime during the boot process.
My system is fairly vanilla h/w -- ordinary Intel desktop with builtin
soundcard, ordinary speakers.
The only non-vanilla things maybe some things I installed when playing
around with a TASCAM
How on earth can anybody help you if you give so little information.
* Do you have active speakers (built-in amplifier) or is there an
amplifier in between the sound card and the speakser ? If so, which
input are you using ? How are things connected ?
* Using ALSA/Jack/Pulse ??
* TASCAM is a brand name. They are hundreds if not thousands of
different things with that name on it. So what is 'a TASCAM',
and what did you install for playing around ?
Apart from that, hiss is usually the result of either
- something broken,
- or using the wrong inputs,
- or a volume control set too high.
Another cause could be the mic inputs of your sound card
routed to the outputs. Check the mixer.
Ciao,
--
FA
A world of exhaustive, reliable metadata would be an utopia.
It's also a pipe-dream, founded on self-delusion, nerd hubris
and hysterically inflated market opportunities. (Cory Doctorow)
1:47 p.m.
On Fri, Mar 14, 2014 at 6:41 PM, Fons Adriaensen <fons(a)linuxaudio.org> wrote:
On Fri, Mar 14, 2014 at 05:39:08PM +0530, Rustom Mody
wrote:
Sorry not sure what else I should have given...
lspci ?
aplay -l ??
Of late I am getting some amount of hiss from my
speakers.
I believe its a software problem because it is absent at startup and
audibly starts sometime during the boot process.
My system is fairly vanilla h/w -- ordinary Intel desktop with builtin
soundcard, ordinary speakers.
The only non-vanilla things maybe some things I installed when playing
around with a TASCAM
How on earth can anybody help you if you give so little information.
* Do you have active speakers (built-in amplifier) or is there an
amplifier in between the sound card and the speakser ? If so, which
input are you using ? How are things connected ?
* Using ALSA/Jack/Pulse ??
No jack (to start with at least when the hiss sound starts)
I am using debian -- which meant that there was no pulse until recently
Of late I see occasionally some pulse related messages.
eg I get these messages when I start audacity:
----------------------------------
ALSA lib pcm.c:2239:(snd_pcm_open_noupdate) Unknown PCM cards.pcm.rear
ALSA lib pcm.c:2239:(snd_pcm_open_noupdate) Unknown PCM cards.pcm.center_lfe
ALSA lib pcm.c:2239:(snd_pcm_open_noupdate) Unknown PCM cards.pcm.side
ALSA lib pulse.c:243:(pulse_connect) PulseAudio: Unable to connect:
Connection refused
ALSA lib pulse.c:243:(pulse_connect) PulseAudio: Unable to connect:
Connection refused
Expression 'stream->playback.pcm' failed in
'src/hostapi/alsa/pa_linux_alsa.c', line: 4611
Expression 'stream->playback.pcm' failed in
'src/hostapi/alsa/pa_linux_alsa.c', line: 4611
Expression 'stream->playback.pcm' failed in
'src/hostapi/alsa/pa_linux_alsa.c', line: 4611
Expression 'stream->playback.pcm' failed in
'src/hostapi/alsa/pa_linux_alsa.c', line: 4611
---------------------------------
* TASCAM is a brand name. They are hundreds if not thousands of
different things with that name on it. So what is 'a TASCAM',
and what did you install for playing around ?
Yeah I know :-)
I guess the TASCAM reference is a red-herring.
I tried it more than 2 years ago.
There was no (hiss) issue then.
Dont have the hardware right now so dont know the number/spec.
The hiss has started after some recent debian upgrade -- couple of weeks
Apart from that, hiss is usually the result of either
- something broken,
- or using the wrong inputs,
- or a volume control set too high.
Another cause could be the mic inputs of your sound card
routed to the outputs. Check the mixer.
Are you asking for hardware or software checking?
Hardware: There is only one connection -- the speaker into the soundcard.
No mic, no line.
Software: I will need to know how to check.
For now, I checked with xfce4-mixer.
If I turn down master or front-mic the hiss reduces
However then musescore (my main use right now) also becomes too soft
Interestingly there was a musescore upgrade just a day or two ago
And now I am seeing segfaults with this message:
$ Alsa_driver: pcm_drop(play): Input/output error
pcmStop failed
Segmentation fault
Dont know that this has anything to do with the original hiss question.
Ciao,
--
FA
Thanks for the tips
Rusi
2:04 p.m.
On Fri, Mar 14, 2014 at 07:16:47PM +0530, Rustom Mody wrote:
No jack (to start with at least when the hiss sound
starts)
I am using debian -- which meant that there was no pulse until recently
Of late I see occasionally some pulse related messages.
eg I get these messages when I start audacity:
----------------------------------
ALSA lib pcm.c:2239:(snd_pcm_open_noupdate) Unknown PCM cards.pcm.rear
ALSA lib pcm.c:2239:(snd_pcm_open_noupdate) Unknown PCM cards.pcm.center_lfe
ALSA lib pcm.c:2239:(snd_pcm_open_noupdate) Unknown PCM cards.pcm.side
ALSA lib pulse.c:243:(pulse_connect) PulseAudio: Unable to connect:
Connection refused
ALSA lib pulse.c:243:(pulse_connect) PulseAudio: Unable to connect:
Connection refused
Expression 'stream->playback.pcm' failed in
'src/hostapi/alsa/pa_linux_alsa.c', line: 4611
Expression 'stream->playback.pcm' failed in
'src/hostapi/alsa/pa_linux_alsa.c', line: 4611
Expression 'stream->playback.pcm' failed in
'src/hostapi/alsa/pa_linux_alsa.c', line: 4611
Expression 'stream->playback.pcm' failed in
'src/hostapi/alsa/pa_linux_alsa.c', line: 4611
---------------------------------
First of all disable Pulse, or get rid of it. Don't know how to
do that on Debian.
Hardware: There is only one connection -- the speaker
into the soundcard.
No mic, no line.
For now, I checked with xfce4-mixer.
If I turn down master or front-mic the hiss reduces
So you are sending the mic signal (which will be lots of hiss when no
mic is connected) to the speakers.
However then musescore (my main use right now) also
becomes too soft
That should not depend on any 'Mic' settings, only on 'PCM' and
'Master'. If it does, that means the upgrade botched your ALSA setup.
Try turning down (or switching off) anything 'Mic'.
Ciao,
--
FA
A world of exhaustive, reliable metadata would be an utopia.
It's also a pipe-dream, founded on self-delusion, nerd hubris
and hysterically inflated market opportunities. (Cory Doctorow)
2:23 p.m.
On Fri, Mar 14, 2014 at 7:34 PM, Fons Adriaensen <fons(a)linuxaudio.org> wrote:
When I turn off Mic my playback shuts off
On Fri, Mar 14, 2014 at 07:16:47PM +0530, Rustom Mody
wrote:
Yes
But how am 'I' sending that signal?
I dont have any .asoundrc
Is there some other place to look for configs?
No jack (to start with at least when the hiss
sound starts)
I am using debian -- which meant that there was no pulse until recently
Of late I see occasionally some pulse related messages.
eg I get these messages when I start audacity:
----------------------------------
ALSA lib pcm.c:2239:(snd_pcm_open_noupdate) Unknown PCM cards.pcm.rear
ALSA lib pcm.c:2239:(snd_pcm_open_noupdate) Unknown PCM cards.pcm.center_lfe
ALSA lib pcm.c:2239:(snd_pcm_open_noupdate) Unknown PCM cards.pcm.side
ALSA lib pulse.c:243:(pulse_connect) PulseAudio: Unable to connect:
Connection refused
ALSA lib pulse.c:243:(pulse_connect) PulseAudio: Unable to connect:
Connection refused
Expression 'stream->playback.pcm' failed in
'src/hostapi/alsa/pa_linux_alsa.c', line: 4611
Expression 'stream->playback.pcm' failed in
'src/hostapi/alsa/pa_linux_alsa.c', line: 4611
Expression 'stream->playback.pcm' failed in
'src/hostapi/alsa/pa_linux_alsa.c', line: 4611
Expression 'stream->playback.pcm' failed in
'src/hostapi/alsa/pa_linux_alsa.c', line: 4611
---------------------------------
First of all disable Pulse, or get rid of it. Don't know how to
do that on Debian.
Hardware: There is only one connection -- the
speaker into the soundcard.
No mic, no line.
For now, I checked with xfce4-mixer.
If I turn down master or front-mic the hiss reduces
So you are sending the mic signal (which will be lots of hiss when no
mic is connected) to the speakers. However then musescore (my main use right now)
also becomes too soft
That should not depend on any 'Mic' settings, only on 'PCM' and
'Master'. If it does, that means the upgrade botched your ALSA setup.
Try turning down (or switching off) anything 'Mic'. 
15 Mar
15 Mar
1:43 a.m.
On Fri, 2014-03-14 at 14:04 +0000, Fons Adriaensen wrote:
First of all disable Pulse, or get rid of it.
Don't know how to
do that on Debian.
To get rid of it by removing and not disabling it and assumed there
should be a hard dependency to pulseaudio, the easiest way is to build a
dummy package using equivs.
http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/apt-howto/ch-helpers.en.html
2:43 a.m.
On Sat, Mar 15, 2014 at 7:13 AM, Ralf Mardorf
<ralf.mardorf(a)rocketmail.com> wrote:
On Fri, 2014-03-14 at 14:04 +0000, Fons Adriaensen
wrote:
Thanks Ralf
Actually I am on debian because ubuntu was forcing pulseaudio which
was too much of a headache.
When debian started doing the same, I decided to opt out of a clearly
losing battle :-(
I just checked :
Trying to remove pulseaudio-utils and pavucontrol does not disturb anything
Trying to remove libpulse0 removes everything!
In any case the hiss problem is for now 'cured' -- not sure how
Some fiddling in the alsamixer which includes
-- 6 channels
-- turning off all 'mic-ly' stuff in playback
-- turning on <something else> dont exactly remember
My only question now -- apart from "What the hell does a mic in
playback mean?!" -- should I file a bug with xfce4-mixer for having
only a playback tab?
First of all disable Pulse, or get rid of it.
Don't know how to
do that on Debian.
To get rid of it by removing and not disabling it and assumed there
should be a hard dependency to pulseaudio, the easiest way is to build a
dummy package using equivs.
http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/apt-howto/ch-helpers.en.html
2:46 a.m.
On Sat, Mar 15, 2014 at 8:12 AM, Rustom Mody <rustompmody(a)gmail.com> wrote:
My only question now -- apart from "What the hell
does a mic in
playback mean?!" -- should I file a bug with xfce4-mixer for having
only a playback tab?
Ok got it:
If I select the actual(!!) mics viz the ones that appear in capture in alsamixer
in xfce4-mixer's select-controls the capture tab appears
3:25 a.m.
On Sat, 2014-03-15 at 08:12 +0530, Rustom Mody wrote:
Trying to remove libpulse0 removes everything!
You need to keep libpulse for many apps, but only pulseaudio is
something that could cause trouble. It's ok to replace a pulseaudio
package with a pulseaudio dummy package, but you need to keep a libpulse
package.
3:30 a.m.
On Sat, 2014-03-15 at 04:25 +0100, Ralf Mardorf wrote:
On Sat, 2014-03-15 at 08:12 +0530, Rustom Mody wrote:
Perhaps you also could replace libpulse by a dummy without getting side
effects, I never tested it, there's no need to do it.
Trying to remove libpulse0 removes everything!
You need to keep libpulse for many apps, but only pulseaudio is
something that could cause trouble. It's ok to replace a pulseaudio
package with a pulseaudio dummy package, but you need to keep a
libpulse package. 
5:45 a.m.
On 15/03/14 13:42, Rustom Mody wrote:
On Sat, Mar 15, 2014 at 7:13 AM, Ralf Mardorf
<ralf.mardorf(a)rocketmail.com> wrote:
debian forces very little, no need for any desktop at all, or X, let alone pulse
and such.
But there are many desktop audio apps that are intended for use with pulse, and
they depend on pulse.
On Fri, 2014-03-14 at 14:04 +0000, Fons
Adriaensen wrote:
Thanks Ralf
Actually I am on debian because ubuntu was forcing pulseaudio which
was too much of a headache.
When debian started doing the same, I decided to opt out of a clearly
losing battle :-( First of all disable Pulse, or get rid of it.
Don't know how to
do that on Debian.
To get rid of it by removing and not disabling it and assumed there
should be a hard dependency to pulseaudio, the easiest way is to build a
dummy package using equivs.
http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/apt-howto/ch-helpers.en.html
I just checked :
Trying to remove pulseaudio-utils and pavucontrol does not disturb anything
Trying to remove libpulse0 removes everything!
apps which have a pulse option do of course need the library they have been
compiled with, so you need that even if you do not use it. To avoid that you
would need to recompile without pulse support, and clearly that isn't
appropriate for general distribution. It is possible for apps to be a bit more
sophisticated than this but most do not bother, it is easy just to make the
library a dependency ... libraries are separate packages for this reason.
Simon
14 Mar
14 Mar
2:07 p.m.
On 14/03/2014 14:46, Rustom Mody wrote:
[...]
For now, I checked with xfce4-mixer.
If I turn down master or front-mic the hiss reduces
Is the machine a laptop? In that case the 'front-mic' could be the
inbuilt one?
Anyhow, mute all mic-related controls it in the _Playback_ tab of the
mixer. You only want the microphone(s) enabled in the Capture section,
unless you explicitly want to 'monitor' them.
Also check that any 'mic boost' or similar is turned off/down, still in
the Playback section.
Ciao,
Lorenzo.
2:21 p.m.
On Fri, Mar 14, 2014 at 7:37 PM, Lorenzo Sutton
<lorenzofsutton(a)gmail.com> wrote:
On 14/03/2014 14:46, Rustom Mody wrote:
[...]
No its a desktop
For now, I checked with xfce4-mixer.
If I turn down master or front-mic the hiss reduces
Is the machine a laptop? In that case the 'front-mic' could be the inbuilt
one? Anyhow, mute all mic-related controls it in the
_Playback_ tab of the mixer.
Strange thing is in xfce4-mixer there is only a playback tab no
record/capture tab -- weird!
You only want the microphone(s) enabled in the Capture
section, unless you
explicitly want to 'monitor' them.
Also check that any 'mic boost' or similar is turned off/down, still in the
Playback section.
If I turn these off my playback stops
3:22 p.m.
On Fri, Mar 14, 2014 at 7:51 PM, Rustom Mody <rustompmody(a)gmail.com> wrote:
On Fri, Mar 14, 2014 at 7:37 PM, Lorenzo Sutton
<lorenzofsutton(a)gmail.com> wrote:
To remove any variables due to malfunctioning xfce4-mixer, I tried alsamixer
Here is the list of sliders that are under playback and under capture
Note the misspellings and repeats are because I dont know how to see
the name at the bottom in full so I am just showing what I see
Capture has
Front Mic Boos
Line Boost
Capture
Capture 1
Digital
Input Source (but no slider)
Input Source 1 (no slider)
Rear Mic boost
Playback has
Master
Headphon
PCM
Front
Front Mi
Front Mi
Surround
Center
LFE
Line
Line Boo
Beep
Channel (no slider)
Rear Mic
Rear Mic
On 14/03/2014 14:46, Rustom Mody wrote:
[...]
No its a desktop
For now, I checked with xfce4-mixer.
If I turn down master or front-mic the hiss reduces
Is the machine a laptop? In that case the 'front-mic' could be the inbuilt
one? Anyhow, mute all mic-related controls it in the
_Playback_ tab of the mixer.
Strange thing is in xfce4-mixer there is only a playback tab no
record/capture tab -- weird!
5:47 p.m.
On Fri, Mar 14, 2014 at 8:52 PM, Rustom Mody <rustompmody(a)gmail.com> wrote:
To remove any variables due to malfunctioning
xfce4-mixer, I tried alsamixer
Here is the list of sliders that are under playback and under capture
Note the misspellings and repeats are because I dont know how to see
the name at the bottom in full so I am just showing what I see
Capture has:
Front Mic Boos
Line Boost
Capture
Capture 1
Digital
Input Source (but no slider)
Input Source 1 (no slider)
Rear Mic boost
Playback has
Master
Headphon
PCM
Front
Front Mic
Front Mi
Surround
Center
LFE
Line
Line Boo
Beep
Channel (no slider)
Rear Mic
Rear Mic
Figured that the name shows at the top in full so putting the full name
Front Mic Boost
Line Boost
Capture
Capture 1
Digital
Input Source (but no slider)
Input Source 1 (no slider)
Rear Mic boost
Playback has
Master
Headphone
PCM
Front
Front Mic
Front Mic Boost
Surround
Center
LFE
Line
Line Boost
Beep
Channel Mode (no slider)[1]
Rear Mic
Rear Mic Boost
[1] There is no slider
However pressing up/down-arrows changes from 2ch 4ch 6ch.
2 and 4 have hiss 6 has much less
So for now my problem is reduced though Ive no idea what this is about!!
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14 comments
5 participants
participants (5)
-
Fons Adriaensen -
Lorenzo Sutton -
Ralf Mardorf -
Rustom Mody -
Simon Wise