# Can't get any sound with OSS v4



## Roberth (Jan 20, 2009)

Hello

I have installed the OSS v4 soundsystem, since my soundcard isn't supported in oss in FreeBSD(cmi8788). I have started the oss init script, it detects my soundcard fine, everytime looks fine untill I play some sound, either with osstest etc, no sound at all, and no error messages, any tips where I can start to look?


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## Djn (Jan 20, 2009)

I guess you've checked the mixer settings? (As a test, you can install aumix and pull everything to 100%.)


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## Roberth (Jan 20, 2009)

Well when I try aumix, everything is allready pulled up to 100 %.


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## Djn (Jan 20, 2009)

Fair enough - not that, then.
If the card has multiple outputs (line, headset, surround channels) it might have messed up the routing and be using the wrong one, so you probably want to check all of them.

Outside that, I'm afraid I can't really help you ...


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## Roberth (Jan 20, 2009)

Well if try osstest, it uses the multichannel output, not pcm, how do I change that?


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## Djn (Jan 20, 2009)

I was thinking more "try plugging your speakers into every possible socket and see if one of them works".

As for testing, well - I've found "cat /dev/random > /dev/dsp0" works - it generates a fairly bland noise, but it's definitely different from silence, and will most likely be interpreted as plain 2-channel stereo.


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## Roberth (Jan 20, 2009)

Tried every single jack output, no sound.

EDIT: even with ossxmix it shows activity when playing music.


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## Djn (Jan 20, 2009)

How very weird.
I'll admit I've never used OSSv4, so you'll have to hope someone with more experience in the field notices this.


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## Roberth (Jan 20, 2009)

Well, I installed oss from ports, added enable_oss="YES" to /etc/rc.conf, have I forgotten anything?


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## Sceleris (Oct 17, 2009)

I'm having a problem like this. I can't get any sound, anywhere.

Here's the rundown.
* Up until last Sunday I had two PCI sound cards and one built-in.
* The built-in is disabled in BIOS.
* The cards are M-Audio Audiophile 2496 and Creative SB Audigy LS (using a CA0106 chipset).
* Until Sunday I used the M-Audio card in FreeBSD 7.2 with OSS from ports (because the ordinary envy24 driver would hang my computer when switching between audio using software), while I use the Creative card in Windows for gaming (dual boot).
* So this Monday I did a portupgrade -a, _after_ going through the UPDATING file.
* After the portupgrade, OSS started detecting both my audio cards, which it had not done before.
* My computer started hanging when starting KDE (4.3.1), right when the log in sound should start playing.
* osstest did work outside of KDE, though.
* I saw nothing of note in the X.org log (highest verbosity -- I think), it just cut short.
* I did have CPUTYPE and OPTIMIZED_CFLAGS defined in make.conf, so I commented them out and rebuilt everything I had upgraded since last time, just in case, which took another day and a half. This did not help.
* I tried downgrading the audio/oss port to the version before which I knew worked. This did not help either.
* I removed the Creative card, which did not change anything.
* Finally, when I tried using _only_ the Creative card, my PC stopped hanging. But now I get no sound, on any sound output.

Currently, osstest is reporting that the Audigy LS sound card is working perfectly, and I am seeing no errors of any kind, anywhere. mplayer plays audio, but I hear nothing. KDE loads without hanging, and everything says that I should be hearing sounds, but I do not. When I raise the physical speaker volume knob to max (which is very, very loud), I hear a faint "boom" followed by a very faint noise when something should produce a sound. And sound still works in Windows (without having to change anything).

Oh. Yesterday I actually got it to work in FreeBSD for one whole session, without changing anything in particular. (Actually, I did deinstall and reinstall a few times, but that doesn't work now.) It stopped working after I rebooted the computer.

This is all so inconsistent. What in the world can produce this behavior? What options do I have to try to find out more about possible errors?

In the meanwhile, I'll try portupgrade -Rf audio/oss again...


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## graudeejs (Oct 18, 2009)

CA0106 doesn't work on OSS.... It have never worked for me on OSS, I have same card available


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## devmazumdar (Oct 20, 2009)

Roberth said:
			
		

> Hello
> 
> I have installed the OSS v4 soundsystem, since my soundcard isn't supported in oss in FreeBSD(cmi8788). I have started the oss init script, it detects my soundcard fine, everytime looks fine untill I play some sound, either with osstest etc, no sound at all, and no error messages, any tips where I can start to look?



What is the make and model?. if it's the ASUS D2/D2X - then yes the  drivers don't produce audio - we're working on that. But most other devices should work.

post the output from cat /dev/sndstat.


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## volatilevoid (Mar 24, 2010)

Is the D2X working now? I only get sound from my onboard sound. 
audio/oss is installed and `# osstest` is working:

```
Sound subsystem and version: OSS 4.2 (b 2002/201003241702) (0x00040100)
Platform: FreeBSD/amd64 8.0-STABLE-201002 FreeBSD 8.0-STABLE-201002 #0: Tue Feb 16 21:05:59 UTC 2010     root@mason.cse.buffalo.edu:/usr/obj/usr/src/sys/GENERIC

*** Scanning sound adapter #-1 ***
/dev/oss/oss_cmi878x0/pcm0 (audio engine 0): Asus Xonar D2X (AV200) (MultiChannel)
- Performing audio playback test... 
  <left> OK <right> OK <stereo> OK <measured srate 48010.00 Hz (0.02%)> 
/dev/oss/oss_cmi878x0/pcm1 (audio engine 6): Asus Xonar D2X (AV200) (SPDIF)
- Performing audio playback test... 
  <left> OK <right> OK <stereo> OK <measured srate 48003.00 Hz (0.01%)> 

*** All tests completed OK ***
```
Still I don't hear anything.

Edit: Obviously, OSS v4.2 build 2002 from 8.0-STABLE doesn't support the D2X as support for it was added a month after the release. :\ Any chance to get it working anyway?


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## adamk (Mar 24, 2010)

You could build oss from mercurial:

http://www.opensound.com/wiki/index.php/Building_OSSv4_from_source

I can't guarantee it will work, obviously, but I've pulled OSS from source on a number of my machines due to features added in mercurial that aren't in the release in ports.

Adam


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## volatilevoid (Mar 24, 2010)

Thanks adamk. I'll give it a try.


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## volatilevoid (Mar 25, 2010)

So, now I compiled OSS from source and installed it and both my onboard Intel HDA and the Xonar D2X get detected.

Strangely, if I don't `# kldload snd_hda` first and unload it and execute `# soundon` afterwards, the machine freezes when starting X. I was hoping to be able just to use the 4Front OSS driver, but obviously, that doesn't work for me. :\

Any hints?


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## adamk (Mar 25, 2010)

Let the OSS developers know: http://4front-tech.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=5

Adam


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## volatilevoid (Mar 26, 2010)

Well, I solved the problem by disabling on-board sound.


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