multiple sound outputs- how do I do it?

[jehan60188]

So, in Windows, I can play a movie, and listen to music, and watch homestarrunner shorts at the same time, and they all will have sound. How do I do that in knoppix?

[xerces8]

Its complicated.
Either all apps use esound, or you use ALSA with dmix.

[Cuddles]

jehan60188,

I use ALSA, and I am also on the ALSA email support group, which has enlightened me, to getting "neat" code fragments, like the following...

If you are running ALSA for your sound, then, simply copy/paste the following code, into a file called .asoundrc (yes, there is a DOT in front of that file name), and place the file in your users home folder... i.e. /home/cuddles/.asoundrc (where my user name is "cuddles" and that is where my /home folder resides...)

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

pcm.dmixer {
        type dmix
        ipc_key 1024
        slave {
           pcm "hw:0,0"
           rate 48000
        }
     }

The above code, in the file I disclosed, has allowed me to play not only a DVD movie (with sound) and a Video Intensive Computer Game (with sound), at the same time.

Hope this helps,
Ms. Cuddles

[waellinux]

hi Cuddles i wanna ask u something
is alsa is installed on knoppix as default or shall i install it?
then if i install it ,how can i configure it

[Cuddles]

waellinux,

How would you know if ALSA is installed?

A: Take a look at the output of lsmod - this command will list out ALL modules that have been loaded.

If ALSA is installed, and configured, you should see some, if not all, of the following within the output:

snd_emu10k1            94180  0
snd_rawmidi            22368  1 snd_emu10k1
snd_seq_device          7696  2 snd_emu10k1,snd_rawmidi
snd_ac97_codec         79504  1 snd_emu10k1
snd_pcm_oss            51936  0
snd_mixer_oss          17856  1 snd_pcm_oss
snd_pcm                90572  3 snd_emu10k1,snd_ac97_codec,snd_pcm_oss
snd_timer              23560  2 snd_emu10k1,snd_pcm
snd_page_alloc          8776  2 snd_emu10k1,snd_pcm
snd_util_mem            3968  1 snd_emu10k1
snd_hwdep               8416  1 snd_emu10k1
snd                    50024  9 snd_emu10k1,snd_rawmidi,snd_seq_device,snd_ac97_codec,snd_pcm_oss,snd_mixer_oss,snd_pcm,snd_timer,snd_hwdep
soundcore               8800  1 snd

Note the presence of snd... devices, and that the "main" modules, named only snd is using a whole lot of other "snd..." modules... Definate sign that ALSA is installed, and running, and configured...

How would one "install" ALSA, and configure it... ?
A: use a very useful command, from within a root Command Line Prompt screen/window:
/usr/sbin/alsaconf -=- or you can just use alsaconf since it is in the search PATH. Like this:
root@neo:~# alsaconf

This will attempt to locate your soundcard, configure it, and then apply all of what ALSA needs.

Before running ALSA though, you should be sure that no other sound server is running, arts, OSS, etc...
( some of the "known" other sound server modules will be like: sound, uart401, any sound card codec's that depend on your cards chipsets, like ac97_codec, and card "audio" modules, like via82cxxx_audio - any of these things not having a snd_ in front of them )

If you are booting off the Live CD, then its a lot easier, you just supply alsa on your boot: prompt line - ie boot: [your other commands] alsa

It should be noted, and I already tried this, that you can not boot the Live CD with the "alsa" option, and then hard drive install, and STILL have alsa running - this trick USED TO work in versions of Knoppix, up to v3.3 - but this trick no longer works in newer versions - you will need to run alsaconf after you hard drive install.

Hope this has helped,
Ms. Cuddles

if you have any problems, or questions, or concerns about ALSA, then, join the ALSA email support group, by going to the following web location, and signing up...
ALSA Email Group

[jehan60188]

ok, well I'm on the alsa website, what do I need to download?

ok, I went and downloaded the driver, and followed the instructions, but now my soundcard doesn't work. what am I doing wrong?!