trouble getting OSS support for usb headset

falcon_za

I just got a usb headset, to do some voip (skype). I can not use my primary sound card for that, because the microphone plug is dead, physicaly destroyed in a lame attempt to use it for already amplified signal (electric guitar if you really have to know).

As far as alsa is consered, both the integrated soundcard and the usb headset seems to work fine. xmms, vlc, or whatever software that can use alsa and let you choose the soundcard ouputs properly to both. The gnome volume control shows an appropriate mixer, and every things seems ok on the alsa part of things.

but if I switch the gnome volume control to the oss device for my usb headset, only the microphone seems to be available, as if this sound card had no output capability. If I ask xmms to play to /dev/dsp1 in oss, I get no sound, and the progress bar progresses far faster that it should (a whole mp3 is read in a matter of seconds). if I use skype on dsp1, I get no sound either. but it seems that sound input works ok, since a friend of mine told me she could hear what I said in skype.

Note that oss for the integrated sound card works just fine.

I'd be happy to forget about oss, and just use alsa, but unfortunately, skype is oss only.

Any Idea of what might be wrong, and what I should do to fix it? Any workaround?

Here is what I believe to be relevant info. just tell me if you need more

cat /usr/src/linux/.config | grep ^[^#]:

jomen

...as far as I know - skype is perfectly happy when there is esd (Gnome) or arts (KDE) installed

It is working fine for me - if esd is running an I start skype from command-line - it says:

starting esd-wrapped skype - or something to this effect

next thing to look for: call the skype sound-test-service - it is per default in your list and lets you test your sound in both ways
look for your mixer-settings...

falcon_za · Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2006 1:25 pm Post subject:

I do not usualy use any soud deamon, so I do not realy know how those work. can you tell me (or point to a place explaining) how to do this?

For the skype test service, I did try it. when I use my integrated sound card, I can hear the anouncer's voice all right, but of course, I can't talk, since the mic plug is dead on that board. If I use the usb headset, (/dev/dsp1), I don't hear anything at all. maybe it's getting my voice, but as I am not getting any feedback, I just can't know. If I check the mixer, the output channel is not mutted, there is just no output channel.

So it boils down to:

* why is there no output channel on this usb thing while using oss, and how to get it?

or

* how to set a sound deamon to workaround it. I don't need it to handle everything in my system, because the rest works fine right now. just to get skype working on that usb headset.
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jomen · Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2006 1:44 pm Post subject:

sorry - I was just assuming that you had eighter Gnome - (like me) or KDE as a Desktop environment - if you build these - a sound-daemon is built also - but you can build it yourself - or adjust you USE-FLAGS to include eighter "esd" or "arts" - the every programm, that supports this flag, will be built with support for this sound daemon

oracleofmist · Apprentice Joined: 19 Jun 2004 Posts: 235

just wondering does 'alsamixer' show any more devices than just the mic?
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jomen · Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2006 2:07 pm Post subject:

oracleofmist...but he talked about gnome-mixer...which I had overlooked in first post - so esd should be already there...

I use gnome and - of course - the mixer that comes with it - there the available devices are separated into groups:
Input
Output
and: Switches (for 3D sound...on/off)

the Mic is of course under Input - thats why I said this...in alsamixer all the devices appear side by side...

in oss/alsa view of gnome mixer you operate on the same devices - just under different names

USB-Headsets are a bit over my head - have yet to get one and then get it to work...
are you sure your headset is working properly?
is your sound-card full duplex capable? - this might cause problems if not

falcon_za · Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2006 2:22 pm Post subject:

I am running gnome. so maybe esd is running without my knowledge. it is indeed installed, but I never did anything to get it to run, so I don't know if it's been automagicaly started somehow, or if I overlooked a step somewhere.

Alsa mixer shows more than the mic. it also shows the output, which gets called speaker. gnome volume control also shows this, when I ask him for the alsa device corresponding to the usb headset. it is just when I go for the OSS device that it is empty.

I know that the gnome mixer puts things in tabs. It is not me being confused. when I select the asla device, I have "playback" "capture" and "switches" tabs, but for the oss device, there is only the "capture" tab.

as for the headset working physicaly, I'd go for yes. output works through alsa, and if I could be heard through skype (oss), i'd pretty much say that the mic is working too. besides, if it is of any importance, I can also tell you that when I properly set in in the mixer (unmute everything, set "rec" on for the mic), i can hear my voice back in the earphones.

I'd say usb headsets are pretty ordinary things, and are supposedly handled just as one more sound card. actualy, in is an ordinary headset, plus a jacks-to-sub addapter. but the pc can't know that, and there are real usb headsets (not adapters) based on the same chip. If I load the kernel modules in the oposite order (usb thingy first), it becomes the default alsa device. I'll check what happens to oss in this case, and post info on it later. even if I don't want to leave the headset as the primary device, I might be insightfull.

In the mixer, the input channel is just fine, and according to the friend I was talking to on skype, the mic indeed acquires sound, and sends it though skype. but that's still of limited use if I can not hear the answers. And skype does not allow to take its input on one card, and its output on another.

The skype knowledge base says:

jomen · Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2006 2:41 pm Post subject:

edited - was a duplicate --

jomen · Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2006 2:42 pm Post subject:

the problem is very probably not with esd...
...and you do not need to worry about starting or stopping it normally
it is for these cases, when there is more then just one application is trying to output/input sound to one device - without esd... just one application at a time can do that...

USB-headset is a thing I do not know from my own experience - just one thing I'd suggest too look for:

the settings of your sound-card - I don't know, if the config for your usb-sound-card you gave is correct - but I think so...

you should also have edited the file:
/etc/modules.d/alsa
to represent both of your cards - maybe there is just one? (your primary)

falcon_za · Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2006 2:54 pm Post subject:

I quoted my /etc/modules.d/alsa in the first post, and it respresents both sound cards. the asla part wouldn't work if it didn't.

as for this usb thingy being full duplex, I guess it is. It was specificaly marketed for VOIP and skype, and as I told you I can hear myself in the earphones when I talk in the mic (must be full duplex to do that, right?).

If it can help in something, the stuff is branded as an Arvel HAMU02, and lsusb repports "C-media Electronics, Inc." I don't think its going to help, but i have no reason of retaining information.
_________________
Why the hell am I in Asia? Don't remember. But I am still glad i am here.

You're glad someone did it for you, so help noobs.

jomen · Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2006 2:57 pm Post subject:

/etc/modules.d/alsa

what I meant was this: I have still the sample file provided at install time - just edited it for me.
there are a few more settings in it,which could be the source of your problem, if not correctly set or not at all...

here is my file:

falcon_za · Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2006 3:07 pm Post subject:

I don't have the "option snd cards_limit" in there. i'll try that.

The "alias sound-service" things are also not set in my file. i'll try to put them in. but I really don't understand the sound services numbers. I'll try the default stuff from your file (for some reason, the sound-services part was not in my file, not even commented out). Then I'll be back to tell you if it did something.
_________________
Why the hell am I in Asia? Don't remember. But I am still glad i am here.

You're glad someone did it for you, so help noobs.

falcon_za · Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2006 3:17 pm Post subject:

I just added what we said to that config file, but it does not change anything.

In case it just can't be fixed, to you happen to know another (beside skype) voip software? one that can call to real phones, preferably with reasonable rates to france and china. Oh, and which would be using alsa

But there must be a way. I am sure there is a way. well, maybe not sure, but hoping at least.
_________________
Why the hell am I in Asia? Don't remember. But I am still glad i am here.

You're glad someone did it for you, so help noobs.

jomen · Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2006 4:10 pm Post subject:

alias sound-service-0-0 snd-mixer-oss - refers to this service on the first card
alias sound-service-1-0 snd-mixer-oss - refers to the same service on the second card

maybe you should make your usb-card the first...or even the only one for trying it out...
I've never had more than one card to configure

yes, there must be a way - but I don't think that I can help here - besides a little with your 1st question:
there is a beta version of voipbuster - which lets you do free calls to land-line phones in many countrys - the drawback is - it's windows only (last time I checked)
My Brother and I used this as well as skype to talk for free from Australia to Germany

I'll still be reading this - to learn and in case I have some great idea...but maybe you should post again under a new subject - because I think oss has not so much to do with that...

Cheers