From alsa-user-owner@alsa.jcu.cz  Wed May 27 13:35:51 1998
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Date: Wed, 27 May 1998 21:33:41 +1000 (EST)
From: Marcus Berglund <mabs@jaycom.net.au>
To: alsa-user@jcu.cz
Subject: Re: Better SB16 ViBRA16X PnP support?
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On Tue, 26 May 1998, Jaroslav Kysela wrote:

>On Wed, 20 May 1998, Stephen Oxley wrote:
>
>> Hi, I've had nothing but trouble with this card, I hope someone can help.

same here

>> 2. The sound quality isn't as good as when using oss-linux (module driver) 
>> or oss-free (compiled into kernel, but in module form), hiss in the
>> background -not as clear reproduction of sound-, which makes me think I
>> only have 8 bit sound available under alsa. 
>
>I looked to oss-free, but there isn't specific initialization for SB 16
>Vibra soundcards (except MIDI UART).. Can you write me your setup ('cat
>/proc/dma' and 'cat /proc/interrupts') for OSS-free?
>
>> I believe the problem to be that this sound card doesn't have a 16bit dma
>> channel but two 8bit dma channels (perhaps only one!, although I did read
>> somewhere that it is supposed to be able to do hardware full duplex and
>> this is achieved nicely under windows), instead of the usual sound blaster
>> one 16bit and one 8bit configuration.
>> 
>> Both of these 8bit channels can be allocated to dma 0,1 or 3 and that is
>> where the configuration problems start. Alsa can only recognise one of
>> these channels and presumably thinks that it can only play 8bit sound
>> through it. 
>
>Yes, it's true.. I'm sorry, but I don't have any SB16 Vibra specific
>documentation, so any help is needed!!! Aren't this soundcard backwards
>compatible, so second 16-bit DMA channel should be used without problems?

No, they aren't very backwards compatible (as far as I know), my friend
has one, and that was my main reason for joinig this list, we have had
nothing but problems, but it will work, if we can select 8 bit for sound
in programs, and SBpro/SB8 drivers (RedHat 5.0) will not work, if anyone
wants any details (limited to PnP info, and whats in the (small) manuals,
etc) I can provide details.

As far as I know, it is basically the same as any other PnP Vibra, but the
2nd DMA is low...

mabs

The difference between genius and stupidity
is that genius has it's limits.
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Marcus Berglund, VK3TST.
Linux / Unix System Cosultant / Administrator
Bendigo, Victoria, Australia.
E-mail: mabs@jaycom.net.au
Web: 	http://mabs.home.ml.org/
Phone: 	+61 3 5441 6318
ICQ: 	7402444
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