I upgaded the new kernel and the sound was missing. I checked immediately kmix and everything was on. But now the important part: I was missing speaker channel in kmix. This is how to activate it:
open kmix -> click mixer -> click settings and configure channels, there you'll see all available channels which aren't visible in the mixer. Just drag and drop the one you need and there you go -> use the slider and there's the sound.
It's a simple fix. I have the hda intel chipset. I wonder how many had this 'problem'?
The new kernel finally got my card reader to work without hassle

br
juhizz