How to get Sound Blaster Audigy working in Ubuntu 8.04

[Daniel Simard]

I am thinking of switching from Microsoft to Linux. I've booted off the CD for a demo of Ubuntu 8.04 and i like it.

The only thing that isn't working is my sound.

I have a Sound Blaster Audigy sound card and i don't know which linux driver would work with it, any help would be appreciated!

[smatador · Accepted solution]

Hi,

Maybe, it is better to go to ubuntu forum
http://ubuntuforums.org/tags.php?tag=no+sound+8.10

[dirk dierickx]

in my old pc, i also had an audigy. it has always worked in linux for me. i think the last ubuntu i tried on it was 6.10 or so, no issues.

check the volumes, perhaps they are turned down?

[Daniel Simard]

What is weired, is i performed a full install yesterday. When i typed in the root password upon successful install (to log in), i heard sound because i had mistyped the root password, but once i logged in, no go.

is it because linux thinks i'm using my on-board sound rather than the audigy pci card?

should i have to disable sound on-board in the bios for linux to "know" that it should configure the audigy pci sound card?

[Matti_Kurkela]

All modern Linux kernels use the sound driver architecture created by the ALSA project.

The "SoundBlaster Audigy" series contains a lot of different sound card models. The correct driver depends on the exact model:

http://www.alsa-project.org/main/index.php/Matrix:Vendor-Creative_Labs

If you have multiple sound devices, you should configure the desired order of the sound devices so that auto-detection won't confuse them. Most applications use the "first" sound card by default; if you want an application to use a non-default soundcard, you'll usually have to configure it in some way.

I have an old "SB Audigy Gamer" as my primary sound card, an USB webcam with a microphone and an integrated HD Audio chip in the motherboard. In my Ubuntu "Gutsy", the settings go to /etc/modprobe.d/sound:

alias snd-card-0 snd-emu10k1
options snd-emu10k1 index=0

alias snd-card-1 snd-usb-audio
options snd-usb-audio index=1 id=Webcam

alias snd-card-2 snd-hda-intel
options snd-hda-intel index=2

MK

[dirk dierickx]

you have multiple sound cards? could indeed be that linux takes the onboard as the primairy sound card. in the settings sound config screen there is a pull down menu where you can choose which sound card to use.

or force it to the audigy in the alsa config file as explained above

or blacklist the modules from the onboard card so it doesn't get loaded at all, that way it will never interfere.

[Daniel Simard]

Turns out this WAS the EXACT Problem. Thanks 1 million! I disabled the on-board Sound Card and WAMO, it works! thanks.