[AD1988B,] 5.1 surround sound unresposive or of poor quality

[hughbert]

Card info is as follows...

card 0: Intel [HDA Intel], device 0: AD198x Analog [AD198x Analog]
  Subdevices: 3/3
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
  Subdevice #1: subdevice #1
  Subdevice #2: subdevice #2
card 0: Intel [HDA Intel], device 1: AD198x Digital [AD198x Digital]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0

I tried to look after the problem with the following ubuntu fourum post:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2103358

any more suggestions would be much appreciated.

[hughbert (hughberto)]

wget http://www.alsa-project.org/alsa-info.sh -O alsa-info.sh && bash alsa-info.sh

The above command will get all the info I and others will need hopefully!!

[Yowan (yowanvista)]

Here is the requested information

[hughbert (hughberto)]

Perfect thanks man, I'll give that a stab so, parsing and stuff...

[hughbert (hughberto)]

Heres the datasheet:
http://www.analog.com/en/audiovideo-products/audio-codecs/ad1988b/products/product.html

I think I've figured out whats going on, I think the stereo input pins are also used for 5.1 (or 7.1) surround sound.
Which means that there must be a software configuration switch on the kernel side.

So good news, If your inputs are working they should be able to switch from one to the other. In other words all I need to do is figure out a way of getting the stereo input to switch to surround sound output.

[hughbert (hughberto)]

If thats the chip thats on your board, It looks very simple to do. What I mean is that its a compleatly software-based driver.

Now Yowan If you could post a picture of the chip in your mother board, It will be connected to the HD Audio wire connected to your front panal. The chip should be near that. Or you could post the chip manufacterer and code for example above:

Analog Devices AD1988B

Give me everthing that you possablaly can on the chip.

Thats if you can, you could hit a situation that you have no audio chip at all and the chip would be in the Northbridge or Southbridge or something... I don't know.

Give me the model no. for your motherboard aswell..

[hughbert (hughberto)]

Are you using this card?
http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-SUPREME-PCIe-SOUNDCARD-OEM/dp/B009PODM4I

You will have to get off that cover. And see if the chip inside is that perticular model.

Now if your not willing to do that, I'm afraid this is real hacking here so. Peel the metal cover off with a pliers (if you have pliers that is!!!). Take a photo and upload it!
Good luck.

[hughbert (hughberto)]

http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/79714-analog-devices-hd-audio-ad-adi/page__st__60

Interesting page there.

Seems like your not the only one with similer problems with your board:
http://forum.ubuntu-fr.org/viewtopic.php?id=244010

Thats a very old post though 2008!!

Work needs to be done on this now.

[Raymond (superquad-vortex2)]

BIOS pin default of node 0x1a is incorrect

Node 0x1a [Pin Complex] wcaps 0x400000: Mono
  Pincap 0x00000020: IN
  Pin Default 0x911711f0: [Fixed] Speaker at Int Rear
    Conn = Analog, Color = Black
    DefAssociation = 0xf, Sequence = 0x0
    Misc = NO_PRESENCE
  Pin-ctls: 0x20: IN

http://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/tiwai/sound.git/commit/sound/pci/hda/hda_auto_parser.c?id=52fd5cbc9bef6a2e20bfbdae771498ef97c67b34

[Raymond (superquad-vortex2)]

it is driver bug to create digital spdif in device when pin default is [N/A]

try latest alsa driver

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Audio/UpgradingAlsa/DKMS

card 0: Intel [HDA Intel], device 1: AD198x Digital [AD198x Digital]
   Subdevices: 1/1
   Subdevice #0: subdevice #0

Node 0x1c [Pin Complex] wcaps 0x40020b: Stereo Digital Amp-In
  Control: name="IEC958 Capture Volume", index=0, device=0
    ControlAmp: chs=3, dir=In, idx=0, ofs=0
  Amp-In caps: ofs=0x17, nsteps=0x1f, stepsize=0x05, mute=1
  Amp-In vals: [0x00 0x00]
  Pincap 0x00000020: IN
  Pin Default 0x41c5f160: [N/A] SPDIF In at Ext Rear
    Conn = Optical, Color = Other
    DefAssociation = 0x6, Sequence = 0x0
    Misc = NO_PRESENCE
  Pin-ctls: 0x20: IN

[hughbert (hughberto)]

Thanks Raymond!
I was hoping it was something simple like that.
May I ask is ALSA fairly acurate at detecting the correct audio chip?

I only ask because I don't have the hardware in question.

[Raymond (superquad-vortex2)]

Do you mean center and lfe channel swap since this complex support R/L swap ?

speaker -c6 -t wav -Dhw:0,0

Node 0x24 [Pin Complex] wcaps 0x40098d: Stereo Amp-Out R/L
  Amp-Out caps: ofs=0x00, nsteps=0x00, stepsize=0x00, mute=1
  Amp-Out vals: [0x00 0x00]
  Pincap 0x00000037: IN OUT Detect Trigger ImpSense
  Pin Default 0x01016011: [Jack] Line Out at Ext Rear
    Conn = 1/8, Color = Orange
    DefAssociation = 0x1, Sequence = 0x1
  Pin-ctls: 0x40: OUT
  Unsolicited: tag=00, enabled=0
  Connection: 1
     0x27

[hughbert (hughberto)]

No I mean generally, is ALSA "good" at detecting other chipsets other than the AD198x series boards.

[hughbert (hughberto)]

Sorry I'm an low level electronic enginner so you will have to talk me through the ALSA terminology! Its a slightly higher abstraction layer for me!

[Raymond (superquad-vortex2)]

AFAIK none of the emulated sound card in VM support 5.1

speaker-test -c6 -t wav -Dhw:0,0

[Yowan (yowanvista)]

@hughbert, Yes I'm using the Asus Supreme FXII which came with my board (Asus Rampage Forumla). To my undterstanding it's just an Audio riser card. here's nothing but capacitors and a single Analog chip on the card's PCB.

http://www.overclockzone.com/spin9/review/mainboard/asus/crosshair/IMG_2933.JPG
http://www.overclock3d.net/gfx/articles/2007/10/28100953228l.jpg
http://www.ferra.ru/images/189/189173.jpg

[hughbert (hughberto)]

Perfect man just checking. (Sorry I'm a fecking hardware guy!!!)

[hughbert (hughberto)]

I only ask because I'm buying the card now so I can test it out. All I was asking you was it on the motherboard or the addon card ie PCI-express x1 card.

[Yowan (yowanvista)]

The card won't work on other boards since it's just a riser card, part of the hardware stuff is located on the mobo while the sound chip is on the riser card. It's exclusive to some Asus x48 Maximus/Rampage boards with the *dedicated* black PCIe x1 slot for Supreme FXII Card. It will never work on the regular white slot on any other board.

The linux sound stuff/stack can't apparently recognize whether the setup is a 5.1 or 7.1, on Windows the Asus SoundMAX AudioESP sound software automatically reconfigures the sound settings depending on what has been plugged. Whenever connector is inserted/removed it will prompt to select another configuration.
http://img.techpowerup.org/090513/soundmax.png
http://img.informer.com/screenshots/0/312_2.gif
http://lh3.ggpht.com/renjusgallery/Ryt9PP8zTJI/AAAAAAAAAec/RcQ17Q-_K_Y/s800/soundmax%5B5%5D.jpg

My problem is that Linux thinks that I'm using 7.1 and outputs sound in via 4 speakers while ignoring the subwoofer, it ironically shows the 5.1 config enabled in sound settings but I have to constantly switch from 5.1>7.1>5.1 to get the subwoofer working every time something is being played(And it doesn't always work). Let's say I play an MP3, the default setup is 5.1 and I have to mess up with the settings to get it working but whenever the App playing the content is closed Ubuntu forgets the subwoofer so I have to do this every single time. The sound quality is also terrible, it's way too quiet and the bass level is abnormally too distorted compared to what SoundMAX on Windows.

There's a sound switch that needs to be done but Ubuntu can't apparently do that.

[Raymond (superquad-vortex2)]

you can use hda-analyzer to toggle R/L of node 0x24 to swap center and lfe channel

it is a side effect of the copy front feature which the front channel is copied to all speakers of 5.1 and 7.1

the desktop user may regarded this is a bug since center and lfe does not get the expected signal when playing stereo