<!-- Reviewed 2013-10-17 by mfillpot -->
====== Set Up Sound Blaster Live! 5.1 & Audigy Rx in Slackware======

This HOWTO is based on setup experience with following hardware:

  * Creative Labs Sound Blaster Live! 5.1 ( SB0060)
  * Creative Inspire T3100 2.1 Speakers
  * Intel DG965SS motherboard
  * Intel Core 2 Duo 2.2 GHz E4500 CPU
  * 3 Gb RAM, 500 Gb HDD, Slackware 14.0 32bit Full install, generic kernel.
  * 4 Gb RAM, 1 Tb HDD, Slackware64 14.1 - 64 bit Full install, default huge kernel.

  * Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy Rx ( SB1550 )PCIe on ASUS R8H61/i3 - 3220/ 16 Gb RAM / Slackware64 14.1 
===== Installation and Basic Configuration =====
  * Shutdown the computer
  * Insert the Sound Blaster card into a free PCI slot ( Audigy - in PCIe slot) on your mothherboard.
<note>
Try not to block the existing cards' ventilation.

I usually try to put the sound card in the "lowest" slot, most distant from the CPU, and close to the bottom of the case.
</note>
  * When the Sound Blaster card has been installed and secured with a bracket screw, you may turn the computer on and log into Slackware.
  * After login, you will have working sound from your new sound card. 
    * In order to obtain full control, do the following (in KDE): click on "**kmixer > mixer > settings > configure channels**...", and drag & drop all channels you need from the "**Available channels**" window to the "**Visible channels**".

===== WaveTable MIDI Configuration =====

Now it's time to set up the [[ http://alsa.opensrc.org/Emu10k1|WaveTable]] feature:
  * Download the latest awesfx package here: ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/people/tiwai/awesfx/ (tested with  0.5.1d)
  * Extract the source tarball, and compile it (with the usual "''./configure && make && make install''" routine as root)
  * After that, you need a soundbank aka //soundfont// - examples of freely available soundfonts are:
    * http://www.alsa-project.org/~james/sound-fonts/8MBGMSFX.SF2
    * http://www.systemshock.org/index.php?topic=3188.0
    * http://www.alsa-project.org/~tiwai/awedrv.html#SoundFonts
  * Choose one of these soundfont (.sf2) files and copy it to a directory which you may have to create first: ''/usr/local/share/sounds/sf2/''
  * Then edit ''/etc/rc.d/rc.local'' with a text editor ([[howtos:software:vi|vi]], [[howtos:software:nano|nano]]. or [[howtos:software:midnight_commander|midnight commander]]'s built-in editor) to initialize the WaveTable. 

An example: 
<code bash>
#!/bin/sh
#
# /etc/rc.d/rc.local:  Local system initialization script.
#
# Put any local startup commands in here.  Also, if you have
# anything that needs to be run at shutdown time you can
# make an /etc/rc.d/rc.local_shutdown script and put those
# commands in there.

echo "SB synth module load!"
/sbin/modprobe snd_emu10k1_synth

echo "sleep for LivE! appear"
sleep 5

echo "Load 8 Mb midi patch set for SB Live! 5.1 soundcard!"

#/usr/local/bin/asfxload /usr/local/share/sounds/sf2/8mbgmsfx.sf2
/usr/local/bin/asfxload /usr/local/share/sounds/sf2/WeedsGM3.sf2

echo "Pause ***** Sleep 10 ********"
sleep 10
</code>
  * You can comment the "''sleep''" command (using a ''#'' character at the beginning of the line) - it pauses the computer for N seconds. I added that "''sleep''" to get time to check whether the soundfont is being loaded without errors during startup. 

  * The command "''modprobe snd_emu10k1_synth''" is needed here, because without it, I have experienced the error "//No Emux synth hwdep device is found//" when trying to load a soundfont at this stage of the boot.
    * When i try to load a soundfont after I login to KDE, it succeeds without requiring that "snd_emu10k1_synth" commandline in ''rc.local'', but as I want to load a soundfont automatically at startup, I load that module as shown in the example code)
  * After these preparations and a restart, everything should be working and you can use your MIDI WaveTable device.

===== Playing MIDI =====

For playing MIDI (.mid) files you can use the [[howtos:multimedia:audacious|Audacious]] program - in KDE that can be found under **Start > Multimedia > Audacious (Music Player)**.
  * Start Audacious, and choose **File > Preferences**
  * Choose **Plugins** tab, then **Input** tab, and choose **AMIDI-Plug (MIDI Player)**
  * In the **AMIDI-Plug Settings** window, choose **Preferences**, then **ALSA backend**
  * You will see **ALSA output Ports**. Choose (by ticking the checkbox) **17:0 Emu10k1 WaveTable Emu10k1 Port 0**
  * Press **Ok** and close all configuration dialogs.
  *  Now you can play your MIDI files in Audacious.

If you encounter any problems, or found an error in this HOWTO, please contact m
e: john AT sten.lv.

===== Play files from CLI =====

For playing MIDI (.mid) files under Command Line Interface, you can use a **aplaymidi** command from slackware, or download and install pmidi from http://slackbuilds.org .
The both programms is very similar in use and syntax.
To play MIDI via aplaymidi:

do
<code bash>

aplaymidi -l

</code>

you get something like this:

<code bash>

 aplaymidi -l
 Port    Client name                      Port name
 14:0    Midi Through                     Midi Through Port-0
 16:0    SB Audigy 2 Value [Unknown]      Audigy MPU-401 (UART)
 16:32   SB Audigy 2 Value [Unknown]      Audigy MPU-401 #2
 17:0    Emu10k1 WaveTable                Emu10k1 Port 0
 17:1    Emu10k1 WaveTable                Emu10k1 Port 1
 17:2    Emu10k1 WaveTable                Emu10k1 Port 2
 17:3    Emu10k1 WaveTable                Emu10k1 Port 3


</code>

now you must define hw wavetable port for programm and midi file to play:

<code bash>
 aplaymidi -p 17:0 BBEE.MID

</code>


To play another types of files ( .wav .flac .mp3 and so on) you can use "play" command.
in default it use default sound card for output. 
<code bash>
 
play loona.mp3

loona.mp3:

 File Size: 3.44M     Bit Rate: 112k
  Encoding: MPEG audio    
  Channels: 2 @ 16-bit   
Samplerate: 44100Hz      
Replaygain: off         Artist: Loona
  Duration: 00:04:05.48  Title: Hijo de la La Luna

</code>

You also can use mixer for change volume: 
<code bash>
alsamixer

</code>

===== TroubleShooting =====

==== Diagnostic and information gathering ====

For first  -try gathering some useful information about your situation:

<code bash>
 lspci
</code>

Gives you info about hardware devices sits on PCI and PCIe bus of your computer

 <code bash>
 cat /proc/asound/cards
</code>

gives you information about cards found your sound system and its numerating. 0 card is be default card.


there is also some another useful commands:

<code bash>
 aplay -l
</code>
 and 

<code bash>
 aplay -L
</code>

and even 

<code bash>
 lsmod
</code>


==== Make a right soundcard as first (default) ====

Firstly, make a file called sound.conf under /etc/modprobe.d/  :

<code bash>
##alias char-major-116 snd
options snd cards_limit=2 slots=snd-emu10k1,snd-hda-intel
# LHB6.mOmgEN0gox0:SBLive! 5.1 Digital Model SB0220
alias snd-card-0 snd-emu10k1
alias sound-slot-0 snd-emu10k1
# W60f.x8s5HMdIibD:82801EB/ER (ICH5/ICH5R) AC'97 Audio Controller
alias snd-card-1 snd-hda-intel
alias sound-slot-1 snd-hda-intel

##options snd-emu10k1 enable=1 index=0 max_buffer_size=756
options snd-emu10k1 enable=1 index=0 max_buffer_size=1750

options snd-hda-intel enable=1 index=1

</code>


==== Problems with SoundFonts====

SB Live! And Audigy Rx use similar DSP - emu10k based, and looks like have similar problems.

As i read, problem root is in that fact, a DSP use 31 bit in memory address instead of 32 bits - and it causes problem on linux x64 systems with more than 2 (3?) Gb RAM.

I encounter that with 4 Gb RAM on Slackware64 14.1 - the symptoms is that, you cannot load soundfont larger than 16 Mb - asfxload on trying that writes:

sfxload: no memory left

while asfxload -M gives something like this:

DRAM memory left = 115576 kB

it means - about 100+ megabytes free ram. But you really cannot load even 30 Mb soundbank.

Ok, what is workaround?
There is two: decrease memory size used by system at boot stage to 2 Gb  - use at lilo kernel parameter 

''memmap=2048M\\$6144M''

Other is more usable - change kernel source files and recompile kernel:

go to /usr/src/~linux  - that is your linux source. 

arch/x86/include/asm/dma.h

change in string:
<code bash>
 
/* 4GB broken PCI/AGP hardware bus master zone */
     #define MAX_DMA32_PFN ((4UL * 1024 * 1024 * 1024) >> PAGE_SHIFT)
     
</code>
     
  change 4UL to 2UL:
  
<code bash>
  
  /* 4GB broken PCI/AGP hardware bus master zone */
     #define MAX_DMA32_PFN ((2UL * 1024 * 1024 * 1024) >> PAGE_SHIFT)
     
</code> 
    
     after that need to recompile kernel. after that you get usable 1 Gb RAM for SB Live /Audigy Rx soundfonts.
    
<note> if you want more than 1 Gb for soundfonts - you need edit also:</note> 
     
     sound/pci/emu10k1/emu10k1.c
     
<code bash>
      err = snd_card_create(index[dev], id[dev], THIS_MODULE, 0, &card);          
    if (err < 0)                                                                
        return err;                                                             
    if (max_buffer_size[dev] < 32)                                              
        max_buffer_size[dev] = 32;                                              
    // else if (max_buffer_size[dev] > 1024)                                         
    //      max_buffer_size[dev] = 1024;                                            
    if ((err = snd_emu10k1_create(card, pci, extin[dev], extout[dev],           
                      (long)max_buffer_size[dev] * 1024 * 1024,                 
                      enable_ir[dev], subsystem[dev],                           
                      &emu)) < 0)                                               
        goto error;                                                 
       
</code> 

you must comment  that strings, as in upper block:   

<code bash>
 else if (max_buffer_size[dev] > 1024)                                         
        max_buffer_size[dev] = 1024;  
</code> 
        
        And then there is one else thing: default memory size for soundfonts is 128 Mb. If you want to increase it, you must create a sound.conf file in /etc/modprobe.d/ 

write in file /etc/modprobe.d/sound.conf :        
<code bash>

options snd-emu10k1  max_buffer_size=1750     
 
</code> 

where max_buffer_size reffers to amount of RAM dedicated to soundfonts, in megabytes. in that case its about 1.7 Gb.

        
<note tip>    after that you can use up to 2 Gb RAM for soundfonts loading ( when define that in max_buffer_size, and do restart).
</note>
        
====== Useful Links: ======
  * [[http://www.alsa-project.org/~tiwai/awedrv.html]]
  * [[http://alsa.opensrc.org/Emu10k1]]
  * [[http://www.systemshock.org/index.php?topic=3188.0]]
  * [[http://www.simpilot.net/~richnagel/#downloads]]
  * [[http://alsa.opensrc.org/Asfxload]]
  * [[http://vladimir-stupin.blogspot.com/2012/05/midi-debian-gnulinux.html]] (in russian)
  * [[https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/awesfx/+bug/183456]]
  * [[https://github.com/koppi/renoise-refcards/wiki/HOWTO-setup-EMU10k-soundfont-DSP-on-Ubuntu-11.10]]
  * [[http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/slackware-14/sound-problems-in-slackware64-14-1-xfce-4175497387/]]

====== Sources ======
Originally written by  --- //[[wiki:user:wisedraco|John Ciemgals]] 2013/02/07 04:50//

Rewrited with used materials from "Links" and LinuxQuestions.org Slackware forum, especially user Drakeo help --- //[[wiki:user:wisedraco|John Ciemgals]] 2014/03/19 01:15//

Edited by  --- //[[wiki:user:mfillpot|mfillpot]]

<!-- Please do not modify anything below, except adding new tags.-->
{{tag>howtos soundblaster live Audigy Rx wavetable soundbank soundfont sfxload author_wisedraco}}