Topic: Audio-issues and questions around ALSA and sndiod
Hello,
this thread is a conclusion and a forthcoming as result from the following threads:
https://forums.hyperbola.info/viewtopic.php?id=1078
https://forums.hyperbola.info/viewtopic.php?id=1079
So getting audio-issues working some tipps:
1. Please only test local running services / daemons with your root-account. Also including commands with the need for root-privileges are included here. But do not use normal applications using sound-interfaces with your root-account. Anytime doing that you only access exactly your root-account adding corresponding configurations but not for your local user-profile you may want to use common.
2. Control your group-memberships for your local user-profile. In the terminal use the following command:
groups
You need at minimum the following groups for most functions: sys, wheel, games, video, audio, optical, storage, input, users
Especially the groups video and audio are needed. The group wheel is mostly for opendoas. Rest is for the individual decision.
3. You can use sndio and ALSA at the same time without issues. But you need to check the used sound-device. Also you need to look on the used kernel-modules. So first use the command to enumerate more information loaded:
lspci -v
A possible example output:
00:03.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation Xeon E3-1200 v3/4th Gen Core Processor HD Audio Controller (rev 06)
Subsystem: Lenovo ThinkPad T440p
Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 128
Memory at 82838000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=16K]
Capabilities: <access denied>
Kernel modules: snd_hda_intel
You can see here that snd_hda_intel is the corresponding module loaded at runtime. Maybe you have more or different loaded, nevertheless the named modules are relevant for a further research with the next command:
aplay -l
4. You need to activate the services alsasound (package alsa-utils) and sndiod (package sndio) with:
doas rc-service alsasound start
doas rc-service sndiod start
You can also deactivate one service at a time to check working sound output. We have already many applications using sndiod per default but also others not being able to do this on GNU/Linux out of the existance of ALSA and its interfaces. So for sound working you need surely both.
Please remember to activate both services on the runlevel default:
doas rc-update alsasound add default
doas rc-update sndiod add default
When you have issues with the audio-device current loaded, you need to modify your system-configuration to get it fully running and this should be surely possible. For example: The driver snd_hda_intel makes it possible to enable or disable a component you don't need. Especially HDMI-components can be error-prone and is false loaded, only working when you have a HDMI-device connected. So as said: You need to modify and reconfigure your system in that case before going further.
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