Still trying to get SBX AE-5 sound card to work!

BJDavis

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I have searched the internet but as yet, have not been able to find anything to help me (at least not anything that I can understand!). I have the SBX AE-5 sound card installed on my desktop computer with Logitech 5.1 surround speakers but I am only able to get sound out of two satellite speakers. When I test the speakers, (front left, front right, etc.) sound plays, but only through two speakers. The other thing which really has me confused is that when I go to my sound properties, it's showing that I have the Sound Blaster Recon 3D Z series card, which I did have, but replaced it with the Sound BlasterX AE-5 several years ago! I am totally perplexed. I know there is nothing wrong with the sound card itself since it runs perfectly fine in Windows 10. Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
 


It'd help to know which distro you're using, including the version number.
 
The only thing I can think of, is checking "Driver Manager" to see if there's a driver for it.

As for why it's showing an older one - is that an on-board sound card? If it is on-board, maybe you can try disabling it in the BIOS?
 
No sir, it's definitely not an onboard sound card! I purchased it several years ago to replace the SB Recon 3D sound card. I did check the Driver Manager and the only drivers that are showing are for my Nvidia graphics card. Thanks anyway
 
What's the output of 'inxi -v 5' in your terminal? You may need to install inxi, which will be 'sudo apt install inxi' for your distro.
 
Thank you, but it says I already have the newest version (3.0.38-1-0ubuntu1)
 
Thank you for your reply but I am completely new to Linux and although I did follow the link you posted, I have no idea what it all means or what I am to do! Forgive my ignorance!
 
What's the output of 'inxi -v 5' in your terminal? You may need to install inxi, which will be 'sudo apt install inxi' for your distro.
Share the output of what @KGIII requested in an earlier reply.
1. Open a terminal screen
2. run: inxi -v 5
 
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I hope this is what you mean! I do see something there that is very puzzling...I DO NOT have the SB Recon 3D card installed! My card is the SB X AE-5. I don't get it



brenda@brenda-MS-7752:~$ inxi -v 5
System:
Host: brenda-MS-7752 Kernel: 5.4.0-84-generic x86_64 bits: 64
compiler: gcc v: 9.3.0 Desktop: Cinnamon 5.0.5 Distro: Linux Mint 20.2 Uma
base: Ubuntu 20.04 focal
Machine:
Type: Desktop Mobo: MSI model: Z77A-G45 (MS-7752) v: 1.0
serial: <superuser/root required> UEFI: American Megatrends v: 2.12
date: 09/29/2013
Memory:
RAM: total: 15.58 GiB used: 3.83 GiB (24.6%)
RAM Report:
permissions: Unable to run dmidecode. Root privileges required.
CPU:
Topology: Quad Core model: Intel Core i7-3770K bits: 64 type: MT MCP
arch: Ivy Bridge rev: 9 L2 cache: 8192 KiB
flags: avx lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3 vmx bogomips: 56003
Speed: 1601 MHz min/max: 1600/3900 MHz Core speeds (MHz): 1: 1600 2: 1601
3: 1601 4: 1602 5: 1598 6: 1600 7: 1601 8: 1600
Graphics:
Device-1: NVIDIA GK104 [GeForce GTX 660 Ti] vendor: PNY driver: nvidia
v: 470.63.01 bus ID: 02:00.0
Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.11 driver: nvidia
unloaded: fbdev,modesetting,nouveau,vesa resolution: 1920x1200~60Hz
OpenGL: renderer: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti/PCIe/SSE2
v: 4.6.0 NVIDIA 470.63.01 direct render: Yes
Audio:
Device-1: NVIDIA GK104 HDMI Audio vendor: PNY driver: snd_hda_intel
v: kernel bus ID: 02:00.1
Device-2: Creative Labs Sound Core3D [Sound Blaster Recon3D / Z-Series]
driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel bus ID: 03:00.0
Sound Server: ALSA v: k5.4.0-84-generic
Network:
Device-1: Realtek RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet
vendor: Micro-Star MSI driver: r8169 v: kernel port: d000 bus ID: 04:00.0
IF: enp4s0 state: up speed: 1000 Mbps duplex: full mac: d4:3d:7e:98:a8:d9
Drives:
Local Storage: total: 1.82 TiB used: 38.30 GiB (2.1%)
ID-1: /dev/sda vendor: Seagate model: ST1000DM003-1ER162 size: 931.51 GiB
ID-2: /dev/sdb vendor: MediaMax model: WL1000GSA6472 size: 931.51 GiB
Optical-1: /dev/sr0 vendor: HL-DT-ST model: BDDVDRW UH12NS29 rev: 1.00
dev-links: cdrom,cdrw,dvd,dvdrw
Partition:
ID-1: / size: 915.40 GiB used: 38.30 GiB (4.2%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sdb2
label: N/A uuid: b9907f74-2d7d-4925-9b51-21ca1b32d5fd
Sensors:
System Temperatures: cpu: 42.0 C mobo: N/A gpu: nvidia temp: 50 C
Fan Speeds (RPM): N/A gpu: nvidia fan: 33%
Info:
Processes: 293 Uptime: 1d 8h 28m Init: systemd runlevel: 5 Compilers:
gcc: 9.3.0 Shell: bash v: 5.0.17 inxi: 3.0.38
brenda@brenda-MS-7752:~$
 
Try installing pavucontrol, by opening a terminal an running.
Code:
sudo apt install pavucontrol
Then open it through the menu, go to the "Configuration" tab and see what is listed there, then share a screenshot of what you see there. Also share the output of the following.
Code:
lspci -nn
pacmd list-cards
I'm getting the idea is seeing your sound is being detected by the system just being picked up with a different device name than expected. Also just a question out of curiosity, is there a specific reason you are needing a sound card since most onboard sound cards are good enough for gaming and music streams. The only reason I would think one would need an extra sound card if you are doing professional audio work.
 
I already had pulse volume control. I will list here all that you asked for (and probably some things you didn't ask for!) To answer your question, I don't need a sound card, it's just a personal preference of mine and has been for years.
 

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It's very strange, it seems alsamixer is picking up your card but pavcontrol isn't. Looking at your inxi output again it seems only ALSA is mentioned as a sound server and not pulseaudio so that might be the reason why pavcontrol isn't showing your card. Can you also share the output of the following as text please and not as a screenshot.
Code:
lspci -nn
aplay -l
ps aux | egrep "pulse|alsa"
 
brenda@brenda-MS-7752:~$ lspci -nn
00:00.0 Host bridge [0600]: Intel Corporation Xeon E3-1200 v2/3rd Gen Core processor DRAM Controller [8086:0150] (rev 09)
00:01.0 PCI bridge [0604]: Intel Corporation Xeon E3-1200 v2/3rd Gen Core processor PCI Express Root Port [8086:0151] (rev 09)
00:01.1 PCI bridge [0604]: Intel Corporation Xeon E3-1200 v2/3rd Gen Core processor PCI Express Root Port [8086:0155] (rev 09)
00:14.0 USB controller [0c03]: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C210 Series Chipset Family USB xHCI Host Controller [8086:1e31] (rev 04)
00:16.0 Communication controller [0780]: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C216 Chipset Family MEI Controller #1 [8086:1e3a] (rev 04)
00:1a.0 USB controller [0c03]: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C216 Chipset Family USB Enhanced Host Controller #2 [8086:1e2d] (rev 04)
00:1c.0 PCI bridge [0604]: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C216 Chipset Family PCI Express Root Port 1 [8086:1e10] (rev c4)
00:1c.1 PCI bridge [0604]: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C210 Series Chipset Family PCI Express Root Port 2 [8086:1e12] (rev c4)
00:1d.0 USB controller [0c03]: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C216 Chipset Family USB Enhanced Host Controller #1 [8086:1e26] (rev 04)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge [0601]: Intel Corporation Z77 Express Chipset LPC Controller [8086:1e44] (rev 04)
00:1f.2 SATA controller [0106]: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C210 Series Chipset Family 6-port SATA Controller [AHCI mode] [8086:1e02] (rev 04)
00:1f.3 SMBus [0c05]: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C216 Chipset Family SMBus Controller [8086:1e22] (rev 04)
02:00.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: NVIDIA Corporation GK104 [GeForce GTX 660 Ti] [10de:1183] (rev a1)
02:00.1 Audio device [0403]: NVIDIA Corporation GK104 HDMI Audio Controller [10de:0e0a] (rev a1)
03:00.0 Audio device [0403]: Creative Labs Sound Core3D [Sound Blaster Recon3D / Z-Series] [1102:0012] (rev 01)
04:00.0 Ethernet controller [0200]: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet Controller [10ec:8168] (rev 06)
brenda@brenda-MS-7752:~$ aplay -l
**** List of PLAYBACK Hardware Devices ****
card 0: NVidia [HDA NVidia], device 3: HDMI 0 [HDMI 0]
Subdevices: 1/1
Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 0: NVidia [HDA NVidia], device 7: HDMI 1 [HDMI 1]
Subdevices: 1/1
Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 0: NVidia [HDA NVidia], device 8: HDMI 2 [HDMI 2]
Subdevices: 1/1
Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 0: NVidia [HDA NVidia], device 9: HDMI 3 [HDMI 3]
Subdevices: 1/1
Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 0: NVidia [HDA NVidia], device 10: HDMI 4 [HDMI 4]
Subdevices: 1/1
Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 0: NVidia [HDA NVidia], device 11: HDMI 5 [HDMI 5]
Subdevices: 1/1
Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 0: NVidia [HDA NVidia], device 12: HDMI 6 [HDMI 6]
Subdevices: 1/1
Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 1: Creative [HDA Creative], device 0: CA0132 Analog [CA0132 Analog]
Subdevices: 0/1
Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 1: Creative [HDA Creative], device 1: CA0132 Digital [CA0132 Digital]
Subdevices: 1/1
Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
brenda@brenda-MS-7752:~$ ps aux | egrep "pulse|alsa"
 
Thanks for the output, it shows that you have this device.
03:00.0 Audio device [0403]: Creative Labs Sound Core3D [Sound Blaster Recon3D / Z-Series] [1102:0012] (rev 01)
1102 -> VendorID
0012 -> DeviceID

When look source code of the kernel(5.4.0-84) you are running on your system I see the following under the sound drivers.
Code:
SND_PCI_QUIRK(0x1102, 0x0013, "Recon3D", QUIRK_R3D),
SND_PCI_QUIRK(0x1102, 0x0018, "Recon3D", QUIRK_R3D),
SND_PCI_QUIRK(0x1102, 0x0051, "Sound Blaster AE-5", QUIRK_AE5),
SND_PCI_QUIRK(0x1102, 0x0191, "Sound Blaster AE-5 Plus", QUIRK_AE5),
SND_PCI_QUIRK(0x1102, 0x0081, "Sound Blaster AE-7", QUIRK_AE7),
Seems that your device showing up as "Sound Blaster Recon3D / Z-Series" is a coincidence that you actually had one. Your previous device and your current device have the same vendorID because they from the same vendor but because they are a different device they have a different DeviceID. So since your current device doesn't match these.
Code:
SND_PCI_QUIRK(0x1102, 0x0051, "Sound Blaster AE-5", QUIRK_AE5),
SND_PCI_QUIRK(0x1102, 0x0191, "Sound Blaster AE-5 Plus", QUIRK_AE5),
SND_PCI_QUIRK(0x1102, 0x0081, "Sound Blaster AE-7", QUIRK_AE7),
It seems that it matches with the one closest to both the VendorID and the DeviceID, which is the one showing
Code:
SND_PCI_QUIRK(0x1102, 0x0013, "Recon3D", QUIRK_R3D)
I'm no programmer but that would explain why it's showing up as a different device and not working fully as expected. I also compared it to a more recent kernel version(5.14.7) and your DeviceID is not in there either.
Code:
SND_PCI_QUIRK(0x1102, 0x0013, "Recon3D", QUIRK_R3D),
SND_PCI_QUIRK(0x1102, 0x0018, "Recon3D", QUIRK_R3D),
SND_PCI_QUIRK(0x1102, 0x0051, "Sound Blaster AE-5", QUIRK_AE5),
SND_PCI_QUIRK(0x1102, 0x0191, "Sound Blaster AE-5 Plus", QUIRK_AE5),
SND_PCI_QUIRK(0x1102, 0x0081, "Sound Blaster AE-7", QUIRK_AE7),
I found this article on the Manjaro forums and there someone was having a similar problem with the same type of device as you, having the same VendorID but a different DeviceID(0191) than you. Then after installing the newer kernel which had both the VendorID and DeviceID of his device that person's problem was solved, which was this one.
Code:
SND_PCI_QUIRK(0x1102, 0x0191, "Sound Blaster AE-5 Plus", QUIRK_AE5),
Even though the VendorID and DeviceID of your device doesn't seem to be in a more recent kernel it may be worth a try to install a more recent kernel to see how your device reacts to that. The last option you could try is "File a bug" a kernel bugzilla report but I doubt you have enough understanding and technical skills to do that(no offense, that would be beyond me as well probably) unless @KGIII has any more ideas which I haven't thought of. I know it isn't a solution but I hope it gives you an idea why your device isn't showing up with the correct name and not working as expected but only partially.
 
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I really appreciate all of your hard work in trying to solve this problem! I don't understand a whole lot, but I did try the code you posted but got this: bash: syntax error near unexpected token `0x1102,'
( whatever that means!). Also, I thought I had the newest kernel just installed yesterday.
I do so appreciate your time and effort, but I think I'm giving up on trying to get the sound working properly. I'll just switch back to Windows when I want to play music! Thanks again
 
I really appreciate all of your hard work in trying to solve this problem! I don't understand a whole lot, but I did try the code you posted but got this: bash: syntax error near unexpected token `0x1102,'
The code I posted was from one of the kernel source code patch files for audio drivers which contained the VendorID's and DeviceID's of the different sound devices. I posted it to try to explain and show you that if your DeviceID had matched as one of the ones listed that your device would have shown up with the correct name and also probably would have worked as expected. Pasting C code into bash isn't going to work. Also maybe in time someone else will file a bug report for your specific device and that it eventually it will work with a future kernel.
 

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