[Acer Aspire G7711, Realtek ALC888] Underruns, dropouts or crackling sound

[Bartek Bobko]

Sound on the right channel is cracky.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 13.10
Package: alsa-base 1.0.25+dfsg-0ubuntu4
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.11.0-13.20-generic 3.11.6
Uname: Linux 3.11.0-13-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
ApportVersion: 2.12.5-0ubuntu2.1
Architecture: amd64
AudioDevicesInUse:
 USER PID ACCESS COMMAND
 /dev/snd/controlC0: bartek 2190 F.... pulseaudio
 /dev/snd/pcmC0D0p: bartek 2190 F...m pulseaudio
 /dev/snd/timer: bartek 2190 f.... pulseaudio
Date: Thu Nov 28 23:37:05 2013
EcryptfsInUse: Yes
InstallationDate: Installed on 2013-11-28 (0 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 13.10 "Saucy Salamander" - Release amd64+mac (20131016.1)
MarkForUpload: True
PackageArchitecture: all
SourcePackage: alsa-driver
Symptom: audio
Symptom_AlsaPlaybackTest: ALSA playback test through plughw:Intel failed
Symptom_Card: Built-in Audio - HDA Intel
Symptom_Type: Underruns, dropouts, or "crackling" sound
Title: [HDA-Intel - HDA Intel, playback] Underruns, dropouts or crackling sound
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
dmi.bios.date: 03/31/2010
dmi.bios.vendor: American Megatrends Inc.
dmi.bios.version: P01-A2
dmi.board.name: Aspire G7711
dmi.board.vendor: Acer
dmi.chassis.type: 3
dmi.chassis.vendor: Acer
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAmericanMegatrendsInc.:bvrP01-A2:bd03/31/2010:svnAcer:pnAspireG7711:pvr:rvnAcer:rnAspireG7711:rvr:cvnAcer:ct3:cvr:
dmi.product.name: Aspire G7711
dmi.sys.vendor: Acer

[Raymond (superquad-vortex2)]

Nov 28 21:43:29 bartek-desktop pulseaudio[2233]: [pulseaudio] core-util.c: Failed to create secure directory (/run/user/11664/pulse): Permission denied
Nov 28 21:43:29 bartek-desktop pulseaudio[2233]: [pulseaudio] module-protocol-stub.c: Failed to generate socket path.
Nov 28 21:43:29 bartek-desktop pulseaudio[2233]: [pulseaudio] module.c: Failed to load module "module-cli-protocol-unix" (argument: ""): initialization failed.

[Bartek Bobko (bartek-bobko)]

I believe the "Permission denied" is another issue - somehow created "pulse" dir was owned by the root, and no sound could be played (from some apps at least).

The sound is crackling on LiveCD as much as after installation.

[Daniel Letzeisen (dtl131)]

Try this: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Audio/PositionReporting

[Bartek Bobko (bartek-bobko)]

Daniel, none of the solutions from that page worked for me. The only way to use my sound in 13.10 was to remove PulseAudio and use Alsa.

[Raymond (superquad-vortex2)]

seem that your have jack detection problem in the front audio panel

Nov 28 23:38:33 bartek-desktop pulseaudio[2190]: ( 27.908| 0.000) [pulseaudio] module-alsa-card.c: Jack 'Front Mic Jack' is now unplugged
Nov 28 23:38:33 bartek-desktop pulseaudio[2190]: ( 27.908| 0.000) [pulseaudio] device-port.c: Setting port analog-input-microphone-front to status no
Nov 28 23:38:33 bartek-desktop pulseaudio[2190]: ( 27.908| 0.000) [pulseaudio] core-subscribe.c: Dropped redundant event due to change event.
Nov 28 23:38:33 bartek-desktop pulseaudio[2190]: ( 27.908| 0.000) [pulseaudio] module-switch-on-port-available.c: finding port analog-input-microphone-front
Nov 28 23:38:33 bartek-desktop pulseaudio[2190]: ( 27.961| 0.053) [pulseaudio] module-alsa-card.c: Jack 'Front Headphone Jack' is now unplugged
Nov 28 23:38:33 bartek-desktop pulseaudio[2190]: ( 27.961| 0.000) [pulseaudio] device-port.c: Setting port analog-output-headphones to status no
Nov 28 23:38:33 bartek-desktop pulseaudio[2190]: ( 27.961| 0.000) [pulseaudio] module-switch-on-port-available.c: finding port analog-output-headphones
Nov 28 23:38:33 bartek-desktop pulseaudio[2190]: ( 27.962| 0.000) [pulseaudio] module-alsa-card.c: Jack 'Front Mic Jack' is now plugged in
Nov 28 23:38:33 bartek-desktop pulseaudio[2190]: ( 27.962| 0.000) [pulseaudio] device-port.c: Setting port analog-input-microphone-front to status yes
Nov 28 23:38:33 bartek-desktop pulseaudio[2190]: ( 27.962| 0.000) [pulseaudio] module-switch-on-port-available.c: finding port analog-input-microphone-front
Nov 28 23:38:33 bartek-desktop pulseaudio[2190]: ( 28.079| 0.117) [pulseaudio] module-alsa-card.c: Jack 'Front Headphone Jack' is now plugged in
Nov 28 23:38:33 bartek-desktop pulseaudio[2190]: ( 28.079| 0.000) [pulseaudio] device-port.c: Setting port analog-output-headphones to status yes
Nov 28 23:38:33 bartek-desktop pulseaudio[2190]: ( 28.079| 0.000) [pulseaudio] module-switch-on-port-available.c: finding port analog-output-headphones
Nov 28 23:38:33 bartek-desktop pulseaudio[2190]: ( 28.079| 0.000) [pulseaudio] module-switch-on-port-available.c: Finding best profile
Nov 28 23:38:33 bartek-desktop pulseaudio[2190]: ( 28.079| 0.000) [pulseaudio] module-switch-on-port-available.c: No suitable profile found
Nov 28 23:38:33 bartek-desktop pulseaudio[2190]: ( 28.079| 0.000) [pulseaudio] module-alsa-card.c: Jack 'Front Mic Jack' is now unplugged

[Raymond (superquad-vortex2)]

the headphone jack detection control change from true to false frequently

alsa-card.c: Jack 'Front Headphone Jack' is now plugged in
Nov 28 23:38:33 bartek-desktop pulseaudio[2190]: ( 28.079| 0.000) [pulseaudio] device-port.c: Setting port analog-output-headphones to status yes

Nov 28 23:38:35 bartek-desktop pulseaudio[2190]: ( 29.561| 0.053) [pulseaudio] module-alsa-card.c: Jack 'Front Headphone Jack' is now unplugged
Nov 28 23:38:35 bartek-desktop pulseaudio[2190]: ( 29.561| 0.000) [pulseaudio] device-port.c: Setting port analog-output-headphones to status no

https://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/tiwai/sound.git/plain/Documentation/sound/alsa/HD-Audio.txt

try set hint trigger_sense=false

- trigger_sense (bool): indicates that the jack detection needs the
  explicit call of AC_VERB_SET_PIN_SENSE verb

[Raymond (superquad-vortex2)]

does the following command return 0x80000000 when headphone is plugged and 0 when headphone is unplugged

hda-verb /dev/snd/hwC0D0 0x1b GET_PIN_SENSE 0

if yes, there is no point to exec SET_PIN_SENSE when perform jack detect

[Bartek Bobko (bartek-bobko)]

When headphones plugged in the front panel:
# hda-verb /dev/snd/hwC0D0 0x1b GET_PIN_SENSE 0
nid = 0x1b, verb = 0xf09, param = 0x0
value = 0x80000000

When unplugged:
# hda-verb /dev/snd/hwC0D0 0x1b GET_PIN_SENSE 0
nid = 0x1b, verb = 0xf09, param = 0x0
value = 0x0

Setting this before lightdm starts:
echo "trigger_sense = false" > /sys/class/sound/hwC0D0/reconfig
makes sound mute, on the speakers and on the headphones.

There is a problem in gnome-countrol-center's Sound settings related to headphone detection:
"Headphones - Built-in Audio" keeps appearing and disappearing when any sound plays. This was happening on Ubuntu 13.04 also, but there was no problem with sound like here in 13.10.

[Bartek Bobko (bartek-bobko)]

Err, sorry it doesnt mute the soudns completly, just sets the main volume to 0, it can be restored.

The music is clear however on headphonses.

In gnome-control-center should Subwoofer Volume change on changing Main Volume or is it another bug?

[Bartek Bobko (bartek-bobko)]

I dont know if im doing "trigger_sense = false" right way, cant change it while X is running, so maybe it can be set somewhere in "/etc/pulse"...?

[Raymond (superquad-vortex2)]

study the Early patching section

you need to put the hint in a firmware file placed in /lib/firmware and modify /etc/modprobe.d/alsa-base.conf to use the firmware

[Raymond (superquad-vortex2)]

you can also use turn on traepoints to check whether you receive multiple unsol events is realted to trigger sense or not

Tracepoints
~~~~~~~~~~~
The hd-audio driver gives a few basic tracepoints.
`hda:hda_send_cmd` traces each CORB write while `hda:hda_get_response`
traces the response from RIRB (only when read from the codec driver).
`hda:hda_bus_reset` traces the bus-reset due to fatal error, etc,
`hda:hda_unsol_event` traces the unsolicited events, and
`hda:hda_power_down` and `hda:hda_power_up` trace the power down/up
via power-saving behavior.

Enabling all tracepoints can be done like
------------------------------------------------------------------------
  # echo 1 > /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/events/hda/enable

[Bartek Bobko (bartek-bobko)]

Raymond, could you please be more specific on how to do this?

[Raymond (superquad-vortex2)]

udo echo "trigger_sense=0" > /sys/class/sound/hwC0D0/hints
 sudo echo 1 > /sys/class/sound/hwC0D0/reconfig

if the headphone plugged and unplugged events still occur in the pulseaudio verbose log

you need to check your computer chassis have HDA front audio panel or AC97 Front audio panel

http://www.intel.com/support/motherboards/desktop/sb/cs-015851.htm

[Raymond (superquad-vortex2)]

did you change the computer chassis of Aspire G7711 ?

it is unlikly the front audio panel is not HDA compatible

[Raymond (superquad-vortex2)]

Refer to your pulseaudio log , both the headphone and mic of front panel are plugged and unplugged frequently

[Bartek Bobko (bartek-bobko)]

And what about the patch? Should I use it first?

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

Thank you for reporting this bug to Ubuntu.
Ubuntu 13.10 (saucy) reached end-of-life on July 17, 2014.

See this document for currently supported Ubuntu releases:
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Releases

We appreciate that this bug may be old and you might not be interested in discussing it any more. But if you are then please upgrade to the latest Ubuntu version and re-test.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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