Digital Output jack selected by default on a Soundblaster live

[Chris]

In my setup I am using analog 5.1 speakers but by default Ubuntu Feisty Herd-5 selects the "Digital Output Jack" option on installation. The result is a lot of noise instead of clear sound.

The solution is simply to disable the "Digital Output Jack" option in the switches section of the sound configuration.

I'd rather like to see the analog output is used by default as many users don't use the digital output and thus would expect the sound card to work.

ProblemType: Bug
Date: Tue Mar 20 18:54:44 2007
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 7.04
Uname: Linux ubuntu 2.6.20-9-generic #2 SMP Mon Feb 26 03:01:44 UTC 2007 i686 GNU/Linux

[Wietse Koopmans (wietse-koopmans-deactivatedaccount)]

I have a Creative Audigy Value and for me there was no sound after installation of Feisty. Disabling the "Digital Output Jack" on the "Switches" tab in volume control solved the problem.

My guess is that the majority of the people use the analog output, so setting this by default would avoid a lot of questions...

uname -a:
Linux wlinux 2.6.20-12-generic #2 SMP Wed Mar 21 20:55:46 UTC 2007 i686 GNU/Linux

lspci -vv:
02:0c.0 Multimedia audio controller: Creative Labs SB Audigy (rev 03)
        Subsystem: Creative Labs SB0090 Audigy Player/OEM
        Control: I/O+ Mem- BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Stepping- SERR+ FastB2B-
        Status: Cap+ 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B+ ParErr- DEVSEL=medium >TAbort- <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR-
        Latency: 64 (500ns min, 5000ns max)
        Interrupt: pin A routed to IRQ 22
        Region 0: I/O ports at df80 [size=32]
        Capabilities: <access denied>

[Daniel T Chen (crimsun)]

Analog is already enabled by default in Feisty's alsa-utils initscript.

...unless you suddenly have a _new_ breed of emu10k1 with a hacked initscript that uses a different control label? Attach your ``amixer''.

[Christopher Lee Thomas (christopherlee-thomas)]

The 'amixer' output is attached, but this is from my currently running system which no longer has the sb live installed. The problem itself only occurs during installation (standard unmodified ubuntu feisty beta disk - downloaded via torrent from your website). The funny thing is if you change the setting, it get's reset a couple of times during installation (I know it since I always switched it back to analog because of the noise).

...if required I will re-install the sb live into my system, boot up the install disk of the beta once more and do some tests there, but I'd appreciate a list of things you are looking for.

[Wietse Koopmans (wietse-koopmans-deactivatedaccount)]

Here's my amixer output and two full lspci outputs as well.

[eppy 1 (choppy121212)]

I'd agree that this should probably be unchecked by default, as the people who use digital output would probably know to enable it for themselves.

[[I'm having various issues with the Soundblaster live (emu10k1) in Feisty anyways, and I tried unchecking this but still couldn't get sound output. Oh well...]]

[MmmmJoel (jmajka)]

I also had digital out selected by default, thereby preventing any sound output after a clean installation. It took me ages to figure out this was my problem. I have an OEM Audigy card.

[MmmmJoel (jmajka)]

I should have mentioned this is also from a 7.04 beta CD.

[MmmmJoel (jmajka)]

This is still the case with 7.04 final.

[Daniel T Chen (crimsun)]

Guys, this is a completely intractable problem. Some people don't want analog 5.1; some do. There's no way to tell the driver, "No, don't enable it for this user but do enable it for this user for precisely identical hardware" unless the installer is extended. The installer is not my charge.

[Chris (a08)]

But nevertheless the default should be the most common configuration which I think is the analogue one. The users of 'digital' out put will most likely have an idea right a way what is wrong while the common user is less likely to know where the problem lies.

[Wietse Koopmans (wietse-koopmans-deactivatedaccount)]

Same thing here, I agree with Chris though, most common option should be default in my opinion.

[Daniel T Chen (crimsun)]

You're forgetting that the "default" value of muted happens to _not_ work across codec revisions.

Thomas did a lot of work in Debian to get to this point in /etc/init.d/alsa-utils (I'm pasting the relevant portion):

# Some machines need one or more of these to be on;
# others need one or more of these to be off:
#
# switch_control "External Amplifier" on
switch_control "Audigy Analog/Digital Output Jack" on
switch_control "SB Live Analog/Digital Output Jack" on

Notice how the initscript defaults to unmuting those two controls (if the control doesn't exist, amixer errors silently but harmlessly). This configuration is precisely what is necessary for _analog_ output to be audible on many codecs.

You're proposing that we change that to _muted_, which, well, will break for those users who need the configuration to be _unmuted_.

I hope now, with this above explanation, that you see that this problem is a hardware-issue and intractable to resolve given this simple approach of toggling various control elements unconditionally. Ubuntu 7.10 (gutsy) should have a different approach.

[Wietse Koopmans (wietse-koopmans-deactivatedaccount)]

Thank you for the information Daniel!

I never thought that this was hardware related the way you describe it.

Anyway, thanks for your effort and please ask if you need any more information/testing in the future!

[Christopher Lee Thomas (christopherlee-thomas)]

Thank you very much for the explanation. I hope 7.10 has a better approach and hope until than that people find this report and just switch their sound back on ;)

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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