ALSA completely borked. No Sound at all.

[Ashe]

Using: Kernel 2.6.2-genoo (gentoo dev sources) with ALSA compiled as modules.
alsa-lib/utils 1.0.2
KDE3.2 (Arts 1.2.0)

Basically, my sound worked fine before I installed KDE 3.2. No problems. After I started KDe 3.2, I couldnt get any sound to work. Through fiddling with the arts timeout settings, and testing sound, I was able to get arts to play (in a crackly and distorted fashion) the test sound. Now all hell breaks loose. Nothing else works.

After rebooting, I found out that nothing would play from the command line, at all (not booted into X at this point, so arts shouldnt be getting a look in). That is, everything lays, but no sound comes out of the speakers. At all.

I've unmuted everything I can find on the alsamixer and every mixer I can reach. Still nothing. The lights are on, but nobodys home.

I've even recompiled all the relevant alsa modules and such. Still nothing. All the right modules are loaded, and the system thinks sound is playing through... but nothing speaks. All dead.

Is there a mixer setting somewhere I havent heard of, or am I looking at terminal interference from KDe 3.2, or is this a dead sound card? (Last can be tested, thank the gods for onboard sound chips)
_________________
"Every problem in the universe can be solved by finding the right long-haired prettyboy, and beating the crap out of him."

[Vidar]

Are you by chance using the emu10k1 alsa driver? make sure you mute the digital output in the alsamixer. I think kde/arts messes with it by default.
_________________
"Vidar, Odin's mighty son, he will come to slay the wolf
The sword runs into the heart of Hverdrungs son
So he avenges his father" -- Amon Amarth - Burning Creation