Ubuntu

Ubuntu 8.10 volume control help requested

Asked by Dave Haring

Hello. I can't seem to get enough volume out of Ubuntu 8.10. (When using other OS's it was never an issue.)

I have an ASUS G2S Extreme without any external speakers. However, as above, volume was never an issue before. The little speaker icon on the upper right of the U810 desktop which says "Master" is at 100%. Going to "System" and then "Preferences" and then "Volume Control" - everything is as high as it goes. That menu shows "HDA Intel", "Realtek" and a few "ASLA" items. Everything is as high as it goes yet it's not loud enough to hear my online computer training videos.

Other folks with similar issues have no volume at all, which, is not my case. Also their headphone jacks don't work. Mine headphone jack works. And yes i can hear better with the headphones on, but, something is still not right. This is supposed to be (or was) some fancy gaming laptop that I assume should have some decent volume, and again was much louder under other OS's.

Note: In the BIOS there was some volume setting that was on "4" and I changed it to "8", which, was is now at the maximum. All this change accomplished was to make the boot sounds louder. After the boot however it quiets way down. So, based on this, I know the machine has the capability to be much louder.

If we talk about volume on a scale of 1 - 10, my volume seems to be stuck on "4". Thank you very much for any insight.

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Abi ^-^ (abiyasa-eka) said : 		#1

Ever you try alsamixer? open terminal, and type

alsamixer +enter

Then alsamixer will show up, just try to edit any volume in there ...

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Dave Haring (4trade) said : 		#2

Yes I do have ALSA Mixer. All are on highest. It seems like volume control is 1-5 (not 1-10 like it should be).

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Andre Mangan (kyphi) said : 		#3

To state "...all are on highest..." is not very informative since "all" depends on (a) what functions are displayed in Volume Control for your audio card (in your case an audio chip on the motherboard) and (b) what facilities you have activated in Volume Control (Edit, Preferences).

Slide your PCM (Pulse-code Modulation) slider further up (if possible). If that does not fix the volume level, check which sound device you have set to deliver your sound.

Type into a terminal window: asoundconf list

That will tell you what your sound device is called (Ubuntu calls a soundchip a soundcard). When you open Volume Control, Preferences, that is the device that should be listed and "Master" can be highlighted in the lower part of the screen (in case you want to use your keyboard to adjust volume levels). The same sound device should also appear on the "Sound Preferences" screen (System, Preferences, Sound) and all selections on that screen should read "PulseAudio Sound Server". Run the tests. If PulseAudio does not deliver, try one of the other options.

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Dave Haring (4trade) said : 		#4

In "Volume Control" the first "Device:" is "HDA Intel (Also mixer). The functions displayed are: Master, Headphone, PCM, Front, Front Mic, Front Mic Boost and Line-in. These are all on highest. The next device in the list is "Realtek ALC882 (OSS Mixer). The functions displayed are: Volume, Line-in, Microphone and PCM-2. These are all on highest. The next item in the device list says "Playback: ALSA PCM on front :0 (ALC882 Analog) via DMA (Puls...". Function displayed is "Master". This is on highest. Next says "Capture: Monitor Source of ALSA PCM on front :0 (ALC882 Anal...". The function displayed is "Master". This is on highest as well. Last device says "Capture: ALSA PCM on front :0 (ALC882 Analog) via DMA (Puls...". The function displayed is "Master" and it is on highest.

The result of "asoundconf list" is "Intel">

Under "System, Preferences, Sound" - these items all said "Autodetect" so I changed them to "PulseAudio Sound Server". Nothing seems to make any difference.

In summary:

1. Volume seems to be like 1-5 instead of 1-10.
2. BOIS sounds are normal and loud. Once the OS loads however I'm back to 1-5.
3. With other OS's volume seems like normal 1-10.

Note: I got a set of JBL external speakers today and volume is better, or, at least I can hear what I need to hear now.

Is there anything else I can try? I do wish to have the sound running to its potential. Otherwise we can just consider the issue solved since I can actually hear with the external speakers and it's no longer *that* pressing of an issue. Thank you again.

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Andre Mangan (kyphi) said : 		#5

Thank you for the detailed information.
Since HDA Intel is the identified sound device, in Volume Control, File, Change Device, set your selection to HDA Intel.
Also, in System, Preferences, Sound, set the default device to HDA Intel. Pulse or Autodetect should be OK.

There are quite a few postings in various forums about sound problems with this chip but what works for some does not work for others. The problematic device is the HDA Intel chip.

Below is one recommendation for a fix that you can try. If it does not work, either undo the change or place a # in front of the line:
http://www.praisechaos.com/2008/04/30/fixing-snd-hda-intel-no-sound-issue-in-ubuntu-804/

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Dave Haring (4trade) said : 		#6

Yes, I have seen other postings which seem to refer to a "no sound" issue. I have tried their fixes to no avail. My specific condition is a "low sound" issue. Anyway with external speakers I'm doing fine at the moment. Thanks again.