How to use the internal mic? or just any microphone?

Asked by Ivan Zakharyaschev

I installed Ubuntu 12.04 for Toshiba AC100.

I wanted to record sound, and to use a microphone in empathy (for voice calls).

I tested the microphone/recording with:

arecord a.wav; aplay a.wav; rm a.wav

but could here no sound.

I wondered whether the computer has an internal microphone. (That would be strange to have a working built-in camera, but no built-in microphone, wouldn't it?) Probably, it must have a built-in mic -- http://ac100.wikispaces.com/%D0%BC%D0%B8%D0%BA%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%84%D0%BE%D0%BD .

But anyway, I went on to test sound recording with an external microphone.

Same result: no sound.

Is it possible to use a microphone at all?

Revision history for this message
Ivan Zakharyaschev (imz) said :
#1

Yes, it is possible. Moreover, the internal microphone can be used.

I simply ran alsamixer and switched on everything in the "caprture" section (a whole lot of switches there!).

(gnome-alsamixer was not usable because its window didn't fit onto the screen, and couldn't be scrolled horizontally.)

Then I could record sound without an external microphone, and with an external microphone plugged-in (although I'm not sure whether that was simply the sound from the internal mic).

Hmmm, why not make this setup more obvious?.. Having to choose something in the whole lot of switches in alsamixer is confusing...

Revision history for this message
Andrey Danin (danindrey) said :
#2

You don't need to enable all capture items in alsamixer. It's better to use only few ot them.
For more information see:
http://ac100.grandou.net/mixer_settings#recording_sound_from_integrated_dmic

p.s.
I can't login to launchpad right now for some reason...

Wed, 05 Sep 2012 15:46:06 -0000 от Ivan Zakharyaschev <email address hidden>:
>
>

>

>

>Question #207758 on AC100_enablement changed:
>https://answers.launchpad.net/ac100/+question/207758
>
>
    Status: Open => Solved
>
>
Ivan Zakharyaschev confirmed that the question is solved:
>
Yes, it is possible. Moreover, the internal microphone can be used.
>
>
I simply ran alsamixer and switched on everything in the "caprture"
>
section (a whole lot of switches there!).
>
>
(gnome-alsamixer was not usable because its window didn't fit onto the
>
screen, and couldn't be scrolled horizontally.)
>
>
Then I could record sound without an external microphone, and with an
>
external microphone plugged-in (although I'm not sure whether that was
>
simply the sound from the internal mic).
>
>
Hmmm, why not make this setup more obvious?.. Having to choose something
>
in the whole lot of switches in alsamixer is confusing...
>
>
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>
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