No idea about your hardware, but the claim is that alsa simply reports to the user what the hardware reports to it. If the hardware says that a certain control is PCM, then PCM it is. If the hardware reports a Master Volume, then that is what you get. On windows, the driver might well report something different from what the hardware reports (ie Maudio's software people and hardware people not talking to each other-- it would not surprize me, since maudio seems to regard everything as proprietaty, including their own name, so they will not disclose it to anyone.:-) On Fri, 12 Sep 2008, Cainan Berry wrote: > > Hello! > > FIrstly, I've never used a mailing list before, so forgive me if I deviate from standard posting etiquette :p > > After installing Debian lenny, my 4th order of business was getting sound working. > My soundcard is the m-Audio Revolution 7.1. > > Problem1: only getting sound from front speakers > Fixed by: Google, looking in alsa.conf > Result: speaker-test -D plughw:0 -c 8 -twav > # I'm able to get sound out of all outputs on the Revo7.1, including stereo from the coaxial sp/dif. It should be noted, however, that hw:0 fails, as does plug:surround40, and others. Floating point errors and such. > > Problem2: > alsamixer. Big problem this one. > The front speakers are controlled by "PCM", which is a sliding scale from -34.15 dB to 0 dB. The *very lowest* setting is loud. This is setting "2<>2" in alsamixer. Or 2% of full volume. Anything higher is too loud. In fact, on the default setting of 75%, my headphones blew up, and now I need to buy a new pair. Good thing they were cheap ones... > > The next control is "PCM Cent". It's adjustment scale is -125 dB at the low end, and 0 dB at the high end. Unlike "PCM", it has no mute control. The other channels "PCM LFE", "PCM Rear", "PCM Side" are of the same scale as "PCM Cent". At 80% they are sufficiently loud. In fact, at 80% they are still quieter than PCM at 2%. > > So what I think is going on is this: > 1. Either the front speakers channel on the Revo71 uses different hardware to the other channels on the card =or= > 2. alsamixer is configured wrong. > > Is "PCM" supposed to be the master volume, and not tied to the front channel? It would explain the different dB scale it uses. > If "PCM" is indeed supposed to be Master volume, then I'm also missing a "PCM Front" slider in alsamixer. Hopefully this would use the same scale as "PCM Rear", etc. > > Now I've Googled for hours today about this, as well as trying to decipher the rather cryptic alsa conf files. But to be honest I'm not sure where I should be looking. > > As a confirmed Windows XP user, I've never had to relate to my soundcard on such an intimate level, as XP and m-A's drivers have done it all for me. Guess I'm a bit spoiled, then. > > I should also note here that I did, in my investigations, find such files as /usr/share/alsa/pcm/front.conf, etc. It looks to my untrained eye that there *should* be a "PCM Front" control, but somewhere along the line the controls haven't been matched up properly on my system. Additionally, reports from other users of having a "Master Volume" slider in alsamixer would seem to support that theory. I have no "Master Volume" slider. "PCM" is the first on the list. > > I don't mind trawling through the docs if it would lead to understanding ALSA more fully. But I'd love to hear what you suggest, and where I should start looking. > > Regards, > k9 > _________________________________________________________________ > Discover Bird's Eye View now with Multimap from Live Search > http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/111354026/direct/01/ > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- > This SF.Net email is sponsored by the Moblin Your Move Developer's challenge > Build the coolest Linux based applications with Moblin SDK & win great prizes > Grand prize is a trip for two to an Open Source event anywhere in the world > http://moblin-contest.org/redirect.php?banner_id=100&url=/ > _______________________________________________ > Alsa-user mailing list > Alsa-user@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/alsa-user > -- William G. Unruh | Canadian Institute for| Tel: +1(604)822-3273 Physics&Astronomy | Advanced Research | Fax: +1(604)822-5324 UBC, Vancouver,BC | Program in Cosmology | unruh@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Canada V6T 1Z1 | and Gravity | www.theory.physics.ubc.ca/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- This SF.Net email is sponsored by the Moblin Your Move Developer's challenge Build the coolest Linux based applications with Moblin SDK & win great prizes Grand prize is a trip for two to an Open Source event anywhere in the world http://moblin-contest.org/redirect.php?banner_id=100&url=/ _______________________________________________ Alsa-user mailing list Alsa-user@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/alsa-user
