source: multimedia/libdriv/alsa-utils.xml@ 48de78d

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>
<!DOCTYPE sect1 PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML V4.5//EN"
   "http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/4.5/docbookx.dtd" [
  <!ENTITY % general-entities SYSTEM "../../general.ent">
  %general-entities;

  <!ENTITY alsa-utils-download-http "&alsa-download-http;/utils/alsa-utils-&alsa-utils-version;.tar.bz2">
  <!ENTITY alsa-utils-download-ftp  "&alsa-download-ftp;/utils/alsa-utils-&alsa-utils-version;.tar.bz2">
  <!ENTITY alsa-utils-md5sum        "f81f9dcb9a014fd32cb3a70066a5b9a9">
  <!ENTITY alsa-utils-size          "1.1 MB">
  <!ENTITY alsa-utils-buildsize     "11 MB">
  <!ENTITY alsa-utils-time          "0.1 SBU">
  <!ENTITY alsa-utils-patch         "alsa-utils-&alsa-utils-version;-no_xmlto-1.patch">
]>

<sect1 id="alsa-utils" xreflabel="alsa-utils-&alsa-utils-version;">
  <?dbhtml filename="alsa-utils.html"?>

  <sect1info>
    <othername>$LastChangedBy$</othername>
    <date>$Date$</date>
  </sect1info>

  <title>alsa-utils-&alsa-utils-version;</title>

  <indexterm zone="alsa-utils">
    <primary sortas="a-ALSA-Utilities">ALSA Utilities</primary>
  </indexterm>

  <sect2 role="package">
    <title>Introduction to ALSA Utilities</title>

    <para>The <application>ALSA Utilities</application> package contains
    various utilities which are useful for controlling your sound card.</para>

    &lfs72_checked;

    <bridgehead renderas="sect3">Package Information</bridgehead>
    <itemizedlist spacing="compact">
      <listitem>
        <para>Download (HTTP): <ulink url="&alsa-utils-download-http;"/></para>
      </listitem>
      <listitem>
        <para>Download (FTP): <ulink url="&alsa-utils-download-ftp;"/></para>
      </listitem>
      <listitem>
        <para>Download MD5 sum: &alsa-utils-md5sum;</para>
      </listitem>
      <listitem>
        <para>Download size: &alsa-utils-size;</para>
      </listitem>
      <listitem>
        <para>Estimated disk space required: &alsa-utils-buildsize;</para>
      </listitem>
      <listitem>
        <para>Estimated build time: &alsa-utils-time;</para>
      </listitem>
    </itemizedlist>

    <bridgehead renderas="sect3">ALSA Utilities Dependencies</bridgehead>

    <bridgehead renderas="sect4">Required</bridgehead>
    <para role="required">
      <xref linkend="alsa-lib"/>
    </para>

    <bridgehead renderas="sect4">Optional</bridgehead>
    <para role="optional">
      <xref linkend="xmlto"/>,
      <ulink url="http://hightek.org/dialog/">dialog</ulink> (for alsaconf)
    </para>

    <bridgehead renderas="sect3">Additional Downloads</bridgehead>
       <itemizedlist spacing="compact">
         <listitem>
           <para>Optional patch: <ulink
            url="&patch-root;/&alsa-utils-patch;"/></para>
         </listitem>
       </itemizedlist>


    <para condition="html" role="usernotes">User Notes:
    <ulink url="&blfs-wiki;/alsa-utils"/></para>

  </sect2>

  <sect2 role="installation">
    <title>Installation of ALSA Utilities</title>

    <para>If you have not installed the optional dependency <xref linkend='xmlto'/>,
    apply the following patch:</para>

<screen><userinput>patch -Np1 -i ../&alsa-utils-patch;</userinput></screen>

    <para>Install <application>ALSA Utilities</application> by
    running the following commands:</para>

<screen><userinput>./configure --without-systemdsystemunitdir &amp;&amp;
make</userinput></screen>

    <para>This package does not come with a test suite.</para>

    <para>Now, as the <systemitem class="username">root</systemitem> user:</para>

<screen role="root"><userinput>make install</userinput></screen>

  </sect2>

  <sect2 role="commands">
    <title>Command Explanations</title>

    <para><option>--without-systemdsystemunitdir</option>:
    Do not install systemd units.</para>

  </sect2>

  <sect2 role="configuration">
    <title>Configuring ALSA Utilities</title>

    <sect3 id="alsa-utils-config">
      <title>Config Files</title>

      <para><filename>/var/lib/alsa/asound.state</filename></para>

      <indexterm zone="alsa-utils alsa-utils-config">
        <primary sortas="e-var-lib-alsa-asound.state">/var/lib/alsa/asound.state</primary>
      </indexterm>

    </sect3>

    <sect3 id="alsa-utils-init">
      <title>Configuration Information</title>

      <para> Use a bootscript to store the values at shutdown.</para>

      <indexterm zone="alsa-utils alsa-utils-init">
        <primary sortas="f-alsa">alsa</primary>
      </indexterm>

      <para>As the <systemitem class="username">root</systemitem> user,
      install the init script <filename>/etc/rc.d/init.d/alsa</filename> included
      in the <xref linkend="bootscripts"/> package.</para>

<screen role="root"><userinput>make install-alsa</userinput></screen>

      <para>Note that all channels of your sound card are muted by default.
      You can use the <command>alsamixer</command> program from the
      <application>ALSA Utilities</application> to change this. Use
      <command>speaker-test</command> to check that your settings have
      been applied correctly. You should hear <quote>pink noise</quote> on your
      speakers.</para>

      <para>The <filename>alsactl</filename> program is normally run from a
      standard <application>udev</application> rule.   The first time it is
      run, it will complain that there is no state in
      <filename>/var/lib/alsa/asound.state</filename>. You can prevent this by
      running the following commands as the <systemitem
      class="username">root</systemitem> user:</para>

<screen role="root"><userinput>touch /var/lib/alsa/asound.state &amp;&amp;
alsactl store</userinput></screen>

      <para>The volume settings will be restored from the saved state by
      <application>Udev</application> when the device is detected (during boot
      or when plugged in for USB devices).</para>

      <para>All sound devices are not accessible for any user except
      <systemitem class="username">root</systemitem> and members of the
      <systemitem class="groupname">audio</systemitem> group. Add any users
      that might use the sound devices to that group:</para>

<screen role="root"><userinput>usermod -a -G audio <replaceable>&lt;username&gt;</replaceable></userinput></screen>

      <note>
        <para>You may need to log out and back in again to refresh your group
        memberships. '<command>su <replaceable>&lt;username&gt;</replaceable></command>'
        should work as well.</para>
      </note>

    </sect3>

  </sect2>

  <sect2 role="content">
    <title>Contents</title>

    <segmentedlist>
      <segtitle>Installed Programs</segtitle>
      <segtitle>Installed Directory</segtitle>

      <seglistitem>
        <seg>aconnect, alsaconf, alsactl, alsamixer, amidi,
        amixer, aplay, aplaymidi, arecord, arecordmidi, aseqdump,
        aseqnet, iecset, and speaker-test</seg>
        <seg>/var/lib/alsa and /usr/share/sounds/alsa</seg>
      </seglistitem>
    </segmentedlist>

    <variablelist>
      <bridgehead renderas="sect3">Short Descriptions</bridgehead>
      <?dbfo list-presentation="list"?>
      <?dbhtml list-presentation="table"?>

      <varlistentry id="aconnect">
        <term><command>aconnect</command></term>
        <listitem>
          <para>is a utility for connecting and disconnecting two existing
          ports in the ALSA sequencer system.</para>
          <indexterm zone="alsa-utils aconnect">
            <primary sortas="b-aconnect">aconnect</primary>
          </indexterm>
        </listitem>
      </varlistentry>

      <varlistentry id="alsaconf">
        <term><command>alsaconf</command></term>
        <listitem>
          <para>is a configuration tool which tries to detect the sound cards
          on your system and write a suitable configuration file for ALSA.
          This program is incompatible with udev and hotplug.</para>
          <indexterm zone="alsa-utils alsaconf">
            <primary sortas="b-alsaconf">alsaconf</primary>
          </indexterm>
        </listitem>
      </varlistentry>

      <varlistentry id="alsactl">
        <term><command>alsactl</command></term>
        <listitem>
          <para>is used to control advanced settings for the
          ALSA sound card drivers.</para>
          <indexterm zone="alsa-utils alsactl">
            <primary sortas="b-alsactl">alsactl</primary>
          </indexterm>
        </listitem>
      </varlistentry>

      <varlistentry id="alsamixer">
        <term><command>alsamixer</command></term>
        <listitem>
          <para>is an ncurses-based mixer program for use with the
          ALSA sound card drivers.</para>
          <indexterm zone="alsa-utils alsamixer">
            <primary sortas="b-alsamixer">alsamixer</primary>
          </indexterm>
        </listitem>
      </varlistentry>

      <varlistentry id="amidi">
        <term><command>amidi</command></term>
        <listitem>
          <para>is used to read from and write to ALSA
          RawMIDI ports.</para>
          <indexterm zone="alsa-utils amidi">
            <primary sortas="b-amidi">amidi</primary>
          </indexterm>
        </listitem>
      </varlistentry>

      <varlistentry id="amixer">
        <term><command>amixer</command></term>
        <listitem>
          <para> allows command-line control of the mixers for the
          ALSA sound card drivers.</para>
          <indexterm zone="alsa-utils amixer">
            <primary sortas="b-amixer">amixer</primary>
          </indexterm>
        </listitem>
      </varlistentry>

      <varlistentry id="aplay">
        <term><command>aplay</command></term>
        <listitem>
          <para>is a command-line soundfile player for the
          ALSA sound card drivers.</para>
          <indexterm zone="alsa-utils aplay">
            <primary sortas="b-aplay">aplay</primary>
          </indexterm>
        </listitem>
      </varlistentry>

      <varlistentry id="aplaymidi">
        <term><command>aplaymidi</command></term>
        <listitem>
          <para>is a command-line utility that plays the specified
          MIDI file(s) to one or more ALSA sequencer ports.</para>
          <indexterm zone="alsa-utils aplaymidi">
            <primary sortas="b-aplaymidi">aplaymidi</primary>
          </indexterm>
        </listitem>
      </varlistentry>

      <varlistentry id="arecord">
        <term><command>arecord</command></term>
        <listitem>
          <para>is a command-line soundfile recorder for the
          ALSA sound card drivers.</para>
          <indexterm zone="alsa-utils arecord">
            <primary sortas="b-arecord">arecord</primary>
          </indexterm>
        </listitem>
      </varlistentry>

      <varlistentry id="arecordmidi">
        <term><command>arecordmidi</command></term>
        <listitem>
          <para>is a command-line utility that records a standard
          MIDI file from one or more ALSA sequencer ports.</para>
          <indexterm zone="alsa-utils arecordmidi">
            <primary sortas="b-arecordmidi">arecordmidi</primary>
          </indexterm>
        </listitem>
      </varlistentry>

      <varlistentry id="aseqdump">
        <term><command>aseqdump</command></term>
        <listitem>
          <para>is a command-line utility that prints the sequencer events it
          receives as text.</para>
          <indexterm zone="alsa-utils aseqdump">
            <primary sortas="b-aseqdump">aseqdump</primary>
          </indexterm>
        </listitem>
      </varlistentry>

      <varlistentry id="aseqnet">
        <term><command>aseqnet</command></term>
        <listitem>
          <para>is an ALSA sequencer client which sends
          and receives event packets over a network.</para>
          <indexterm zone="alsa-utils aseqnet">
            <primary sortas="b-aseqnet">aseqnet</primary>
          </indexterm>
        </listitem>
      </varlistentry>

      <varlistentry id="iecset">
        <term><command>iecset</command></term>
        <listitem>
          <para>is a small utility to set or dump the IEC958 (or so-called
          <quote>S/PDIF</quote>) status bits of the specified sound
          card via the ALSA control API.</para>
          <indexterm zone="alsa-utils iecset">
            <primary sortas="b-iecset">iecset</primary>
          </indexterm>
        </listitem>
      </varlistentry>

      <varlistentry id="speaker-test">
        <term><command>speaker-test</command></term>
        <listitem>
          <para>is a command-line speaker test tone generator for ALSA.</para>
          <indexterm zone="alsa-utils speaker-test">
            <primary sortas="b-speaker-test">speaker-test</primary>
          </indexterm>
        </listitem>
      </varlistentry>

    </variablelist>

  </sect2>

</sect1>