Lenovo ThinkPad-X1-Carbon-7th Gen microphone doesnt work

[Thomas Parrott]

On Focal Fossa the microphone is recognised but doesn't work.

Chromium shows the microphone as present but off, and if it is renabled it goes off again after a couple of seconds.

Chromium logs this error:

[ 2149.047888] sof-audio-pci 0000:00:1f.3: error: no reply expected, received 0x0
[ 2149.177469] sof-audio-pci 0000:00:1f.3: firmware boot complete
[ 2160.561825] sof-audio-pci 0000:00:1f.3: error: no reply expected, received 0x0
[ 2160.656755] sof-audio-pci 0000:00:1f.3: firmware boot complete
[ 2414.391790] sof-audio-pci 0000:00:1f.3: error: no reply expected, received 0x0
[ 2414.487256] sof-audio-pci 0000:00:1f.3: firmware boot complete

Mar 20 23:09:24 user-ThinkPad-X1-Carbon-7th chromium_chromium.desktop[9531]: [9531:9531:0320/230924.861503:ERROR:pulse_util.cc(300)] pa_operation is nullptr.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 20.04
Package: alsa-base 1.0.25+dfsg-0ubuntu5
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 5.4.0-18.22-generic 5.4.24
Uname: Linux 5.4.0-18-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.20.11-0ubuntu20
Architecture: amd64
AudioDevicesInUse:
 USER PID ACCESS COMMAND
 /dev/snd/controlC0: user 1687 F.... pulseaudio
 /dev/snd/pcmC0D0p: user 1687 F...m pulseaudio
CurrentDesktop: ubuntu:GNOME
Date: Fri Mar 20 23:03:01 2020
InstallationDate: Installed on 2020-03-11 (9 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 20.04 LTS "Focal Fossa" - Alpha amd64 (20200309)
PackageArchitecture: all
SourcePackage: alsa-driver
Symptom: audio
Symptom_AlsaRecordingTest: ALSA recording test through plughw:sofhdadsp failed
Symptom_Card: sof-hda-dsp - sof-hda-dsp
Symptom_Jack: Black Mic, Right
Symptom_Type: None of the above
Title: [20R1000RUS, Realtek ALC285, Black Mic, Right] Recording problem
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
dmi.bios.date: 01/15/2020
dmi.bios.vendor: LENOVO
dmi.bios.version: N2QET19W (1.13 )
dmi.board.asset.tag: Not Available
dmi.board.name: 20R1000RUS
dmi.board.vendor: LENOVO
dmi.board.version: SDK0J40697 WIN
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: No Asset Information
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: LENOVO
dmi.chassis.version: None
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnLENOVO:bvrN2QET19W(1.13):bd01/15/2020:svnLENOVO:pn20R1000RUS:pvrThinkPadX1Carbon7th:rvnLENOVO:rn20R1000RUS:rvrSDK0J40697WIN:cvnLENOVO:ct10:cvrNone:
dmi.product.family: ThinkPad X1 Carbon 7th
dmi.product.name: 20R1000RUS
dmi.product.sku: LENOVO_MT_20R1_BU_Think_FM_ThinkPad X1 Carbon 7th
dmi.product.version: ThinkPad X1 Carbon 7th
dmi.sys.vendor: LENOVO
mtime.conffile..etc.modprobe.d.alsa-base.conf: 2020-03-12T15:40:19.308712

[Thomas Parrott (tomparrott)]

I've tried audacity and firefox too and no sound can be recorded.

[Hui Wang (hui.wang)]

Please manually install alsa-ucm-conf package and reboot.

This package will be put into the 20.04 image soon.

[Thomas Parrott (tomparrott)]

Thanks Hui, for the quick response. I've installed that package, and indeed, the microphone now works in apps like Audacity. Great.

However it still does not work in Chromium in Google Meet, the microphone appears as a device to use, but it shows as "disabled" and so when I unmute in Google Meet it then re-mutes after 2s.

In syslog it shows still each time I unmute:

Mar 21 18:57:22 user-ThinkPad-X1-Carbon-7th chromium_chromium.desktop[4806]: [4806:4806:0321/185722.248501:ERROR:pulse_util.cc(300)] pa_operation is nullptr.

[Hui Wang (hui.wang)]

You could test with the latest mainline kernel, let us see if it is kernel issue or userspace issue.

thx.

https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v5.6-rc6/

[Thomas Parrott (tomparrott)]

I tried installing that kernel and rebooting but I get a grub error "cant find command hwmatch" and cannot boot into that kernel.

linux-headers-5.6.0-050600rc6_5.6.0-050600rc6.202003200818_all.deb
linux-headers-5.6.0-050600rc6-generic_5.6.0-050600rc6.202003200818_amd64.deb
linux-image-unsigned-5.6.0-050600rc6-generic_5.6.0-050600rc6.202003200818_amd64.deb
linux-modules-5.6.0-050600rc6-generic_5.6.0-050600rc6.202003200818_amd64.deb

dpkg -i *.deb

Thanks
Tom

[Hui Wang (hui.wang)]

Mar 21 18:57:22 user-ThinkPad-X1-Carbon-7th chromium_chromium.desktop[4806]: [4806:4806:0321/185722.248501:ERROR:pulse_util.cc(300)] pa_operation is nullptr.

Maybe the chromium is not compatible with the new pulseaudio (13.99)? The api is changed in the PA-13.99 while the chromium still uses the old API?

[Thomas Parrott (tomparrott)]

Ah yeah that could be the issue, is there a legacy package one can install to provide the old API perhaps?

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Fedor (workgfa)]

Hello, did you fix this issue?

[Thomas Parrott (tomparrott)]

I'm running latest HWE kernel on 20.04 (5.4.0-65).

If I connect a microphone via USB or the headphone socket then it works (in chromium too).

But if I disconnect the microphone then Gnome doesn't detect any built-in microphone.

As I've made some changes to my modules settings, I think I'll wipe the system and try it with a fresh install.

[Thomas Parrott (tomparrott)]

I just tried this now on a freshly installed Ubuntu 20.04 with kernel 5.8.0-41-generic and it works great in both Gnome and in Chromium. Happy to mark this resolved.

[boda liao (liaoboda)]

If I want to use 5.4.0-52-generic on X1 extreme gen3. What drivers should I add to this kernel? alsa-lib-2.4?