15 Mar
2007
15 Mar
'07
9:26 p.m.
Hi,
I realize this is probably better directed toward some list like
alsa-user but since I'm not a member let me try here.
The machine here in the living room has two sound cards - one
internal and an external USB device that pumps out optical into my
home theater equipment. The internal card is the default Alsa device
and anytime I want to use the external device I have to make a Gnome
launcher to specifically point the audio to hw:1,0.
My question is whether Alsa has a user level mechanism to allow me
in a terminal, on the fly, to switch which card Gnome considers my
default sound card?
I was wondering about flipping a bit somewhere and directing
Internet radio in my browser to the stereo instead of the wimpy PC
speaker we have on my wife's box.
thanks,
Mark
15 Mar
15 Mar
9:43 p.m.
On 3/15/07, Mark Knecht <markknecht(a)gmail.com> wrote:
My question is whether Alsa has a user level
mechanism to allow me
in a terminal, on the fly, to switch which card Gnome considers my
default sound card?
I was wondering about flipping a bit somewhere and directing
Internet radio in my browser to the stereo instead of the wimpy PC
speaker we have on my wife's box.
Not currently possible.
I guess to implement this, alsa-lib would have to use inotify to watch
the config files for changes, and the app would register a "sound
device changed" callback that would be invoked when
gnome-sound-properties writes the new .asoundrc. The callback would
have to close and reopen the default PCM and resume playback.
Lee
11:50 p.m.
On 3/15/07, Lee Revell <rlrevell(a)joe-job.com> wrote:
On 3/15/07, Mark Knecht <markknecht(a)gmail.com>
wrote:
Thanks Lee
I'm not sure why something like this hasn't been implemented before.
Lots of machines have multiple sound cards. It seems like a natural
use to want to use one sometimes and another at other times.
As I say, we do it today but it only works, as far as I know, for
applications that support it from the command line. I haven't looked
yet but dong that for something like Firefox isn't optimum as I don't
want to decide that before I open Firefox. It would be nice to do it
on the fly.
Again, thanks
- Mark
My question is whether Alsa has a user level
mechanism to allow me
in a terminal, on the fly, to switch which card Gnome considers my
default sound card?
I was wondering about flipping a bit somewhere and directing
Internet radio in my browser to the stereo instead of the wimpy PC
speaker we have on my wife's box.
Not currently possible.
I guess to implement this, alsa-lib would have to use inotify to watch
the config files for changes, and the app would register a "sound
device changed" callback that would be invoked when
gnome-sound-properties writes the new .asoundrc. The callback would
have to close and reopen the default PCM and resume playback.
Lee
16 Mar
16 Mar
12:01 a.m.
Mark Knecht wrote:
On 3/15/07, Lee Revell <rlrevell(a)joe-job.com>
wrote:
Hmm, in 20+ years of PC ownership, I only just last year got a machine
that could have two sound cards - but I have the onboard sound disabled
in favor of a much better PCI sound card. Most PCs I've seen sold only
come with one sound card.
I serious doubt that any ordinary, non-musician computer user has any
interest in switching between multiple sound cards on the fly.
On 3/15/07, Mark Knecht
<markknecht(a)gmail.com> wrote:
Thanks Lee
I'm not sure why something like this hasn't been implemented before.
Lots of machines have multiple sound cards. It seems like a natural
use to want to use one sometimes and another at other times. My question is whether Alsa has a user level
mechanism to allow me
in a terminal, on the fly, to switch which card Gnome considers my
default sound card?
I was wondering about flipping a bit somewhere and directing
Internet radio in my browser to the stereo instead of the wimpy PC
speaker we have on my wife's box.
Not currently possible.
I guess to implement this, alsa-lib would have to use inotify to watch
the config files for changes, and the app would register a "sound
device changed" callback that would be invoked when
gnome-sound-properties writes the new .asoundrc. The callback would
have to close and reopen the default PCM and resume playback.
Lee
As I say, we do it today but it only works, as far as
I know, for
applications that support it from the command line. I haven't looked
yet but dong that for something like Firefox isn't optimum as I don't
want to decide that before I open Firefox. It would be nice to do it
on the fly.
It sounds like something that could perhaps be done as a little applet,
kind of like KDE's volume control applet. Right click on it, pick
desired sound card, click OK. Worth doing for the LAU crowd, I'm sure!
--
David
gnome(a)hawaii.rr.com
authenticity, honesty, community
12:15 a.m.
On 3/15/07, david <gnome(a)hawaii.rr.com> wrote:
Mark Knecht wrote:
Yeah, this part I agree with. However there are more interesting
machines out there now meant for watching TV, etc., that do have
multiple outputs. Clearly, on this list it's a pretty common
occurrence since we use higher end cards and have access to whatever
was in the system.
In my specific case I tend to install 2 or sometimes 3 additional
sound cards in most of my boxes for specific studio reasons. However
I've never needed to switch what the OS calls the default since I
didn't care much about the sound that the OS or main apps like Firefox
wanted to generate. It's only just recently I started playing with
Internet radio outside of iTunes, which I love by the way but would
rather use something Open Source. (MEdia - don't care about the app
especially) There is a lot of great audio material out there ready to
come at us through our browsers.
I made a suggestion to the Aqualung design team that they should
consider finding a way to make Aqualung work inside a browser like
Songbird does. It would be really great to have a groovy Jack app
doing the browser sound management for me. I'd love that.
Cheers,
Mark
On 3/15/07, Lee Revell
<rlrevell(a)joe-job.com> wrote:
Hmm, in 20+ years of PC ownership, I only just last year got a machine
that could have two sound cards - but I have the onboard sound disabled
in favor of a much better PCI sound card. Most PCs I've seen sold only
come with one sound card.
I serious doubt that any ordinary, non-musician computer user has any
interest in switching between multiple sound cards on the fly. On 3/15/07, Mark Knecht
<markknecht(a)gmail.com> wrote:
Thanks Lee
I'm not sure why something like this hasn't been implemented before.
Lots of machines have multiple sound cards. It seems like a natural
use to want to use one sometimes and another at other times. My question is whether Alsa has a user level
mechanism to allow me
in a terminal, on the fly, to switch which card Gnome considers my
default sound card?
I was wondering about flipping a bit somewhere and directing
Internet radio in my browser to the stereo instead of the wimpy PC
speaker we have on my wife's box.
Not currently possible.
I guess to implement this, alsa-lib would have to use inotify to watch
the config files for changes, and the app would register a "sound
device changed" callback that would be invoked when
gnome-sound-properties writes the new .asoundrc. The callback would
have to close and reopen the default PCM and resume playback.
Lee
12:56 a.m.
Mark Knecht wrote:
On 3/15/07, david <gnome(a)hawaii.rr.com> wrote:
Maybe you could set up something like that using JACK or LASH?
--
David
gnome(a)hawaii.rr.com
authenticity, honesty, community
Mark Knecht wrote:
Hmm, in 20+ years of PC ownership, I only just last year got a machine
that could have two sound cards - but I have the onboard sound disabled
in favor of a much better PCI sound card. Most PCs I've seen sold only
come with one sound card.
I serious doubt that any ordinary, non-musician computer user has any
interest in switching between multiple sound cards on the fly.
Yeah, this part I agree with. However there are more interesting
machines out there now meant for watching TV, etc., that do have
multiple outputs. Clearly, on this list it's a pretty common
occurrence since we use higher end cards and have access to whatever
was in the system.
In my specific case I tend to install 2 or sometimes 3 additional
sound cards in most of my boxes for specific studio reasons. However
I've never needed to switch what the OS calls the default since I
didn't care much about the sound that the OS or main apps like Firefox
wanted to generate. It's only just recently I started playing with
Internet radio outside of iTunes, which I love by the way but would
rather use something Open Source. (MEdia - don't care about the app
especially) There is a lot of great audio material out there ready to
come at us through our browsers.
I made a suggestion to the Aqualung design team that they should
consider finding a way to make Aqualung work inside a browser like
Songbird does. It would be really great to have a groovy Jack app
doing the browser sound management for me. I'd love that. On 3/15/07, Lee Revell
<rlrevell(a)joe-job.com> wrote:
> On 3/15/07, Mark Knecht <markknecht(a)gmail.com> wrote:
> > My question is whether Alsa has a user level mechanism to
allow me
> in a
terminal, on the fly, to switch which card Gnome considers my
> default sound card?
>
> I was wondering about flipping a bit somewhere and directing
> Internet radio in my browser to the stereo instead of the wimpy PC
> speaker we have on my wife's box.
Not currently possible.
I guess to implement this, alsa-lib would have to use inotify to watch
the config files for changes, and the app would register a "sound
device changed" callback that would be invoked when
gnome-sound-properties writes the new .asoundrc. The callback would
have to close and reopen the default PCM and resume playback.
Lee
Thanks Lee
I'm not sure why something like this hasn't been implemented before.
Lots of machines have multiple sound cards. It seems like a natural
use to want to use one sometimes and another at other times.
10:46 a.m.
On 3/15/07, david <gnome(a)hawaii.rr.com> wrote:
Maybe you could set up something like that using JACK or LASH?
--
David
Jack? To run audio from Mozilla? Insanity IMHO.
Anyway, it's not supported at this time unfortunately. Maybe sometime
in the future. Hopefully folks out there could see some small use for
this. I certainly do.
Cheers and out,
Mark
2:21 p.m.
Mark Knecht wrote:
On 3/15/07, david <gnome(a)hawaii.rr.com> wrote:
I was thinking of it more in terms of routing sound from a specific
application to a specific sound card. The only thing I have in Firefox
that runs within FF and plays sound is RealPlayer - which I understand
doesn't work with ALSA, anyway.
--
David
gnome(a)hawaii.rr.com
authenticity, honesty, community
Maybe you could set up something like that using JACK or LASH?
Jack? To run audio from Mozilla? Insanity IMHO.
Anyway, it's not supported at this time unfortunately. Maybe sometime
in the future. Hopefully folks out there could see some small use for
this. I certainly do. 
2:29 p.m.
On 3/16/07, david <gnome(a)hawaii.rr.com> wrote:
You can get Realplayer to work with ALSA:
http://www.gagme.com/greg/linux/fc6-tips.php#rplayer
You can also get the MPlayer plugin and if MPlayer is configured to
run with ALSA, so does the plugin.
-- Brett
------------------------------------------------------------
"In the rhythm of music a secret is hidden;
If I were to divulge it, it would overturn the world."
-- Jelaleddin Rumi
Anyway,
it's not supported at this time unfortunately. Maybe sometime
in the future. Hopefully folks out there could see some small use for
this. I certainly do.
I was thinking of it more in terms of routing sound from a specific
application to a specific sound card. The only thing I have in Firefox
that runs within FF and plays sound is RealPlayer - which I understand
doesn't work with ALSA, anyway. 
2:52 p.m.
Brett W. McCoy wrote:
On 3/16/07, david <gnome(a)hawaii.rr.com> wrote:
You can get Realplayer to work with ALSA:
http://www.gagme.com/greg/linux/fc6-tips.php#rplayer
Has anyone gotten this to work properly? I've done this, and yes it does
work. But the output from realplayer sounds awful when playing though
the oss layer. I'm using Mandriva with ALSA 1.0.12
--
Bob van der Poel ** Wynndel, British Columbia, CANADA **
EMAIL: bob(a)mellowood.ca
WWW: http://www.mellowood.ca
Anyway,
it's not supported at this time unfortunately. Maybe sometime
in the future. Hopefully folks out there could see some small use for
this. I certainly do.
I was thinking of it more in terms of routing sound from a specific
application to a specific sound card. The only thing I have in Firefox
that runs within FF and plays sound is RealPlayer - which I understand
doesn't work with ALSA, anyway. 
2:01 a.m.
On Thu, 2007-03-15 at 20:15 -0700, Mark Knecht wrote:
I made a suggestion to the Aqualung design team that
they should
consider finding a way to make Aqualung work inside a browser like
Songbird does. It would be really great to have a groovy Jack app
doing the browser sound management for me. I'd love that.
given that (a) GStreamer now has working JACK I/O (b) many Linux
consumer apps are heading towards GStreamer, I would conclude that its
not that hard or too long before this is possible.
you can also force your browser to use JACK right now, and then simply
have JACK and qjackctl or patchage take care of the connectivity.
finally, i suspect that the way things will go, 2+ soundcards is not the
right answer; rather, 1 multichannel soundcard is.
--p
7 a.m.
2007/3/16, david <gnome(a)hawaii.rr.com>om>:
Mark Knecht wrote:
There will be more and more: If you own a pc/laptop and have bluetooth
and want to use your bt-headset for voip, you have two soundcards
already. And...
I'm not sure why something like this
hasn't been implemented before.
Lots of machines have multiple sound cards. It seems like a natural
use to want to use one sometimes and another at other times.
Hmm, in 20+ years of
PC ownership, I only just last year got a machine
that could have two sound cards - but I have the onboard sound disabled
in favor of a much better PCI sound card. Most PCs I've seen sold only
come with one sound card. I serious doubt that any ordinary, non-musician
computer user has any
interest in switching between multiple sound cards on the fly.
...you want to switch cards on the fly: When the call arrives it rings
on your primary soundcard. You get prepared and put on your headset
and you will definitely want to switch soundcards then. And that is
what "ordinary" people will just want to _work_. Not selecting a new
device from some control-center but just defining (at first
application start-up) to use the headset as default and internal
soundcard as fallback...
It sounds like something that could perhaps be done as
a little applet,
kind of like KDE's volume control applet. Right click on it, pick
desired sound card, click OK. Worth doing for the LAU crowd, I'm sure!
Well, it will be possible within KDE4 thanks to Phonon.
Man, how I wished someone from Phonon would give a small talk on LAC...
Arnold
--
visit http://www.arnoldarts.de/
---
Wenn man mit Raubkopien Bands wie Brosis oder Britney Spears wirklich
verhindern könnte, würde ich mir noch heute einen Stapel Brenner und
einen Sack Rohlinge kaufen.
11:17 a.m.
On 3/16/07, Arnold Krille <arnold.krille(a)gmail.com> wrote:
...you want to switch cards on the fly: When the call
arrives it rings
on your primary soundcard. You get prepared and put on your headset
and you will definitely want to switch soundcards then. And that is
what "ordinary" people will just want to _work_. Not selecting a new
device from some control-center but just defining (at first
application start-up) to use the headset as default and internal
soundcard as fallback...
This can work right now, it just requires support from the
application. Same as Windows or OSX.
Lee
15 Mar
15 Mar
10:05 p.m.
On Thu, 2007-03-15 at 17:26 -0700, Mark Knecht wrote:
Hi,
I realize this is probably better directed toward some list like
alsa-user but since I'm not a member let me try here.
The machine here in the living room has two sound cards - one
internal and an external USB device that pumps out optical into my
home theater equipment. The internal card is the default Alsa device
and anytime I want to use the external device I have to make a Gnome
launcher to specifically point the audio to hw:1,0.
My question is whether Alsa has a user level mechanism to allow me
in a terminal, on the fly, to switch which card Gnome considers my
default sound card?
I was wondering about flipping a bit somewhere and directing
Internet radio in my browser to the stereo instead of the wimpy PC
speaker we have on my wife's box.
Mark, if you can afford a Squeezebox, buy one. you will not regret it.
--p
10:50 p.m.
On Thu, 15 Mar 2007 21:04:57 -0400
Paul Davis <paul(a)linuxaudiosystems.com> wrote:
Mark, if you can afford a Squeezebox, buy one. you
will not regret it.
I second this - we *love* our Squeezebox!
--
======================================================================
Joe Hartley - UNIX/network Consultant - jh(a)brainiac.com
Without deviation from the norm, "progress" is not possible. - FZappa
11:32 p.m.
Mark, if you
can afford a Squeezebox, buy one. you will not regret it.
I second this - we *love* our Squeezebox!
11:54 p.m.
On 3/15/07, Paul Davis <paul(a)linuxaudiosystems.com> wrote:
Yeah, very cool devices. However it's a little different than what I
was looking for, as far as I know. IF you're in the U.S. check out
http://www.pandora.com
Give it a song name or band name and it starts finding other things
like it and creates a personal streaming radio station. I use it in my
office as I have good studio monitors in here but when I'm out in the
living room I want to send it through the big system sort of on the
fly without changing the machine's default configuration.
Anyway, thanks for pointing out Squeezebox again. It's cool stuff.
- Mark
I was wondering about flipping a bit somewhere and directing
Internet radio in my browser to the stereo instead of the wimpy PC
speaker we have on my wife's box.
Mark, if you can afford a Squeezebox, buy one. you will not regret it.
--p
6538
days inactive
6539
days old
linux-audio-user@lists.linuxaudio.org
16 comments
9 participants
participants (9)
-
Arnold Krille -
Bob van der Poel -
Brett W. McCoy -
david -
Joe Hartley -
Lee Revell -
Mark Knecht -
Paul Davis -
Tracey Hytry