--with-sequencer=yes: This tells the ALSA Driver package to build the sequencer modules. Most people want them so you will usually want to leave it set to yes. --with-oss=yes: This tells the package to build the OSS/Free emulation modules. Again, most people want this so it's probably best to stick with yes. --with-isapnp=no: Most sound cards these days are PCI and ISA Plug and Play support isn't needed. If you are using an ISA PnP sound card, it's best to say yes here. If your card is ISA, but not PnP, it is safer to stay with 'no'. --with-cards=all: You can tell the script just to build the drivers for your particular sound card here. For full information on which drivers are available, see ./configure --help. If you aren't sure which chipset your sound card uses, look at the file CARDS-STATUS in the ALSA Driver source tree. The default specified here will build all drivers.