[REGRESSION] skype audio input/output broken in intrepid (worked in hardy)

[Martin Olsson]

Skype was working perfectly for me in hardy but when I upgraded to intrepid pre-release it stopped working. I was previously using "default device" in the sound settings of Skype (for both input and output). In intrepid I cannot get it to work regardless or what sound options I try. FWIW, I'm running an integrated intel HDA card with a Realtek ALC268 codec. Thpugh, when I run alsamixer the listed chipset is pulse of course (I'm using the default config for everything, no hacks).

I have the exact same version of Skype (latest) and the Skype version didn't change when I upgraded (obviously). Therefore I believe that somebody changed something in the underlying sound infrastructure and while possibly fixing some other bug they also accidently screwed up Skype functionality.

I looked at "info sharedlibrary" using gdb and these are the ones that I think are the sound related modules inside Skype. It looks likely to me that this problem was a result of a change inside either Pulse Audio or inside ALSA.

0xb7e92530 0xb7f24068 Yes /usr/lib/libasound.so.2
0xb6dca8b0 0xb6dda388 Yes /usr/lib/libaudio.so.2
0xb6bcc9a0 0xb6bcd698 Yes /usr/lib/libXau.so.6
0xb67dabd0 0xb68019c8 Yes /usr/lib/liblcms.so.1
0xb6709670 0xb670bbc8 Yes /usr/lib/alsa-lib/libasound_module_ctl_pulse.so
0xb5ab3c60 0xb5af0638 Yes /usr/lib/libpulse.so.0
0xb6878990 0xb6879f24 Yes /lib/libcap.so.1
0xb6702ad0 0xb6705288 Yes /usr/lib/alsa-lib/libasound_module_pcm_pulse.so
0xb5d16c30 0xb5d18d48 Yes /usr/lib/alsa-lib/libasound_module_rate_speexrate.so

Not being able to use Skype is a _big deal_ for many I suspect, and I really hope this can be fixed somehow despite Skype not being FLOSS.

Please let me know if there is any additional information I can provide to clarify this problem.

[Martin Olsson (mnemo)]

I should add that playing sound in totem or audacious works perfectly. Recording in "GNOME Sound Recorder" doesn't work but I'm not sure whether that ever worked (I probably did though?). In gnome-sound-recorder I get this huge CPU spike when I start to record and when I press stop the CPU just keeps spinning on 100% CPU for around 30 seconds before the STOP button even paints itself back as "unpressed" again. The recorded sound is longer than the recording and completely silent. I got "Capture" as the only selectable device in "Record from input" in the sound recorder UI.

[hauke (hauke-heesch)]

I do have the same problem with Intel HDA chipset. Skype sound recording isn`t working in latest Intrepid. Looks like that other users have the same difficulties with skype and the Ibex.

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=956302

[Luke Yelavich (themuso)]

I suggest you look at the pulseaudio website http://www.pulseaudio.org, and have a look at the perfect setup page, which explains how to set up skype correctly, including configuring inputs and outputs. Ubuntu cannot set this configuration by default because Skype is a third-party proprietary application.

 affects ubuntu/pulseaudio
 status invalid

[Rocko (rockorequin)]

I don't think this bug should be marked invalid, because:

- It most certainly is a regression - it used to work in Hardy.

- The default configuration in Skype is to use the default audio devices, which seems quite fair for any application whether proprietary or not. The bug isn't in Skype - it's in Ubuntu's audio subsystem, which isn't returning a valid default audio device any more.

- As I understand it, one of the main aims of Ubuntu is to make things easy for unskilled users, and any regression such as this makes it hard. New users especially will simply assume that it's one of the things that doesn't work in Ubuntu.

So IMHO if the problem is that pulseaudio's "default configuration" can't work with applications like skype, it should probably be marked as 'Won't Fix' (and the bug notes should say why).

[Motin (motin)]

> "Ubuntu cannot set this configuration by default because Skype is a third-party proprietary application."

Man built Linux. Man can make a third-party proprietary application (set to use the OS's default sound device) to work.

Does anyone have a proposed workaround for this matter? Has anyone tested the workaround for Hardy (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=937323) and see if it works in Ibex?

[Motin (motin)]

The proposed workaround worked wonders at least for me... Calling with skype again...

[Motin (motin)]

... but the audio quality and volume is unusable! Bug #275998

[Adam Niedling (krychek)]

I had the same problem, I ran killall pulseaudio. After that skype started to work, but nothing else worked. I rebooted and everything is working now. I didn’t have to remove pulseaudio.

[kosmoz (kosmoz)]

I got it to work finally.. but i don't remember whether I did anything specific that could have solved the pb.. Sorry.
In Skype, I'm using Sound In: USB device 046x... and Sound Out: pulse.

[Brandon (tigernerve)]

THE ONE STOP SOLUTION

Anyone will be able to use this command to get Skype working on Ubuntu Intrepid or Linux Mint 6.

PART A

Press ALT+F2 for a run command box and type in gnome-terminal and ENTER. Or if you prefer the slower route then click Applications on your panel, then Accessories, and last Terminal.

Then type: su root

Then type: ENTER

Then type: (enter your root password here, not your user password) If your using another ubuntu version other then Linux Mint skip down to "PART 3"

PART 2

  (If using Linux Mint and did not choose a root password from installation, you may have to go to :

System > Administration > "User Groups" to adjust this. Here click unlock and enter your user password. Then select root and set your root password." From then on you will have to use the root password to unlock it.

PART 3

Once in the terminal and after entering your password proceed.

RECAP:
su root ENTER,
(password) ENTER,

TYPE:
killall pulseaudio
ENTER
aptitude remove pulseaudio
ENTER
aptitude install esound
ENTER
aptitude remove /etc/X11/Xsession.d/70pulseaudio
ENTER

Restart your system and Ubuntu should work perfectly for Skype.
PS: Do not fail afterwards to make sure Skype is working perfectly with Ubuntu. Your Skype settings me be off as well.

Please see this very easy and informative guide below. Ubuntu's community has put together a real good article on this: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Skype

- Brandon F

[Martin Olsson (mnemo)]

Brandon, thanks so much for posting these steps. My skype is now working again. This is great news!

For _5 months_ I've had people call me on Skype without being able to answer the call. Instead I had to press the HANG UP button and then send a text based chat message explaining that my microphone didn't work because I "upgraded" by Ubuntu. Due to all this bad publicity for Ubuntu, the people I usually talk to on Skype won't convert their Windows installs to Ubuntu any time soon, that's for sure :-(

[Adam Niedling (krychek)]

My skype only works when no other app is using the sound card.

[Adam Niedling (krychek)]

Why is this set to fix released? The only way to fix it is to remove pulseaudio. I have two computers where skype is not working.

[Daniel T Chen (crimsun)]

The default task is jaunty's, not intrepid's. Please nominate an intrepid task using the "Nominate for release" link.

[Adam Niedling (krychek)]

I don't understand this. Why is this needed? It's already nominated for intrepid. You mean it should be nominated for jaunty? What's this all about?

[Daniel T Chen (crimsun)]

It's already fixed in jaunty. Please don't reset the status.
--
Sent from my Android phone with K-9. Please excuse my brevity.