Dummy Output - linux mint, sound issue

[boredgoldfish]

Hi team, I'm very new to linux but would like to be able to hear sound from the inbuilt speakers.
Pre-linux, I verified the speakers did work.
Following the steps on Troubleshooting audio problems in Linux., I have some information for hopeful help.

sudo lspci | grep -i audio
provides me with:

00:1f.3 Audio device: Intel Corporation 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family HD Audio Controller (rev 31)


sudo lsmod | grep snd returns:

snd_seq_dummy          12288  0

snd_hrtimer            12288  1

snd_soc_avs_probe      12288  0

snd_soc_avs_hdaudio    12288  0

snd_hda_codec_hdmi     98304  0

snd_hda_codec_realtek   212992  0

snd_hda_codec_generic   122880  1 snd_hda_codec_realtek

snd_hda_scodec_component    20480  1 snd_hda_codec_realtek

snd_soc_avs           200704  0

snd_soc_hda_codec      24576  2 snd_soc_avs,snd_soc_avs_hdaudio

snd_hda_ext_core       32768  2 snd_soc_avs,snd_soc_hda_codec

snd_soc_core          425984  4 snd_soc_avs,snd_soc_hda_codec,snd_soc_avs_probe,snd_soc_avs_hdaudio

snd_compress           36864  2 snd_soc_avs,snd_soc_core

ac97_bus               12288  1 snd_soc_core

snd_pcm_dmaengine      16384  1 snd_soc_core

snd_hda_intel          61440  0

snd_intel_dspcfg       45056  2 snd_soc_avs,snd_hda_intel

snd_intel_sdw_acpi     16384  1 snd_intel_dspcfg

snd_hda_codec         204800  6 snd_hda_codec_generic,snd_soc_avs,snd_hda_codec_hdmi,snd_soc_hda_codec,snd_hda_intel,snd_hda_codec_realtek

snd_hda_core          147456  8 snd_hda_codec_generic,snd_soc_avs,snd_hda_codec_hdmi,snd_soc_hda_codec,snd_hda_intel,snd_hda_ext_core,snd_hda_codec,snd_hda_codec_realtek

snd_ctl_led            24576  0

snd_hwdep              20480  1 snd_hda_codec

snd_pcm               192512  8 snd_soc_avs,snd_hda_codec_hdmi,snd_hda_intel,snd_hda_codec,snd_compress,snd_soc_core,snd_hda_core,snd_pcm_dmaengine

snd_seq_midi           24576  0

snd_seq_midi_event     16384  1 snd_seq_midi

snd_rawmidi            57344  1 snd_seq_midi

snd_seq               122880  9 snd_seq_midi,snd_seq_midi_event,snd_seq_dummy

snd_seq_device         16384  3 snd_seq,snd_seq_midi,snd_rawmidi

snd_timer              53248  3 snd_seq,snd_hrtimer,snd_pcm

snd                   143360  16 snd_ctl_led,snd_hda_codec_generic,snd_seq,snd_seq_device,snd_hda_codec_hdmi,snd_hwdep,snd_hda_intel,snd_hda_codec,snd_hda_codec_realtek,snd_timer,snd_compress,snd_soc_core,snd_pcm,snd_rawmidi

soundcore              16384  2 snd_ctl_led,snd

So far, so good. However, sudo aplay -l & sudo arecord -l both record
*** List of PLAYBACK Hardware Devices ***
and
*** List of CAPTURE Hardware Devices ***
respectively. As in, they have nothing except for the headers. Uh oh.

Bluetooth headphones work just fine.

Any feedback would be excellent, thank you!

NAME="Linux Mint"

VERSION="22.2 (Zara)"

ID=linuxmint

ID_LIKE="ubuntu debian"

PRETTY_NAME="Linux Mint 22.2"

VERSION_ID="22.2"

HOME_URL="https://www.linuxmint.com/"

SUPPORT_URL="https://forums.linuxmint.com/"

BUG_REPORT_URL="http://linuxmint-troubleshooting-guide.readthedocs.io/en/latest/"

PRIVACY_POLICY_URL="https://www.linuxmint.com/"

VERSION_CODENAME=zara

UBUNTU_CODENAME=noble[CODE]

Audio:

  Device-1: Intel 100 Series/C230 Series Family HD Audio vendor: Dell

    driver: snd_soc_avs v: kernel bus-ID: 00:1f.3 chip-ID: 8086:a170

    class-ID: 0403

  API: ALSA v: k6.14.0-37-generic status: kernel-api

  Server-1: PipeWire v: 1.0.5 status: active with: 1: pipewire-pulse

    status: active 2: wireplumber status: active

  Server-2: PulseAudio v: 16.1 status: off (using pipewire-pulse)

lspci -nnkd ::403 returns:

00:1f.3 Audio device [0403]: Intel Corporation 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family HD Audio Controller [8086:a170] (rev 31)

    Subsystem: Dell 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family HD Audio Controller [1028:06e5]

    Kernel driver in use: snd_soc_avs

    Kernel modules: snd_hda_intel, snd_soc_avs

lspci -nnk | grep -A3 -i aud returns:

00:1f.3 Audio device [0403]: Intel Corporation 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family HD Audio Controller [8086:a170] (rev 31)

 

[osprey]

Welcome! Thanks for the helpful outputs.

There's a number of possible issues, some of which are mentioned below.

It's useful to first check for any muted output devices. These can be unmuted though the GUI app: pavucontrol, or the terminal command: alsamixer. In alsamixer, toggle off the M digit if it's present muting sound output.

It's very useful to check dmesg for missing firmware. In your case, the kernel driver in use is snd_soc_avs which is known to be troublesome in some cases in my reading online. It is known to need very current firmware so one needs to update firmware to the latest possible for this driver. One can check for missing firmware as root with:

dmesg | grep -i firmware

If the latest firmware is installed, and yet some firmware is still reported missing in the dmesg output which affects the snd_soc_avs driver, then it's possible to take another approach and blacklist snd_soc_avs and try get the snd_hda_intel driver to run the sound.

Normally one can blacklist with an entry in a file one creates like: /etc/modprobe.d/snd-soc-avs-blacklist.conf with the following content:

blacklist snd_soc_avs

After a reboot, one can check the loaded driver with: lspci -nnkd ::403 to see if snd_hda_intel is the "Kernel driver in use". Then check sound with a known-good sound file, or use the command: speaker-test which emits pink noise. The output of the speaker-test command can go on for some time but it's unnecessary to listen to the whole opera for just checking sound from the speakers so it can be stopped short with ctrl+c. If sound is heard, all should be well.

There can be complications. For example, if the snd_soc_avs is installed in the initrd image that the kernel loads. One can check with:

lsinitramfs -l /boot/initrd.img-$(uname -r) | grep -i snd

Another consideration which may arise is that snd_hda_intel driver needs to be explicitly loaded with an entry in a file one creates like:
/etc/modprobe.d/snd-hda-intel.conf, with contents like:

options snd_hda_intel dmic_detect=0

That entry was successful in a few cases I'm familiar with, though it stops the detection of microphones. There are other possibilities. Hopefully something will come of the above investigation.

In relation to the outputs of code, it's helpful for readers if one uses code tags as described in this post: https://www.linux.org/threads/the-code-tag-and-why-it-matters.57746/#post-276419

 

[boredgoldfish]

Thank you for your very helpful comments & advice! Have edited my initial post to use code tags.

Alsamixer was a bust: "This sound device does not have any controls."

But blacklisting snd_soc_avs was a big success on the first try!! Thank you so much. I struggled to learn how to create a file at first (I did say I was new to this), but perseverance is sweet!

Enjoy the silly season & hopefully some holiday rest.

 

[TORO]

Thanks guys, blacklisting snd_soc_avs worked for me too. This has been a problem for me for some time...

 

[wizardfromoz]

@boredgoldfish

If you are still happy with your sound, just go to your first post, choose Edit Thread and click No Prefix and choose Solved.

A belated welcome to linux.org to you, and a new welcome to @TORO .

Do be sure to get over to https://www.linux.org/forums/member-introductions.141/ amd say hi and meet a few of the gang.

Cheers

Chris Turner
wizardfromoz