The Big Soundcard topic

[N. Werensteijn]

I thought it would be a good idea to make a nice thread on wich soundcards work with teamspeak. And also if they are mulit channel capable (meaning, 2 programs can use it at the same time. So you can listen and talk on ts, while playing a game).

Please Specify your soundcard, sound driver (oss/alsa) and Linux kernel version.

Ill start.

-Soundblaster Live! + oss + 2.4.19 works and is multi channel capable

-Hercules Game Theatre XP + alsa 0.9 from cvs + 2.4 19 works, but not multi channel by default.
To get multi channel working, get a recent snapshot (or cvs) of alsa. ( http://www.alsa-project.org/ )
Now you need to edit a file. Open the ~/alsa-cvs/alsa-driver/pci/cs46xx/Makefile file, and uncomment the lines under
# Hack for new dsp flag
Now, with that done, back out to the ~/alsa-cvs/ directory, and run make as root (because it installs all the modules and stuff. There is no make install target.

[OneNonly]

A week or two ago I spent ages trying to get my cs46xx to do multi-channel (Card is: TerraTek X-Fire 1024).. I experimented with ALSA but same prob as with OSS.. Thanks for the tip!


=-=-=-=-=-=-= Follow Up =-=-=-=-=-=-=

For other cs46xxers - get the CVS for ALSA (Alsa is at http://alsa-project.org ) and build from that - the 0.9 series of drivers available as tarballs are not friendly when you enable the DSP hack.. (Freeze freeze freeze).. I installed from CVS and had success straight out. Thanks again!!!

[Juanisan]

I have a trident 4d wave NX as my primary.
After a year of 4 Front telling me there is no problem with the driver I purchased locking up my system I switched to ALSA a few months ago. Never a problem since. But I have no Mic working with ALSA and Trident drivers. So I re-activated my MB sound Via686 as a secondary sound card.

TS2 works great with Via686 controlled by ALSA's OSS layer.
Driver ALSA 0.9.0rc1
OSS Layer 0.9.0rc1
Slackware Linux 8.1
Kernel 2.4.19

[Richard999]

Creative Labs' Audigy.
SourceForge drivers. (.19a)
Debian (Woody) 2.4.18-686 kernel

Everything works fine. Sound Quality is great.

The SourceForge drivers are essentially just kernel drivers with added features.

Thanks to the TeamSpeak crew! I'm running a server, playing a match, and talking - all in linux. Never thought I'd see the day. :)

[justin11]

- C-Media Electronics Inc CM8738
(real cheap card ~$10 us)
- alsa-driver-0.9.0rc3 : CM8738 driver with
oss-emulation
- redhat 7.3 : with a recompiled kernel for
winex gaming 2.4.19

To get my two channels I have two of them
in my machine. (these are cheap cards ~$10 US)
One at /dev/dsp0 and one at /dev/dsp1

I used the instuctions on the alsa
page for setting up multiple sound cards
in the modules.conf. I think it was in the
readme on thier page related to the CM8738

I am using the one on /dev/dsp1 for team speak
and I use a link from /dev/dsp to /dev/dsp0
for the games.

I played a couple hours of Warcraft3 (winex) with no noticable glitches or sound problems in either teamspeak or Warcraft3. Sound quality seems
quite nice compared to rogerwilco. My brother
didnt even complain about switching software
on him. He was using the window client and
I was using the linux client. Normally I run
roger wilco on a NT 4.0 box next to my linux box.

I also played some ut2003. Seemed to work
nice there too.

NOTE: The light on the voice activation in the
linux client seems screwed up. It seems to stay
off when you are in fact transmitting and on when
your not. I adjusted my level with these cards by
looking at a nt client(also connected) next to my linux box. The NT teamspeak client was correctly registering when I was transmitting and when I was not. I used it to adjust the voice activiation sensitivity until it gave me the proper behavior. Perhaps it is because these cards are so cheap, but the voice activation is hard to fine tune; just a couple notches makes a big difference either way. Just an FYI for anyone else trying these cards.

Many thanks I consider it a grand success.
My hats off to you Ralf and Niels.

Justin

:D

[N. Werensteijn]

You are welcome!
Bug reports in a new thread please. I want to keep this a soundcard info only thread. I will delete all bug report posts in this thread. Only Soundcard+driver+kernel info and if it works or not.

[Jin]

SB128 PCI
alsa-driver-0.9.0rc2-1 (snd-ens1371 module)
kernel-2.4.18-10
redhat linux 7.2

I have not installed any oss specific things,
the card can do two /dev/dsp's by default

TeamsSpeak client is running fine, tried it with the old UT

Jin

[larrystorch]

VIA8233
alsa-driver-0.9.0rc2 with OSS compatibility modules
2.4.19 kernel
SuSe 7.3

Server and client on same box.
Need to try it with UT2003 demo, quake3 and UT.

Thanks a bunch guys, I don't need AT&T anymore

the onboard sound when playing games while using TS works for TS only, the game is mute. This might be a driver config issue, gonna look into it, or get an SB Live this weekend.

[PNB^Harley]

soundblaster live 1024: works
soundbalster live 5.1 digital: works
soundblaster 16 pci: doesnt work
(ts works with the sb16..alsa-driver snd-ens1371 or kernel-driver es1371 but i cant use ts und eg a game at the same time so i bought the sb live 5.1 digital :D )

[Raffles]

Originally posted by Jin
[B]SB128 PCI
alsa-driver-0.9.0rc2-1 (snd-ens1371 module)
kernel-2.4.18-10
redhat linux 7.2

I have not installed any oss specific things,
the card can do two /dev/dsp's by default

I only have dsp0. Programs are not able to open /dev/dsp1.
Kernel 2.2.18
alsa-0.5.10-5
Do you have to specify this in the alsa settings?

[Saubloed]

Soundblaster Live! Player 1024 + oss + Linux 2.4.18 -> works

[redrat]

"Soundblaster Live! Player 5.1" works nice with kernel (2.4.19) driver and multi-channeling is also working ... (I can play and speak at the same time)

[Venture]

Debian Linux 3.0 w/ kernel 2.4.19-rc1 w/ oss
SB128PCI works just fine. I have two soundcards and one TV-card, so my TS2 is using /dev/dsp4, no problems at all.

[Raffles]

The problem has been solved when i installed kernel 2.4.19.

[GNU]

SB128 ES1370 + alsa + gentoo linux :: working fine, made a thread to help people as the method i used (/dev/adsp) was not talked about anywhere on forum.

[Raskor]

Redhat 7.2 on Kernel 2.4.7-10 with Terratec Xlerate (Aureal chipset) using the sourceforge Aureal hacked drivers. I am also behind a fli4l router.

Seems to work pretty fine so far. No complaints from other people.


Good Job on the Linux client (Still can't believe that there is a decent working Voice software for Linux now :) )

[Raph Levien]

My Crystal CS46xx works.

Thinkpad A22p laptop built-in sound.
TeamSpeak 2.0.21.21
Debian Woody w/ 2.4.19 kernel
ALSA 0.9.0beta12 drivers

Default sound driver is selected. Other (/dev/dsp) seems to have no effect. At "lowest latency", quality is degraded. I've found this a problematic soundcard; the fact that it works is a credit to the team.

Thanks!

[Raffles]

Originally posted by GNU
SB128 ES1370 + alsa + gentoo linux :: working fine, made a thread to help people as the method i used (/dev/adsp) was not talked about anywhere on forum.
It's definetely helpfull for users with a 1370 chip.

[rillian]

I've not been able to get teamspeak to work with my Plantronics DSP-300 usb headset. I can record and play audio (though /dev/dsp1) with the 2.4.19 kernel audio drivers just fine, but the linux ts client freezes after I tell it to use /dev/dsp1 in the settings dialog.

The soundcard is the machine is an ESS solo1, and input isn't supported with the kernel drivers. It doesn't seem to work with the client either (i.e. just to listen) perhaps because it can't open the device for input?

What I really want to do is use the usb headset with my tibook, but there's no ppc binary. Please, please provide source! It looks like an excellent application.

[da2gnu]

kernel 2.4.19 + SB pci 128 (ct5880 chip) ens1371 driver.
Using ALSA 0.9.0rc3 I have the problem that id-games (q3, rtcw) do not have any sound output on /dev/adsp.
Using the kernel-driver these games run fine on /dev/dsp1 and ts on /dev/dsp :D

[dwc|Harm]

kernel 2.4.18 / soundblaster live!
doesn't work!

(only tested with q3)

tests:
ts2 works alone on /dev/dsp0
ts2 and mpg123/xmms work together on dev/dsp0

q3 and mpg123 work together on dev/dsp0

q3 and ts2 don't work together
neither q3 or ts2 hang up on startup (depends on what loaded first)

I've no clue how to fix that....
any help welcome
S.

[Raffles]

Originally posted by dwc|Harm
kernel 2.4.18 / soundblaster live!
doesn't work!

(only tested with q3)
I think i had a similar problem and someone here posted a workaround. Can't find this message.
TS2 works on dev/dsp0
Q3 works on dev/dsp which is a simlink to /dev/dsp0
Workaround:
Make a simlink /dev/dsp to /dev/dsp1
mpg123, q3 and other programs which will use default /dev/dsp are going to use /dev/dsp1.
Let TS2 use /dev/dsp0.

[dwc|Harm]

ok, how do i do that?
i'm not that professional in linux....
could anyone describe it in detail here?
thx, Harm

[Raffles]

Originally posted by dwc|Harm
ok, how do i do that?
i'm not that professional in linux....
could anyone describe it in detail here?
thx, Harm
Make a symbolic link in /dev
link symbolic TARGET LINKNAME
for more info about this "man ln"

ln -s /dev/dsp1 /dev/dsp

To restore:
ln -s /dev/dsp0 /dev/dsp

/dev/dsp is the default sound device.
mpg123, games etc will adress it.
These programs are going to use /dev/dsp1 because you changed the link.
Let TS2 use device /dev/dsp0 (see ts settings)

[dwc|Harm]

update:

kernel 2.4.18,
Soundblaster live!

works!

i dropped the alsa drivers, now I'm running pure emu10k1 and it works fine.