Linux Mint Forums

Hi!

I've got an Acer Aspire 5720G with Realtek integrated audio, and the incorporated microphone is not working.

Any idea how to solve this?

Thanks in advance!

The output of
will determine if the capture device is ready, for a start. If it is it's worth checking in volume preferences that it's properly amplified.

The problem is that it is not detected, not listed. Only the microphone jack is listed but not the built-in one...

Got you. I suspect this is a privileges problem; check in administration -> users and groups; unlock the window by clicking the key icon and entering password; click on properties for your user and in the user privileges tab check the "use audio devices" button. On next login all should hopefully be good. Let us know either way, cheers

Hi!

Actually I found that the microphone is detected, but somehow not working.

I am attaching a screenshot of the capture devices from PulseAudio.

I pressed the "Show Volume Levels" button within Properties for both "sources" and one of them was completely dead, and the other one showing some constant activity, regardless of I was speaking or not, more like noise than actually recording probably.

Any ideas? All I am trying to do is use Skype.

Thanks a lot for your patience and help

I have to admit to being a bit nonplussed.

The monitor volume meter should fluctuate if you play some music or whatnot on your computer because that's what it captures. The other one's your capture device.

If you reduce the volume of that all the way to zero does it stop fluctuating gently (i.e. the volume meter bars go completely dead)? If you turn it all the way up, past 100% up to say 200% or beyond, does it pick up your voice then? That would be the expected behaviour. If, on the other hand, adjusting the volume changes nothing in what the volume meter shows the device picking up then I'm stumped.

It's always like moving but very little, like noise. If I turn the knob down, it goes dead. If I turn it up, it increases, but always like this "noise" (not that I can hear, but for what I see), and it's not detecting anything.

I'd say that it was not detected, but I am not sure.

Alright, thanks for the info. Hopefully someone more in the know about the sound subsystem will come up with something, I'm out. I can't help but get the feeling that the device is detected and the kernel is listening, but something is obviously (badly) broken in it actually capturing anything useful; I'd expect no device entry at all and no meters if it were to the contrary. But I'm not qualified to offer any more advice, I really am out of ideas. Best of luck sorting this one. Last thing, though, to help other viewers of this thread, it would be useful to post the output of:
which should provide the details of that audio device (I got the number from your screenshot, modify the command if need be, natch).