Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

I'm trying to get sound in the latest Chrome browser on FatDog working using a USB headset.

I have set the default sound card in the control panel to the USB device and then run the speaker test, which works fine. So the system sound seems to be ok.

However, when I try to play sound in the Chrome browser on Youtube, I don't get any audio. Chrome settings in the audio section are set to allow websites to reproduce sound. Microphone input via Google Hangouts in the browser also does not work although the correct input device has been selected.

What am I missing?

Thanks for your assistance!

@Neo_78 :-

I don't use FatDog - tried it a few times, never got on with it - but I AM a long-term Chrome user.

Chrome does have additional settings for stuff like webcams & microphones, etc - which you doubtless know about - but sound normally plays straight out through whatever your default audio device is.

Question:- You say this is a USB headset, yes? I have two of them.....one Logitech, one SoMIC. Both have their own audio cards built-in to the rather chunky connectors. Is yours the same, and have you set the individual controls for the headset appropriately?

Otherwise, I can't think of any other reason why it shouldn't work. Both of mine do, flawlessly.....and did so OOTB. Unless there's some FatDog-specific reason why this isn't working, in which case sorry for wasting your time!

Mike.

@mikewalsh correct, this is a USB headset which has its own soundcard, that is also recognized in FatDog's audio control panel. The sound test in that control panel reproduces sound correctly. The audio settings in Chrome are all set to permit sound.

Am I missing something in FatDog's system sound configuration ?

Thanks for your feedback.

How did you install Chrome?

I tested this in Fatdog with a set of USB speakers. I installed Chrome through the control panel. Audio from Youtube worked OK.

On this computer running Fatdog64-812 the Logitech USB Headset H340 _mostly_ works but sometimes quits unexpectedly. On checking, using "Fatdog Set Default Sound Card", I find that the Logitech card has disappeared from the list of sound cards available (although it had been there when I previously set it as the default). I think that one of the triggers for this to happen is plugging or unplugging another USB to one of the other USB ports.
I am not certain what I did to fix things last time but I think the sequence was this:
1 close all programs.
2 unplug the headset.
3 restart X
4 restart chrome
5 wait a few minutes before plugging in the headset
6 opening the control panel and running Fatdog Set Default Sound Card (hopefully the Logitech card has returned)
Sound should now be working again (until next time)

HTH
Ken

@superchook :-

I find that, regardless of machine and/or OS, USB device plugging-in or removal will cause the machine to re-catalogue what's attached. And I have to agree with Ken about headsets disappearing when other devices are sometimes added/removed, because it's happened to me on occasion. My own H340 does just the same.

The H340s are, however, my back-up pair. My primary pair are a set of SoMIC GS401s - full-cup, noise-cancelling, plug-in/out removable "boom" mike, with a wireless USB dongle (NOT Bluetooth). These took some tracking-down, since the latter form of connection is near as dammit ubiquitous......and I don't like Bluetooth.

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

I get round the re-cataloguing thing as follows:-

This HP desktop rig has 6 rear USB 2.0 ports + 1 USB 3.0
2 front USB 3.0 and 1 USB-C
A 7-port self-powered USB 2.0 hub permanently occupies one of the rear USB 2.0 ports.....all of which gives me something like 14/15 in total?

I leave the wireless dongle permanently plugged-in to the rear USB 3.0 port, via a 2-metre USB extension lead which is attached to the front underside of my desk via a small home-built bracket. As far as the audio wizard is concerned, this is a "permanent" fixture, since it never changes.....and USB 3.0 has its own, dedicated, internal "hub" separate from USB 2.0 (which for me gets far more use anyway).

I'll be the first to admit that not everyone has the luxury of being able to leave things permanently connected, however!

Mike.

Chrome was installed via the FatDog control panel installer.

So you think this might be a problem with the headset?

I find it pretty odd that the FatDog sound test works but Chrome stays silent...

Neo_78 wrote: ↑Wed Jul 13, 2022 1:38 am

Chrome was installed via the FatDog control panel installer.

I find it pretty odd that the FatDog sound test works but Chrome stays silent...

Unfortunately, I don't have a USB headset, so can't even try to reproduce it, but here are some questions that could help narrowing down the culprit:

- did the audio in Chrome work at all, before you set the default sound card to USB?
- does the audio work in Firefox?
- does the audio work if you launch Chrome as root (google-chrome-stable in terminal)?
- any audio related messages when you launch Chrome from the terminal (google-chrome-spot)?

Greetings!

@JakeSFR after further testing following your suggestions, I found the following solution for Chrome:

1. Select the correct USB audio device in the control panel and run the system sound test to confirm that system audio is working.

2. Start or restart Chrome browser (root or non-root) and sound should work in the browser. It will not work if you have the browser already running, but the correct audio device has not been selected yet in the control panel and is changed later. In this case the browser needs to be restarted.

This will only work for Chrome if the mentioned configuration sequence is followed.

Is there a configuration option to permanently select a specific audio device as the default option on system start considering that this is a live system?

I do no get sound working in Firefox at all (root or non-root) unfortunately.

Maybe this is the reason that @Duprate starts Firefox with apulse.

https://github.com/i-rinat/apulse

#!/bin/sh
#script to run $APP as spot...
APP=$(readlink -e $0)
[ "$APP" ] || APP=$0
export APPDIR=$(dirname "$APP")
[ "$APPDIR" = "." ] && APPDIR=$(pwd)
P="$APPDIR/firefox"
[ -x "$P" ] && apulse run-as-spot "$P"
exit 1

or just:

apulse run-as-spot firefox

@Neo_78 / @je55eah /all :-

I've developed my own way of working with these USB headsets.

I've written an app I call "QuickAudioSwap" :-

Pretty much every Pup I run uses pizzasgood's marvellous Retrovol.....and this app hinges on use of the hidden .retrovolrc config file. What I do when setting any new Puppy up is to set things as I want them for conventional speakers, then make a copy of .retrovolrc. I then plug the headphones in - and this next step works for both pairs of USB headphones, since both display the exact same set of controls - I set the headphones as default, then make a copy of this .retrovolrc file as well.

Both of these .retrovolrc files are kept in a directory in /mnt/home, alongside all the other Puppy SFS files'n'kernel/zdrv/frdv, etc.

When I want to swap audio cards, I select the one I want from the GUI; this swaps .retrovolrc files to the appropriate one for the card, and restarts Retrovol. I then use the 'Select default card' button; this brings up the SoundCardWizard, whereupon I select the card in question.....which is then set AS the 'default'.

This allows me to swap default audio cards 'on-the-fly', without any need to have to re-boot Puppy to get things re-read correctly. Of course, it goes without saying that if I want to swap the 'default' card as used by the browser, this has to be done when the browser is not running; either that, or as Neo says, a restart is required.

Sorted!

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

The app also lets me reset the Logitech c920 HD 'Pro' webcam's stereo microphone input levels, using amixer along with the 'sset' parameter. For some reason, although it's supposed to remember its last settings internally, this is the only thing that doesn't always seem to work under Linux......so a manual reset is needed from time to time.

QuickAudioSwap normally runs from an icon in the notification area, over on the right side of the tray. I can choose whether to let this 'launcher' auto-start at boot or not; to this end, it also has a Menu entry to start it manually when required.

May seem like overkill to some, but it works flawlessly for me.....and it lets me exercise my love of building GUIs with YAD.

Mike.

Does it work when you boot FD without a save file?