How I did to make USB/webcam microphone work with aMSN SVN

[overflow1990]

I did that topic to all those that have problem for using their USB microphone ( we consider the webcam built-in microphones as USB microphone )

I also use this topic to ask the developpers IF possible please, deliver the snack library in the RPMs or in the SVN, and the original snack library, not a unworking library that I encountered almost everytime , the original is here http://www.speech.kth.se/snack

I hope i'll be the most easy to understand possible , sorry i'm french lol !

First of all, install the aMSN SVN version here http://www.amsn-project.net/amsn_dev.tar.gz
You must have all the library asked,
as far as I know, you MUST have libpng and libjpeg ( I'm sure there is other dependencies, please tell them )
But i'm not gonna make a tutorial for installing SVN :p

So >>>

Download snack from here http://www.speech.kth.se/snack/dist/snack2.2.10.tar.gz ( or the latest at http://www.speech.kth.se/snack/download.html by choosing Source Release For All Platform)

FOR FEDORA USERS >>>> http://www.amsn-project.net/~lephilousophe/fedora/libsnack-2.2.10-2.fc7.i386.rpm
no need to follow this tutorial, just jump to the usb audio part

Then

1.be sure to have alsa-devel package ( for yum , write in a terminal under root : yum install alsa-devel )

2.then, unzip the tar in a folder and

3.open a terminal in the folder

4.log under root  

Code:

 su -
write_your_password 

5. Go in the directory that contains snack
   

Code:

 cd /the_directory_where_you_extracted_it\unix 

Don't forget, you need to be in the unix folder ! and don't delete the others ( especially generic for example )

6.then write "

Code:

./configure --with-tk=/usr/lib/ --with-tcl=/usr/lib/ --enable-alsa

"

( change the " /usr/lib/ " if you are certain that the tk and tcl are installed in another folder )

7.Then you wait for the configuration to be done, you write "

Code:

make

" , it must install it , if there is an error because of ALSA, it's because you haven't installed the source of alsa ( alsa-devel )

8.then write "

Code:

make install

", there are links created

9.You think that's done ? NO ! in a console under root session , write

Code:

 vi /etc/modprobe.conf 

( or gedit or nano if you want other text editors or if you don't have vi :p )
And some people don't have the modprobe.conf, maybe /etc/modules.conf sometimes, I cannot tell you i'm sorry

10. copy/paste that ( seems to not be necessary under Ubuntu O_o )

alias sound-slot-X snd-usb-audio
alias sound-card-X snd-usb-audio
options snd-usb-audio index=X

X MUST BE a number that is not used by another sound card for example, I already had a sound card where X was 0, for the usb microphone, I used 1, just use a number that is not already used

alias sound-slot-X snd-usb-audio is for OSS gestion ( put it anyway )
alias sound-card-X snd-usb-audio is for ALSA gestion
options snd-usb-audio index=X set the card ID ( I think ) the number instead of X that you use is the SAME than the others X

11. Reboot the computer OR write (seems to be " snd_usb_audio " under Ubuntu )

Code:

rmmod usb-snd-audio

to load off the usb audio driver ( edit : DON'T PANIC if it says module is not in /proc/module, this command is to execute just to be sure it's unloaded, if it's unloaded, well contnue the tutorial ! >>> then write "

Code:

modprobe usb-snd-audio

" to reload

12. Go in aMSN ( if it's already executed, restart it !) , then Preferences , Then in others and click on Audio Video Assistant ( or Wizard, I don't really know :p)

13.Normally, when you get to the " Choose your microphone " try the devices to know which one is your , test with the record button

14. Normally, it works !

If you have problems or want to correct something ( i'm sure someone will do because I did not tell everything well I think )

post here !

[Phil]

Thanks for the tutorial, I hope I will be able after exams to put Snack with Alsa in Fedora....

[overflow1990]

Thanks for the tutorial, I hope I will be able after exams to put Snack with Alsa in Fedora....

I use Fedora and it perfectly works

[Phil]

It's not through Yum so it doesn't work :p

[overflow1990]

It's not through Yum so it doesn't work :p

You don't have to have Yum

What is your distribution ? you can use the packet manager of your distribution et try to find the alsa-devel for your distribution !

I just realised that alsa-devel packet was a little hard to find , I give that list maybe you'll find for your distribution http://rpm.pbone.net/index.php3?stat=3&limit=1&srodzaj=1&dl=40&search=alsa-devel&dist[]=32&field[]=1&field[]=2

but there is alsa-devel for all distributions normally !

[kakaroto]

he meant for it to work, it needs to be in yum, so I guess he wants to created a package for FC.
btw, SVN tutorial can be found here : http://amsn-project.net/wiki/SVN

[Phil]

I just meant that users shouldn't have to use ./configure
In an ideal world, users should only use their package manager to get what they want when they want...
Anyway, I know that's ideal

[ramadhian]

I have already follow the previous step

at Video & Audio Setup Wizard
I choose :
- Ouput Device = /dev/dsp
- Mixer = /dev/mixer

Play Audio Test can produce sound perfectly at this step

at Input Device there are several device, such as :
/dev/dsp, /dev/dsp1, /dev/audio, /dev/audio1  

then I choose /dev/dsp1 as my Input Device

When I click Record test button
It said :
"An Error Accoured When Trying to record the Sound
 Could not gain access to /dev/dsp1 for writting"

same error if I choose /dev/audio1
if I choose /dev/dsp or /dev/audio,
record test produce No Error Msg but No Sound Recorded at all, it just silent

Any Hints about this ??

[overflow1990]

Did you install snack from a RPM or from the sources ?

Well if from sources, when you configure libsnack, add the --enable-alsa


 

Code:

./configure --enable-alsa

edit : the /dev/dsp /dev/audio are because of OSS, but I think that you use ALSA with your sound-card, so here is the reason why you must add the --enable-alsa

notice : your devices won't be recognized as /dev/something but as hw-xxxx , if the --enable-alsa worked

[ramadhian]

I do compile snack with --enable-alsa
bcoz I can hear sound when Playing Test File Output Device at "Configuring Audio Setting - Step 3"

with /dev/dsp as my Output Device ,, the problem is just Recording Audio Test at "Configuring Your Microphone - Step 4"

How do I find my device in ALSA Methode ? bcoz ALSA Device is not listed at Setup Wizard ?

[overflow1990]

alias sound-slot-X snd-usb-audio is for OSS gestion ( put it anyway )
alias sound-card-X snd-usb-audio is for ALSA gestion

Did you check that ? because the /dev/dsp is the result of OSS using

then also, check the permissions for /dev/dsp and dsp1

[ramadhian]

kenzo@ramadhian:~$ cat /etc/modprobe.d/aliases | grep sound

alias sound-slot-1 snd-usb-audio
alias sound-card-1 snd-usb-audio

Should I pick only ALSA or both of them still OK ?

kenzo@ramadhian:~$ ls -lh /dev/dsp*

crw-rw---- 1 root audio 14,  3 2007-06-17 17:33 /dev/dsp
crw-rw---- 1 root audio 14, 19 2007-06-17 17:33 /dev/dsp1

[overflow1990]

I prefer that you use only ALSA

for the permissions, I don't really know lol ! but I set all groups to reading and writing, to be sure that there is no restriction ...


if it still doesn't work, let me know it :p I've got another solution

by the way : how did you configure ?  ./configure --enable-alsa only ?


because if not, there will be files to symbolic-link

[ramadhian]

kenzo@ramadhian:~$ cat /etc/modprobe.d/aliases | grep snd
## alias sound-slot-1 snd-usb-audio
alias sound-card-1 snd-usb-audio
options snd-usb-audio index=1

Now I already set for ALSA Only


./configure --prefix=/usr --enable-alsa for Snack

[overflow1990]

you forgot to say..... Does it work ? ^_^