Subject: Re: uaudio problem...
To: Lennart Augustsson <lennart@mail.augustsson.net>
From: Chris Gilbert <chris@paradox.demon.co.uk>
List: current-users
Date: 06/03/2001 01:40:55
On Sunday 03 June 2001  1:00 am, Lennart Augustsson wrote:
> Chris Gilbert wrote:
> > On Sunday 03 June 2001 12:22 am, Lennart Augustsson wrote:
> > > It seems that your device only supports a few sample rates
> > > (UAUDIO_DEBUG should be able to tell you what they are).  In particular
> > > it doesn't support 8000 which is what opening /dev/audio sets it to. 
> > > You should use /dev/sound instead of /dev/audio.
> >
> > Ahh, that did the trick, doing:
> > audioctl -w play=44100,2,16,slinear_le
> > and then using /dev/sound works.  (xmms doesn't work, but that's probably
> > xmms, madplay is fine though :)
>
> I'm not sure why you need the audioctl, any sane program using the
> audio device should set the parameters.

At a guess (not proven or checked) the default rate is 8000 for /dev/sound, 
when the speakers are plugged in, when you open it, it uses the current rate, 
the program then tweaks the rate once it's opened the audio, rather than 
tweaking then opening, presumably so it can be sure that the device is it's 
own.

Infact looking at the gqmpeg log from uaudio when you play an mp3 it actually 
checks a whole host of rates, presumably looking for a suitable one.  Looking 
at what it checks, I suspect that the speakers can't do anything other than 
16 bit sound (or the unsupported 24 bit sound)  And of course rereading the 
output from when they're plugged in, there's no 8 bit sound in them.

Perhaps /dev/sound should default to something that the speakers can actually 
do.

> > Any suggestions on a volume control for X, I'm currently using mixerctl?
> > (This is the first time I've actually had working audio under NetBSD :)
>
> I'm afraid you are mostly stuck with mixerctl when you use USB speakers.
> gqmpeg can handle them, though.

yep gqmpeg seems to be happy with adjusting the volume :)

Cheers,
Chris