An actual Linux question

[Matt Graham]

After a long battle with technology, Ryan Rix wrote:
> On Thu November 6 2008 03:55:04 pm Matt Graham wrote:
>> The device is recognized according to the output from lsusb.  The
>> snd-usb-audio module is loaded.  "arecord -l" shows the device.  A
>> device file corresponding to the mic is present under /dev/sound/ .
>> However, nothing I tried got any sound from the mic into a file.
>> "arecord -D" with multiple syntaxes (/dev/sound/pcmC0D3* , 0:1 , and
>> things like that) got me cryptic error messages. 
> Under Debian GNU/Linux the mic is detected by default on my machine. Both a
> normal USB mic and a logitech headset. I can use them with skype at least,
> not sure as per arecord, but since they probably use the same interface
> it /should/ work :) I use alsa, btw, and no configuration was needed.

Part of the problem was that I was using an older kernel where the 
snd-usb-audio module didn't actually do anything with the mic.  2.6.26.5 
vanilla works better.  But still, Gentoo's a little less automatic with this 
sort of thing.  By setting up a ~/.asoundrc file containing

pcm.card1 {
        type hw
        card 1
}

...I could then do "arecord -D card1 -f cd -c 1 test.wav" and actually record 
sound from the mic.  Leaving -c off didn't work; you have to specify 
something.  The main problem now is that there's no "+20dB mic boost" 
available, so everything that's recorded is *really* quiet.  Well, sox can 
fix that....

-- 
   We'll see how brave you are.
   --Tori Amos, "Yes, Anastasia"
  My blog: http://crow202.org/wordpress/
Matt G|There is no Darkness in Eternity/But only Light too dim for us to see