[XPS13 9333, Realtek ALC3661, Speaker, Internal] Sound is distorted

[David Chatterton]

The distorted sound only occurs when using MuseScore 2.0.2 to play music through the speakers. The sound initially appears distorted and crackly. Using the Sound app to test the speakers, the normal test signal is distorted and crackly, even though the tests sound normal before the MuseScore app is launched. This distortion persists for an indeterminate period of time, sometimes a few seconds, sometime several minutes. Then, all of a sudden, the sound quality returns to normal and the test signals sound normal without distortion.

This seems to occur every time MuseScore is started, even though the sound quality when tested using the Sound app or playing sound from the Videos and Rhythmbox Music Player before MuseScore is started is normal and distortion-free.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 15.10
Package: alsa-base 1.0.25+dfsg-0ubuntu5
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.2.0-16.19-generic 4.2.3
Uname: Linux 4.2.0-16-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.19.1-0ubuntu4
Architecture: amd64
AudioDevicesInUse:
 USER PID ACCESS COMMAND
 /dev/snd/pcmC1D0p: david 1495 F...m pulseaudio
 /dev/snd/controlC1: david 1495 F.... pulseaudio
 /dev/snd/controlC0: david 1495 F.... pulseaudio
CurrentDesktop: Unity
Date: Thu Nov 5 00:17:09 2015
InstallationDate: Installed on 2015-07-23 (104 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 15.04 "Vivid Vervet" - Release amd64 (20150422)
PackageArchitecture: all
ProcEnviron:
 LANGUAGE=en_GB:en
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=<set>
 LANG=en_GB.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: alsa-driver
Symptom: audio
Symptom_AlsaPlaybackTest: ALSA playback test through plughw:PCH successful
Symptom_Card: Built-in Audio - HDA Intel PCH
Symptom_Jack: Speaker, Internal
Symptom_PulsePlaybackTest: PulseAudio playback test successful
Symptom_Type: Digital clip or distortion, or "overdriven" sound
Title: [XPS13 9333, Realtek ALC3661, Speaker, Internal] Sound is distorted
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to wily on 2015-10-22 (13 days ago)
dmi.bios.date: 09/11/2014
dmi.bios.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.bios.version: A05
dmi.board.name: 0D13CR
dmi.board.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.board.version: A00
dmi.chassis.type: 8
dmi.chassis.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.chassis.version: 0.1
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnDellInc.:bvrA05:bd09/11/2014:svnDellInc.:pnXPS139333:pvr:rvnDellInc.:rn0D13CR:rvrA00:cvnDellInc.:ct8:cvr0.1:
dmi.product.name: XPS13 9333
dmi.sys.vendor: Dell Inc.

[Raymond (superquad-vortex2)]

ov 05 00:16:35 username-XPS13-9333 kernel: WARNING: CPU: 1 PID: 856 at /build/linux-AxjFAn/linux-4.2.0/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_display.c:12326 check_crtc_state+0x2c5/0x440 [i915]()
Nov 05 00:16:35 username-XPS13-9333 kernel: pipe state doesn't match!
Nov 05 00:16:35 username-XPS13-9333 kernel: Modules linked in: bnep nls_iso8859_1 arc4 joydev hid_rmi dell_wmi sparse_keymap intel_rapl iosf_mbi x86_pkg_temp_thermal intel_powerclamp coretemp kvm_intel kvm dell_laptop dcdbas dell_smm_hwmon crct10dif_pclmul crc32_pclmul ghash_clmulni_intel aesni_intel iwlmvm aes_x86_64 lrw gf128mul mac80211 glue_helper ablk_helper cryptd input_leds serio_raw iwlwifi cfg80211 lpc_ich uvcvideo videobuf2_vmalloc videobuf2_memops videobuf2_core hid_multitouch v4l2_common shpchp videodev snd_hda_codec_hdmi snd_hda_codec_realtek media btusb snd_hda_codec_generic btrtl mei_me btbcm btintel mei bluetooth snd_soc_rt5640 snd_soc_rl6231 snd_hda_intel snd_soc_core snd_hda_codec snd_compress snd_hda_core ac97_bus snd_pcm_dmaengine snd_hwdep snd_pcm snd_seq_midi snd_seq_midi_event snd_rawmidi snd_seq snd_seq_device
Nov 05 00:16:35 username-XPS13-9333 kernel: snd_timer acpi_als kfifo_buf industrialio snd soundcore dw_dmac dw_dmac_core snd_soc_sst_acpi 8250_dw i2c_designware_platform i2c_designware_core spi_pxa2xx_platform intel_smartconnect dell_rbtn mac_hid parport_pc ppdev lp parport autofs4 usbhid i915 psmouse ahci i2c_algo_bit libahci drm_kms_helper drm wmi sdhci_acpi sdhci i2c_hid hid video
Nov 05 00:16:35 username-XPS13-9333 kernel: CPU: 1 PID: 856 Comm: Xorg Tainted: G W 4.2.0-16-generic #19-Ubuntu
Nov 05 00:16:35 username-XPS13-9333 kernel: Hardware name: Dell Inc. XPS13 9333/0D13CR, BIOS A05 09/11/2014
Nov 05 00:16:35 username-XPS13-9333 kernel: 0000000000000000 000000002018ecfa ffff880212cd77c8 ffffffff817e8c09
Nov 05 00:16:35 username-XPS13-9333 kernel: 0000000000000000 ffff880212cd7820 ffff880212cd7808 ffffffff8107b3c6
Nov 05 00:16:35 username-XPS13-9333 kernel: ffff880212cd7848 ffff880212cd78b0 ffff88003f91a000 0000000000000001
Nov 05 00:16:35 username-XPS13-9333 kernel: Call Trace:
Nov 05 00:16:35 username-XPS13-9333 kernel: [<ffffffff817e8c09>] dump_stack+0x45/0x57
Nov 05 00:16:35 username-XPS13-9333 kernel: [<ffffffff8107b3c6>] warn_slowpath_common+0x86/0xc0
Nov 05 00:16:35 username-XPS13-9333 kernel: [<ffffffff8107b455>] warn_slowpath_fmt+0x55/0x70
Nov 05 00:16:35 username-XPS13-9333 kernel: [<ffffffffc01c1bc1>] ? intel_pipe_config_compare+0xb31/0xc60 [i915]
Nov 05 00:16:35 username-XPS13-9333 kernel: [<ffffffffc01c1fb5>] check_crtc_state+0x2c5/0x440 [i915]
Nov 05 00:16:35 username-XPS13-9333 kernel: [<ffffffffc01d5d6d>] intel_modeset_check_state+0x21d/0x6d0 [i915]
Nov 05 00:16:35 username-XPS13-9333 kernel: [<ffffffffc01d6f27>] intel_crtc_set_config+0x4c7/0x580 [i915]
Nov 05 00:16:35 username-XPS13-9333 kernel: [<ffffffffc00b8ee5>] ? drm_mode_create+0x25/0x60 [drm]
Nov 05 00:16:35 username-XPS13-9333 kernel: [<ffffffffc00b24c6>] drm_mode_set_config_internal+0x66/0x100 [drm]
Nov 05 00:16:35 username-XPS13-9333 kernel: [<ffffffffc00b6b29>] drm_mode_setcrtc+0x3e9/0x500 [drm]
Nov 05 00:16:35 username-XPS13-9333 kernel: [<ffffffffc00a7...

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for alsa-driver (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]

[David Chatterton (dmchatterton)]

Despite no activity on this bug, the fault is still there.

If Musescore is started first, the sound is distorted. If the Sound panel (under Systems Settings) is opened when Musescore is playing distorted sound and the test buttons activated, then the tests are also distorted.

If Musescore is shut down and the test buttons activated, the test sounds play undistorted. If Musescore is subsequently started, it then appears to play undistorted sound.

I have gone to the trouble of reporting this bug in the hope that its solution might contribute to improvement of Ubuntu. If noone else is sufficiently concerned, then the bug report will probably expire again, even though the bug remains.

Hopefully, it will not be there in 16.04 but if it is, one can only continue to file a report on it.

[Raymond (superquad-vortex2)]

you have to reprot upstream if the latest version still cannot fix the problem

https://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/tiwai/sound.git/log/sound/pci/hda?qt=grep&q=xps+13

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for alsa-driver (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]