left-channel distortion on intel-hda

[Pedro Côrte-Real]

Binary package hint: linux-source-2.6.17

I have a white macbook (2Ghz core 2) with intel hda sound. Sometimes, on some boots the left audio channel will have distortion while the right one is fine. I'm guessing it's clipping but I'm not an audio geek. I guess it's a problem with the initialization of the card. I think cold boots fix it so I'm guessing some register isn't being properly cleaned. What else can I do to debug this?

[Cristian Aravena Romero (caravena)]

Thanks for taking the time to report this bug. Unfortunately we can't fix it, because your description didn't include enough information.

Please include the information requested from https://help.ubuntu.com/community/DebuggingSoundProblems as separate attachments.

[Cristian Aravena Romero (caravena)]

Change Status of Unconfirmed to Needs Info.

[Pedro Côrte-Real (pedrocr)]

Here's the information requested.

[donmd (launchpad-5-donmartin)]

I´d like to add that the problem does not exist when OS X is booted before Linux. Without doing that I have the same problem using Gentoo Linux Kernel 2.6.18.

thanks.

[Jason Gerard DeRose (jderose)]

After some experimenting, I have a few ideas about what might be going on, and a workaround.

The best test for this bug, in my opinion, is, while using headphones, to play the test sine-wave from within System > Preferences > Sound (the "Test" button under, say, "Sound Events"). It will be very clear whether the left channel distortion is present.

I've found a work-around that works reliably on my MacBook Core Duo (not 2).

1) In System > Administration > Login Window, on the Security tab, enable automatic login to your user.

2) In System > Preferences > Sound, on the Sounds tab, uncheck "Play system sounds".

3) Reboot and test as mentioned above.

Can anyone else confirm that this works?

I'm using Feisty with all the most recent packages at this time, kernel version 2.6.20-12.

I believe some kind of race condition is occurring such that if a sound is played before the driver finishes initializing, the sound chipset gets into some broken state.

There is related forums thread here:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=2317339

[Jason Gerard DeRose (jderose)]

Crap... never mind about that work around. I must have booted into OS X, and then did a reboot rather than a shutdown/power-off/power-on.

So I change my verdict to what the Pedro Côrte-Real already said: a register isn't getting set by the Linux driver. ;)

[Pedro Côrte-Real (pedrocr)]

The requested info has already been supplied so this isn't a needinfo anymore.

[Bruno Santos (bsantos)]

I can confirm this happens after a while, although I don't know if always. It looks (sounds) like some kind of buffer corruption...

[Bruno Santos (bsantos)]

Yup, try to reboot, load jackd and let it run (I suggested jackd because it causes lots of xruns). Kill it after a while a notice that the sound becomes distorted, some kind of corruption appears. It must happen when some application causes xruns, and always becomes worse with usage...

[Bruno Santos (bsantos)]

Also I'm on Feisty final, thus kernel 2.6.20, so this doesn't happen only on 2.6.17, could be related to something else (alsa, or something else).

[mon (javiermon-deactivatedaccount)]

Hi

This still happens on macbook core 2 duo, gutsy up to date (x86)

thanks

[Jens Geiregat (jens-geiregat)]

I can confirm that this still happens on Ubuntu Gutsy. Only the left FRONT channel. I tested the back channels (4.1 surround) and those are fine. (Some people might be able to use this as a workaround.)

[KDontenville (kevin-keepnet)]

Lost the left channel altogether after updates today 10th Oct. checked the hardware with other linux (puppy) and audio is fine. Has been working fine on Gutsy since tribe3.

[Jens Geiregat (jens-geiregat)]

The left channel still works here. Note that I did head crackling in the read left channel a short time after my previous post(s).

[KDontenville (kevin-keepnet)]

Meant to say this is on a dual core standard Intel PC board, still get the odd click out of the left channel but no sound. Definitely a driver/software problem. Maybe I should report this as new?

[diabolix (diabolikmachine)]

Most macbook problems seemed to have been fixed in the latest stable release of alsa, if you upgrade to it most problems go away.

[FGagnon (fgagnon)]

I confirm the bug is still present using a 1G MacBook with Gutsy Gibbons, though the workaround mentioned above works perfectly.

[gtb (gtbassett)]

The bug is also still present using an intel mac mini with gutsy installed

[Joe Taylor (joe-taylor)]

I'm on a C2D macbook with Gutsy and it's still a problem...

[Wagner Volanin (volanin)]

I can confirm this crackling behaviour in my Macbook 3rd generation with Gutsy as well.
I have come to a possible solution, but it has not been widely tested yet.
But it's been working very well for me and a few others.

Read about it here: (Read Post #9)
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=611345

[Ali Sabil (asabil)]

Can you try installing the linux-backports-modules ? It almost solved the distortion on my macbook 1st gen.

[Jason Gerard DeRose (jderose)]

I can confirm that installing linux-backports-modules on my first-generation MacBook (Core Duo, not Core 2 Duo) seems to solve the left-channel-distortion issue.

However, the master volume still doesn't function (I have to use the PCM or Surround channel to control the volume).

[Bruno Santos (bsantos)]

This is still present on the MacBook in 2.6.24-12 on boot but gone after a suspend to ram.

I'll attach an lsusb and lspci before and after suspending if it helps anything.

[Gabriel Dragffy (dragffy-deactivatedaccount)]

Brilliant! Installing linux-backports-modules also worked on my black first-gen macbook. Now I have beautifully clear sound from the left-side also. Well done to whoever found this work-around!! Cheers all.

[Gabriel Dragffy (dragffy-deactivatedaccount)]

By the way I'm running stable Hardy 8.04 which was a clean install of a pre-release that I've kept up to date. Hope it's all fixed by default in the next release :)

[Ted (tedks)]

Installing linux-backports-modules does not fix the problem on my HP dv9000. I reproduced the bug by playing a file in rhythmbox and turning up the right channel in alsamixer and then the left channel. While my aplay lists my card as hda nvidia, the codec that's used by ALSA is hda intel, because apparently the two are similar enough for it to work. My headphone channel on my laptop has always "worked fine".

Am I missing the workaround? I installed the linux-backports-modules-hardy package.

$aplay -l
**** List of PLAYBACK Hardware Devices ****
card 0: NVidia [HDA NVidia], device 0: CONEXANT Analog [CONEXANT Analog]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 0: NVidia [HDA NVidia], device 1: Conexant Digital [Conexant Digital]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0

$uname -a
Linux Stormbringer 2.6.24-16-generic #1 SMP Thu Apr 10 12:47:45 UTC 2008 x86_64 GNU/Linux

lspci -v of my audio device:
00:07.0 Audio device: nVidia Corporation MCP67 High Definition Audio (rev a1)
 Subsystem: Hewlett-Packard Company Unknown device 30cf
 Flags: bus master, 66MHz, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 21
 Memory at f6480000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=16K]
 Capabilities: [44] Power Management version 2
 Capabilities: [50] Message Signalled Interrupts: Mask+ 64bit+ Queue=0/0 Enable-
 Capabilities: [6c] HyperTransport: MSI Mapping

[Ted (tedks)]

After following the instructions here, my sound is fully functional, even without linux-backports-modules.

http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=3764871&postcount=9

[Bruno Santos (bsantos)]

Try to reboot a couple of times, most of the times these fixes aren't
final and the issue comes back after a couple of reboots... :-(

On Fri, 2008-05-16 at 19:04 +0000, Ted wrote:
> After following the instructions here, my sound is fully functional,
> even without linux-backports-modules.
>
> http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=3764871&postcount=9
>

[nine (niin-deactivatedaccount-deactivatedaccount)]

Bruno Santos: from your last comment I understand that this bug is not yet resolved. Does this issue still exist in the Hardy Heron 8.04 LTS release? If so, the Intrepid Ibex 8.10 Alpha2 is also scheduled for release today. It will appear at the following when available: http://www.ubuntu.com/testing/intrepid/alpha2 . It contains the actively developed 2.6.26 Ubuntu kernel. It would be great if you could test this upcoming release via a LiveCD and verify if the issue still exists. If so, please include the appropriate debugging information as outlined at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DebuggingSoundProblems . Thanks in advance.

[Jens Geiregat (jens-geiregat)]

mouz: I experienced this bug today on a fresh install of Hardy on a macbook. A suspend/resume removes the noise.

[nine (niin-deactivatedaccount-deactivatedaccount)]

Would someone of the Ubuntu Audio team please have a look at this one? I do not have the means to reproduce and triage it. However it seems it still happens in the LTS release. Thanks.

[Leann Ogasawara (leannogasawara)]

The Ubuntu Kernel Team is planning to move to the 2.6.27 kernel for the upcoming Intrepid Ibex 8.10 release. As a result, the kernel team would appreciate it if you could please test this newer 2.6.27 Ubuntu kernel. There are one of two ways you should be able to test:

1) If you are comfortable installing packages on your own, the linux-image-2.6.27-* package is currently available for you to install and test.

--or--

2) The upcoming Alpha5 for Intrepid Ibex 8.10 will contain this newer 2.6.27 Ubuntu kernel. Alpha5 is set to be released Thursday Sept 4. Please watch http://www.ubuntu.com/testing for Alpha5 to be announced. You should then be able to test via a LiveCD.

Please let us know immediately if this newer 2.6.27 kernel resolves the bug reported here or if the issue remains. More importantly, please open a new bug report for each new bug/regression introduced by the 2.6.27 kernel and tag the bug report with 'linux-2.6.27'. Also, please specifically note if the issue does or does not appear in the 2.6.26 kernel. Thanks again, we really appreicate your help and feedback.

[Kieran Hogg (xerosis)]

Still present as 2.6.27-2.

[anders musikka (anders-musikka)]

Also present in 2.6.26.3

Issue is intermittent, some boots are fine, others have various levels of distortion.

[Daniel T Chen (crimsun)]

Should be fixed in upstream git now.

[Uwe Helm (1forthedoctor)]

not fixed for me in linux-2.6 git, do you mean alsa git?

[Kieran Hogg (xerosis)]

Any chance of getting the fix backported from git for the Intrepid release?

[Leann Ogasawara (leannogasawara)]

The 18 month support period for Feisty Fawn 7.04 has reached it's end of life - http://www.ubuntu.com/news/ubuntu-7.04-end-of-life . As a result, we are closing the linux-source-2.6.20 kernel task. However, this will remain open against the actively developed kernel. Thanks.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Per a decision made by the Ubuntu Kernel Team, bugs will longer be assigned to the ubuntu-kernel-team in Launchpad as part of the bug triage process. The ubuntu-kernel-team is being unassigned from this bug report. Refer to https://wiki.ubuntu.com/KernelTeamBugPolicies for more information. Thanks.

[Andy Whitcroft (apw)]

Could you test and see if this problem still occurs with the latest Intrepid kernel in -proposed exhibits this problem. Please see https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/EnableProposed for documentation how to enable and use -proposed. Thank you in advance!

[Sir_Spot_A_Lot (mailing54)]

Hi, it doesn't fix it for me. Sending it to standby and resuming fixes it as before.

Using 2.6.27-11-generic #1 SMP Fri Dec 19 16:29:35 UTC 2008 x86_64 GNU/Linux, -poposed enabled.

A detailed version string containing the kernel.org versin string might be useful btw, sth like 2.6.27-10-ubuntu12345.

[Bruno Santos (bsantos)]

On Fri, Jan 9, 2009 at 3:28 PM, Sir_Spot_A_Lot <email address hidden> wrote:
> Hi, it doesn't fix it for me. Sending it to standby and resuming fixes
> it as before.

I've been reloading the module in rc.local with success, you can try it.

If I don't reload the module, the distortion is there. :-( At least I
don't have to suspend the machine. I noticed that sometimes bluetooth
needs the module to be reloaded, but I almost don't use it (and this
is off topic either way).

Cheers

[Kieran Hogg (xerosis)]

Still present in 2.6.28-4 in Jaunty.

[paulten (paul-tenfjord)]

Problem still present in Jaunty 2.6.28-11-generic. Rebooting does not solve it anymore.

My alsa information:
 http://www.alsa-project.org/db/?f=200f2a668238baa58f8e9d4b976e176905718d76

Duplicate rapport :
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/266927

[Andres Mujica (andres.mujica)]

according to original's reporter codec, audio card pci id, and description of the problem i'm marking this bug as dupe from bug #266927