Actually, I've had this problem with both Ubuntu and Linux Mint:

Sound goes away.

I have a speaker amp connected via optical TOSLink to my
System76 Thelio workstation. The former displays the PCM
rate of the audio connection. Usually, that's 44.1kHz.

Occasionally it will report "no signal", and I have to reboot
the box to get sound back -- and not a soft reboot, but
a big-red-button reboot.

Also, sometimes it has sound dropouts, similar to what used
to happen with USB sound back in the day on earlier systems.
Running "pulseaudio -k" usually clears that up.

I've been through all the potential workarounds on the
System76 knowledgebase for sound problems.

Thing is, the TOSLink connector is usually on the motherboard,
and I don't have problems with them. But this time, I think
the connector is on a daughterboard, and I suspect it is
connected to the motherboard via USB.

Anyway, it's annoying. I have a ticket open with System76,
and we'll see if they have something else to suggest.

--
-v

On 3/10/2024 3:16 PM, vallor wrote:
> Actually, I've had this problem with both Ubuntu and Linux Mint:
>
> Sound goes away.
>
> I have a speaker amp connected via optical TOSLink to my
> System76 Thelio workstation. The former displays the PCM
> rate of the audio connection. Usually, that's 44.1kHz.
>
> Occasionally it will report "no signal", and I have to reboot
> the box to get sound back -- and not a soft reboot, but
> a big-red-button reboot.
>
> Also, sometimes it has sound dropouts, similar to what used
> to happen with USB sound back in the day on earlier systems.
> Running "pulseaudio -k" usually clears that up.
>
> I've been through all the potential workarounds on the
> System76 knowledgebase for sound problems.
>
> Thing is, the TOSLink connector is usually on the motherboard,
> and I don't have problems with them. But this time, I think
> the connector is on a daughterboard, and I suspect it is
> connected to the motherboard via USB.
>
> Anyway, it's annoying. I have a ticket open with System76,
> and we'll see if they have something else to suggest.

This is an off-charter post.

On Sun, 10 Mar 2024 15:44:06 -0400, DFS <nospam@dfs.com> wrote in
<usl2i6$34lr8$1@dont-email.me>:

> On 3/10/2024 3:16 PM, vallor wrote:
>> Actually, I've had this problem with both Ubuntu and Linux Mint:
>>
>> Sound goes away.
>>
>> I have a speaker amp connected via optical TOSLink to my
>> System76 Thelio workstation. The former displays the PCM
>> rate of the audio connection. Usually, that's 44.1kHz.
>>
>> Occasionally it will report "no signal", and I have to reboot
>> the box to get sound back -- and not a soft reboot, but
>> a big-red-button reboot.
>>
>> Also, sometimes it has sound dropouts, similar to what used
>> to happen with USB sound back in the day on earlier systems.
>> Running "pulseaudio -k" usually clears that up.
>>
>> I've been through all the potential workarounds on the
>> System76 knowledgebase for sound problems.
>>
>> Thing is, the TOSLink connector is usually on the motherboard,
>> and I don't have problems with them. But this time, I think
>> the connector is on a daughterboard, and I suspect it is
>> connected to the motherboard via USB.
>>
>> Anyway, it's annoying. I have a ticket open with System76,
>> and we'll see if they have something else to suggest.
>
>
> This is an off-charter post.

It's a conversation starter.

You[*] are supposed to tell me that Windows wouldn't
do this to you, whereas I tell you about the prospects
of Windows ever running on this workstation.

You know, Linux vs. Windows.

[*] "you", or someone with a Windows burr up
their butt

--
-v

On Sun, 10 Mar 2024 19:16:55 -0000 (UTC), vallor wrote:

> Thing is, the TOSLink connector is usually on the motherboard, and I
> don't have problems with them. But this time, I think the connector is
> on a daughterboard, and I suspect it is connected to the motherboard via
> USB.

Is an optical connection really worth using?

My white-box machine has one, but instead of bothering to use it, I got a
USB 7.1 adapter box to run my Logitech surround speakers, and that has
been working fine for the better part of a year now.

I am still in the process of tracking down some audio trouble with my
Galago Pro laptop; when I installed Debian 12 Stable on it, the sound
worked fine, but when I upgraded to Debian Unstable, it went mute.
Currently I got sound back after a couple of fiddles: one involved
comparing what modules were loaded by default under the two systems and
making adjustments accordingly, and other following the steps described at
<https://support.system76.com/articles/audio/>.

Another reboot will be coming up when I do my monthly upgrade; then I’ll
try these steps separately (if I need to), and see which one actually did
the trick. ;)

vallor wrote this copyrighted missive and expects royalties:

> Actually, I've had this problem with both Ubuntu and Linux Mint:
>
> Sound goes away.
>
> I have a speaker amp connected via optical TOSLink to my
> System76 Thelio workstation. The former displays the PCM
> rate of the audio connection. Usually, that's 44.1kHz.
>
> Occasionally it will report "no signal", and I have to reboot
> the box to get sound back -- and not a soft reboot, but
> a big-red-button reboot.
>
> Also, sometimes it has sound dropouts, similar to what used
> to happen with USB sound back in the day on earlier systems.
> Running "pulseaudio -k" usually clears that up.
>
> I've been through all the potential workarounds on the
> System76 knowledgebase for sound problems.
>
> Thing is, the TOSLink connector is usually on the motherboard,
> and I don't have problems with them. But this time, I think
> the connector is on a daughterboard, and I suspect it is
> connected to the motherboard via USB.

Maybe you should open up the workstation.

My Lenovo made a clicking sound, a common issue with it based on search
results.

But after I opened it up to expand the RAM, no more clicking.

Opening it was a PITA, I had to buy a kit, unscrew 10 tiny ones,
then insert a flat-blade and laboriously pop open the damn clamshell.

> Anyway, it's annoying. I have a ticket open with System76,
> and we'll see if they have something else to suggest.

Beats me. I have a small Behringer USB audio box connected to a
$20 USB isolator (to filter out noise from a small Akai synth/controller),
to one USB hub to another USB hub to the laptop. It works great!

By the way I ditched pulseaudio on this laptop.

--
The only people for me are the mad ones -- the ones who are mad to live,
mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time,
the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn
like fabulous yellow Roman candles.
-- Jack Kerouac, "On the Road"

On Mon, 11 Mar 2024 07:33:02 -0000 (UTC), Lawrence D'Oliveiro
<ldo@nz.invalid> wrote in <usmc3e$3g6h5$1@dont-email.me>:

> On Sun, 10 Mar 2024 19:16:55 -0000 (UTC), vallor wrote:
>
>> Thing is, the TOSLink connector is usually on the motherboard, and I
>> don't have problems with them. But this time, I think the connector is
>> on a daughterboard, and I suspect it is connected to the motherboard
>> via USB.
>
> Is an optical connection really worth using?

I prefer it, if only because the sound takes a pure digital
path to the DAC in the amplifier, and it's opto-isolated.

But USB would offer the same pure digital path, and the
amplifier accepts USB. Both are plugged into the UPS,
so maybe I should just go for it. (I've just had bad luck with
USB audio before, but perhaps that is a thing of the past.)

> My white-box machine has one, but instead of bothering to use it, I got
a
> USB 7.1 adapter box to run my Logitech surround speakers, and that has
> been working fine for the better part of a year now.

So no clicking or dropouts? I'll have to try the USB then and see if
it is any better.

> I am still in the process of tracking down some audio trouble with my
> Galago Pro laptop; when I installed Debian 12 Stable on it, the sound
> worked fine, but when I upgraded to Debian Unstable, it went mute.
> Currently I got sound back after a couple of fiddles: one involved
> comparing what modules were loaded by default under the two systems and
> making adjustments accordingly, and other following the steps described
> at
> <https://support.system76.com/articles/audio/>.
>
> Another reboot will be coming up when I do my monthly upgrade; then I’ll
> try these steps separately (if I need to), and see which one actually
> did the trick. ;)

Well, I rebooted yesterday to bring up Linux 6.7.9 -- but
now 6.8 is out, so I'll be rebooting again soon.

--
-v

vallor wrote this copyrighted missive and expects royalties:

> On Mon, 11 Mar 2024 07:33:02 -0000 (UTC), Lawrence D'Oliveiro
> <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote in <usmc3e$3g6h5$1@dont-email.me>:
>
>> On Sun, 10 Mar 2024 19:16:55 -0000 (UTC), vallor wrote:
>>
>>> Thing is, the TOSLink connector is usually on the motherboard, and I
>>> don't have problems with them. But this time, I think the connector is
>>> on a daughterboard, and I suspect it is connected to the motherboard
>>> via USB.
>>
>> Is an optical connection really worth using?
>
> I prefer it, if only because the sound takes a pure digital
> path to the DAC in the amplifier, and it's opto-isolated.
>
> But USB would offer the same pure digital path, and the
> amplifier accepts USB. Both are plugged into the UPS,
> so maybe I should just go for it. (I've just had bad luck with
> USB audio before, but perhaps that is a thing of the past.)

If you get buzzing/noise, this would help:

https://www.amazon.com/Nobsound-Audio-Eliminator-Industrial-Protection/dp/B07GF8643T

--
Never laugh at live dragons.
-- Bilbo Baggins [J.R.R. Tolkien, "The Hobbit"]

On Mon, 11 Mar 2024 13:15:33 -0000 (UTC), vallor <vallor@cultnix.org>
wrote in <usn05k$3d3vd$1@dont-email.me>:

> On Mon, 11 Mar 2024 07:33:02 -0000 (UTC), Lawrence D'Oliveiro
> <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote in <usmc3e$3g6h5$1@dont-email.me>:
>
>> On Sun, 10 Mar 2024 19:16:55 -0000 (UTC), vallor wrote:
>>
>>> Thing is, the TOSLink connector is usually on the motherboard, and I
>>> don't have problems with them. But this time, I think the connector
>>> is on a daughterboard, and I suspect it is connected to the
>>> motherboard via USB.
>>
>> Is an optical connection really worth using?
>
> I prefer it, if only because the sound takes a pure digital path to the
> DAC in the amplifier, and it's opto-isolated.
>
> But USB would offer the same pure digital path, and the amplifier
> accepts USB. Both are plugged into the UPS,
> so maybe I should just go for it. (I've just had bad luck with USB audio
> before, but perhaps that is a thing of the past.)

Got the right cable, and I'm on USB now for audio.

So far, no dropouts or clicks. I guess it was my own
pig-headedness that kept me from having reliable sound.

No way I could have done a "test it with Windows and
see if it works there", because there's never been
a Windows installation on this box, nor do I think
there's drivers for the special daughterboard.
(The DB handles fan speeds too, if I'm not
mistaken.)

Going to leave it on this kernel for now, instead of building
and installing Linux 6.8 -- best not to change more than one
thing at a time...

--
-v

On Mon, 11 Mar 2024 07:51:24 -0400, Chris Ahlstrom <OFeem1987@teleworm.us>
wrote in <usmr7t$3j8em$3@dont-email.me>:

> By the way I ditched pulseaudio on this laptop.

Do you use pipewire?

I'm not sure that I can run proton without pulse -- and really, the
latter has never been a problem for me. I prefer the flexibility
and control of pulse. I've used it in the past to set up a virtual
device for streaming, so that people don't hear videos or streams I'm
playing on another monitor on my own stream.

--
-v

On Mon, 11 Mar 2024 07:51:24 -0400, Chris Ahlstrom wrote:

> By the way I ditched pulseaudio on this laptop.

I run Debian Unstable, and it got rid of PulseAudio a little while back,
and replaced it with PipeWire.

Think of PipeWire as being like PulseAudio, only it handles both audio and
video, whereas PulseAudio was audio-only.

Another nice thing is I don’t need to start up JACK any more if I want to
run music/audio production apps, since that functionality is built into
PipeWire.

vallor wrote this copyrighted missive and expects royalties:

> On Mon, 11 Mar 2024 07:51:24 -0400, Chris Ahlstrom <OFeem1987@teleworm.us>
> wrote in <usmr7t$3j8em$3@dont-email.me>:
>
>> By the way I ditched pulseaudio on this laptop.
>
> Do you use pipewire?

Not yet. It might need a little more seasoning. Apparently it works on
polling unlike JACK, which uses callbacks.

I intend to support the Pipewire API in the next version of my MIDI/audio
framework. Lotta irons in the fire.

> I'm not sure that I can run proton without pulse -- and really, the
> latter has never been a problem for me. I prefer the flexibility
> and control of pulse. I've used it in the past to set up a virtual
> device for streaming, so that people don't hear videos or streams I'm
> playing on another monitor on my own stream.

I use pulse on this Lenovo laptop, for now. It's very helpful, but I wonder
if it slows down JACK MIDI processing (indirectly).

--
You can create your own opportunities this week. Blackmail a senior executive.

Lawrence D'Oliveiro wrote this copyrighted missive and expects royalties:

> On Mon, 11 Mar 2024 07:51:24 -0400, Chris Ahlstrom wrote:
>
>> By the way I ditched pulseaudio on this laptop.
>
> I run Debian Unstable, and it got rid of PulseAudio a little while back,
> and replaced it with PipeWire.
>
> Think of PipeWire as being like PulseAudio, only it handles both audio and
> video, whereas PulseAudio was audio-only.

What about MIDI?

> Another nice thing is I don’t need to start up JACK any more if I want to
> run music/audio production apps, since that functionality is built into
> PipeWire.

But not all applications yet support Pipewire, right? Unless using the
pipewire-jack shim? How robust is it?

--
If you stand on your head, you will get footprints in your hair.

On Mon, 11 Mar 2024 19:02:06 -0400, Chris Ahlstrom wrote:

> What about MIDI?

It still supports the two, incompatible kinds of MIDI API like JACK did,
necessitating an intermediary like a2jmidid if you want to make
connections between them.

> But not all applications yet support Pipewire, right? Unless using the
> pipewire-jack shim? How robust is it?

For my limited doodling sessions, pw-jack seems to work OK. I can start
things like FluidSynth and ZynAddSubFX with it, and make sounds with them
just fine.

Lawrence D'Oliveiro wrote this copyrighted missive and expects royalties:

> On Mon, 11 Mar 2024 19:02:06 -0400, Chris Ahlstrom wrote:
>
>> What about MIDI?
>
> It still supports the two, incompatible kinds of MIDI API like JACK did,
> necessitating an intermediary like a2jmidid if you want to make
> connections between them.
>
>> But not all applications yet support Pipewire, right? Unless using the
>> pipewire-jack shim? How robust is it?
>
> For my limited doodling sessions, pw-jack seems to work OK. I can start
> things like FluidSynth and ZynAddSubFX with it, and make sounds with them
> just fine.

Thanks for the information!

--
You'll feel much better once you've given up hope.