> > > > On Sat, 2012-10-20 at 09:44 +0000, John Frankish wrote: > > > > I've been trying to get a Logitech usb headset to work on two > > > > different machines both running the same software: > > > > > > > > pulseaudio-2.0, kernel-3.0.21, alsa-1.0.25 > > > > > > > > Bus 002 Device 006: ID 046d:0a0b Logitech, Inc. ClearChat Pro USB > > > > > > > > mac mini: > > > > Things appear as normal, I can use pavucontrol to direct output to > > > > the headset speakers, but there appears to be no way to record > > > > sound from the headset microphone using gnome-sound-recorder or > > > > skype-4.0.0.8, the headset microphone appears in the "record" tab > > > > of pavucontrol, > > > > > > Do you mean the "Input Devices" tab? > > > > The usb headset microphone appears both in the "input devices" tab > > and, when an application tries to use it, in the "recording tab" > > > > > > but nothing is recorded. > > > > > > Is even silence recorded? On the "Recording" tab of pavucontrol, do > > > you see the gnome-sound-recorder or skype stream, and does the UI > > > say that it's connected to the usb headset microphone? > > > > No silence recorded, the "ping" marking the start of the skype > > playback is followed immediately by the "ping" marking the end of the > > skype playback, even though there was an attempt to record "testing, > > testing, 1, 2, 3". The skype stream shows the usb headset microphone. > > Ok, the headset microphone device isn't working properly then. I don't know > what's wrong with it, maybe a pulseaudio log would have some information. It works fine on the same machine with osx (mac mini) or windows (dell e6220). The pulseaudio log was attached to the first post. > > Note that the "link channels" icon is shown as depressed, but as the > > microphone is correctly shown as mono, I cannot unlink it. > > Do you mean that the recording stream volume is shown as stereo, but you > can't control the volume of the recording stream channels independently? > That sounds like a bug, but is it somehow important to have different > volumes for the left and right channels? No, I was referring to the fact that if the recording stream is shown as stereo (in the case of the internal card mono microphone), then unlinking the channels allows sound to be recorded. If the channels remain linked then nothing is recorded. > > > > No pulseaudio error messages appear and the usb microphone will > > > > not work even when the internal sound card is completely disabled. > > > > > > > > dell latitude e6220: > > > > When the usb headset is plugged in, it appears for a few seconds > > > > in pavucontrol then disappears for a few seconds and then > > > > reappears again. This continues for as long as the headset is > > > > plugged in - see attached log. Note that it is not possible to > > > > disable the internal sound from pavucontrol, it is re-enabled as > > > > soon as the usb headset appears again. > > > > > > The log shows that udev reports the device getting repeatedly > > > removed and added, so that problem is at a lower level than pulseaudio. > > > > > > It's certainly possible to disable the internal sound card in > > > pavucontrol. Go to the Configuration tab and select the "Off" profile for > the internal card. > > > > I tried disabling the internal card, but the next time the usb headset > > reappears, the internal card is re-enabled. > > Do you mean that you set the internal card profile to "Off", but after the > headset reappears, the internal card profile changes to something else than > "Off"? That's strange... Log of you doing that might be interesting. Affirmative, when the headset reappears then internal card is reset to stereo output/mono input. The log was attached to the first post. > > Note that the internal card microphone works fine with skype if the > > usb headset is not connected (after first unlinking channels due to > > the "fake stereo channel for mono microphone" bug) > > What's the problem with "fake stereo"? If skype asks for a stereo stream, > pulseaudio will give it that. Both channels will contain the same audio. I don't > see any problem. > I hadn't realized that the input stream was controlled by what is requested rather than what is physically available - nonetheless, the problem is that unless the channels are unlinked, skype will not record anything. This leads me to think that when the mono microphone channel is shown as linked (and it cannot be unlinked by clicking on it), then the input channel is muted.
