Microphone stopped working

[Michał Gołębiowski-Owczarek]

My microphone used to work in Karmic. However, after one of last bunch of updates, it just stopped.

ProblemType: Bug
Architecture: amd64
ArecordDevices:
 **** List of CAPTURE Hardware Devices ****
 card 0: Intel [HDA Intel], device 0: STAC92xx Analog [STAC92xx Analog]
   Subdevices: 1/2
   Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
   Subdevice #1: subdevice #1
AudioDevicesInUse:
 USER PID ACCESS COMMAND
 /dev/snd/controlC0: mgol 2375 F.... pulseaudio
 /dev/snd/pcmC0D0c: mgol 2375 F...m pulseaudio
 /dev/snd/pcmC0D0p: mgol 2375 F...m pulseaudio
Card0.Amixer.info:
 Card hw:0 'Intel'/'HDA Intel at 0xf6adc000 irq 21'
   Mixer name : 'Intel G45 DEVCTG'
   Components : 'HDA:111d76b2,1028024f,00100302 HDA:80862802,80860101,00100000'
   Controls : 32
   Simple ctrls : 19
CheckboxCommand: alsa_record_playback
CheckboxData: Input level 0 (in Input tab), the microphone seems not to work at all.
CheckboxTest: alsa_record_playback_alternates
Date: Wed Oct 14 02:24:39 2009
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 9.10
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 9.10 "Karmic Koala" - Alpha amd64 (20091008)
Package: alsa-base 1.0.20+dfsg-1ubuntu5
PackageArchitecture: all
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.31-13.45-generic
SourcePackage: alsa-driver
Tags: checkbox-bug
Uname: Linux 2.6.31-13-generic x86_64

[Michał Gołębiowski-Owczarek (mgol)]

On today's LiveCD it works. On my system - no. What could possibly be messed up in my system? Any chance I don't have to reinstall it?

[Dietmar Winkler (dietmarw)]

Exaclty the same with my machine, Dell Latitude E4300 (32bit) with
        *-multimedia
             description: Audio device
             product: 82801I (ICH9 Family) HD Audio Controller
             vendor: Intel Corporation
             physical id: 1b
             bus info: pci@0000:00:1b.0
             version: 03
             width: 64 bits
             clock: 33MHz
             capabilities: bus_master cap_list
             configuration: driver=HDA Intel latency=0
             resources: irq:21 memory:f6adc000-f6adffff

[Dietmar Winkler (dietmarw)]

I tried to nail this down further and it looks like this update caused the problem:
pulseaudio (1:0.9.19-0ubuntu2) to 1:0.9.19-0ubuntu3

Looking at the ChangeLog I guess that either the removeal of rtkit of the mentioned patch might be the reason:
 [ Tony Espy ]
  * debian/control: Add a Conflicts for rtkit so we force removal, and
    hence get more testing coverage between now and Karmic final (LP: #452458).

  [ Daniel T Chen ]
  * debian/patches/0056-ignore-sound-class-modem.patch:
    + Apply patch from Whoopie to fix initialization of devices with
      modem subdevices (LP: #394500, #450222)

I would have liked to test this but found no means to downgrade to (1:0.9.19-0ubuntu2) again.

[Michał Gołębiowski-Owczarek (mgol)]

@Dietmar Winkler
The problem for me occured a few days before this upgrade that added conflicts with rtkit.

[Michał Gołębiowski-Owczarek (mgol)]

And still, on latest LiveCD it works, at mine - not. Sth had do mess up my conf files... :/

[Dietmar Winkler (dietmarw)]

Well in the meantime I found the possible reason. The preferences of pulse audio don't let you choose a "Digital Microphone 1" such as is installed in my machine as input device. It only gives you a choice of two *analog* "Microphone 1" and "Microphone 2". Now getting around this by using alsamixer to set the correct microphone woul be a preliminary option. However this I could not test this since alsamixer can not be started (see bug #459064).

[Michał Gołębiowski-Owczarek (mgol)]

@Dietmar Winkler
Thanks! For me alsamixer works so I could set it properly. I guess this should be fixed in gnome-media?

[Michał Gołębiowski-Owczarek (mgol)]

I would report it affects gnome-media but I don't know how to do it without reporting a new bug (I'd like it to be linked here).

[Dietmar Winkler (dietmarw)]

MIchal, I've linked it for you (simple go to the "also affects dirtribution" link on the top next time). I had to actually remove pulseaudio in order to get alsa-mixer running. At least now I could set the digital mic and confirm that the mic itself works it's really just the problem that it can not be selected in the sound preferences (and neither in padevchooser).

[Dietmar Winkler (dietmarw)]

Just a little update: The latest update to 1:0.9.19-0ubuntu4 didn't change the situation. Digital Microphone still can't be selected as input device and alsamixer also still refuses to start.