Audigy sound card produces no sound
Affects | Status | Importance | Assigned to | Milestone | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
linux (Ubuntu) |
Expired
|
Undecided
|
Unassigned | ||
linux-source-2.6.20 (Ubuntu) |
Won't Fix
|
Medium
|
Unassigned |
Bug Description
2007-04-18
I installed Ubuntu Feisty (7.04 beta) on my PC, which uses an Audigy MP3+ sound card. I connected the speakers to the analog/front output jack as indicated in the sound card setup guide. However, no sound came out.
In the course of troubleshooting this problem, I found that not all of the preferences for the sound device are located in the Sound preferences dialog (i.e., System -> Preferences -> Sound). What is located in that preferences dialog was of no use in dealing with the problem.
After a great deal of hunting around, I found that important sound device controls are also located in the Open Volume Control menu item in the Sound Recorder application (i.e., Applications -> Sound & Video -> Sound Recorder -> File -> Open Volume Control). It is not at all obvious why these sound device controls should be in the Sound Recorder application. They could easily be missed by someone having a similar problem to mine.
It turns out that the Volume Control menu item in the Sound Recorder application has a tab labeled Switches. The single option under that tab is selected with a check mark by default. That option is labeled Audigy Analog/Digital Output Jack. When I unchecked this option, sound output was restored. Presumably, with the option checked, the sound card was trying to output sound through a different jack from the one I plugged the speakers into.
From my perspective, there are two problems revealed about the Feisty beta here. One is that most speakers and headphones are still analog and the default choice should not be digital output. The second, and more important, is that this option should have been found in the Sound preferences dialog rather than within the Sound Recorder application. I also believe that the controls for input and output channels found in the Playback tab of the Open Volume Control menu item should be in the Sound preference dialog rather than in the Sound Recorder application.
From the important standpoint of getting Ubuntu to work from the start, or at least be relatively easy to troubleshoot, it may be counterproductive to have important sound controls buried in an application menu whose appropriateness is not obvious.
Changed in linux-source-2.6.20: | |
status: | Incomplete → Confirmed |
Changed in linux-source-2.6.20: | |
assignee: | thotz → ubuntu-kernel-team |
importance: | Undecided → Medium |
Changed in linux: | |
status: | Incomplete → New |
Could you please add the output requested at https:/ /help.ubuntu. com/community/ DebuggingSoundP roblems ? Thanks in advance.