Broken sounds in Skype

[DonnieD]

Sound in Skype is broken in Ubuntu. Running Skype like "PULSE_LATENCY_MSEC=30 skype" fixes the problem.

Pack Skype with PULSE_LATENCY_MSEC=30 to resolve PulseAudio 4.0 incompatibility with sound and distortion.

[Steve Langasek (vorlon)]

What incompatibility is this? Where does this recommendation of PULSE_LATENCY_MSEC=30 come from?

The package in saucy already uses PULSE_LATENCY_MSEC=60, per upstream's recommendations (bug #1173073). We certainly will not change the setting again without a clear rationale. For that matter, considering the current setting is a workaround for what I understand to be pulse misbehavior, and saucy is still under development, if there is a further issue we should be trying first to get this fixed in pulseaudio for 13.10.

[DonnieD (donnied)]

Skype community forum recommendation http://community.skype.com/t5/Linux/Crackling-and-unusable-sound-with-pulseaudio-4-0-proposed-fix/td-p/1683361

also freedesktop bug tracker comment 4 https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=50510#c4

[Steve Langasek (vorlon)]

On Sun, Sep 01, 2013 at 09:21:42PM -0000, Pekorius Nedas wrote:
> Skype community forum recommendation http://community.skype.com/t5/Linux
> /Crackling-and-unusable-sound-with-pulseaudio-4-0-proposed-
> fix/td-p/1683361

A random user who says on a forum that this fixed a problem for him on a
different distribution is not compelling evidence that this fixes any bugs
for us in Ubuntu.

What version of the skype package do you have installed? Have you tested
running 'PULSE_LATENCY_MSEC=30 skype' manually in Ubuntu, to verify whether
it addresses any audio problems you're experiencing?

[Jeffery Wilkins (djcanadianjeff)]

PULSE_LATENCY_MSEC=30 fixes skype for me on saucy

[James Troup (elmo)]

I'm also seeing this on a coworker's laptop. She has
4.2.0.11-0ubuntu0.12.04.2 installed and is running Saucy. Skype was
generating horrible noise (almost like microphone feedback) and
setting PULSE_LATENCY_MSEC=60 fixed it.

[Steve Langasek (vorlon)]

James,

On Tue, Oct 22, 2013 at 12:58:33AM -0000, James Troup wrote:
> I'm also seeing this on a coworker's laptop. She has
> 4.2.0.11-0ubuntu0.12.04.2 installed and is running Saucy. Skype was
> generating horrible noise (almost like microphone feedback) and
> setting PULSE_LATENCY_MSEC=60 fixed it.

How is skype being launched in this case? The desktop file in skype
4.2.0.11-0ubuntu0.12.04.2 includes the fix to export PULSE_LATENCY_MSEC=60.

[James Troup (elmo)]

Steve Langasek <email address hidden> writes:

>> I'm also seeing this on a coworker's laptop. She has
>> 4.2.0.11-0ubuntu0.12.04.2 installed and is running Saucy. Skype was
>> generating horrible noise (almost like microphone feedback) and
>> setting PULSE_LATENCY_MSEC=60 fixed it.
>
> How is skype being launched in this case? The desktop file in skype
> 4.2.0.11-0ubuntu0.12.04.2 includes the fix to export PULSE_LATENCY_MSEC=60.

Sorry, long day. I meant setting PULSE_LATENCY_MSEC=30 fixed it. I
tested by running from the command line, i.e.:

$ PULSE_LATENCY_MSEC=30 skype

When that worked I edited the skype desktop file to make the change
permanent.

--
James

[Gianfranco Costamagna (costamagnagianfranco)]

So PULSE_LATENCY_MSEC=30 fixed the problem while PULSE_LATENCY_MSEC=60 didn't fix it?

Can anybody please upload a new build then?

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[luca (llucax)]

I'm also affected and PULSE_LATENCY_MSEC=30 fixes it (saucy)

[Adam Niedling (krychek)]

I had to set bug #1173073 as duplicate of this because a random user has closed it as "Fix Released" and admins are not willing to change it back even though the issue has clearly not been fixed.

[Amr Ibrahim (amribrahim1987)]

Upgrading Skype to 4.3 may fix this (https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/skype/+bug/1280109) as 4.3 adds support for pulseaudio 3.0 and 4.0.