LinuxMusicians

GMaq Sorry to say the F5 did nothing:-
F12 Boot > select Linux from USB from F12 boot menu. Press and hold F5 before using the Enter key to confirm boot selection
Nothing Saved on reboot.
F12 Boot > select Linux from USB from F12 boot menu and use Enter key to confirm selection and boot. Press and hold down F5 while the opening screen opens. Set timezone, back to main menu. Select AVLinux (top item). Use Enter key to confirm, and immediately press and hold F5.
Nothing Saved on reboot.
F12 Boot > select Linux from USB from F12 boot menu. Press and hold F5 before using the Enter key to confirm boot selection and while select timezone screen opens. Set timezone, back to main menu. Select AVLinux (top item). Use Enter key to confirm, and immediately press and hold F5.
Nothing Saved on reboot.

I am going to try my old Lubuntu 19.10 to attempt to create a persistent Live disk.

Sadly even the best of those tools did not work.

I could try to craft this manually but that takes time, and is not guaranteed to work in the end, so USB persistence is not looking good at this stage.

I am addend that MX Live USB Maker does not create its own persistent USB. It would have been really great to have such a device when traveling, to demonstrate the power of this system to others, from nothing more than a 'USB in the pocket'.

Persistence is a basic function of MX Linux but I also found the creation method to take a bit of study to make work. There is an article in the wiki which also links to an excellent video. It's a bit old but I don't think the process has changed.
https://mxlinux.org/wiki/help-files/help-mx-remaster/

UPDATE (before trying sumrat's suggestion above):-

Using a freshly created USB from downloaded iso, I can confirm that there is NO sound card present in ALSAMixer, nor in QJackCtl.

After upgrade and install of all applications from standard repos, there is NO sound card present in ALSAMixer, nor in QJackCtl.

Even after downloading and installing Cadence, there is NO sound card present in ALSAMixer, nor in QJackCtl.

Of course after rebooting the USB all changes are gone - greenfield iso install.

I am beginning to dispair of ever getting this laptop to work properly with any sound, other than mp3's in mpv Media Player. Even trying mp4's in mpv Media Player fails to produce acceptable sound. All this with QJackCtl running.

LMMS plays well with QJackCtl. Carla does not play audio with the same Surge XT plugin on its' own, but does inside LMMS??? And still no video sound. Both are set to use Jack. In Carla the instrument level shows that the MIDI controller keystroke is registering, but unable to output sound.

Thank you sunrat, I will go through that article and try again. The problem is that the "The boot device must be writable" which precludes USB boot.

foodforester1 wrote: ↑Mon May 16, 2022 6:42 amThe problem is that the "The boot device must be writable" which precludes USB boot.

Live MX w/ persistence does not produce a device with a writeable root partition IIRC, but saves all changes to a separate squashfs file. It's been several years since I made one, but it certainly worked when following steps in the wiki and video. You may be missing a step or steps.

What is so very weird about the sound, is that in many of the videos I can hear SOME musical sounds, but when anyone on the video starts speaking, just squeaks and cracks and pops are all that is heard. The music that can be heard is very soft and I have no doubt not the complete aural experience, but what IS heard can be musical.

I think that is what fooled me earlier in this saga that the sound system was working. One of the Surge training videos starts off with acceptably good sound, but the moment the presenter starts speaking, all the wheels fall off, and very little is heard, and none of it vaguely comprehend-able.

This applies to all videos VLC and most in mpv Player, but some do play in mvp Player - very softly, so I have to take volume up to maximum to hear.

mpv Player has very few controls, so it is difficult to fathom whether it is playing through Jack, ALSA or Pulse.

I have since installed a number of other video players - xine, kaffene and mplayer to see if any of them can give me any audio output while playing the videos, all to no avail. While most will give the video, none will play the voiced audio, if anything audio.

sunrat

I had only just started reading the article you sent, and have not tried it yet.

Of course without and audio is will be difficult to comprehend the information in the video, and having read trough the document a few times, that is VERY CONFUSING!

Check if firmware-sof-signed is installed. I'm not in AVL to check atm, but I believe it is required for Tiger Lake audio.

foodforester1 wrote: ↑Sat May 14, 2022 5:25 am Once in the newly created 'writable' USB boot environment:-

sudo rsync -av SSD:/var/cache/apt/ /USB:/var/cache/apt

This can break your installation. It is really better to create a list of packages on the source installation and then install all the packages using that list on the destination installation.

You can create a list on the source installation with: And install all the packages from that text file on the destination with:

foodforester1 wrote: ↑Sat May 14, 2022 5:25 am Is the .iso from Linuxaudio Download Mirror possibly faulty?

I'm quite sure it is not.

Check if firmware-sof-signed is installed. I'm not in AVL to check atm, but I believe it is required for Tiger Lake audio.

Yes, firmware-sof-signed is installed from the original .iso file when I checked before doing any updates on the Live Boot USB.

Thank you autostatic for those tips. I will try that in the morning when we have acceptable internet speeds.

Hi,

Ok as to the F5 thing.. If you make a Bootable USB key with MX Live USB Maker and it's default settings it indeed has a persistence feature when at the GRUB Boot screen. The default MX GRUB boot screen holds for quite some time and there are many features available at the bottom of the screen one of them being F5 to choose persistence in various ways.
Now as to the sound issue... I believe as @autostatic and @sunrat are saying it is an SOF firmware problem.. If you have the 'firmware-sof-signed' Package installed then you must have installed it yourself because in looking over my AV Linux build settings I have not included it by default and I believe that is the likely root of the problem.. So your issue at it's root is likely my 'fault' because of the missing firmware but to be honest I haven't heard of anyone having problems with these Tiger Lake chips until the last month and I wasn't even aware there was a firmware package available for me to add to the default AV Linux included firmwares

AV Linux should indeed work with the sound hardware on the computer no matter what it is but I will say I would guess a majority of Users are using it with some sort of external USB 'prosumer' Audio device that is much more suited to focused Audio work. I will ensure that the SOF firmware is included in future ISO releases..

#@%&*#$#@ SOB Firmware! What?... SOF?... Nevermind.

GMaq,

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and while the graphic you provided was not the same as the startup screen I had, it did give me a clue as to where to start looking. Thank you very much.

I had to chose Advanced Options from that screen and then set up persistence from there, and that took two attempts due to me being clueless about the process.
While the file firmware-misc-nonfree did list the 'Tiger Lake' card there was no sound without the firmware-sof-signed installed.

Once that was installed after using the Synaptic markings file I had originally created in Synaptic (without rsync from my installed SSD:/var/cache/apt) - viz. all downloaded from the web based repos), and after a reboot, I have sound of sorts - with QJackCtl somewhat like the static between shortwave radio stations - fluctuations in white noise. That is from mpv Media Player, VLC and LMMS with QJackCtl loaded.

The command alsamixer and 'alsmixer 0' always defaults to a single bar in the center, even though I have gone through the process of F6 > choose Sound Card 0 - sof-hda-dsp > Esc > sudo alsactl store 0. Without the sudo, alsactl returns 'alsactl: state_lock:125: file /var/lib/alsa/asound.state lock error: File exists'. Sadly, it would appear as if even the sudo in front doesn't 'store' the card info, but the device levels are stored, after F6 > choosing the sof-hda-dsp option???

QJackCtl setup does store the card info and all other setting / options have been left as default.

If I shut down QJackCtl, I can play mp3 through Audacious, but videos through VLC and mpv Media Player, only the synth sounds / music on the videos is heard, but the commentary is again the odd pops, cracks and squeaks with nothing intelligible. LMMS likewise, after re configuring for PulseAudio and ALSA-Sequencer, will play acceptable sounds. Using 'aconnetgui' to connect my Akai APC Key25 MIDI controller, the keys do work, after a fasion. Single and double notes sound OK, but a cord of three notes turns into noise again - tonal - higher or lower frequency, but noise. A small improvement over having QJackCtl running.

LMMS using ALSA Audio interface, there was no sound.

I rebooted the USB and checked the items listed above;-

Using alsamixer 0 still shows a single bar in the center, those settings are not being stored.

Without QjactCtl - mp3 through Audacious is fine. LMMS with the working settings above - single note OK, but adding a second note now plays a somewhat de tuned lower note, such that C5 as the 1st note, while holding C5, press G6, and it will sound like C4?? Videos through VLC and mpv Media Player, only the synth sounds / music on the videos is heard, but the commentary is again the odd pops, cracks and squeaks with nothing intelligible.

Start QJackCtl - mp3 through Audacious and mpv Media Player is single tone noise. Video through VLC, after reconfiguring for Jack and restarted, plays audio of single tone noise overlaid with static pops, and likewise mpv Media Player. LMMS, after reconfiguring for Jack and restarted, again produces tonal noise - higher or lower frequency based on key used.

I booted into my Debian 11 installation.

While the video players gave the same results as both installations of AVL (SSD & USB), the audio players worked immedialy and flawlessly.

Since LMMS now supports ALSA & Pulseaudio, I installed LMMS, and alsaconnectgui. and connected the Key25. LMMS again played single note OK, but adding a second note now plays a somewhat de tuned lower note, such that C5 as the 1st note played, while holding C5, press G6, and it will sound like C4?? Add at third note to the cord and tonal noise is the result. For some reason the keyboard seems to have sifted. If I play the LMMS instrument keyboard (Triple Osc.), C2, I get something not much higher than a cat's purr. When I try to play the MIDI keyboard, I have to press the 'OCT UP' button twice to get what I would normally know as middle C.

I thought that maybe some classical music might yeald some 'glitches' but Mozart's Horn Concerto played flawlessly, so it is not the complexity of the sound.

From where I am siting in all this, it looks like the firmware is not interacting correctly with the DSP / Tiger Lake, but what would a mere user know about these things,

The only other thing might be faulty hardware, and I had hoped that Debian 11 might have told us something different and confirmed the hardware was good, but ....??? A thought that I would rather avoid, if possible, with all the road flood damage locally.

UPDATE:-

I reinstalled off the new .iso (same as used for the now persistent USB) and can report the following:-

The command 'alsmixer 0' always defaults to the correct card with the correct settings.

Pure music videos (The Beatles - Hey Jude and Let it be) play with visuals and sound, but the volume is low - I would prefer more, but can hear the music and words.

Any videos with commentary - no intelligible voice, only music.

Playing mp3's through Audacious, mpv Media Player and VLC, all play flawlessly, with the best surprise of all that the equalizer presets in VLC perform perfectly also.

LMMS configured for Pulseaudio and ALSA Sequencer with aconnectgui for MIDI:-
While I can see the MIDI key press appearing on the LMMS instrument (Trip. Osc.) keyboard and the usual lights between the instrument name and the instrument volume knob and the VU meters in the FXMixer flash, there is no sound at all.

Re configuring LMMS for Jack interaction and starting QJackCtl, all single notes are loudly overlaid by tonal noise. This also applies a the lowest volume where one strains to hear, but the noise still overlays the sound.

Playing mp3's through Audacious, Audacious returns the error "ALSA error: snd_pcm_open failed: Device or resource busy." VLC and mpv Media Player both play the music, somewhat distorted, but only at the very lowest volume. Anything above 1 or 2 wheel mouse wheel movements up in volume, the noise overlay returns, LOUDLY!

Have you ever seen the movie "The Exorcist"? You should consider it here.

That computer is possessed with something very evil. And this time, it's not from Apple.

Maybe I was wrong in my initial assessment that the firmware or hardware was to blame.

I started up this morning and, as usual 1st things 1st, check for upgrades and there were three listed below:-

18/5/22 Upgraded libssl1.1:amd64 (1.1.1n-0+deb11u1, 1.1.1n-0+deb11u2), libssl1.1:i386 (1.1.1n-0+deb11u1, 1.1.1n-0+deb11u2), openssl:amd64 (1.1.1n-0+deb11u1, 1.1.1n-0+deb11u2)

Shut down QJackCtl, which had started automatically.

I then found a video in my early news browsing that I wanted to listen to, forgetting that I couldn't, and I could hear something, low volume but it was there.

So, game on again and I started checking.

alsamixer 0 now always returns the correct sound card and levels, so that parameter is now persistent.

No QJackCtl:-
All mp3 players produce good music.
Both video players VLC and mpv Media Player the sound was good - woohoo! I can watch videos again!
Tried LMMS with Pulseaudio and ALSA Seq. using aconnectgui. MIDI controls register on the 3.osc keyboard and the various volume lights do their usual thing. Absolutely no sound.

With QJackCtl:-
LMMS every sound produced is nothing but hearing damage - tonal noise LOUDLY!!
Audacious produces the error "ALSA error: snd_pcm_open failed: Device or resource busy."
VLC mp3 play produces noise.
Both video players VLC and mpv Media Player video play, produces noise.

So at this stage it is certainly pointing at QJackCtl, and has shown that the hardware is good.

Herewith a list of the relevant seeming config files from /home/username and /etc directories. These were found by kfind using the search string in [Named: *jack*] and showing hidden files. These sorts of config files is not an area I visit, without specific instructions.

/home/username/.jackdrc
/home/username/.config/jack/conf.xml:-
/home/username/.config/autostart/QJackCtl.desktop
/home/username/.config/rncbc.org/QjackCtl.conf
/home/username/.log/jack/jackdbus.log is 168KB - not included in full.
/etc/alsa/conf.d/50-jack.conf
/etc/skel/.config/rncbc.org/QjackCtl.conf

All these or relevant extracts (and others if required) could be supplied in the hope that some glaring error, that is quick and easy to fix, jumps out.

I would be most grateful.