Identical motherboards - onboard sound works in one and not in the other.

[besonian]

Has anyone had problems with a MCP61 High Definition Audio card? It's the onboard sound in a couple of Gigabyte motherboards I have. In one the sound works fine - in the second I can get no sound at all, whatever I try. Not only that, but the only mixer that will even launch - despite my having installed aumix, gmixer and gnome alsa mixer - is the first, aumix. Neither of the others launch from either their menu entry or via a terminal. I've tried pulse audio and no pulse audio. I've tried ALSA and OSS. I've configured the sound card via alsaconf - but no sound whatever. And yes, the onboard sound is set to 'Auto' in the BIOS. If I put an old Cmedia PCI soundcard in, there's no problem, I get sound.

So why is it that in two identical motherboards, the onboard sound works in one, and not in the other? And by the way both systems are running very recent, and fully updated Gnome installations. A hardware problem? That seems unlikely as the mobo in question is new and works perfectly in every other respect. Is the fact that two mixers - both completely removed then re-installed - refuse to work a clue? This is the output from a terminal if I try and launch gmixer that way -

** Message: pygobject_register_sinkfunc is deprecated (GstObject)
W:Failed to load icon Icon 'stock_line_in' not present in theme

** (gmixer:22227): CRITICAL **: _wrap_gst_mixer_list_tracks: assertion `GST_IS_MIXER (self->obj)' failed

** (gmixer:22227): CRITICAL **: _wrap_gst_mixer_list_tracks: assertion `GST_IS_MIXER (self->obj)' failed

** (gmixer:22227): CRITICAL **: _wrap_gst_mixer_list_tracks: assertion `GST_IS_MIXER (self->obj)' failed

** (gmixer:22227): CRITICAL **: _wrap_gst_mixer_list_tracks: assertion `GST_IS_MIXER (self->obj)' failed

** (gmixer:22227): CRITICAL **: _wrap_gst_mixer_list_tracks: assertion `GST_IS_MIXER (self->obj)' failed

** (gmixer:22227): CRITICAL **: _wrap_gst_mixer_list_tracks: assertion `GST_IS_MIXER (self->obj)' failed

** (gmixer:22227): CRITICAL **: _wrap_gst_mixer_list_tracks: assertion `GST_IS_MIXER (self->obj)' failed

** (gmixer:22227): CRITICAL **: _wrap_gst_mixer_list_tracks: assertion `GST_IS_MIXER (self->obj)' failed

** (gmixer:22227): CRITICAL **: _wrap_gst_mixer_list_tracks: assertion `GST_IS_MIXER (self->obj)' failed

** (gmixer:22227): CRITICAL **: _wrap_gst_mixer_list_tracks: assertion `GST_IS_MIXER (self->obj)' failed

** (gmixer:22227): CRITICAL **: _wrap_gst_mixer_list_tracks: assertion `GST_IS_MIXER (self->obj)' failed

** (gmixer:22227): CRITICAL **: _wrap_gst_mixer_list_tracks: assertion `GST_IS_MIXER (self->obj)' failed
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/bin/gmixer", line 1168, in <module>
    GMixer(options.daemon, options.custom_mixer_cmd, options.pixmap)
  File "/usr/bin/gmixer", line 640, in __init__
    self._build_gvolumes()
  File "/usr/bin/gmixer", line 1013, in _build_gvolumes
    sep.hide()
UnboundLocalError: local variable 'sep' referenced before assignment

Some corruption in the OS install? Anybody any bright ideas?  

[menotu]

That seems unlikely as the mobo in question is new and works perfectly in every other respect.

I can't offer a solution I'm afraid, but I wouldn't rule the above completely out of the equation.

Have you tried qasmixer? it's in the repo's

[besonian]

Thanks menotu. I'm inclined to agree it can't be totally ruled out. I've got another of those boards due in at the end of the week. It'll be interesting to see if I get a problem with that. And no, I'd never heard of qasmixer. I'll give it a try. But I somehow doubt.....

[menotu]

But I somehow doubt.....

me too    but no try no gain 

[besonian]

Well at least qasmixer launched with no problem. Looks a bit technical for me, I have to say. But the main bit of dialogue spread all across is says, "Mixer device couldn't be opened." I guess that's clear enough. I don't see anything further I can do until the other board turns up and I move everything onto that. Then see what happens with the onboard sound on that one. Thanks menotu anyway. I'll report back here later in the week.

[besonian]

This may be of interest to anyone else using or proposing to use the onboard audio on a Gigabyte M68M-S2P motherboard. I've now taken delivery of another one of these boards, identical to the one from whose onboard audio I can get nothing. I can get nothing from this new one either! And qasmixer comes up with the same dialogue when I launch that.I'm due to deliver the system on Monday so I'm going to have to put a PCI sound card in - that works fine. Has anybody else had experience of this? Is there something about the MCP 61 audio on these boards which causes the problem with PCLOS Gnome? And maybe other DE's in other distros? I haven't the time to research this into the ground but I'd really like to know what might be the cause. And I refuse to believe that two identical mobos can have the same fault and yet work perfectly in every other respect.  Signed - Bemused of London UK.

[Just17]

A couple of things that might be worth checking .....

You say the BIOS setting is Auto ......  have you tried alternate settings?
What are the alternatives?

Is there a HDMI connection on those boards?
If so the audio may be being sent to the audio component of the HDMI which if not connected means it just disappears.

Have you any liveCD/USB devices to try ......  even different DEs or distro?

A bit more testing and comparison of results would help, if you had the time.

Otherwise maybe a remaster of the working install to test live on the others.

All time consuming unfortunately .....

[besonian]

Thank you, Just19. In response to your questions - yes, I had checked the only other BIOS setting - which was 'Disable'. No more need I say on that. But what is an HDMI connection? You're ahead of me there. I'd be interested to know and to see if that might indeed have some effect. And as for the rest of your comments, I really - as you obviously suspect - haven't the time at the moment to go into. Perhaps once this batch of work is out the way I may be able to. But thank you. And please let me know what HDMI is.

[Just17]

HDMI is the audio & video connection on some video cards that is designed to feed a HD a/v signal to a display.
Most TVs these have a few of those for peripherals, and monitors also.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI

If the audio is being sent to the HDMI 'sink' then it won't be available elsewhere ......

[besonian]

Thank you. I'll check it out.