odd soundserver issue

[kkubasik]

im running alsa, and i never had this problem in KDE, but i just switched to GNOME on my gentoo box with ALSA. But it can only handle one audio stream at a time. Basicaly if im listening to my MP3's and chatting, at the end of each song i get like 489025734098 new im tones (gaim) and then xmms reports the device is in use. do i need to point everything through a mixer like kmix was in KDE? if so, a little input on how to do this would be appreciated.

[techieMoe]

I've had this same irritation, and although I haven't figured out how to fix it, I look forward to hearing from someone who does!

[jeremy1701]

Ditto, but in KDE, not Gnome.

Jeremy

[Chris H]

The sound servers, out of the box, can only deal with one input channel at a time. So if itś busy the second channel buffers up, or may even lock up the app.

You can get psuedo multichannel by using arts to free up the channel if there´s no activity after a set time. Or assign XMMS to use OSS and Gaim to use ALSA is another way to do it.

For real multi channel use you´ll need to install something like Jack.

Least I think thatś it

[jeremy1701]

Chris, you switched to Slackware?

When and why? Do you like it better?

Jeremy

[Chris H]

More info about the soundcard thingy here

http://alsa.opensrc.org/index.php?page=FAQ018

http://jackit.sourceforge.net/

Jeremy, I can´t stop fiddling with Linux. Slackware is much easier to mess around with as it´s less ´distributionized´.

I´ve always been a Slackware fan though. I installed MDK 10 and Gentoo to have a nose and was so impressed I kept them on me system. But one fiddle too many and the acquisition of Slack 10 on a mag cd was too much to resist.

[techieMoe]

I´ve always been a Slackware fan though. I installed MDK 10 and Gentoo to have a nose . . .

Hmm. That's an interesting addage. Gave me an equally interesting mental picture of some poor, unfortunate, noseless man sitting hopefully while Slackware installed so he could finally be like everyone else...

Or maybe that's just the failed novelist in me...

[kkubasik]

Ok, im gonna give arts a try first ( I dont rember this problem in KDE....... but you said it still was one, so ill check it out) after that ill give Jack a whirl and post back with what i get.

[Chris H]

Dyne:bolic comes with Jack already installed. If you have a dyne cd it might be worth giving it a go with that as Jack is quite a fiddly sod to get going. Least it seems so to me

If you go arts, drop the timeout value, I think it defaults to 60s.

[kkubasik]

arts was a no go, id have to re-install so many KDE libs to get it working its not worth it, im starting on jack, but it requires several kernel mods to get working....