Discord does not detect audio device/stays mute. [Bionicpup64]

[Phoenix]

Hi, so I went and got Discord and tried using voice chat. Except I couldn't hear any audio other than the sound notifications for joining/leaving, etc. The audio works in other places, such as browser, or media files, but not Discord. Any help to troubleshoot this audio issue would be greatly appreciated!

[bigpup]

Exactly how did you install Discord?
Got it from where?

An internet search brings up this:

In Discord, open the Settings menu by clicking on the cog icon next to your name and avatar in the bottom left.
In the Settings menu, under “App Settings”, select the “Voice & Video” on the left.
This will bring up the menu where you can change the settings for your microphone or headset.

[bigpup]

If you are new to using Bionicpup64 8.0
Quickpet icon on desktop.
Run Quickpet->Info->Bionicpup updates.
After that, reboot and save, so all the new bug fixes and updates, are now being used.
May not help your sound problem, but it will help to make a more stable Bionicpup64 8.0

[Phoenix]

Did it via zip from Discord itself. Also, I have checked that, but no options for input nor output device are listed. I have also installed all updates for bionicpuppy64 as well. Discord is now symlinked to bin and I now run it with

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Discord --no-sandbox

.

[mikewalsh]

@Phoenix:-

I've had the same issue with this myself. I moderate over at BleepingComputer, and they have their own Discord server. As a mod, if you want to sign into Discord, they insist on you doing so via 2FA.....which is another whole story in itself, that I'm not going into..!

Anyway; I've also tried the Discord app.....and, like you, I cannot get audio to work there, no matter what I try, or which 64-bit Puppy I use. I found out, some time ago, that the only way to get audio working in Discord is to use the web-app....but this must be the current release of Chrome. It will not work in any other browser (and I've tried them all, believe me.)

Unless anybody else knows of any other esoteric 'work-arounds', this is what I'd recommend. You must make sure you're signed-in, too.....else the audio/video icons are just greyed-out.

It may, of course, be a permissions or ownerships thing; remember, most Linux apps are written with the expectation of being run as a 'normal user', in a multi-user setup, and all the ownerships, permissions, attributes, groups, etc., set-up for this purpose. Personally, I just use the browser; it's simpler!

Mike.

[Phoenix]

Not even firefox? Dang!

[bigpup]

Wonder if running it this way would make a difference.

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apulse run-as-spot discord

OR:

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apulse run-as-spot discord --no-sandbox

See this Discord topic:
viewtopic.php?f=90&t=1372
Notice the deb package from Discord was used here.

[mikewalsh]

@Phoenix / all :-

Okay. I got audio working in Discord. Here's how:-

First; in all honesty, on a desktop, this NEEDS a headset. This is the only way round it, unless you've got a set of headphones AND a separate microphone, both of which are plugged into/working with the same sound card.

I've had a Logitech H340 USB headset for a while, now; it has its own audio card built-in to the rather chunky connector. Which makes setting things up a doddle....

--------------------------------------

Normally, for video chats I'll set output to default speakers (off the main card) and input to the webcam mike (the c920's stereo microphones). Most apps will let you do stuff like this. Discord, however, won't; both input & output must come from the same "default" device.

This is hardly surprising, TBH. Discord was originally, and still IS primarily a gamer's communication platform. The vast majority of serious gamers seem to prefer headsets anyway.....and most modern headsets are USB. With a built-in audio chip...

Go figure. On top of that, this thing expects PulseAudio. Of course! So:-

• Make sure you've got apulse installed.

Your launcher needs to read as follows:-

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apulse /usr/bin/discord --no-sandbox

• Spot - not required. Root works fine for Discord. (I use a separate launch script in /root/my-applications/bin, with the .desktop file pointing to this. This permits experimenting with 'launch' parameters without disturbing the MenuEntry).

• Using apulse gives you 'Default Device' in the Discord settings.....as opposed to 'No device could be found...'

-----------------------------------

Fire up Discord. Sign-in, and all that guff. Now; you should find your audio icons, bottom left, now look normal.

Click on the settings 'cog-wheel'. 'App Settings->Voice & Video'. You'll find it's on 'Voice Activity' by default. If you now talk into your mike, you should see the solid green line come and go as you talk. However....

Discord voice channels all want you to use 'Push to talk'. This means setting up a keybind to activate your mike on/off. (Seems a bit old-fashioned, but.....this is what seems to work. I just used the space bar. There's a lot of default keybindings set-up already, but the space bar doesn't seem to be allocated. So; now it is!)

To test this, you now use the test bar up top. Hit your 'toggle' key to activate your mike. Speaking will show activity in yellow on the test bar. Toggle again to switch the mike off.

All things being equal, you now have a working mike & headphones/speakers!

------------------------------------

To summarise:-

• Apulse is the thing that gets stuff working here, since Discord is set-up to expect PulseAudio.

• A single 'default' card isn't really an issue, TBH. A laptop only has one card, with everything working off it.

• If you're on a desktop, with possibility of multiple sources; make sure headphones/mike are using the same card. Or, use a headset.....preferably, with its own audio card.

Sorted! Hope that helps some of you.

Mike.

[bigpup]

I got this terminal command to work on my install of Discord.

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apulse discord --no-sandbox

I guess as long as the Discord exec file is in the system path it will work.

▶—— Path ——◀

/bin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/usr/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/root/my-applications/bin:/usr/games:/usr/lib/qt5/bin:/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/qt5/bin

[mikewalsh]

@bigpup :-

Aye, it should do. I'm just used to using full $PATHs, that's all. That's just me. If it's in the $PATH, just the exec command should be necessary.....but apulse is, as you suggested, the "magic ingredient" here. That's what gets things working in the end.

(EDIT:- The same stuff will now allow everything to work in the web-app, as well. Chrome, AND Firefox, too. Not Iron, though.....or Vivaldi, or Opera, etc. It must be either the latest Chrome, Firefox.....or Edge.)

(EDIT2:- Iron will work if you use a user-agent switcher to fool Discord into thinking you're running the newest Chrome or Edge under Windows. Then, everything functions as expected.)

Mike.

[Phoenix]

Ok, then.. is it possible to try tricking Discord into using the speakers as if it were a headset, or am I just crazy?

[mikewalsh]

@Phoenix :-

Eminently possible, I would think. After all, I run my own speaker system permanently off the headphone socket!

I use a nearly 20-yr old Goodmans powered speaker system, originally intended for use with mp3 players. A separate sub-woofer contains the amplifier & controls, and a pair of satellite speakers provide the 'mids' & 'tweeters'. The sole input for this contraption is a 1.5m lead with a single 3.5 mm jack plug.....which is meant for plugging into the headphone socket of an mp3 player.

Works great with a computer!

Here's the crux of it; the Windows version of the app (and the web-app running under Windows) gives you a full drop down box of choices on both the imput AND output side of things. The Linux version, by contrast, expects both input AND output to come from the same, default card. If your speaker system uses a 3.5 mm jack plug, plug this into the headphone socket. A separate microphone can then go into the microphone socket, and these are then both running from the same audio card.

If your speakers are using a USB plug, make sure they're set to run from the same card as your microphone. The other, easier option, as mentioned, is to use a combined headset of course.

Standalone mikes don't cost a fortune these days. It's just a peculiarity of the way in which the separate platforms have been coded to work.....

Mike.