USB Soundblaster device doesn't record

[Bill Paul]

> 
> Hi,
> 
> 
> > It is extremely difficult for me to rebuild the world on the tablet. The
> > best I can do is try a snapshot, and I can't do that today.
> 
> You only need the kernel, no world. BTW: Have you checked mixer volume 
> levels and have you set the recording source correctly?
> 
> --HPS
> 
> 

*facepalm*

Okay, I retract what I said earlier. Apparently all this time I was not
using the right device to try and set the mic level with mixer(8).

For some reason I got some wires crossed in by head and was trying to do:

% mixer -f /dev/dspX

instead of the correct:

% mixer -f /dev/mixerX

However, in my defense, FreeBSD did something unexpected in that using
the dsp device did not yield an error. Instead, it does this:

[/tmp]:core{2025}% mixer -f /dev/dsp6
Mixer pcm      is currently set to  45:45
Mixer rec      is currently set to  45:45
[/tmp]:core{2026}%

Doing it the right way yields this:

[/tmp]:core{2026}% mixer -f /dev/mixer6
Mixer vol      is currently set to 100:100
Mixer pcm      is currently set to 100:100
Mixer mic      is currently set to 100:100
Recording source: mic
[/tmp]:core{2027}%

I find it odd that the mixer ioctls succeed on the dsp device (with bogus
results) rather than returning error since they can't possibly work on it,
but... whatever. That's not a USB problem anyway so nevermind.

Anyway, the mic level defaults to 0; setting it to 100 as shown above allows
it to record. (I would have expected the mic gain slider in audacity
to do the same thing, but apparently it doesn't.)

In summary, please disrecard: I can't brain today, I have the dumb.

-Bill

--
=============================================================================
-Bill Paul            (510) 749-2329 | Senior Member of Technical Staff,
                 wpaul at windriver.com | Master of Unix-Fu - Wind River Systems
=============================================================================
   "I put a dollar in a change machine. Nothing changed." - George Carlin
=============================================================================