When volume <= 15% the speakers/headphones are mute

[Nicolò Chieffo]

Binary package hint: pulseaudio

When I lower the volume to 15% in the gnome volume control applet, the audio is mute

ProblemType: Bug
Architecture: amd64
ArecordDevices:
 **** List of CAPTURE Hardware Devices ****
 card 0: Intel [HDA Intel], device 0: STAC92xx Analog [STAC92xx Analog]
   Subdevices: 2/2
   Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
   Subdevice #1: subdevice #1
AudioDevicesInUse:
 USER PID ACCESS COMMAND
 /dev/snd/controlC0: yelo3 1843 F.... pulseaudio
Card0.Amixer.info:
 Card hw:0 'Intel'/'HDA Intel at 0xf6adc000 irq 21'
   Mixer name : 'Intel G45 DEVCTG'
   Components : 'HDA:111d76b2,10280233,00100302 HDA:80862802,80860101,00100000'
   Controls : 33
   Simple ctrls : 20
Date: Sun Oct 11 10:17:08 2009
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 9.10
Package: pulseaudio 1:0.9.18-0ubuntu3
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.31-13.44-generic
SourcePackage: pulseaudio
Uname: Linux 2.6.31-13-generic x86_64
---
AlsaVersion: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture Driver Version 1.0.21.
Architecture: amd64
ArecordDevices:
 **** List of CAPTURE Hardware Devices ****
 card 0: Intel [HDA Intel], device 0: STAC92xx Analog [STAC92xx Analog]
   Subdevices: 2/2
   Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
   Subdevice #1: subdevice #1
AudioDevicesInUse:
 USER PID ACCESS COMMAND
 /dev/snd/controlC0: yelo3 1333 F.... pulseaudio
Card0.Amixer.info:
 Card hw:0 'Intel'/'HDA Intel at 0xf6adc000 irq 21'
   Mixer name : 'Intel G45 DEVCTG'
   Components : 'HDA:111d76b2,10280233,00100302 HDA:80862802,80860101,00100000'
   Controls : 24
   Simple ctrls : 15
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 10.04
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.04 "Lucid Lynx" - Beta amd64 (20100318)
Package: alsa-base 1.0.22.1+dfsg-0ubuntu3
PackageArchitecture: all
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.32-17.26+lp545585v1-generic 2.6.32.10+drm33.1
Tags: lucid
Uname: Linux 2.6.32-17-generic x86_64
UserGroups: adm admin cdrom dialout lpadmin plugdev sambashare

[zorblek (zorblek)]

I have been experiencing this same bug ever since I installed Karmic.

[Daniel T Chen (crimsun)]

Please see https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DebuggingSoundProblems/KarmicCaveats#Volume%20range%20anomalies
specifically the portion regarding passing control=foo to
module-alsa-sink.

[zorblek (zorblek)]

The first fix listed there worked for me. Thanks!

On Fri, Nov 13, 2009 at 3:39 PM, Daniel T Chen <email address hidden>wrote:

> Please see
> https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DebuggingSoundProblems/KarmicCaveats#Volume%20range%20anomalies
> specifically the portion regarding passing control=foo to
> module-alsa-sink.
>
> --
> When volume <= 15% the alsa master is at 0%
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/448528
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
>
> Status in “pulseaudio” package in Ubuntu: New
>
> Bug description:
> Binary package hint: pulseaudio
>
> When I lower the volume to 15% in the gnome volume control applet, the alsa
> master volume is set to 0%.
>
> ProblemType: Bug
> Architecture: amd64
> ArecordDevices:
> **** List of CAPTURE Hardware Devices ****
> card 0: Intel [HDA Intel], device 0: STAC92xx Analog [STAC92xx Analog]
> Subdevices: 2/2
> Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
> Subdevice #1: subdevice #1
> AudioDevicesInUse:
> USER PID ACCESS COMMAND
> /dev/snd/controlC0: yelo3 1843 F.... pulseaudio
> Card0.Amixer.info:
> Card hw:0 'Intel'/'HDA Intel at 0xf6adc000 irq 21'
> Mixer name : 'Intel G45 DEVCTG'
> Components : 'HDA:111d76b2,10280233,00100302
> HDA:80862802,80860101,00100000'
> Controls : 33
> Simple ctrls : 20
> Date: Sun Oct 11 10:17:08 2009
> DistroRelease: Ubuntu 9.10
> Package: pulseaudio 1:0.9.18-0ubuntu3
> ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.31-13.44-generic
> SourcePackage: pulseaudio
> Uname: Linux 2.6.31-13-generic x86_64
>

[Nicolò Chieffo (yelo3)]

I've filed a bug against pulseaudio, they told me that the problem is that our audio card gives wrong information about current dB value.
Running alsamixer shows the current dB value ,which in my case is -48.0 dB. The device should report another value when it's mute.
What is your value?

[Nicolò Chieffo (yelo3)]

apport information

[Nicolò Chieffo (yelo3)]

apport information

[Nicolò Chieffo (yelo3)]

apport information

[Nicolò Chieffo (yelo3)]

apport information

[Nicolò Chieffo (yelo3)]

apport information

[Nicolò Chieffo (yelo3)]

apport information

[Nicolò Chieffo (yelo3)]

apport information

[Nicolò Chieffo (yelo3)]

apport information

[Nicolò Chieffo (yelo3)]

apport information

[Nicolò Chieffo (yelo3)]

apport information

[Nicolò Chieffo (yelo3)]

apport information

[Nicolò Chieffo (yelo3)]

This is an alsa bug.
Alsa should report that 0% volume corresponds to -inf dB, but the value reported is -48 dB

[Nicolò Chieffo (yelo3)]

After talking with ALSA upstreaml, the bug seems to be caused by pulseaudio

[Daniel T Chen (crimsun)]

How? PA clearly uses ALSA's exposed dB information.

[Nicolò Chieffo (yelo3)]

Sorry, to tell the truth I didn't understand, the explanations are too technical for me. Read the upstream ALSA bug and tell us what do you think about it.

[Nicolò Chieffo (yelo3)]

After talking again to pulseaudio developers, they are sure that the bug is in ALSA.
And they are also sure that this bug will be fixed here rather than by ALSA developers.
Of course I still haven't understood what should be done.

[Omega (atrauzzi)]

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DebuggingSoundProblems/KarmicCaveats#Volume%20range%20anomalies

First solution worked for me on an Inspiron 9400. This is still a problem with the 10.04 beta. We seriously just need to get this fixed guys. My ears can't take it every time I upgrade! ;)

[Daniel T Chen (crimsun)]

On Wed, Mar 31, 2010 at 10:33 PM, Omega wrote:
> First solution worked for me on an Inspiron 9400.  This is still a
> problem with the 10.04 beta.  We seriously just need to get this fixed
> guys.  My ears can't take it every time I upgrade! ;)

Please file a new bug using ubuntu-bug alsa-base so that we can get
your SSID added.

[Nicolò Chieffo (yelo3)]

I had a chat in the #pulseaudio IRC channel and they convinced me that
the problem is ALSA.
If the volume is mute at 0% then it should be reported as mute also in
the decibel data (with a value lower than -200 db).

Is there an ALSA expert which can try to make a patch for our sound cards?

[George Dumitrescu (geod)]

This bug affects me to.

[Christianus Pistorius (carbeck)]

With my USB speakers (Logitech V20) the speakers aren't only mute by ~10%, but also there's almost no range between "Unamplified" and "100%". At 100% the speakers overdrive. It's just 2-3x pressing the volume key between those two. I've only been experiencing this problem since updating to 10.04.

[LinuxFreak (bwvienna)]

Hi,
i'm having trouble with this or a similar bug in ubuntu Jaunty 9.04 AMD-64Bit
The Volume is at 70% very silent, between 90 -100% Mixer range, i can 'adjust' the volume.. from a bit to maximum
(Ubuntu 8.04, 32-bit was no problem.)
Before i had no sound, but this helped.
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SoundTroubleshooting#Having%20sound%20issues%20with%20HP%20dvx%20laptop
it turned the no problem sound in nonlinear sound adjustment problem (-;

in case developers need more info, just mail me.

Lautstärkeregler für das GNOME-Panel.
Verwendet GStreamer 0.10.
© 2004 Ronald Bultje
alsactl -v
alsactl version 1.0.18

uname -r
2.6.28-19-generic

greetz
Astrophyisk

long descritption in German:
http://forum.ubuntuusers.de/topic/mixer-lautstaerke-reagiert-nichtlinear-alsa-h/

[danmb (danmbox)]

Where is the upstream ALSA report? It's impossible to find this stuff on Google anymore, the results are full of amateurish Ubuntu forums discussions.

Also there are many similar Ubuntu bugs, some older and some newer, is this stuff centralized anywhere?

[David Henningsson (diwic)]

For some of the sigmatels, see here for a discussion: http://mailman.alsa-project.org/pipermail/alsa-devel/2010-December/034389.html

[David Henningsson (diwic)]

Although different hardware here often have different root causes and thus probably would be different bugs.

[danmb (danmbox)]

Found several upstreams... The problem is that some HDA-Intel cards incorrectly mute when mixer is at the lowest step, but ALSA reports standard AC'97 levels (e.g. -48 db instead of -infinity). PA then blames the bad Alsa db info.

I think PA should have a setting to ignore the lowest-level mixer setting, as it is problematic:

http://pulseaudio.org/ticket/896

If we wait for ALSA to fix it in the driver and the library, and for Ubuntu/Fedora/whatever to pick up such changes, it would take forever. PA should provide a work-around.

[Nicolò Chieffo (yelo3)]

This is actually fixed *only for headphones*

[dino99 (9d9)]

EOL reached or very close. Time to use some newer version.