recording volume is randomly reset

[Jeff Fortin Tam]

Binary package hint: pulseaudio

As the title says.

This is with pulseaudio 0.9.22 in lucid.
I filed http://pulseaudio.org/ticket/793 upstream about it. It has debug logs, screencasts, and even a video explaining everything: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0Irz_EgQr4

ProblemType: Bug
AlsaVersion: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture Driver Version 1.0.21.
Architecture: i386
AudioDevicesInUse:
 USER PID ACCESS COMMAND
 /dev/snd/controlC1: jeff 1522 F.... pulseaudio
 /dev/snd/controlC0: jeff 1522 F.... pulseaudio
Card0.Amixer.info:
 Card hw:0 'ICH6'/'Intel ICH6 with AD1981B at irq 22'
   Mixer name : 'Analog Devices AD1981B'
   Components : 'AC97a:41445374'
   Controls : 26
   Simple ctrls : 18
Card1.Amixer.info:
 Card hw:1 'default'/'AKM AK5370 at usb-0000:00:1d.1-2, full speed'
   Mixer name : 'USB Mixer'
   Components : 'USB0556:0001'
   Controls : 2
   Simple ctrls : 1
Card1.Amixer.values:
 Simple mixer control 'Mic',0
   Capabilities: cvolume cvolume-joined cswitch cswitch-joined penum
   Capture channels: Mono
   Limits: Capture 0 - 78
   Mono: Capture 30 [38%] [7.69dB] [on]
Date: Thu Feb 25 11:17:31 2010
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 10.04
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.04 "Lucid Lynx" - Alpha i386 (20100113)
Package: pulseaudio 1:0.9.22~0.9.21+stable-queue-32-g8478-0ubuntu10
ProcEnviron:
 LANG=en_CA.utf8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.32-14.20-generic
SourcePackage: pulseaudio
Uname: Linux 2.6.32-14-generic i686

[Daniel T Chen (crimsun)]

Is this reproducible with 0ubuntu11 after a logout and login?

[Jeff Fortin Tam (kiddo)]

Nope, still reproduceable.

[Daniel T Chen (crimsun)]

No, it is *not* reproducible, or no it *remains* reproducible? Your answer to my question is confusing.

[Jeff Fortin Tam (kiddo)]

"Nope, [it is still] reproducible [the problem is still there]" (sorry
if my answer was contradictory in its wording). You asked if this could
still be reproduced with the latest *ubuntu11 updates in lucid, right?
If yes, then yes, the bug is still there.

[Jeff Fortin Tam (kiddo)]

I have debugged this with Lennart today at the boston summit, and we have pinpointed the problem: alsa/udev is overriding pulseaudio.

This file in particular: /lib/udev/alsa-utils

Whose contents are:

#!/bin/sh -e
# udev script for alsa-utils
(
        DEV_BASENAME="${DEVNAME##*/}"
        N="${DEV_BASENAME#controlC}"
        exec /sbin/alsa-utils start $N
) &

...If we disable that file by replacing the contents by:

exit 0;

It works. The microphone's sound level is remembered no matter how fast/how many times you unplug/replug.

This is an Ubuntu-specific bug.

[Daniel T Chen (crimsun)]

Actually that means it would affect Debian, too.

[dino99 (9d9)]

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