No Sound, Non Root User

[deebeez]

Hi guy's, let me start by saying this pinebook pro is awesome ! However, I have no sound, I can hear hissing from the speakers and I tried changing some settings and then switching them right back but nothing has helped. Also, I am in the rock account. I know Linux is very finicky with audio, I have an on-board sound blaster in my desktop and it occasionally has problems. I really don't know what else to try. Nothing is muted, I tried the speaker test in settings, youtube etc.. Outputs look fine, it's on duplex. Thanks

[deebeez]

Ok guys. I fixed it. I went to terminal, typed in alsamixer, then f6 to change from default sound to 0 es8316-spk-sound. Hopefully this will help someone else out.

[deebeez]

These speakers are really loud, not the best sound quality but thats to be expected from a laptop and one at this price point at that, at least there is plenty and I mean plenty of volume.

[PakoSt]

Check if the UART switch is turned on (you need to open the PBP for this). You are looking for No9 right next to the battery connector:
https://wiki.pine64.org/index.php/Pinebo...nd_Buttons

You can grab an SD card and try a couple of builds quickly without affecting the installed distro on the eMMC (you can do this purely to find if it's something with the settings):
- Check ayufan's Ubuntu build
- Check with a clean install of the stock Debian build

I think a few people found that it was trying to pass the audio through hdmi or something along those lines.
To check the audio, try using Chromium instead of Firefox (not sure if FF's sandboxing of the audio is still an existing problem or not)

As I'm waiting for my DHL notice and don't have the device at hand atm, I can only throw a few suggestions
You can try to search the messages on Discord's channel as well.

[zaius]

You can grab an SD card and try a couple of builds quickly without affecting the installed distro on the eMMC (you can do this purely to find if it's something with the settings)

Yes, it seems to be a common problem with the stock Debian build.  That some people are reporting it and others aren't, could be updated related.  So if the sound doesn't work, first try updating the OS.  Then if that doesn't work, try booting the Bionic-Mate build off SD, to make sure it isn't a hardware problem.

Also, the OP might want to mark this as solved

[bcnaz]

You can grab an SD card and try a couple of builds quickly without affecting the installed distro on the eMMC (you can do this purely to find if it's something with the settings)

Yes, it seems to be a common problem with the stock Debian build.  That some people are reporting it and others aren't, could be updated related.  So if the sound doesn't work, first try updating the OS.  Then if that doesn't work, try booting the Bionic-Mate build off SD, to make sure it isn't a hardware problem.

Also, the OP might want to mark this as solved

Did I see a post that said in the initial settings,  you needed to sign in as root for the sound to work ?

[zaius]

Did I see a post that said in the initial settings,  you needed to sign in as root for the sound to work ?

Sorry, I don't remember seeing that.

[deebeez]

You can grab an SD card and try a couple of builds quickly without affecting the installed distro on the eMMC (you can do this purely to find if it's something with the settings)

Yes, it seems to be a common problem with the stock Debian build.  That some people are reporting it and others aren't, could be updated related.  So if the sound doesn't work, first try updating the OS.  Then if that doesn't work, try booting the Bionic-Mate build off SD, to make sure it isn't a hardware problem.

Also, the OP might want to mark this as solved

Did I see a post that said in the initial settings,  you needed to sign in as root for the sound to work ?

I think that person had the opposite problem, he was in root with no sound and then switched to rock and the sound started working.

Having to go in alsamixer seems to be a common fix in most distro's ( at least, for me ), I just wished, I thought of it before posting on here.

Thanks guy's !

[bcnaz]

Ok guys. I fixed it. I went to terminal, typed in alsamixer, then f6 to change from default sound to 0 es8316-spk-sound. Hopefully this will help someone else out.

*
  I followed your directions and succeeded in changing the default to es8316-spk-sound.
 But still no sound.

**************

OK So I went to YouTube and I DO have sound ! ! !
IT just did not show on the "Speaker Test"

**************

The speakers do sound ok,

[bcnaz]

Thanks Deebeez