# How to get microphone to work?



## trybeingarun (Dec 25, 2009)

Hi guys,
I am a freebsd newbie and am finding my way through. As of now my microphone is not working and I did not know what to check...looked up in the handbook and found nothing useful...


```
[arun@hogwartz ~]$ mixer -f /dev/mixer12
mixer: /dev/mixer12: No such file or directory
[arun@hogwartz ~]$ mixer -f /dev/mixer0
Mixer vol      is currently set to 100:100
Mixer pcm      is currently set to 100:100
Mixer speaker  is currently set to  75:75
Mixer line     is currently set to  75:75
Mixer mic      is currently set to   0:0
Mixer mix      is currently set to   0:0
Mixer rec      is currently set to   0:0
Recording source: mic, mix
```

This is the only lead I got in some blog an I have posted it here.


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## Anonymous (Dec 25, 2009)

trybeingarun said:
			
		

> Hi guys,
> I am a freebsd newbie and am finding my way through. As of now my microphone is not working and I did not know what to check...looked up in the handbook and found nothing useful...
> 
> 
> ...



Try:
mixer -S =rec mic


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## trybeingarun (Dec 25, 2009)

Dint work 
Still my microphone slider in volume control is frozen...


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## Anonymous (Dec 26, 2009)

trybeingarun said:
			
		

> Dint work
> Still my microphone slider in volume control is frozen...



Microphone slider? Do you have KDE, GMNOME...?


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## sixtydoses (Dec 26, 2009)

In terminal try to change your mic setting.

Example:

```
$ mixer mic 15:15 
Setting the mixer mic from 13:13 to 15:15.
```


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## trybeingarun (Dec 26, 2009)

I have KDE 4.3 installed.

```
mixer mic 15:15
mixer mix 15:15
```
both dint work when I tried recording sound in audacity. But the best part is that I know my microphone is detecting signals now. How do I record voice now?


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## sixtydoses (Dec 26, 2009)

Try this command:

`rec -s -c 2 -r 44100 filename.ogg`


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## trybeingarun (Dec 26, 2009)

rec - command not found.
What port u want me to install to get rec installed?


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## sixtydoses (Dec 26, 2009)

Opps sorry.. it's audio/sox.

SOund eXchange - universal sound sample translator.


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## trybeingarun (Dec 26, 2009)

Dint work


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## sixtydoses (Dec 26, 2009)

Based on your first post your 'Mixer rec' value is 0:0. Turn it up.

`mixer rec 75:75`


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## trybeingarun (Dec 26, 2009)

Hey Sixtydoses,
Thanks a lot for ur help. Can u also tell where I can learn more about freebsd? I have "the handbook" with me and also "Absolute Freebsd" book with me; both are beyond parallel. I also found freebsdnews.net quite useful. But apart from these I dont have any resource to learn from...any suggestions?


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## sixtydoses (Dec 26, 2009)

You're welcome. Check out this thread, http://forums.freebsd.org/showthread.php?t=8388, probably it'll give you some ideas .

As for myself, apart from the handbook, google and forum, I find the best way to learn FreeBSD is to use it. Don't be afraid that you'd probably break it while having fun with it. Just make sure you have a good backup .


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## Bunyan (Dec 30, 2009)

Add
	
	



```
dev.pcm.0.play.vchans=4
```
 to /boot/loader.conf
Then run:

```
# sysctl dev.pcm.0.play.vchans=4 
# sysctl dev.pcm.0.rec.vchans=4 
# sysctl hw.snd.maxautovchans=4
```

You can find the solution in the FreeBSD Handbook,
7.2.3 Utilizing Multiple Sound Sources


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