<SOLVED> mic working inconsistantly

[copperly]

I have a lenovo ideapad 15-abr running linux mint 19 cinnamon. I've been having trouble getting my microphone to work, it does not work in chrome (with the voice input for google) or in ring (ring.cx) and the little bar to indicate the sound in the sound control center does not move, but It works perfectly in gnome-sound-recorder. followed a lot of other forums and can't figured this out. i've installed libasound2-plugins:i386 and ia32-libs based on things I found in those forums and have messed around with pavucontrol, alsamixer, and the sound control menu. nothing will work. something wierd is that chrome will pick up audio when I rub my finger against the microphone and so will pavucontrol and system settings.

Screenshot from 2018-08-10 11-11-53.png

[MrEen]

Hi copperly, and welcome to the forum.

This might be security related. See if this site helps and and let us know.

EDIT: Expand the first reply by Jo S.

[copperly]

chrome has access to my microphone, I followed the instructions, it still dosen't work

[MrEen]

Have you tried upping the level on mic boost?

Also, on the Configuration tab of pavucontrol, you have Analog Stereo Duplex selected?

[copperly]

Yes and yes, I changed the Mic boost because it was way too loud on gnome sound recorder, made the audio sound demonic

[MrEen]

What's the output of pacmd list-sources?

[copperly]

Code: Select all

3 source(s) available.
    index: 0
	name: <alsa_output.pci-0000_00_01.1.hdmi-stereo.monitor>
	driver: <module-alsa-card.c>
	flags: DECIBEL_VOLUME LATENCY DYNAMIC_LATENCY
	state: SUSPENDED
	suspend cause: IDLE 
	priority: 1030
	volume: front-left: 65536 / 100% / 0.00 dB,   front-right: 65536 / 100% / 0.00 dB
	        balance 0.00
	base volume: 65536 / 100% / 0.00 dB
	volume steps: 65537
	muted: no
	current latency: 0.00 ms
	max rewind: 0 KiB
	sample spec: s16le 2ch 44100Hz
	channel map: front-left,front-right
	             Stereo
	used by: 0
	linked by: 0
	configured latency: 0.00 ms; range is 0.50 .. 371.52 ms
	monitor_of: 0
	card: 0 <alsa_card.pci-0000_00_01.1>
	module: 7
	properties:
		device.description = "Monitor of Built-in Audio Digital Stereo (HDMI)"
		device.class = "monitor"
		alsa.card = "0"
		alsa.card_name = "HDA ATI HDMI"
		alsa.long_card_name = "HDA ATI HDMI at 0xf0e60000 irq 45"
		alsa.driver_name = "snd_hda_intel"
		device.bus_path = "pci-0000:00:01.1"
		sysfs.path = "/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:01.1/sound/card0"
		device.bus = "pci"
		device.vendor.id = "1002"
		device.vendor.name = "Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI]"
		device.product.id = "9840"
		device.product.name = "Kabini HDMI/DP Audio"
		device.form_factor = "internal"
		device.string = "0"
		module-udev-detect.discovered = "1"
		device.icon_name = "audio-card-pci"
    index: 1
	name: <alsa_output.pci-0000_00_09.2.analog-stereo.monitor>
	driver: <module-alsa-card.c>
	flags: DECIBEL_VOLUME LATENCY DYNAMIC_LATENCY
	state: IDLE
	suspend cause: 
	priority: 1030
	volume: front-left: 65536 / 100% / 0.00 dB,   front-right: 65536 / 100% / 0.00 dB
	        balance 0.00
	base volume: 65536 / 100% / 0.00 dB
	volume steps: 65537
	muted: no
	current latency: 0.00 ms
	max rewind: 64 KiB
	sample spec: s16le 2ch 44100Hz
	channel map: front-left,front-right
	             Stereo
	used by: 0
	linked by: 0
	configured latency: 371.52 ms; range is 1.00 .. 371.52 ms
	monitor_of: 1
	card: 1 <alsa_card.pci-0000_00_09.2>
	module: 8
	properties:
		device.description = "Monitor of Built-in Audio Analog Stereo"
		device.class = "monitor"
		alsa.card = "1"
		alsa.card_name = "HD-Audio Generic"
		alsa.long_card_name = "HD-Audio Generic at 0xf0e64000 irq 46"
		alsa.driver_name = "snd_hda_intel"
		device.bus_path = "pci-0000:00:09.2"
		sysfs.path = "/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:09.2/sound/card1"
		device.bus = "pci"
		device.vendor.id = "1022"
		device.vendor.name = "Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD]"
		device.product.id = "157a"
		device.form_factor = "internal"
		device.string = "1"
		module-udev-detect.discovered = "1"
		device.icon_name = "audio-card-pci"
  * index: 2
	name: <alsa_input.pci-0000_00_09.2.analog-stereo>
	driver: <module-alsa-card.c>
	flags: HARDWARE HW_MUTE_CTRL HW_VOLUME_CTRL DECIBEL_VOLUME LATENCY DYNAMIC_LATENCY
	state: SUSPENDED
	suspend cause: IDLE 
	priority: 9039
	volume: front-left: 30421 /  46% / -20.00 dB,   front-right: 30421 /  46% / -20.00 dB
	        balance 0.00
	base volume: 6554 /  10% / -60.00 dB
	volume steps: 65537
	muted: yes
	current latency: 0.00 ms
	max rewind: 0 KiB
	sample spec: s16le 2ch 44100Hz
	channel map: front-left,front-right
	             Stereo
	used by: 0
	linked by: 0
	configured latency: 0.00 ms; range is 0.50 .. 371.52 ms
	card: 1 <alsa_card.pci-0000_00_09.2>
	module: 8
	properties:
		alsa.resolution_bits = "16"
		device.api = "alsa"
		device.class = "sound"
		alsa.class = "generic"
		alsa.subclass = "generic-mix"
		alsa.name = "Generic Analog"
		alsa.id = "Generic Analog"
		alsa.subdevice = "0"
		alsa.subdevice_name = "subdevice #0"
		alsa.device = "0"
		alsa.card = "1"
		alsa.card_name = "HD-Audio Generic"
		alsa.long_card_name = "HD-Audio Generic at 0xf0e64000 irq 46"
		alsa.driver_name = "snd_hda_intel"
		device.bus_path = "pci-0000:00:09.2"
		sysfs.path = "/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:09.2/sound/card1"
		device.bus = "pci"
		device.vendor.id = "1022"
		device.vendor.name = "Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD]"
		device.product.id = "157a"
		device.form_factor = "internal"
		device.string = "front:1"
		device.buffering.buffer_size = "65536"
		device.buffering.fragment_size = "32768"
		device.access_mode = "mmap+timer"
		device.profile.name = "analog-stereo"
		device.profile.description = "Analog Stereo"
		device.description = "Built-in Audio Analog Stereo"
		alsa.mixer_name = "Realtek Generic"
		alsa.components = "HDA:10ec0230,17aa381c,00100002"
		module-udev-detect.discovered = "1"
		device.icon_name = "audio-card-pci"
	ports:
		analog-input-internal-mic: Internal Microphone (priority 8900, latency offset 0 usec, available: no)
			properties:
				device.icon_name = "audio-input-microphone"
		analog-input-mic: Microphone (priority 8700, latency offset 0 usec, available: yes)
			properties:
				device.icon_name = "audio-input-microphone"
	active port: <analog-input-mic>

[MrEen]

Here's the problem I believe:

* index: 2
name: <alsa_input.pci-0000_00_09.2.analog-stereo>
driver: <module-alsa-card.c>
flags: HARDWARE HW_MUTE_CTRL HW_VOLUME_CTRL DECIBEL_VOLUME LATENCY DYNAMIC_LATENCY
state: SUSPENDED
suspend cause: IDLE
priority: 9039
volume: front-left: 30421 / 46% / -20.00 dB, front-right: 30421 / 46% / -20.00 dB
balance 0.00
base volume: 6554 / 10% / -60.00 dB
volume steps: 65537
muted: yes

In alsamixer, on the page that opens, unmute the mic there. Do not go to the Capture page.

[copperly]

I had to change my soundcard but this is the page I was greeted with... but there's no mic, just mic boost.

[MrEen]

On that page, try disbling the auto mute and see if that makes a difference.

Also, and I know this sounds stupid, unmute the headphones.

[copperly]

nope, it didn't help

[MrEen]

Damn. Your setup is quite different than mine, so it's a bit difficult trying to troubleshoot this.

Try this. Start attempting to record something with the mic, and at the same time, go to pavucontrols Recording tab and see if anything can be done there.

EDIT: Let's see the output of aplay -l and arecord -l as Generic isn't the default.

[MrEen]

I should have asked this earlier. Are you using the built in mic or plugging an extrernal mic into the laptop? I ask because in your sources output the internal mic is not available, yet your alsamixer screenshots show it's the internal mic that has the boost boosted.

Maybe you just need to increase the mic boost for the entry that has 0<>0 underneath?

[MrEen]

Another idea. I have read, but don't remember where, that some people had to zero out one side of their mic settings to get it to work.

To do this in alsamixer, move to the Capture column, then press z over and over until the left side is at zero.

If this was the wrong side, keep pressing q until the left side is back to 100, then keep pressing c to lower the right side (e to increase it again.)

[copperly]

YAY! it works now, I lowered the left side in alsamixer and it works now. I remember doing that in pavucontrol to no avail so I wonder why it worked in alsamixer.

[MrEen]

That's great! I didn't even know pavucontrol was capable of that, hence the alsamixer advice.

Glad you're fixed.