Slackware 9.1 & ALSA-Where do i start?

ic3 · 10-31-2003, 12:41 AM

Just installed 9.1, and I have no clue as where to start to configure my sound card. I have a sound blaster 16-bit pci card. I've googled already - and the results I get are like 209340938 pages long and cover mostly the history of ALSA and nothing thats legible as where to start -

any1 who has suggestions are welcome thanks.

isapnp?
alsa?
modprobe?
Which one do I start attempting to configure?

Another thing: where do I obtain my driver for my card? and how do i configure these ?

If any1 has a HELPFUL link or walkthrough I would glady appreciate it

thanks much for looking

ic3--

BlinkEye · 10-31-2003, 01:16 AM

i'm running slackware 9.1 too, two systems, one with an audigy soundcard and the other with a soundblaster sb 5.1.

i followed these instructions: http://www.mail-archive.com/alsa-use.../msg07365.html (alltough i took the new drivers 0.9.8 (but these work too: 0.9.6, 0.9.7). one remark: i had to configure the drivers with the disable-verbose-printk option (i don't know for what this is needed), i.e.
in the alsa-drivers-0.9.8 directory you'll have to execute the following command:
"./configure --disable-verbose-printk"
else you won't be able to insmod your new drivers.

i don't know how far this will help you, so i would take a look at the mailing-list-archive too, you for sure find something: http://www.mail-archive.com/alsa-user%40lists.sourceforge.net/

BlinkEye · 10-31-2003, 01:22 AM

if you have any other soundcard (i.e. an onboard sound card) you'll have to build the driver as following:

"./configure --with-card=your-chipset --disable-verbose-printk". if you don't do it that way some audio-related software get mixed up if you're loading both drivers at startup (i couldn't get xmms playing sound over the audigy card instead of the onboard card).

if you don't have an onboard card don't bother about the chipset, just build it as posted earlier.

CryptDragoon · 10-31-2003, 12:23 PM

if you have installed the alsa within the distro try this as root before you go recompiling:

alsaconf

as root .. it will try to detect your card and match it with a driver ... if this doesn't work then you must recompile a new driver for ALSA.

musrum · 10-31-2003, 01:12 PM

Try this web site:

http://www.alsa-project.org/alsa-doc/

Find the line for 'Soundblaster 16 PCI'. Click on the link to the right labeled 'Details'.

Follow these instructions _carefully_. You can skip the configure and make parts if you already have the driver. The rest of it may get you going.