Sound card in Mint 18.2 & Asus/Dolby Software

xJumper · Jan 2, 2018

Just recently built a new PC, hopefully I configured my sig rig to show up properly, the process is a bit more confusing than I remember last time I did it.

I'm running Mint 18.2 Sonya, relatively new Linux user. Only ran Ubuntu for a bit back in 09.

Everything on my build seems to work thus far, have had zero issues. Built the thing, powered it on, installed Mint 18.2 off a CD that I got for it off Amazon.

My PC is mainly going to be a multimedia HTPC type rig, that's why I got Senn HD650's and a pretty expensive sound card, ASUS Sound Card Essence STX II.

Anyway, how can I know for sure my sound card is even working properly? I can plug my headphones in the back or in the front panel which is connected to the sound card as well and it all works, I hear audio but is there somehow a possibility that it's working but not working "properly" or at full potential? I know, somebody will probably say, does it sound good? Yea but I don't have much to compare to.

Somehow the soundcard worked out of the box with no drivers at all, at least not any that I installed. The OS seems to detect my soundcard as...

Analog Output/Headphones CMI8788 [Oxygen HD Audio] (Virtuoso 100 (Xonar Essence STX II)) under the audio settings you bring up from the system tray icon.

Is this some kind of built in driver? If there is, is there anything else I need to install?

The fact that this piece of hardware is showing up under it's actual name, does that mean it's being recognized/supported by default?

The next thing is I'd like to somehow be able to use the software that comes with the sound card yet is made for Windows only. One of the reasons I picked a sound card over a standalone DAC is because of the digital surround sound emulation technology/software they usually come with as well as a graphical EQ software panel they usually have. Looks like this...

I tried opening the ASUS installer disk files made for Windows in WINE and installing them, no dice, keeps coming up with some kind of error.

So is there a way to get this to work or anybody that's done it before? If not, is there some alternate Linux software that does the same thing that's available? Main things being the graphical EQ AND most importantly the software 3D surround sound emulation? I tried this thing called GNOME ALSA Mixer but I don't really understand it much and it dosen't seem to have the features I'm looking for.

Lady Fitzgerald · Jan 2, 2018

subbed

Petrol · Jan 2, 2018

ALSA provides support for the audio hardware on Linux, there's no GUI driver AFAIK so it's text-based config. First you need the alsa-utils package for components like aplay, alsactl and alsamixer. Next you need an .asoundrc file in your home directory, which ALSA will use for settings.

"The default plugin" config shown on the asoundrc page linked is sufficient to get sound working but doesn't provide software mixing so you'll only be able to hear one audio source at a time with that. Here's the config I use for the Xonar STX, this should work as-is for the STX II also:

Code:

Code:

pcm.!default {
        type plug
        slave.pcm "dmixer"
}

pcm.dmixer {
        type dmix
        ipc_key 1024
        slave {
                pcm "hw:STX,0"
                period_time 0
                period_size 1024
                buffer_size 24576 # can tweak this
                rate 44100 # for emphasis on hifi listening, no resampling for music
                # rate 96000 
                # rate 192000 # lets go crazy
        }
        bindings {
                0 0
                1 1
        }
}

ctl.dmixer {
        type hw
        card STX
        device 0
}

pcm.dsp {
        type plug
        slave.pcm "dmixer" # use our new PCM here
}

ctl.mixer {
        type hw
        card STX
}

Once that's in the .asoundrc file and after you have alsa-utils installed, run sudo alsactl kill rescan to enable the config, then you should be able to work the sound controls (including headphone amp settings) from alsamixer.

The one issue you may run into is the GPU grabbing the default card assignment on boot, which can be fixed by modifying the GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT line in /etc/default/grub to include snd-hda-intel.index=1,0 and then sudo update-grub for change to take effect on next boot.

There's one caveat: applications that can control volume will affect the master volume. Decoupling the master volume from the application volume settings requires Softvol (an ALSA plugin), which I don't have in my asoundrc but can be added.

I think that about covers it...

Lady Fitzgerald · Jan 2, 2018

Quote:

Code:
Originally Posted by Petrol

ALSA provides support for the audio hardware on Linux, there's no GUI driver AFAIK so it's text-based config. First you need the alsa-utils package for components like aplay, alsactl and alsamixer. Next you need an .asoundrc file in your home directory, which ALSA will use for settings.

"The default plugin" config shown on the asoundrc page linked is sufficient to get sound working but doesn't provide software mixing so you'll only be able to hear one audio source at a time with that. Here's the config I use for the Xonar STX, this should work as-is for the STX II also:

Code:

Code:

pcm.!default { type plug slave.pcm "dmixer" } pcm.dmixer { type dmix ipc_key 1024 slave { pcm "hw:STX,0" period_time 0 period_size 1024 buffer_size 24576 # can tweak this rate 44100 # for emphasis on hifi listening, no resampling for music # rate 96000 # rate 192000 # lets go crazy } bindings { 0 0 1 1 } } ctl.dmixer { type hw card STX device 0 } pcm.dsp { type plug slave.pcm "dmixer" # use our new PCM here } ctl.mixer { type hw card STX }

Once that's in the .asoundrc file and after you have alsa-utils installed, run sudo alsactl kill rescan to enable the config, then you should be able to work the sound controls (including headphone amp settings) from alsamixer.

The one issue you may run into is the GPU grabbing the default card assignment on boot, which can be fixed by modifying the GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT line in /etc/default/grub to include snd-hda-intel.index=1,0 and then sudo update-grub for change to take effect on next boot.

There's one caveat: applications that can control volume will affect the master volume. Decoupling the master volume from the application volume settings requires Softvol (an ALSA plugin), which I don't have in my asoundrc but can be added.

I think that about covers it...

Every last bit of that flew completely over my head! Can you rewrite that with links in simple English so even a senile, flatulent geriatric can understand it (keep in mind I know little to nothing about Linux but plan on going from Win 7 to it soon, hopefully later this year).

Petrol · Jan 3, 2018

Ah good, another convert

Well, to simplify, this diagram provides an overview of how things are connected in the Linux audio domain. The "Pulse Engine layer" is an optional component, but ALSA is mandatory as it bridges the applications to the physical hardware. What happens is the applications will generally be aware of ALSA and interface with it to pass along PCM streams (raw digital audio data), then ALSA performs the necessary alterations to the data based on the asoundrc config, before passing it along to the PCM device (the physical soundcard), where the soundcard's DAC then converts the digital audio data to analogue (the audible, coherent noise that is desired).

The Xonar cards are supported by ALSA so to some extent they should just work, assuming other connected audio devices (i.e. onboard sound, GPU sound) haven't grabbed the default device index position, which randomly changes on each boot, hence the need to insert the boot parameter in the grub file to guarantee the proper sequence. That is not really germane to the functionality of ALSA, but may be necessary. The alsa-utils package offers a means of interacting with ALSA to diagnose what's wrong when sound is not heard as expected. alsamixer, which is part of alsa-utils, offers all the controls that are offered in Windows by the little speaker icon in the taskbar (i.e. volume control), plus the ability to control built-in features such as the headphone amp on the Xonar cards, which under Windows is provided by the bundled ASUS software.

Frankly, ALSA is a bit of a pill (because it supports many advanced features that are unneeded to configure a basic soundcard), which is why I posted my asoundrc to simply copy, which I also copied from some other Xonar user who had posted it elsewhere. This, together with alsa-utils, provides all the basic expected functionality from Xonar, with the exception of the software EQ, which is something that can be configured in asoundrc, although it's something audiophiles frown on anyway because of the perceived distortion added to the audio stream.

On a slight detour, one of the main features of the Xonar cards is actually the swappable op-amps that will more naturally alter the characteristics of the sound, kind of like how Sennheiser headphones sound different from Grado headphones. I forget where I stowed my spare op-amps now but they're basically just DIP ICs hiding underneath the card's EMI shield (metal plate) that can be removed and replaced without need for soldering. I believe the Head-Fi forums have discussions about the different compatible op-amps and their audio characteristics, so it could be worth checking out, as these aren't expensive components.

Anywho, to summarize, ALSA is the shuttle bridging the PCM streams being sent by applications to the PCM device (physical soundcard), where data is converted to sound, and the asoundrc file contains the instructions that tell ALSA what to do to the data and where precisely to route it once it is ready to send it along.

I should have also included this link to the Arch Wiki article. The Arch Wiki is the best place to look for a good introduction to any Linux software, as it is mainly geared towards Linux beginners

LostParticle · Jan 3, 2018

@Petrol, thank you for all this great information! I will check it out for my Essence STX II, as well!

Please, when you'll have some time, check your private messages because I've sent you one, there.

Thank you

xJumper · Jan 4, 2018

Sorry to sound like a total Linux noob which I am, but how exactly do I get this going?

Do I need to install any files from my package manager first?

Then I just paste those commands into the terminal?

Still trying to figure out what the "directory" is in Linux, but I'll spare you that one and go figure it out myself so you don't need to spoon feed me the whole thing.

Will all of this lead to me having to control the sound card through a text only terminal interface?

Since you seem pretty knowledgeable on this specific card (you have a pretty good review of it), there's no way to run the stock software in WINE or something?

Petrol · Jan 4, 2018

Quote:

Originally Posted by LostParticle

@Petrol, thank you for all this great information! I will check it out for my Essence STX II, as well!

Please, when you'll have some time, check your private messages because I've sent you one, there.

Thank you

I'm glad it's been helpful, sorry I missed the PM but I see it now!
Quote:

Originally Posted by xJumper

Sorry to sound like a total Linux noob which I am, but how exactly do I get this going?

Do I need to install any files from my package manager first?

Should be fine with just the alsa-utils package, since ALSA itself is a kernel component it's already installed.
Quote:

Then I just paste those commands into the terminal?

use the command aplay -l (which is also part of alsa-utils) to enumerate your audio devices. if you're using your sig rig, chances are that your GPU's HDMI is registered as an audio device. you can also use the command lsmod | grep hda to see if snd-hda-intel has been loaded, if so then pop that change into the grub file and rebuild grub with the update-grub command to have the soundcard index issue fixed on next boot. this all assumes you have disabled onboard sound in the UEFI/BIOS menu and don't have any additional sound devices outside of the STX and GPU.
Quote:

Still trying to figure out what the "directory" is in Linux, but I'll spare you that one and go figure it out myself so you don't need to spoon feed me the whole thing.

This tutorial will help you in learning file permissions, identifying directories is the first step

It may help to remember that everything is a file.
Quote:

Will all of this lead to me having to control the sound card through a text only terminal interface?

No, if you want you can install alsamixergui instead of the curses (terminal) interface. Both are shown in this screenshot. I'm not actually sure where this program is available on Mint but in the Debian and Ubuntu repositories it's simply called alsamixergui.
Quote:

Since you seem pretty knowledgeable on this specific card (you have a pretty good review of it), there's no way to run the stock software in WINE or something?

I don't think WINE supports that, but ALSA supports all the hardware features of the card so the ASUS software doesn't really add much value to sound quality. The Arch Wiki page I linked in the previous post contains details about EQ settings, AFAIK if you enable that then the controls for it should also show up in alsamixer or alsamixergui.

xJumper · Jan 5, 2018

Thanks a lot, I'll give this a go this weekend and report back.

I'm going all in on this Linux thing, didn't do a dual boot or any of that business on this build like the first time around a couple years ago. It's Linux or bust this time. Guys like you helping out for free is really what is helping grow the user base and making it a more attractive option.

Petrol · Jan 7, 2018

Nice

Yeah desktop Linux has come a long way in the past few years, the only caveat is there's still more software than there is decent documentation so users need to help one another to make things happen

LostParticle · Jan 7, 2018

Hey, @Petrol, you are a very knowledgeable person and you help a lot! So, I have one question, if you please.

Here is how I set up my Essence STX II, on Win 10 Pro:

I play two types of files: 98% are mp3, transcoded by me from FLAC sources using LAME 3.99.5 via Foobar2000. The rest are FLAC files.

1) Do you agree with my Win settings?
2) How can I achieve these in KDE Neon?

Thank you!

xJumper · Jan 8, 2018

Okay well I tried, and quite frankly I have no idea what's going on or if anything is even happening. I feel like I ended up doing something that made the sound worse like if I somehow disabled it and re-enabled on board.

Here is where I stand...

My sound card appears to work, and can play audio through it, except I'm trying to gain the full functionality.

I have the ALSA Utilities installed.

I have GNOME ALSA Mixer installed

ALSA Gnome Mixer seems to have three "devices" that populate under it...

"AV200"

"Nvidia GPU 72 HDMI/DP"

"Realtek ALC887-VD"

I could not locate this .asoundrc file, I enabled the option to see hidden operating system files, still couldn't find it.

Something about updating grub and rebuilding it... Yea I'm totally lost here.

Is there a no nonsense guide to get this going? Like forget explaining how everything in Linux works with each other. Just install this, paste this command, if you see this it worked, if not type this command, etc...

Lady Fitzgerald · Jan 8, 2018

Quote:

Originally Posted by xJumper

Okay well I tried, and quite frankly I have no idea what's going on or if anything is even happening. I feel like I ended up doing something that made the sound worse like if I somehow disabled it and re-enabled on board.

Here is where I stand...

My sound card appears to work, and can play audio through it, except I'm trying to gain the full functionality.

I have the ALSA Utilities installed.

I have GNOME ALSA Mixer installed

ALSA Gnome Mixer seems to have three "devices" that populate under it...

"AV200"

"Nvidia GPU 72 HDMI/DP"

"Realtek ALC887-VD"

I could not locate this .asoundrc file, I enabled the option to see hidden operating system files, still couldn't find it.

Something about updating grub and rebuilding it... Yea I'm totally lost here.

Is there a no nonsense guide to get this going? Like forget explaining how everything in Linux works with each other. Just install this, paste this command, if you see this it worked, if not type this command, etc...

I have to agree with xJumper. What is needed is a simple, step by step guide that any idiot can follow. Don't assume that everyone reading it knows certain details that you might think is common knowledge.

Petrol · Jan 8, 2018

@LostParticle - ASIO is basically the Windows equivalent of ALSA, if you copy/paste my asoundrc config and apply it that will set up a similar sound config, combining the functionality of ASIO with the functionality of the Windows sound control (the two things shown in your screenshot). alsamixer provides the actual interface for you to manually control it with.
Quote:

Originally Posted by xJumper

ALSA Gnome Mixer seems to have three "devices" that populate under it...

"AV200"

"Nvidia GPU 72 HDMI/DP"

"Realtek ALC887-VD"

Perfect, you're already 50% done. AV200 is your STX, and it is populating the default soundcard index position, which means ALSA is talking to it instead of to your other sound devices, the nVidia one and the Realtek one. First let's get rid of the Realtek one, by disabling onboard audio in your UEFI menu. When you're back in Linux check the devices again and you should see the Realtek one gone. Next let's deprioritize the nVidia device, because otherwise it will sometimes grab the position of default soundcard before the STX can get it.

To do that, run these two commands exactly as shown:

Code:

Code:

sudo sed -i.bkp '/GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT/ s/\"$/ snd-hda-intel.index=1,0\"/' /etc/default/grub
sudo update-grub

The first command backs up the original grub file by creating /etc/default/grub.bkp, and overwrites the normal version to change it as necessary. The second command updates grub, so the changes will be active on next boot. What the snd-hda-intel.index directive does is tell the OS on boot: "hey, I know I have two sound devices, but try to recognize the STX as the default one always"
Quote:

I could not locate this .asoundrc file, I enabled the option to see hidden operating system files, still couldn't find it.

It does not exist yet. ALSA will look in your home directory and if it finds an .asoundrc file it will use that as config, otherwise it will fall back to the global config that already exists. This is described in gory detail at the official documentation page (just for reference).

So the only problem that remains is to solve the missing .asoundrc file by creating it! Copy/paste the asoundrc file I posted on the previous page into a blank document in any text editor then save that file as ~/.asoundrc, which will create it and place it in your home directory. Note: do that as the normal user, not as root or with sudo. Now run this command:

Code:

Code:

sudo alsactl kill rescan

That was the final step, now you have a stable base config, sound should play as you expect, and you can tweak the settings to your liking with the mixer application. If you need 7.1 sound and not just basic stereo sound, that will require additional asoundrc config, but as long as you're familiar with the steps to set up the base config the rest will come more easily.
Quote:

Originally Posted by Lady Fitzgerald

I have to agree with xJumper. What is needed is a simple, step by step guide that any idiot can follow. Don't assume that everyone reading it knows certain details that you might think is common knowledge.

There is, unfortunately, no "idiotproof" solution to many hardware configuration issues on Linux. It is fundamentally a text-based OS, which means that the core functionality is documented in arcane text files and GUIs are more of an addon component rather than part of the base OS. For a simple, Windows-like Linux experience, the best solution is to purchase a laptop from a vendor like Dell or System76, as they offer Linux laptops with support for their hardware. Apple products, Chromebooks and Android x86 products might also fit the bill, as they are designed to be usable by anyone (like Windows) while still being UNIX-based.

If you're up to the challenge of learning Linux, a good primer on what you're in for long-term is the Archlinux Installation Guide, which is meant for rank beginners. It is all text-based config but with comprehensive instructions, but it's good at emphasizing the level of commitment required to gain competency at Linux. I hope this helps, good luck with your exploration!

xJumper · Jan 9, 2018

Alright update...

I went into my fancy overclocking motherboards BIOS and disabled the on board sound. Now when I boot into the main OS, I can still hear sound when I play a file so I take it my sound card is 100% doing the audio work? Right?

Now when I open up ALSA Gnome Mixer only these two "devices" populate under it... So it appears the Realtek audio is gone, so at least something happened here.

"AV200"

"Nvidia GPU 72 HDMI/DP"

I ran the command you told me to "de-prioritize" the Nvidia card so that it does not get picked up accidentally as the sound card. I straight copy/pasted the commands you gave into the terminal. Not sure if anything happened or if I'm even supposed to see anything happen...

Code:

Code:

sudo sed -i.bkp '/GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT/ s/\"$/ snd-hda-intel.index=1,0\"/' /etc/default/grub
sudo update-grub

I created a text file on the desktop and renamed it to ~/.asoundrc I then saved it to /home/matt (I believe that's my home directory right?) now if I right click that window and select "Show hidden files" I will see a .asoundrc file.

In this text file I copy pasted exactly the following.

Code:

Code:

pcm.!default {
        type plug
        slave.pcm "dmixer"
}

pcm.dmixer {
        type dmix
        ipc_key 1024
        slave {
                pcm "hw:STX,0"
                period_time 0
                period_size 1024
                buffer_size 24576 # can tweak this
                rate 44100 # 
                # rate 96000 
                # rate 192000 # 
        }
        bindings {
                0 0
                1 1
        }
}

ctl.dmixer {
        type hw
        card STX
        device 0
}

pcm.dsp {
        type plug
        slave.pcm "dmixer" # use our new PCM here
}

ctl.mixer {
        type hw
        card STX
}

I still don't really know for sure if everything is working correctly.

Now if I try and run alsamixer through direct command in the command prompt, it opens up but I have a bunch of errors that are displayed in the terminal.

Code:

Code:

matt@matt-System-Product-Name ~ $ gnome-alsamixer

** (gnome-alsamixer:4989): WARNING **: gam_toggle_get_state (). No idea what to do for mixer element "Headphones Impedance"!

** (gnome-alsamixer:4989): WARNING **: gam_toggle_get_state (). No idea what to do for mixer element "Mic Source"!

** (gnome-alsamixer:4989): WARNING **: gam_toggle_get_state (). No idea what to do for mixer element "Analog Output"!

** (gnome-alsamixer:4989): WARNING **: gam_toggle_get_state (). No idea what to do for mixer element "DAC Filter"!

If I go to the system tray on the right, click on the little speaker icon and go into the settings icon I can control volume and the left/right speaker/headphone balance but that's about it.

It's the same thing in GNOME ALSA Mixer, the only thing I can control on the card is volume and left/right balance.

There's a couple other options in GNOME ALSA Mixer but I don't think they are doing anything.

Headphones Impedance
Line
Mic Boost (+20dB)
Mic Source
IEC958
IEC958 Loopback
IEC958 Validity Check
Analog Output
DAC Filter

Only thing that happens is if I click on "Line" I hear this click coming from my computers sounds card.

I tried installing just alsamixergui and still I don't get anything that looks like your settings. In alsamixerguide it will list PulseAudio as my soundcard and chip. Like GNOME Alsa mixer and the system tray alsa sound settings all I can do is play with volume and adjust left/right fade, nothing else.

Here this is what happens when I run the lsmod | grep hda command

Code:

Code:

matt@matt-System-Product-Name ~ $ aplay -|
> lsmod |grep hda
snd_hda_codec_hdmi     45056  1
snd_hda_intel          36864  2
snd_hda_codec         135168  2 snd_hda_intel,snd_hda_codec_hdmi
snd_hda_core           86016  3 snd_hda_intel,snd_hda_codec,snd_hda_codec_hdmi
snd_hwdep              16384  1 snd_hda_codec
snd_pcm               110592  5 snd_oxygen_lib,snd_hda_intel,snd_hda_codec,snd_hda_core,snd_hda_codec_hdmi
snd                    86016  20 snd_oxygen_lib,snd_hda_intel,snd_hwdep,snd_seq,snd_hda_codec,snd_timer,snd_mpu401_uart,snd_rawmidi,snd_hda_codec_hdmi,snd_seq_device,snd_virtuoso,snd_pcm

brucethemoose · Jan 9, 2018

Quote:

Code:
Originally Posted by xJumper

Alright update...

I went into my fancy overclocking motherboards BIOS and disabled the on board sound. Now when I boot into the main OS, I can still hear sound when I play a file so I take it my sound card is 100% doing the audio work? Right?

Now when I open up ALSA Gnome Mixer only these two "devices" populate under it... So it appears the Realtek audio is gone, so at least something happened here.

"AV200"

"Nvidia GPU 72 HDMI/DP"

I ran the command you told me to "de-prioritize" the Nvidia card so that it does not get picked up accidentally as the sound card. I straight copy/pasted the commands you gave into the terminal. Not sure if anything happened or if I'm even supposed to see anything happen...

Code:

Code:

sudo sed -i.bkp '/GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT/ s/\"$/ snd-hda-intel.index=1,0\"/' /etc/default/grub sudo update-grub

I created a text file on the desktop and renamed it to ~/.asoundrc I then saved it to /home/matt (I believe that's my home directory right?) now if I right click that window and select "Show hidden files" I will see a .asoundrc file.

In this text file I copy pasted exactly the following.

Code:

Code:

pcm.!default { type plug slave.pcm "dmixer" } pcm.dmixer { type dmix ipc_key 1024 slave { pcm "hw:STX,0" period_time 0 period_size 1024 buffer_size 24576 # can tweak this rate 44100 # # rate 96000 # rate 192000 # } bindings { 0 0 1 1 } } ctl.dmixer { type hw card STX device 0 } pcm.dsp { type plug slave.pcm "dmixer" # use our new PCM here } ctl.mixer { type hw card STX }

I still don't really know for sure if everything is working correctly.

Now if I try and run alsamixer through direct command in the command prompt, it opens up but I have a bunch of errors that are displayed in the terminal.

Code:

Code:

matt@matt-System-Product-Name ~ $ gnome-alsamixer ** (gnome-alsamixer:4989): WARNING **: gam_toggle_get_state (). No idea what to do for mixer element "Headphones Impedance"! ** (gnome-alsamixer:4989): WARNING **: gam_toggle_get_state (). No idea what to do for mixer element "Mic Source"! ** (gnome-alsamixer:4989): WARNING **: gam_toggle_get_state (). No idea what to do for mixer element "Analog Output"! ** (gnome-alsamixer:4989): WARNING **: gam_toggle_get_state (). No idea what to do for mixer element "DAC Filter"!

If I go to the system tray on the right, click on the little speaker icon and go into the settings icon I can control volume and the left/right speaker/headphone balance but that's about it.

It's the same thing in GNOME ALSA Mixer, the only thing I can control on the card is volume and left/right balance.

There's a couple other options in GNOME ALSA Mixer but I don't think they are doing anything.

Headphones Impedance
Line
Mic Boost (+20dB)
Mic Source
IEC958
IEC958 Loopback
IEC958 Validity Check
Analog Output
DAC Filter

Only thing that happens is if I click on "Line" I hear this click coming from my computers sounds card.

I tried installing just alsamixergui and still I don't get anything that looks like your settings. In alsamixerguide it will list PulseAudio as my soundcard and chip. Like GNOME Alsa mixer and the system tray alsa sound settings all I can do is play with volume and adjust left/right fade, nothing else.

Here this is what happens when I run the lsmod | grep hda command

Code:

Code:

matt@matt-System-Product-Name ~ $ aplay -| > lsmod |grep hda snd_hda_codec_hdmi 45056 1 snd_hda_intel 36864 2 snd_hda_codec 135168 2 snd_hda_intel,snd_hda_codec_hdmi snd_hda_core 86016 3 snd_hda_intel,snd_hda_codec,snd_hda_codec_hdmi snd_hwdep 16384 1 snd_hda_codec snd_pcm 110592 5 snd_oxygen_lib,snd_hda_intel,snd_hda_codec,snd_hda_core,snd_hda_codec_hdmi snd 86016 20 snd_oxygen_lib,snd_hda_intel,snd_hwdep,snd_seq,snd_hda_codec,snd_timer,snd_mpu401_uart,snd_rawmidi,snd_hda_codec_hdmi,snd_seq_device,snd_virtuoso,snd_pcm

I'm pretty useless when it comes to Linux, but I do recognize some of those terms.

AV200 is the name of a chip on the Xonar STX. The Nvidia sound card is just audio over HDMI, should be fine to leave it enabled in case you ever want to plug in a receiver or a TV.

Line is probably line out. The Xonar STX has a separate output for speakers on the back (the RCA plugs) that bypass the headphone amp. Mine makes a loud clicking sound whenever switching between the 2 on Windows, so that's normal.

Mic boost is what it sounds like. It just amps your microphone input (not sure if it's just upping the gain or actually boosting the output voltage it feeds to the mic).

It also has a separate line in and mic input, but neither requires a switch.

IEC958 is just optical (SPIDF) out. The glowing port on the back.

The card has 3 different amp gain levels, ostensibly for different kinds of headphones. If you switch between them (and it works), you should notice a significant change in volume.

Analog output might be the switch between the front and back panels.

DAC filter is... Hmmm, I don't really know. I think some level of hardware support may be required for AEC (which lets you use a mic and speakers at the same time without feedback), so maybe it's related to that?

Petrol · Jan 9, 2018

Quote:

Originally Posted by xJumper

Alright update...

I went into my fancy overclocking motherboards BIOS and disabled the on board sound. Now when I boot into the main OS, I can still hear sound when I play a file so I take it my sound card is 100% doing the audio work? Right?

Now when I open up ALSA Gnome Mixer only these two "devices" populate under it... So it appears the Realtek audio is gone, so at least something happened here.

"AV200"

"Nvidia GPU 72 HDMI/DP"

I ran the command you told me to "de-prioritize" the Nvidia card so that it does not get picked up accidentally as the sound card. I straight copy/pasted the commands you gave into the terminal. Not sure if anything happened or if I'm even supposed to see anything happen...

Yup, everything is working properly, with the nVidia device deprioritized you still get control for HDMI sound but this way the STX will always be the default device.
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I created a text file on the desktop and renamed it to ~/.asoundrc I then saved it to /home/matt (I believe that's my home directory right?) now if I right click that window and select "Show hidden files" I will see a .asoundrc file.

Yes, correct.

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Now if I try and run alsamixer through direct command in the command prompt, it opens up but I have a bunch of errors that are displayed in the terminal.

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matt@matt-System-Product-Name ~ $ gnome-alsamixer ** (gnome-alsamixer:4989): WARNING **: gam_toggle_get_state (). No idea what to do for mixer element "Headphones Impedance"! ** (gnome-alsamixer:4989): WARNING **: gam_toggle_get_state (). No idea what to do for mixer element "Mic Source"! ** (gnome-alsamixer:4989): WARNING **: gam_toggle_get_state (). No idea what to do for mixer element "Analog Output"! ** (gnome-alsamixer:4989): WARNING **: gam_toggle_get_state (). No idea what to do for mixer element "DAC Filter"!

If I go to the system tray on the right, click on the little speaker icon and go into the settings icon I can control volume and the left/right speaker/headphone balance but that's about it.

It's the same thing in GNOME ALSA Mixer, the only thing I can control on the card is volume and left/right balance.

I haven't run into these issues myself but it seems like errors related to the GUI implementation, have you tried setting these via the alsamixer utility? Some of these options are muted by default, if you see "MM" under the sliders then just hit the 'm' key to unmute them.
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I tried installing just alsamixergui and still I don't get anything that looks like your settings. In alsamixerguide it will list PulseAudio as my soundcard and chip. Like GNOME Alsa mixer and the system tray alsa sound settings all I can do is play with volume and adjust left/right fade, nothing else.

Ahh right, I forgot you have PulseAudio installed by default. For hardware settings like headphone impedance, that should be set through ALSA but for desktop controls you'll want to be talking to PulseAudio, which I think you can configure with the pavucontrol utility. I don't use PulseAudio myself but if you have ALSA working you just need to link PulseAudio to your ALSA config and the defaults should work from there. There's a small mention about this on the Arch wiki:
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Warning: Do not attempt to change the ALSA configuration files while using the default PulseAudio configuration. The default configuration grabs the hardware devices directly in order to allow all the on-the-fly configurations using the GUIs. Changes to the ALSA configurations will very likely be ignored by PulseAudio and ALSA applications will break randomly while trying to access an ALSA device already used by PulseAudio. If you intend to change the ALSA configurations, also configure PulseAudio manually to output to your own ALSA device and play nice with your configuration.

So it looks like you need to first verify PulseAudio is using the proper ALSA device (what you just configured) as its audio sink, and then your applications and the GUI controls built-in to the desktop environment should pick up on all the features that PA supports. Refer again to this diagram to see how PulseAudio fits into the big picture: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/Pulseaudio-diagram.svg

xJumper · Jan 15, 2018

Alright update.

I downloaded Pulse Audio Volume Control, this allowed me to set the STX II as the default device and turn the nVidia card OFF completely. It seems you can do a couple more things here like chose the output, to say for example...

Analog Stereo

Analog Stereo Duplex (whats the difference between this and simply Analog Stereo?)

Analog Stereo Output + Digital Stereo (IEC958) Input

Digital Stereo (IEC958) Output + Analog Stereo Input

Digital Stereo Duplex (IEC958)

Digital Stereo (IEC958) Output

Analog Stereo Input

Digital Stereo (IEC958) Input

Anything except Analog Stereo & Analog Stereo Duplex dosen't do anything? Then again I'm using headphones, I take it those other options are for RCA Out and/or SP/DIF COAX, TOSLINK?

I finally got "ALSAMIXER" to work. I thought this whole time you were referring to "ALSAMIXER" like if it was some base "underlying thing" so to speak and not an actual application you could run to control "alsa" for the lack of a better term.

Using Alsamixer by typing "alsamixer" right into the terminal works, it opens up a command prompt looking piece of "software".

It shows a few things for the STX II...

1: Master (appears to be master volume control)

2: Headphones Im (seems to be headphone amp settings)

3: Mic Boost +20

4: S/PDIF

5: S/PDIF Loopback

6: Analog Input

7: Analog Output = Headphones

8: DAC Filter = Sharp Roll-Off

9: Digital Input

So it appears to work, I can increase the "Headphone IM" settings up and down, I set it to 64-300ohms (I have Sennheiser HD650's) no idea if that's the right setting but it sounds better than the lower "ohms" settings.

The Master volume control seems to work as well. In fact if I manipulate the volume from the system tray icon outside of ALSA mixer (I assume that tray icon is "Pulseaudio" right?) it moves it in the command prompt ALSAMIXER application. So things appear to be communicating/working together.

DAC Filter has two settings, no idea what either of these are or if they do anything?

Here is the problem though, everytime I play in alsamixer there's a good chance it will crash my computer. Sometimes it crashes it right away, like as soon as I open it up and play with some settings it'll crash my computer and I'll be forced to reboot. Sometimes I'll use it for a few minutes, half an hour and then out of nowhere it'll crash my computer. It's not isolated to any specific function on alsa mixer, I've even had the thing crash my computer from simply opening up alsamixer right after a reboot, zero sound playing, just opening up the program through the terminal and stretching the size of the window with my mouse. Yet at the same time, I was listening to videos on Youtube for hours playing with Alsamixer in the terminal and nothing happened...

So what's up with that? That's seriously killing my enjoyment of being able to play around with the settings in alsamixer which so far seems to be the only real thing that controls the soundcard.

Some background, I figured I'd just mentioned this. It might be related or not at all. When I first installed Mint on my PC that I built (so before anything in this thread), when I would go to the system tray audio control and click "settings" just opening up that window, sometimes would crash my PC. If you could get the window to open, clicking between headphone out rear/front pannel options could crash the PC, sometimes it would crash instantly and sometimes not.

So the possibly unrelated part is I ended up re-installing my soundcard after I had to move stuff around in my case and re-plugged everything in. Same PCI-E slot, same Molex power connector for the card BUT the crashing stopped, at least when controlling the sound card/sound options through the tray icon (I think that's Pulseaudio right?).

I un-installed GNOME-ALSAMIXER & ALSAMIXERGUI as those seem completely useless. They didn't work and there dosen't appear to be anything they can do that Pulseaudio and alsamixer run through the terminal couldn't do. I think those are programs from a while ago that were meant for different distros.

Now I know this is an already long post but I'm still unsure of what that .asoundrc(~) file is doing. Not sure it's doing anything or how to even check if it is? Can I just copy it to my desktop instead of my home directory try to run audio, then replace it and run audio again and see if the settings in it are actually doing something?

Petrol · Jan 15, 2018

After a crash check /var/log/syslog to see if the cause was logged, a convenient way is to run sudo cat /var/log/syslog | tail -100, the tail command prints the last x line of a file and syslog provides timestamps for events. 64-300 is the right impedance for Sennheisers, as for the DAC Filter I haven't found it do anything for me, AFAIK it has something to do with frequency response but I don't listen to much music at 17kHz.

By default, software mixing is disabled for ALSA and the .asoundrc config adds it (the dmix plugin) so if you can hear sound from more than one source playing simultaneously then it's working. Actually, there's a chance this has something to do with the crashing, try these settings to make PA use the right "device"

LostParticle · Jan 15, 2018

Hello again @Petrol, and thank you VERY much for all this great information! On my KDE Neon I was with the default Audio Settings. The result was that when I was watching a movie on KODI, my NVIDIA Audio was set as default so I had to go and re-set it, then re-start KODI and it was a PITA. Last night I installed Pulse Audio Volume Control, I disabled NVIDIA and all good. Or, better said, almost "all good"...

Do you happen to know why is this happening and how can I resolve it?

If I reboot, it resolves itself. How can I permanently fix it, though?

Thanks man!

Sound card in Mint 18.2 & Asus/Dolby Software

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