LVL0 Volume Mixer Continued Issues

jernserval

Error Message:

lvl0: VolumeControl::init() - Failed to find mixer elements!

I was also getting a message from RetroPie Setup saying (roughly, forget exact verbiage):

~/.asource has moved to /etc/alsa/conf.d/99-retropie.conf, do you want to move it there?

Issues Experienced:

No audio in EmulationStation or Retroarch.
Functional audio in non-retroarch cores like Drastic, Ports, etc. and boot splashscreen.

Attempted fixes: https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/26628/audio-issues-after-latest-raspbian-updates-june-2020
&
https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/11256/failed-to-find-mixer-elements/9

System: Rpi4, Raspbian kernel version 5.10.103-v7l+, updated core package of Emulation Station + all other packages and core packages updated to the newest as of posting.

Relevant Additional Information

Ran: apt remove pulseaudio
Set audio configuration to HDMI through the RetroPie Setup menu.
Configured es_settings.cfg according to sticky post by mitu.

Configuration currently in ES:

Audio Card: Default

Audio Device: HDMI

OMX Audio Device: Alsa

Output of aplay -l:

card 0: b1 [bcm2835 HDMI 1], device 0: bcm2835 HDMI 1 [bcm2835 HDMI 1]

Output of amixer:

Simple mixer control 'HDMI',0
Capabilities: pvolume pvolume-joined pswitch pswitch-joined
Playback channels: Mono
Limits: Playback -10239 - 400
Mono: Playback 400 [100%] [4.00dB] [on]

Alsamixer shows:
Card: bcm2835 HDMI 1
Chip: Broadcom Mixer
Item: HDMI [dB gain: 4.00]
Alsamixer Output: 100%

Contents of ~/.asound:

pcm.!default {
  type asym
  playback.pcm {
    type plug
    slave.pcm "output"
  }
  capture.pcm {
    type plug
    slave.pcm "input"
  }
}
 
pcm.output {
  type hw
  card 0
}
 
ctl.!default {
  type hw
  card 0
}

(Note: Contents of /etc/alsa/conf.d/99-Retropie: currently blank)

Where should I start troubleshooting this given I’ve followed the sticky instructions with no change? What other output could be helpful in tracking down the fix?

Should I simply revert to ALSA as the sticky says with the following in config.txt and uninstall pulseaudio?

snd_bcm2835.enable_hdmi=1
snd_bcm2835.enable_headphones=1
snd_bcm2835.enable_compat_alsa=1

windg

Please add more info : https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/3/read-this-first

jernserval

@windg I've updated the OP with additional information.

windg

I have saw simillar error messages when i was experimenting with Bullseye. How did you install RetroPie ?

jernserval

@windg I’m on buster. First install was 2019. Not entirely clear now the particulars.

jernserval

@windg

Additionally, attempted info here: https://retropie.org.uk/forum/post/191528

aplay -l output:

**** List of PLAYBACK Hardware Devices ****
card 0: b1 [bcm2835 HDMI 1], device 0: bcm2835 HDMI 1 [bcm2835 HDMI 1]
  Subdevices: 4/4
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
  Subdevice #1: subdevice #1
  Subdevice #2: subdevice #2
  Subdevice #3: subdevice #3
card 1: Headphones [bcm2835 Headphones], device 0: bcm2835 Headphones [bcm2835 Headphones]
  Subdevices: 4/4
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
  Subdevice #1: subdevice #1
  Subdevice #2: subdevice #2
  Subdevice #3: subdevice #3

However, amixer scontrols -D b1 outputs:

ALSA lib control.c:1375:(snd_ctl_open_noupdate) Invalid CTL b1
amixer: Mixer attach b1 error: No such file or directory

amixer scontrols output:

Simple mixer control 'HDMI',0

The device name seems to be b1 for bcm2835 HDMI?

jernserval

@jernserval

A little more digging for clues....

Output of /usr/share/alsa/alsa.conf indicates a couple different config locations:

pre-load the configuration files

@hooks [
        {
                func load
                files [
                        "/etc/alsa/conf.d"
                        "/etc/asound.conf"
                        "~/.asoundrc"
                ]
                errors false
        }
]

/etc/asound.conf - blank
~/.asoundrc - contents indicated above in first post

jernserval

Another update:

updated raspi-config (for some reason didn't update with rest of packages?)

Indicated I should autoremove some packages, which I did.

Now with default, HDMI, and Alsa, I'm not getting any volume init errors, volume stays at 100%, however I still don't have navigation sound emulationstation or retroarch.

When I tried the retroarch cfg option of audio_device = alsa, I got an error from retroarch saying could not find PCM audio device alsa

Is retroarch still attempting to use pcm?

Any ideas?

Is there a way I can do a cleaner install without messing with my configs and home dir?

jernserval

I've had the time to sit down and flash a brand new SSD of Retropie off of the Raspberry Pi imager and have been able to reproduce the behavior I'm experiencing.

Booted it up and confirmed I had working audio in splash, emulationstation and a retroarch core after setting up my HDMI modes and edid.dat.

Howqever, after updating RetroPie-Setup, or perhaps one of the Libretro cores or their dependencies, I begin to get the message about .asoundrc has moved to 99-retropie.conf when accessing "audio" from the RetroPie options in emulationstation.

That's when the audio konks out again... also a weird joystick message but that's another matter.

Again, this a completely fresh install, Samsung Frame TV, HDMI out,

No sound after updates.

speaker-test -c2 gives no output. alsamixer shows HDMI. Emulationstation shows default / HDMI / ALSA. nothing is muted.

Have followed 100% of all possible fixes and resources I could find.

This has been driving me completely crazy now for over a week or so..... any ideas?

My config.txt info re: HDMI & edid.dat output can be seen here.

mitu

It may be a bug in the Audio settings script. Run from a command line: sudo mkdir /etc/alsa/conf.d, then configure again the Audio - see if after this change you get back the audio.

jernserval

@mitu

Appears to me that this has to do with installing one of the cores or ports or optional packages that installs the libpulse and other audio files.

Here's the output of /var/log/dpkg.log

See libpulse0 entries etc.

Any way to see which Retropie packages called for those dependencies?

Note: I didn't run any updates or upgrades besides the RetroPie-Setup script, the Raspi-Config setup script, and installed some stuff like scummvm, drastic, etc.

Again, this is after flashing a brand new image with Retropie 4.8 for Rpi4. No sound issues before the RetroPie-Setup etc.

Immediately after the RetroPie update, getting lvl0 errors. Again, have followed your older guide re: emulation station changes, no improvement.

mitu

@jernserval said in LVL0 Volume Mixer Continued Issues:

See libpulse0 entries etc.

libpulse packages don't have an effect unless you install pulseaudio also. Some of them where already present on the system, since libpulse0 was upgraded.

jernserval

@mitu

The message I'm receiving when I select "Audio" under RetroPie options is:

The ALSA audio configuration for RetroPie has moved from /home/pi/.asoundrc to /etc/alsa/conf.d/99-retropie.conf 

You have a configuration in /home/pi/.asoundrc - do you want to move it to the new location? If /home/pi/.asoundrc contains your own changes you should choose no.

I chose yes, however....

At first I was going to say, well, that directory already exists! But, even after selecting yes, no /etc/alsa/conf.d exists.

I can't create the dir without using sudo. Would it make sense to create this directory and then go back to audio and say yes move this file? Or run some kind of alsa installation?

I've heard alternately to use:

~/.asoundrc
/usr/share/alsa.conf
/etc/alsa/conf.d

I'm wondering where exactly I should be focusing my energy.

Contents of ~/asoundrc below. Shoudl this be what is contained in the 99-retropie.conf?

pcm.!default {
  type asym
  playback.pcm {
    type plug
    slave.pcm "output"
  }
  capture.pcm {
    type plug
    slave.pcm "input"
  }
}

pcm.output {
  type hw
  card 0
}

ctl.!default {
  type hw
  card 0
}

Contents of alsa

Re: Tracking down culprit...

Also, seems to me that dosbox is installing sdl1 stuff and other dependencies that aren't for rpi4? Isn't sdl1 incompatible?

See see here: RetroPie-Setup/apt/****log.gz

jernserval

@mitu

re:

"It may be a bug in the Audio settings script. Run from a command line: sudo mkdir /etc/alsa/conf.d, then configure again the Audio - see if after this change you get back the audio."

I can confirm that after

sudo mkdir /etc/alsa/
sudo mkdir /etc/alsa/conf.d
sudo raspi-config >>> Audio configure for HDMI
sudo sh ~/RetroPie-Setup/retropie_setup.sh >> Audio configure for HDMI

Sound Works Now:

Splashscreen video

Sound Still Doesn't Work:

Emulationstation navigation
Retroarch

Again, sound was working before the updates with a fresh install of 4.8

uname -a 
Linux RPI4 5.10.103-v7l+ #1529 SMP Tue Mar 8 12:24:00 GMT 2022 armv7l GNU/Linux

Why would this be?

Just to reconfirm:

Nothing is muted. Stock RPI4 attempting HDMI audio out.

In emustation set to default / HDMI / alsa.

amixer output:

Simple mixer control 'HDMI',0
Capabilities: pvolume pvolume-joined pswitch pswitch-joined
Playback channels: Mono
Limits: Playback -10239 - 400
Mono: Playback -26 [96%] [-0.26dB] [on]

alsamixer output:

│ Card: bcm2835 HDMI 1 F1: Help │
│ Chip: Broadcom Mixer F2: System information │
│ View: F3:[Playback] F4: Capture F5: All F6: Select sound card │
│ Item: HDMI [dB gain: -0.26]

HDMI at 85% volume

jernserval

@jernserval

Side note: Reviewing everything I've installed, it seems REICAST for dreamcast installs alsa-oss, which may have something to do with it.

And:

Here is the output of alsactl -debug init

output of grep -r "alsa" in /var/log gives only these kernel messages:

kern.log.1:Jan 31 05:21:03 RPI4 kernel: [ 0.000000] Kernel command line: coherent_pool=1M 8250.nr_uarts=1 snd_bcm2835.enable_compat_alsa=0 snd_bcm2835.enable_hdmi=1 video=HDMI-A-1:1920x1080M@60

and it looks like we may have the culprit?

snd_bcm2835.enable_compat_alsa=0 should be snd_bcm2835.enable_compat_alsa=1, no?

where was this turned on and how? I didn't do it.

Something in the setup or update scripts must have done that.

jernserval

@jernserval

And two new related questions:

If I install let’s say…. Drastic from Retropie-Setup and it installs its dependencies, when I remove Drastic it seems to not also remove its dependencies?

Auto-remove doesn’t either.

When I go to retropie-setup > configuration > there is now a new option that wasn’t there when the sound was working.

Options are

1 HDMI
2 Headphones
3 mixer - adjust
4 reset to defaults

However still lvl0 failed to find mixer

mitu

@jernserval said in LVL0 Volume Mixer Continued Issues:

kern.log.1:Jan 31 05:21:03 RPI4 kernel: [ 0.000000] Kernel command line: coherent_pool=1M 8250.nr_uarts=1 snd_bcm2835.enable_compat_alsa=0 snd_bcm2835.enable_hdmi=1 video=HDMI-A-1:1920x1080M@60

and it looks like we may have the culprit?

snd_bcm2835.enable_compat_alsa=0 should be snd_bcm2835.enable_compat_alsa=1, no?

No, that option does something else and it's not the cause of this. You don't need to modify config.txt for the audio to work (with ALSA).

You can use either raspi-config to set the audio or the Audio menu in RetroPie, they both look similar, but the former will produce a $HOME/.asoundrc while the latter will attempt to save the configuration in /etc/alsa/conf.d.

Can you run again aplay -l and post the output ?

jernserval

@mitu

I've already done that, a number of times.

There's something more complicated going on here.

I attempted a completely fresh install to track my progress better step-by-step.

It's here: https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/34489/continued-sound-issues-some-kind-of-bug

There seems to be:

A bug somewhere in the RetroPie audio script since 4.8 (whatever update coincided with the ".asoundrc is no longer being used" message).

Why would raspi-config generate .asoundrc when we should be using /etc/alsa/conf.d/99-retropie.conf? Why multiple config files for the same thing?

Something kind of bug or interaction with omx player.

I think most of those who are posting with lvl0 volume mixer issues who aren't helped by your guide are stumbling because they have omx player enabled.