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    Please do not post a support request without first reading and following the advice in https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/3/read-this-first

    Linux no sound retropie / emulation station HDMI or USB

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    no sound linux hdmi audio usb audio
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    • T
      technicaljunky
      last edited by

      Hi all, I am trying to run retro pie on my linux pc and I have tried many things in a ton of posts and also the official help on retro pies sound page. Here are some details on my audio setup

      aplay -l
card 0: NVidia [HDA NVidia], device 3: HDMI 0 [HDMI 0]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 0: NVidia [HDA NVidia], device 7: HDMI 1 [HDMI 1]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 0: NVidia [HDA NVidia], device 8: HDMI 2 [HDMI 2]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 0: NVidia [HDA NVidia], device 9: HDMI 3 [HDMI 3]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 0: NVidia [HDA NVidia], device 10: HDMI 4 [HDMI 4]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 0: NVidia [HDA NVidia], device 11: HDMI 5 [HDMI 5]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 0: NVidia [HDA NVidia], device 12: HDMI 6 [HDMI 6]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 1: R41PM [R-41PM], device 0: USB Audio [USB Audio]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 2: Controller [Wireless Controller], device 0: USB Audio [USB Audio]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0


      $ pacmd list-sinks
1 sink(s) available.
  * index: 0
	name: <alsa_output.usb-NAE_Technologies_Inc_R-41PM-01.iec958-stereo>
	driver: <module-alsa-card.c>
	flags: HARDWARE DECIBEL_VOLUME LATENCY DYNAMIC_LATENCY
	state: SUSPENDED
	suspend cause: IDLE
	priority: 9048
	volume: front-left: 65536 / 100% / 0.00 dB,   front-right: 65536 / 100% / 0.00 dB
	        balance 0.00
	base volume: 65536 / 100% / 0.00 dB
	volume steps: 65537
	muted: no
	current latency: 0.00 ms
	max request: 0 KiB
	max rewind: 0 KiB
	monitor source: 0
	sample spec: s16le 2ch 48000Hz
	channel map: front-left,front-right
	             Stereo
	used by: 0
	linked by: 1
	configured latency: 0.00 ms; range is 0.50 .. 1837.50 ms
	card: 1 <alsa_card.usb-NAE_Technologies_Inc_R-41PM-01>
	module: 8
	properties:
		alsa.resolution_bits = "16"
		device.api = "alsa"
		device.class = "sound"
		alsa.class = "generic"
		alsa.subclass = "generic-mix"
		alsa.name = "USB Audio"
		alsa.id = "USB Audio"
		alsa.subdevice = "0"
		alsa.subdevice_name = "subdevice #0"
		alsa.device = "0"
		alsa.card = "1"
		alsa.card_name = "R-41PM"
		alsa.long_card_name = "NAE Technologies Inc R-41PM at usb-0000:00:14.0-2, full speed"
		alsa.driver_name = "snd_usb_audio"
		device.bus_path = "pci-0000:00:14.0-usb-0:2:1.1"
		sysfs.path = "/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:14.0/usb1/1-2/1-2:1.1/sound/card1"
		udev.id = "usb-NAE_Technologies_Inc_R-41PM-01"
		device.bus = "usb"
		device.vendor.id = "262a"
		device.vendor.name = "NAE Technologies Inc"
		device.product.id = "180a"
		device.product.name = "R-41PM"
		device.serial = "NAE_Technologies_Inc_R-41PM"
		device.string = "iec958:1"
		device.buffering.buffer_size = "352800"
		device.buffering.fragment_size = "176400"
		device.access_mode = "mmap+timer"
		device.profile.name = "iec958-stereo"
		device.profile.description = "Digital Stereo (IEC958)"
		device.description = "R-41PM Digital Stereo (IEC958)"
		module-udev-detect.discovered = "1"
		device.icon_name = "audio-card-usb"
	ports:
		iec958-stereo-output: Digital Output (S/PDIF) (priority 0, latency offset 0 usec, available: unknown)
			properties:
				
	active port: <iec958-stereo-output>

      In emulation station I tried to configure the sound with Default and HDMI first with no luck I get an error Mar 21 09:11:42 lvl0: VolumeControl::init() - Failed to find mixer elements!

      I tried to find what I need to setup using the guide where it says you can just add your sound card to the es_settings.cfg

      I started at step 1 "Step 1: Configuring the Operating System"
      And it only has info for a pi, (Sound does work from either device HDMI or USB so I figured the OS is OK)

      Then I went to Step 2 "Step 2: Choosing the Audio Card in EmulationStation"

      aplay -L
default
    Playback/recording through the PulseAudio sound server
surround21
    2.1 Surround output to Front and Subwoofer speakers
surround40
    4.0 Surround output to Front and Rear speakers
surround41
    4.1 Surround output to Front, Rear and Subwoofer speakers
surround50
    5.0 Surround output to Front, Center and Rear speakers
surround51
    5.1 Surround output to Front, Center, Rear and Subwoofer speakers
surround71
    7.1 Surround output to Front, Center, Side, Rear and Woofer speakers
null
    Discard all samples (playback) or generate zero samples (capture)
samplerate
    Rate Converter Plugin Using Samplerate Library
speexrate
    Rate Converter Plugin Using Speex Resampler
jack
    JACK Audio Connection Kit
oss
    Open Sound System
pulse
    PulseAudio Sound Server
upmix
    Plugin for channel upmix (4,6,8)
vdownmix
    Plugin for channel downmix (stereo) with a simple spacialization
hdmi:CARD=NVidia,DEV=0
    HDA NVidia, HDMI 0
    HDMI Audio Output
hdmi:CARD=NVidia,DEV=1
    HDA NVidia, HDMI 1
    HDMI Audio Output
hdmi:CARD=NVidia,DEV=2
    HDA NVidia, HDMI 2
    HDMI Audio Output
hdmi:CARD=NVidia,DEV=3
    HDA NVidia, HDMI 3
    HDMI Audio Output
hdmi:CARD=NVidia,DEV=4
    HDA NVidia, HDMI 4
    HDMI Audio Output
hdmi:CARD=NVidia,DEV=5
    HDA NVidia, HDMI 5
    HDMI Audio Output
hdmi:CARD=NVidia,DEV=6
    HDA NVidia, HDMI 6
    HDMI Audio Output
dmix:CARD=NVidia,DEV=3
    HDA NVidia, HDMI 0
    Direct sample mixing device
dmix:CARD=NVidia,DEV=7
    HDA NVidia, HDMI 1
    Direct sample mixing device
dmix:CARD=NVidia,DEV=8
    HDA NVidia, HDMI 2
    Direct sample mixing device
dmix:CARD=NVidia,DEV=9
    HDA NVidia, HDMI 3
    Direct sample mixing device
dmix:CARD=NVidia,DEV=10
    HDA NVidia, HDMI 4
    Direct sample mixing device
dmix:CARD=NVidia,DEV=11
    HDA NVidia, HDMI 5
    Direct sample mixing device
dmix:CARD=NVidia,DEV=12
    HDA NVidia, HDMI 6
    Direct sample mixing device
dsnoop:CARD=NVidia,DEV=3
    HDA NVidia, HDMI 0
    Direct sample snooping device
dsnoop:CARD=NVidia,DEV=7
    HDA NVidia, HDMI 1
    Direct sample snooping device
dsnoop:CARD=NVidia,DEV=8
    HDA NVidia, HDMI 2
    Direct sample snooping device
dsnoop:CARD=NVidia,DEV=9
    HDA NVidia, HDMI 3
    Direct sample snooping device
dsnoop:CARD=NVidia,DEV=10
    HDA NVidia, HDMI 4
    Direct sample snooping device
dsnoop:CARD=NVidia,DEV=11
    HDA NVidia, HDMI 5
    Direct sample snooping device
dsnoop:CARD=NVidia,DEV=12
    HDA NVidia, HDMI 6
    Direct sample snooping device
hw:CARD=NVidia,DEV=3
    HDA NVidia, HDMI 0
    Direct hardware device without any conversions
hw:CARD=NVidia,DEV=7
    HDA NVidia, HDMI 1
    Direct hardware device without any conversions
hw:CARD=NVidia,DEV=8
    HDA NVidia, HDMI 2
    Direct hardware device without any conversions
hw:CARD=NVidia,DEV=9
    HDA NVidia, HDMI 3
    Direct hardware device without any conversions
hw:CARD=NVidia,DEV=10
    HDA NVidia, HDMI 4
    Direct hardware device without any conversions
hw:CARD=NVidia,DEV=11
    HDA NVidia, HDMI 5
    Direct hardware device without any conversions
hw:CARD=NVidia,DEV=12
    HDA NVidia, HDMI 6
    Direct hardware device without any conversions
plughw:CARD=NVidia,DEV=3
    HDA NVidia, HDMI 0
    Hardware device with all software conversions
plughw:CARD=NVidia,DEV=7
    HDA NVidia, HDMI 1
    Hardware device with all software conversions
plughw:CARD=NVidia,DEV=8
    HDA NVidia, HDMI 2
    Hardware device with all software conversions
plughw:CARD=NVidia,DEV=9
    HDA NVidia, HDMI 3
    Hardware device with all software conversions
plughw:CARD=NVidia,DEV=10
    HDA NVidia, HDMI 4
    Hardware device with all software conversions
plughw:CARD=NVidia,DEV=11
    HDA NVidia, HDMI 5
    Hardware device with all software conversions
plughw:CARD=NVidia,DEV=12
    HDA NVidia, HDMI 6
    Hardware device with all software conversions
usbstream:CARD=NVidia
    HDA NVidia
    USB Stream Output
sysdefault:CARD=R41PM
    R-41PM, USB Audio
    Default Audio Device
front:CARD=R41PM,DEV=0
    R-41PM, USB Audio
    Front speakers
surround21:CARD=R41PM,DEV=0
    R-41PM, USB Audio
    2.1 Surround output to Front and Subwoofer speakers
surround40:CARD=R41PM,DEV=0
    R-41PM, USB Audio
    4.0 Surround output to Front and Rear speakers
surround41:CARD=R41PM,DEV=0
    R-41PM, USB Audio
    4.1 Surround output to Front, Rear and Subwoofer speakers
surround50:CARD=R41PM,DEV=0
    R-41PM, USB Audio
    5.0 Surround output to Front, Center and Rear speakers
surround51:CARD=R41PM,DEV=0
    R-41PM, USB Audio
    5.1 Surround output to Front, Center, Rear and Subwoofer speakers
surround71:CARD=R41PM,DEV=0
    R-41PM, USB Audio
    7.1 Surround output to Front, Center, Side, Rear and Woofer speakers
iec958:CARD=R41PM,DEV=0
    R-41PM, USB Audio
    IEC958 (S/PDIF) Digital Audio Output
dmix:CARD=R41PM,DEV=0
    R-41PM, USB Audio
    Direct sample mixing device
dsnoop:CARD=R41PM,DEV=0
    R-41PM, USB Audio
    Direct sample snooping device
hw:CARD=R41PM,DEV=0
    R-41PM, USB Audio
    Direct hardware device without any conversions
plughw:CARD=R41PM,DEV=0
    R-41PM, USB Audio
    Hardware device with all software conversions
usbstream:CARD=R41PM
    R-41PM
    USB Stream Output
sysdefault:CARD=Controller
    Wireless Controller, USB Audio
    Default Audio Device
front:CARD=Controller,DEV=0
    Wireless Controller, USB Audio
    Front speakers
surround21:CARD=Controller,DEV=0
    Wireless Controller, USB Audio
    2.1 Surround output to Front and Subwoofer speakers
surround40:CARD=Controller,DEV=0
    Wireless Controller, USB Audio
    4.0 Surround output to Front and Rear speakers
surround41:CARD=Controller,DEV=0
    Wireless Controller, USB Audio
    4.1 Surround output to Front, Rear and Subwoofer speakers
surround50:CARD=Controller,DEV=0
    Wireless Controller, USB Audio
    5.0 Surround output to Front, Center and Rear speakers
surround51:CARD=Controller,DEV=0
    Wireless Controller, USB Audio
    5.1 Surround output to Front, Center, Rear and Subwoofer speakers
surround71:CARD=Controller,DEV=0
    Wireless Controller, USB Audio
    7.1 Surround output to Front, Center, Side, Rear and Woofer speakers
iec958:CARD=Controller,DEV=0
    Wireless Controller, USB Audio
    IEC958 (S/PDIF) Digital Audio Output
dmix:CARD=Controller,DEV=0
    Wireless Controller, USB Audio
    Direct sample mixing device
dsnoop:CARD=Controller,DEV=0
    Wireless Controller, USB Audio
    Direct sample snooping device
hw:CARD=Controller,DEV=0
    Wireless Controller, USB Audio
    Direct hardware device without any conversions
plughw:CARD=Controller,DEV=0
    Wireless Controller, USB Audio
    Hardware device with all software conversions
usbstream:CARD=Controller
    Wireless Controller
    USB Stream Output
usbstream:CARD=MIC
    AmazonBasics USB Gaming MIC
    USB Stream Output

      Says to choose one of the options available, and it looks like I can use
      sysdefault:CARD=R41PM
      R-41PM, USB Audio
      Default Audio Device

      So in emulation station I set sysdefault

      Then I try to check Audio Device Mixer I can use and it looks like it can't find my R41PM

      amixer scontrols -D R41PM
ALSA lib control.c:1379:(snd_ctl_open_noupdate) Invalid CTL R41PM
amixer: Mixer attach R41PM error: No such file or directory

      The next stem says if you can't find one no worries you can add one so next step I checked both default and sysdefault they both produce the same thing so I edit the cfg file

      <string name="AudioCard" value="default" />
<string name="AudioDevice" value="IEC958" />

      or

      <string name="AudioCard" value="sysdefault" />
<string name="AudioDevice" value="IEC958" />

      And they both give an error when I try to setup the settings in emulation station > sound settings

      Mar 21 09:41:01 lvl0: 	VolumeControl::init() - Failed to find mixer elements!

      amixer scontrols -D default
Simple mixer control 'IEC958',0
Simple mixer control 'IEC958',1
Simple mixer control 'IEC958',2
Simple mixer control 'IEC958',3
Simple mixer control 'IEC958',4
Simple mixer control 'IEC958',5
Simple mixer control 'IEC958',6


      amixer scontrols -D sysdefault
Simple mixer control 'IEC958',0
Simple mixer control 'IEC958',1
Simple mixer control 'IEC958',2
Simple mixer control 'IEC958',3
Simple mixer control 'IEC958',4
Simple mixer control 'IEC958',5
Simple mixer control 'IEC958',6

      So I was wondering if anyone has any other ideas they could lead me to sorry for the long post!

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • mituM
        mitu Global Moderator
        last edited by

        Your system seems to be using PulseAudio as the default ALSA card. Run alsamixer and see which is the default mixer name (Master ?) and use Default/<MixerName> as audio card/device in EmulationStation.

        T 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • T
          technicaljunky @mitu
          last edited by

          @mitu Thanks I think I will install a different distro seems like I only have a choice to use pulse audio in linux mint and I can't remove it as it is part of the cinnamon desktop

          mituM 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • mituM
            mitu Global Moderator @technicaljunky
            last edited by

            @technicaljunky It's not a problem if PulseAudio is present - the only issue for you seems to be EmulationStation's audio settings, which should be solvable with the correct configuration.

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
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