How does pulseaudio work when `pulseaudio` isn't installed?

Issues & Assistance KDE
1

inxi output

System:    Kernel: 5.13.9-zen1-1-zen x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 11.1.0
           parameters: BOOT_IMAGE=/@/boot/vmlinuz-linux-zen root=UUID=179b848a-d752-453c-8e55-0fb01cf9d4e7 rw
           rootflags=subvol=@ quiet splash rd.udev.log_priority=3 vt.global_cursor_default=0
           systemd.unified_cgroup_hierarchy=1 loglevel=3
           Desktop: KDE Plasma 5.23.3 tk: Qt 5.15.2 info: latte-dock wm: kwin_x11 vt: 1 dm: SDDM Distro: Garuda Linux
           base: Arch Linux
Machine:   Type: Laptop System: Hewlett-Packard product: HP Compaq 6720s v: F.0A serial: <filter> Chassis: type: 10
           serial: <filter>
           Mobo: Hewlett-Packard model: 30D8 v: KBC Version 83.0E serial: <filter> BIOS: Hewlett-Packard
           v: 68MDU Ver. F.0A date: 04/14/2008
Battery:   ID-1: C23B charge: 46.0 Wh (100.0%) condition: 46.0/46.0 Wh (100.0%) volts: 12.5 min: 10.8
           model: Hewlett-Packard Primary type: Li-ion serial: <filter> status: Full
CPU:       Info: Dual Core model: Intel Core2 Duo T5670 bits: 64 type: MCP arch: Core Merom family: 6 model-id: F (15)
           stepping: D (13) microcode: A4 cache: L2: 2 MiB
           flags: lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 ssse3 bogomips: 7182
           Speed: 1796 MHz min/max: 800/1801 MHz boost: enabled Core speeds (MHz): 1: 1796 2: 1953
           Vulnerabilities: Type: itlb_multihit status: KVM: VMX unsupported
           Type: l1tf mitigation: PTE Inversion
           Type: mds status: Vulnerable: Clear CPU buffers attempted, no microcode; SMT disabled
           Type: meltdown mitigation: PTI
           Type: spec_store_bypass status: Vulnerable
           Type: spectre_v1 mitigation: usercopy/swapgs barriers and __user pointer sanitization
           Type: spectre_v2 mitigation: Full generic retpoline, STIBP: disabled, RSB filling
           Type: srbds status: Not affected
           Type: tsx_async_abort status: Not affected
Graphics:  Device-1: Intel Mobile GME965/GLE960 Integrated Graphics vendor: Hewlett-Packard driver: i915 v: kernel
           bus-ID: 00:02.0 chip-ID: 8086:2a12 class-ID: 0300
           Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.21.1.1 compositor: kwin_x11 driver: loaded: intel unloaded: modesetting
           alternate: fbdev,vesa display-ID: :0 screens: 1
           Screen-1: 0 s-res: 1280x800 s-dpi: 99 s-size: 330x210mm (13.0x8.3") s-diag: 391mm (15.4")
           Monitor-1: LVDS1 res: 1280x800 hz: 60 dpi: 99 size: 330x210mm (13.0x8.3") diag: 391mm (15.4")
           OpenGL: renderer: Mesa DRI Intel 965GME/GLE (CL) v: 2.1 Mesa 21.2.4 direct render: Yes
Audio:     Device-1: Intel 82801H HD Audio vendor: Hewlett-Packard driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel bus-ID: 00:1b.0
           chip-ID: 8086:284b class-ID: 0403
           Device-2: Texas Instruments PCM2906B Audio CODEC type: USB driver: hid-generic,snd-usb-audio,usbhid
           bus-ID: 4-1:5 chip-ID: 08bb:29b6 class-ID: 0300
           Sound Server-1: ALSA v: k5.13.9-zen1-1-zen running: yes
           Sound Server-2: JACK v: 1.9.19 running: no
           Sound Server-3: PulseAudio v: 15.0 running: no
           Sound Server-4: PipeWire v: 0.3.39 running: yes
Network:   Device-1: Intel 82562GT 10/100 Network vendor: Hewlett-Packard driver: e1000e v: kernel port: 4020
           bus-ID: 00:19.0 chip-ID: 8086:10c4 class-ID: 0200
           IF: enp0s25 state: down mac: <filter>
           Device-2: Realtek RTL8188EUS 802.11n Wireless Network Adapter type: USB driver: r8188eu bus-ID: 2-2:2
           chip-ID: 0bda:8179 class-ID: 0000 serial: <filter>
           IF: wlp0s29f7u2 state: up mac: <filter>
Bluetooth: Device-1: HP Bluetooth 2.0 Interface [Broadcom BCM2045] type: USB driver: btusb v: 0.8 bus-ID: 3-1:14
           chip-ID: 03f0:171d class-ID: fe01
           Report: bt-adapter ID: hci1 rfk-id: 20 state: up address: <filter>
           Device-2: Cambridge Silicon Radio Bluetooth Dongle (HCI mode) type: USB driver: btusb v: 0.8 bus-ID: 5-1:5
           chip-ID: 0a12:0001 class-ID: e001
           Report: ID: hci0 rfk-id: 19 state: up address: N/A
Drives:    Local Storage: total: 111.79 GiB used: 16.27 GiB (14.6%)
           SMART Message: Unable to run smartctl. Root privileges required.
           ID-1: /dev/sda maj-min: 8:0 vendor: PNY model: SSD2SC120G1CS1754D117-551 size: 111.79 GiB block-size:
           physical: 512 B logical: 512 B speed: 3.0 Gb/s type: SSD serial: <filter> rev: 1101 scheme: MBR
Partition: ID-1: / raw-size: 111.79 GiB size: 111.79 GiB (100.00%) used: 16.27 GiB (14.6%) fs: btrfs dev: /dev/sda1
           maj-min: 8:1
           ID-2: /home raw-size: 111.79 GiB size: 111.79 GiB (100.00%) used: 16.27 GiB (14.6%) fs: btrfs dev: /dev/sda1
           maj-min: 8:1
           ID-3: /var/log raw-size: 111.79 GiB size: 111.79 GiB (100.00%) used: 16.27 GiB (14.6%) fs: btrfs
           dev: /dev/sda1 maj-min: 8:1
           ID-4: /var/tmp raw-size: 111.79 GiB size: 111.79 GiB (100.00%) used: 16.27 GiB (14.6%) fs: btrfs
           dev: /dev/sda1 maj-min: 8:1
Swap:      Kernel: swappiness: 133 (default 60) cache-pressure: 100 (default)
           ID-1: swap-1 type: zram size: 3.83 GiB used: 254 MiB (6.5%) priority: 100 dev: /dev/zram0
Sensors:   System Temperatures: cpu: 50.0 C mobo: 24.2 C
           Fan Speeds (RPM): N/A
Info:      Processes: 198 Uptime: 3d 16h 41m wakeups: 25 Memory: 3.83 GiB used: 2.41 GiB (63.1%) Init: systemd v: 249
           tool: systemctl Compilers: gcc: 11.1.0 clang: 12.0.1 Packages: pacman: 1307 lib: 317 Shell: fish v: 3.3.1
           default: Bash v: 5.1.8 running-in: yakuake inxi: 3.3.08

I host a radio program and produce it from my above shown laptop. As you can see, only the internal audio device is showing up, not the USB sound card I have plugged in. See Bus 4, Device 5 in lsusb output:

Bus 002 Device 002: ID 0bda:8179 Realtek Semiconductor Corp. RTL8188EUS 802.11n Wireless Network Adapter
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 006 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 005 Device 005: ID 0a12:0001 Cambridge Silicon Radio, Ltd Bluetooth Dongle (HCI mode)
Bus 005 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 004 Device 005: ID 08bb:29b6 Texas Instruments PCM2906B Audio CODEC
Bus 004 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 008 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub
Bus 007 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 003 Device 014: ID 03f0:171d HP, Inc Bluetooth 2.0 Interface [Broadcom BCM2045]
Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub

(yes, you read that right – USB 3.0 in a laptop made in 2009)

pactl list sinks also shows only the internal sound card. Because I was 30 seconds from going live and needing to play audio from my laptop, I tried to just restart pulseaudio, I tried to log out and log back in. I didn’t have time for a full reboot. The pulseaudio command was not found. Logging out didn’t fix it.

I wound up physically moving the laptop over to a different part of the studio where I could plug in a headphone jack, where it was difficult to reach and I had to lean away from the mic to get to it. Ah, the joys of hosting a radio broadcast, especially on an ancient laptop running a rolling-release distro!

Writing this up, I think I know why my device wasn’t detected – I updated the machine the morning of the show and didn’t reboot. plasma-pa was in the update list, so it makes sense. (I wouldn’t normally have done that, but I needed to install…something, my package lists were out of date, you’re not supposed to run -Sy and not -Syu, blah, blah, blah). So I suppose my question comes down to

How is my audio managed by Pulse audio if pulseaudio isn’t installed? How do I restart it?

Is pulse managed by pipewire now?

2

???

sudo pacman -Syu garuda-update

But your system need a refresh

Kernel: 5.14.16-zen1-1-zen x86_64

Use in terminal to solve hickups with

update

LANG=C update
:: Synchronizing package databases...
 core is up to date
 extra is up to date
 community is up to date
 multilib is up to date
 chaotic-aur is up to date
warning: garuda-update-1.3.1-1 is up to date -- skipping
 there is nothing to do

Refreshing mirrorlists using reflector, be patient please..
################################################################################
################# Arch Linux mirrorlist generated by Reflector #################
################################################################################

# With:       reflector --latest 5 --age 2 --fastest 5 --protocol https --sort rate --save /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist
# When:       2021-11-12 12:01:20 UTC
# From:       https://archlinux.org/mirrors/status/json/
# Retrieved:  2021-11-12 11:58:47 UTC
# Last Check: 2021-11-12 11:48:01 UTC

Server = https://archmirror.it/repos/$repo/os/$arch
Server = https://archlinux.thaller.ws/$repo/os/$arch
Server = https://mirror.pseudoform.org/$repo/os/$arch
Server = https://mirror.f4st.host/archlinux/$repo/os/$arch
Server = https://phinau.de/arch/$repo/os/$arch

:: Synchronizing package databases...

 core                                                                       137,5 KiB   705 KiB/s 00:00 [-------------------------------------------------------------] 100%
 extra                                                                     1567,3 KiB  2007 KiB/s 00:01 [-------------------------------------------------------------] 100%
 community                                                                    5,8 MiB  3,88 MiB/s 00:01 [-------------------------------------------------------------] 100%
 multilib                                                                   150,3 KiB   422 KiB/s 00:00 [-------------------------------------------------------------] 100%
 chaotic-aur                                                               1609,3 KiB   758 KiB/s 00:02 [-------------------------------------------------------------] 100%

Checking for keyring update before starting full system update..
warning: garuda-hotfixes-1.0.4-1 is up to date -- skipping
warning: archlinux-keyring-20211028-1 is up to date -- skipping
warning: chaotic-keyring-20210617-1 is up to date -- skipping
 there is nothing to do
:: Starting full system upgrade...
 there is nothing to do

Updating mlocate index..

Parsing man pages and writing completions to /home/sgs/.local/share/fish/generated_completions/
  4269 / 4269 : zramctl.8.gz                                        

Checking for plugin updates
Nothing to install / update

System updated! 🐧
1 Like
3

from the arch wiki:

Arch Linux is a rolling release distribution. That means when new library versions are pushed to the repositories, the developers and Trusted Users rebuild all the packages in the repositories that need to be rebuilt against the libraries. For example, if two packages depend on the same library, upgrading only one package might also upgrade the library (as a dependency), which might then break the other package which depends on an older version of the library.

That is why partial upgrades are not supported. Do not use:

  • pacman -Sy package
  • pacman -Sy followed by pacman -S package.
  • pacman -Syuw (Note that pacman -Syuw does imply the same risks like pacman -Sy, as it will update the pacman sync database without installing the newer packages.)

Always upgrade (with pacman -Syu) before installing a package. Note that if pacman -Syu does not perform the upgrade because of an error, the end result is the same as running pacman -Sy. Therefore, the error must be resolved and the upgrade operation completed as soon as possible.

Furthermore, in my experience, not rebooting after an update sometimes leads to similar glitches. Would update have restarted pulseaudio (pipewire? kde plasma’s pulseaudio in another package?) or cleared up issues with on-disk libraries not matching loaded ones?

4

If you read
image

then this

is wrong or typo.

Just try out.

If something failed, use last snapshot for fix.

5

sorry I guess poorly phrased. I meant "you're not supposed to use -Sy without the u"

Perhaps it wasn't clear when I asked "how do you restart pulseaudio" and "what provides the pulseaudio service in garuda when the pulseaudio package is not installed"

The problem was resolved with a reboot, and had nothing to do with a botched update or anything like that. I just want to know how to fix it quicker/without rebooting if I need to, and am curious how sound piping works in Garuda.

6

@scott I'm really not sure how Garuda has laid out it's audio system...I run Arch btw...but right now I'm in Windows. In KDE Land pipewire has mostly replaced pulseaudio, and wireplumber is its new session manager. You can still run pulseaudio, but I think you will need the pipewire-pulse package.

I'll be doing a clean install of Arch + KDE Plasma in a few minutes. I'll let you know what packages and configs you might need/want when I'm done and all setup. I'm an old fuddy-duddy and still stuck in pulseaudio...which is where I want to be. Easyeffects for pipewire is a bitch-kitty as a simple equalizer, when pulseaudio-ladspa-equalizer is so simple for me to use.

3 Likes
7

uses both pulseaudio and pipe wire on my KDE install yesterday

1 Like
8

do you have the pulseaudio command?

9

That’s a wrong guess. Pulseaudio and pipewire-pulse are in conflict, but pulseaudio and pipewire are not. Start one in systemd with systemctl and stop the other.

Remove any conflicting packages (like wireplumber or pipewire-media-session). Pulseaudio and pulseaudio-alsa are all you need. They will pull in the other depends. Pipewire and pipewire-media-session can remain, but don’t start anything related to them in systemd.

Hope this helps a wee bit.
regards

1 Like
10

Thanks, I suppose. But if pipewire is providing pulseaudio to the extent that I didn't notice pulse wasn't installed, I'd rather just learn to use pipewire. I suppose it looks like restarting pipewire would've resolved my issues, I'll bear that in mind if something like that happens again.

1 Like
11

Pipewire is fine; it's the new low-latency thingee of KDE and others. I just find the package easyeffects as total overkill for a simple system like mine. :wink:

12

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