[PlanetCCRMA] new KDE update, pulseaudio fails

[Fernando Lopez-Lezcano]

[please do NOT post to planetccrmanews, the proper list for discussions 
is planetccrma at ccrma.stanford.edu - thanks]

On 04/22/2011 11:58 AM, Craig Bourne wrote:
> Here is the response when trying to start pulseaudio, from the command
> line, as an unprivileged user:
>
> [cbourne at speedy ~]$ pulseaudio -vv
> I: main.c: setrlimit(RLIMIT_NICE, (31, 31)) failed: Operation not permitted
> ....
> E: alsa-sink.c: Failed to parse sample specification and channel map
> E: module.c: Failed to load  module "module-alsa-sink" (argument:
> "device=hw:DSP sink_name=HDSP_PLAYBACK rate=48000 format=s32le
> tsched=0 channels=26
> channel_map=ch1,ch2,ch3,ch4,ch5,ch6,ch7,ch8,ch9,ch10,ch11,ch12,ch13,ch14,ch15,ch16,ch17,ch18,ch19,ch20,ch21,ch22,ch23,ch24,ch25,ch26"):
> initialization failed.

That is not a valid channel map and as such it is not being parsed by 
pulseaudio. The are no "chxx" names in pulseaudio. If you look at the 
examples I posted you will see that I don't use those names. You can't 
make up names, they will not be recognized by pulseaudio.

See this page:

   http://www.pulseaudio.org/wiki/Modules

In particular:

"Channel map. A list of comma-separated channel names. The currently 
defined channel names are: left, right, mono, center, front-left, 
front-right, front-center, rear-center, rear-left, rear-right, lfe, 
subwoofer, front-left-of-center, front-right-of-center, side-left, 
side-right, aux0, aux1 to aux15, top-center, top-front-left, 
top-front-right, top-front-center, top-rear-left, top-rear-right, 
top-rear-center, (Default depends on the number of channels and the driver)"

So, those are the names you can use in a channel map. I would try to use 
"left", "right" first and point them to the channels where stereo output 
should come out. Then use the others (you can - and I do that for RME 
cards - repeat them if there are not enough distinct names)

I think the problem has nothing to do with the KDE update, the channel 
map is incorrect.
-- Fernando