Bug 1046512 - pulseaudio sound cracks every time it starts and stops
Summary: pulseaudio sound cracks every time it starts and stops
Keywords:
Status: CLOSED EOL
Alias: None
Product: Fedora
Classification: Fedora
Component: alsa-lib
Version: 20
Hardware: x86_64
OS: Linux
unspecified
unspecified
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: Jaroslav Kysela
QA Contact: Fedora Extras Quality Assurance
URL:
Whiteboard:
Depends On:
Blocks:
TreeView+ depends on / blocked
 
Reported: 2013-12-25 23:09 UTC by redhat
Modified: 2015-06-29 13:49 UTC (History)
6 users (show)

Fixed In Version:
Clone Of:
Environment:
Last Closed: 2015-06-29 13:49:29 UTC
Type: Bug
Embargoed:


Attachments (Terms of Use)
output of alsa-info.sh (45.69 KB, text/plain)
2014-01-25 06:13 UTC, redhat
no flags Details
'amixer -c0' output (3.64 KB, text/plain)
2014-01-25 06:16 UTC, redhat
no flags Details
pactl list (27.43 KB, text/plain)
2014-01-25 13:16 UTC, redhat
no flags Details
pulseaudio -vvvv (2.05 KB, text/plain)
2014-01-25 13:17 UTC, redhat
no flags Details
no autospawn (175.13 KB, text/plain)
2014-01-25 15:05 UTC, redhat
no flags Details
no autospawn pulseaudio -vvvvv (167.07 KB, text/plain)
2014-01-25 15:52 UTC, redhat
no flags Details
no autospawn, pulseaudio -vvvvv, pacmd ls (23.15 KB, text/plain)
2014-01-25 15:53 UTC, redhat
no flags Details

Description redhat 2013-12-25 23:09:51 UTC
Description of problem:
Every time I start some sound and end some sound there is a crack. This is very evident and annoying with the system alert sound on Gnome.

Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable):
4.0

How reproducible:
Easily, and consistently reproducible.

Steps to Reproduce:

1. Prepare by raising the volume on the 'Front' bar on alsamixer, 'Line' also works if that is the output. Even here on alsamixer changing the volume of this bar is enough to create cracks. If you don't see these bars, make sure you choose the right sound card first, pressing F6. If you don't have those bars even with the correct sound card, just change the volume of the bars you do have and notice if there are any cracks changing volume, if there are, max out that bar.

2. Start a sound and notice a crack just before it starts. The gnome-terminal is great for this, you can just press the right or left cursor key to trigger an alert. Make sure you have the alerts toggled on and with reasonable volume, on the gnome control center, the Audio section, the Sound Effects tab.

3. Stop the sound and notice a crack after is stops. Sometimes you need to actually exit the media application to trigger the crack and it can take a few seconds after the app exits for you to hear it.

Actual results:
Cracks everywhere.

Expected results:
Silky smooth audio.

Additional info:
This happens on gnome-terminal, totem and vlc. On the gnome-terminal it's easier to test because you don't need to exit to hear the crack when the alert sound stops.

Comment 1 redhat 2013-12-25 23:29:01 UTC
I performed the initial tests on an Intel G43 chipset, I also tried with a Steelseries 5Hv2 USB sound card and even though the cracking sounds different, it is still there.

Comment 2 redhat 2013-12-25 23:39:33 UTC
I'm using headphones btw, they are generally connected to the back of my pc tower, I just connected to a jack in the front of the tower and now the bars on alsamixer 'Front' and 'Line' are smooth, 'Master' and 'Headphones' crack.

Comment 3 redhat 2013-12-26 04:34:01 UTC
I noticed when the alert sound goes off, the master volume changes on alsamixer, I maxed out the alert sound volume on the gnome settings, and now when it goes off it doesn't change in alsamixer, and the cracks have stopped. This is painful workaround though, the alert sound volume is too loud this way.

Comment 4 Rex Dieter 2014-01-23 13:24:08 UTC
This is possibly an alsa/driver issue, reassigning for comment.

Comment 5 Raymond 2014-01-25 05:21:33 UTC
do the crack occur when you play directly to the alsa hardware without pulseaudio ?

speaker-test -c2 -t wav -D hw:0,0 

post the output of alsa-info.sh

Comment 6 Raymond 2014-01-25 05:26:53 UTC
you have to provide pulseaudio verbose log if the crack only occurs when using pulseaudio 

http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/How_to_debug_PulseAudio_problems

Comment 7 redhat 2014-01-25 06:13:09 UTC
Created attachment 855309 [details]
output of alsa-info.sh

Comment 8 redhat 2014-01-25 06:16:33 UTC
Created attachment 855310 [details]
'amixer -c0' output

Comment 9 redhat 2014-01-25 06:19:37 UTC
speaker-test -c2 -t wav -D hw:0,0

I heard no cracking during this test.

--------

I attached the outputs of:
alsa-info.sh
amixer -c0

Comment 10 Raymond 2014-01-25 11:12:26 UTC
you have to post the pulseaudio verbose log

pactl list

pulseaudio -vvvv

Comment 11 redhat 2014-01-25 13:16:27 UTC
Created attachment 855389 [details]
pactl list

Comment 12 redhat 2014-01-25 13:17:07 UTC
Created attachment 855390 [details]
pulseaudio -vvvv

Comment 13 Raymond 2014-01-25 13:55:58 UTC
you have to following the instruction in 


http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/How_to_debug_PulseAudio_problems

to disable auto spwan 

and obtain the log when and repeat your step to reproduce the bug

Comment 14 redhat 2014-01-25 15:05:47 UTC
Created attachment 855416 [details]
no autospawn

Comment 15 redhat 2014-01-25 15:52:20 UTC
Created attachment 855419 [details]
no autospawn pulseaudio -vvvvv

I wasn't able to reproduce the bug under these conditions, the alert sound didn't plat at all on the terminal window, it only worked on the gnome-settings menu, without cracking, other sounds, from other applications didn't present the bug anymore.

Comment 16 redhat 2014-01-25 15:53:05 UTC
Created attachment 855420 [details]
no autospawn, pulseaudio -vvvvv, pacmd ls

Comment 17 Raymond 2014-01-26 08:03:56 UTC
do you m(In reply to redhat from comment #2)
> I'm using headphones btw, they are generally connected to the back of my pc
> tower, I just connected to a jack in the front of the tower and now the bars
> on alsamixer 'Front' and 'Line' are smooth, 'Master' and 'Headphones' crack.


do you mean you are not using front audio panel headphone ?


only green Jack at rear panel have HP amp 

  Pincap 0x0000001c: OUT HP Detect

but this is not enabled since it is setup as line out, 

Pin-ctls: 0x40: OUT

the other output Jack did not have HP amp




Node 0x1c [Pin Complex] wcaps 0x40058d: Stereo Amp-Out
  Control: name="Front Playback Volume", index=0, device=0
    ControlAmp: chs=3, dir=Out, idx=0, ofs=0
  Control: name="Front Playback Switch", index=0, device=0
    ControlAmp: chs=3, dir=Out, idx=0, ofs=0
  Control: name="Line Out Front Jack", index=0, device=0
  Amp-Out caps: ofs=0x1b, nsteps=0x1b, stepsize=0x06, mute=1
  Amp-Out vals:  [0x11 0x11]
  Pincap 0x0000001c: OUT HP Detect
  Pin Default 0x01014010: [Jack] Line Out at Ext Rear
    Conn = 1/8, Color = Green
    DefAssociation = 0x1, Sequence = 0x0
  Pin-ctls: 0x40: OUT
  Unsolicited: tag=01, enabled=1



did you set the front audio panel type in bios setup of your Asus motherboard?

Misc = NO_PRESENCE

this mean  front audio panel does not support Jack detection


Node 0x1d [Pin Complex] wcaps 0x40058d: Stereo Amp-Out
  Control: name="Headphone Playback Volume", index=0, device=0
    ControlAmp: chs=3, dir=Out, idx=0, ofs=0
  Control: name="Headphone Playback Switch", index=0, device=0
    ControlAmp: chs=3, dir=Out, idx=0, ofs=0
  Control: name="Front Headphone Phantom Jack", index=0, device=0
  Amp-Out caps: ofs=0x1b, nsteps=0x1b, stepsize=0x06, mute=1
  Amp-Out vals:  [0x11 0x11]
  Pincap 0x0000001c: OUT HP Detect
  Pin Default 0x0221411f: [Jack] HP Out at Ext Front
    Conn = 1/8, Color = Green
    DefAssociation = 0x1, Sequence = 0xf
    Misc = NO_PRESENCE
  Pin-ctls: 0xc0: OUT HP
  Unsolicited: tag=00, enabled=0

Comment 18 Raymond 2014-01-26 08:07:23 UTC
D: [pulseaudio] module-device-restore.c: Database contains invalid data for key: sink:alsa_output.pci-0000_00_1b.0.analog-stereo:null

Comment 19 Raymond 2014-01-26 08:07:46 UTC
D: [pulseaudio] module-device-restore.c: Database contains invalid data for key: sink:alsa_output.pci-0000_00_1b.0.analog-stereo:null

Comment 20 redhat 2014-01-26 08:21:14 UTC
I generally connect my headphones on the back of the tower, but I also tested the front panel. The behaviour was the same on both. The type of the front panel is setup on the bios as AC97.

Comment 21 Fedora End Of Life 2015-05-29 10:10:09 UTC
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Comment 22 Fedora End Of Life 2015-06-29 13:49:29 UTC
Fedora 20 changed to end-of-life (EOL) status on 2015-06-23. Fedora 20 is
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