Internal microphone not working - XFCE

Support Sound
1

Hi,
running Manjaro XFCE 24.1.1(Kernel 6.10.13), seems that some update changed my config and now can not record audio(Audacity) anymore.

[x245@x245 ~]$ arecord -l
**** Liste des périphériques matériels CAPTURE ****
carte 0 : PCH [HDA Intel PCH], périphérique 0 : ALC269VC Analog [ALC269VC Analog]
Sous-périphériques : 1/1
Sous-périphérique #0 : subdevice #0
[x245@x245 ~]$ amixer scontents
Simple mixer control ‘Master’,0
Capabilities: pvolume pswitch pswitch-joined
Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right
Limits: Playback 0 - 65536
Mono:
Front Left: Playback 65536 [100%] [on]
Front Right: Playback 65536 [100%] [on]
Simple mixer control ‘Capture’,0
Capabilities: cvolume cswitch cswitch-joined
Capture channels: Front Left - Front Right
Limits: Capture 0 - 65536
Front Left: Capture 40958 [62%] [on]
Front Right: Capture 40958 [62%] [on]
[x245@x245 ~]$ alsamixer

see screenshot for trying to record sound with Audacity 3.6.3

capture
capture1807×1077 142 KB

Thanks.

2

Subdevices: 1/1 suggests no active connection to capture device

amixer scontents is showing controls for default audio server
Screenshot of alsamixer is showing playback [Lecture] controls for ALC269VC only
(Playback controls for Mic and Mic Boost are to set level for loopback mixing to headphones)

Please post more information about all ALSA mixer controls for ALC269VC

amixer --card=0 scontents
3

[x245@x245 ~]$ amixer --card=0 scontents
Simple mixer control ‘Master’,0
Capabilities: pvolume pvolume-joined pswitch pswitch-joined
Playback channels: Mono
Limits: Playback 0 - 87
Mono: Playback 87 [100%] [0.00dB] [on]
Simple mixer control ‘Headphone’,0
Capabilities: pvolume pswitch
Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right
Limits: Playback 0 - 87
Mono:
Front Left: Playback 0 [0%] [-65.25dB] [off]
Front Right: Playback 0 [0%] [-65.25dB] [off]
Simple mixer control ‘Speaker’,0
Capabilities: pvolume pswitch
Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right
Limits: Playback 0 - 87
Mono:
Front Left: Playback 87 [100%] [0.00dB] [on]
Front Right: Playback 87 [100%] [0.00dB] [on]
Simple mixer control ‘PCM’,0
Capabilities: pvolume
Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right
Limits: Playback 0 - 255
Mono:
Front Left: Playback 255 [100%] [0.00dB]
Front Right: Playback 255 [100%] [0.00dB]
Simple mixer control ‘Mic’,0
Capabilities: pvolume pswitch
Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right
Limits: Playback 0 - 31
Mono:
Front Left: Playback 29 [94%] [9.00dB] [off]
Front Right: Playback 29 [94%] [9.00dB] [off]
Simple mixer control ‘Mic Boost’,0
Capabilities: volume
Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right
Capture channels: Front Left - Front Right
Limits: 0 - 3
Front Left: 2 [67%] [20.00dB]
Front Right: 2 [67%] [20.00dB]
Simple mixer control ‘IEC958’,0
Capabilities: pswitch pswitch-joined
Playback channels: Mono
Mono: Playback [off]
Simple mixer control ‘Capture’,0
Capabilities: cvolume cswitch
Capture channels: Front Left - Front Right
Limits: Capture 0 - 63
Front Left: Capture 63 [100%] [30.00dB] [on]
Front Right: Capture 63 [100%] [30.00dB] [on]
Simple mixer control ‘Auto-Mute Mode’,0
Capabilities: enum
Items: ‘Disabled’ ‘Enabled’
Item0: ‘Disabled’
Simple mixer control ‘Digital’,0
Capabilities: cvolume
Capture channels: Front Left - Front Right
Limits: Capture 0 - 120
Front Left: Capture 60 [50%] [0.00dB]
Front Right: Capture 60 [50%] [0.00dB]
Simple mixer control ‘Internal Mic Boost’,0
Capabilities: volume
Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right
Capture channels: Front Left - Front Right
Limits: 0 - 3
Front Left: 2 [67%] [20.00dB]
Front Right: 2 [67%] [20.00dB]
Simple mixer control ‘Loopback Mixing’,0
Capabilities: enum
Items: ‘Disabled’ ‘Enabled’
Item0: ‘Disabled’
[x245@x245 ~]$

4

ALSA mixer controls for audio capture have a total gain of 50.00 dB that is probably excessive

If internal microphone(s) start working, audio is likely to be heavily distorted

I suggest use alsamixer --card=0 --view=capture to view/adjust ALSA controls
and PulseAudio Volume Control > Recording tab to check audio capture streams - pavucontrol --tab=2

In Audacity, change the Recording and Playback devices to default or pulse
and click the Pause button and Record Button to arm Audacity for recording

Audacity capture stream should be visible in pavucontrol Recording tab
pavucontrol Input Devices tab should show which audio capture device is being used by Audacity

5

total gain of 50.00 dB

Indeed, but that does not solve the problem

6

Total gain is a potential audio problem that might need to be reduced when the microphone is working

Please post more information about audio devices in PulseAudio

pactl list cards

pactl list sources short; pactl get-default-source
7 
$ pactl list cards
Card #49
	Name: alsa_card.pci-0000_00_1b.0
	Driver: alsa
	Owner Module: n/a
	Properties:
		api.acp.auto-port = "false"
		api.alsa.card = "0"
		api.alsa.card.longname = "HDA Intel PCH at 0xc2510000 irq 29"
		api.alsa.card.name = "HDA Intel PCH"
		api.alsa.path = "hw:0"
		api.alsa.use-acp = "true"
		api.dbus.ReserveDevice1 = "Audio0"
		api.dbus.ReserveDevice1.Priority = "-20"
		device.api = "alsa"
		device.bus = "pci"
		device.bus_path = "pci-0000:00:1b.0"
		device.description = "Audio interne"
		device.enum.api = "udev"
		device.form_factor = "internal"
		device.icon_name = "audio-card-analog-pci"
		device.name = "alsa_card.pci-0000_00_1b.0"
		device.nick = "HDA Intel PCH"
		device.plugged.usec = "24447480"
		device.product.id = "0x1e20"
		device.product.name = "7 Series/C216 Chipset Family High Definition Audio Controller"
		device.subsystem = "sound"
		sysfs.path = "/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1b.0/sound/card0"
		device.vendor.id = "0x8086"
		device.vendor.name = "Intel Corporation"
		media.class = "Audio/Device"
		factory.id = "15"
		client.id = "47"
		object.id = "49"
		object.serial = "49"
		object.path = "alsa:acp:PCH"
		alsa.card = "0"
		alsa.card_name = "HDA Intel PCH"
		alsa.long_card_name = "HDA Intel PCH at 0xc2510000 irq 29"
		alsa.driver_name = "snd_hda_intel"
		alsa.mixer_name = "Realtek ALC269VC"
		alsa.components = "HDA:10ec0269,1179fb31,00100202 HDA:80862806,1179fb41,00100000"
		alsa.id = "PCH"
		device.string = "0"
	Profiles:
		off: Éteint (sinks: 0, sources: 0, priority: 0, available: yes)
		output:analog-stereo+input:analog-stereo: Duplex stéréo analogique (sinks: 1, sources: 1, priority: 6565, available: yes)
		output:analog-stereo: Sortie Stéréo analogique (sinks: 1, sources: 0, priority: 6500, available: yes)
		output:hdmi-stereo+input:analog-stereo: Sortie Stéréo numérique (HDMI) + Entrée Stéréo analogique (sinks: 1, sources: 1, priority: 5965, available: yes)
		output:hdmi-stereo: Sortie Stéréo numérique (HDMI) (sinks: 1, sources: 0, priority: 5900, available: yes)
		input:analog-stereo: Entrée Stéréo analogique (sinks: 0, sources: 1, priority: 65, available: yes)
		pro-audio: Pro Audio (sinks: 2, sources: 1, priority: 1, available: yes)
	Active Profile: output:analog-stereo+input:analog-stereo
	Ports:
		analog-input-internal-mic: Microphone interne (type: Mic, priority: 8900, latency offset: 0 usec, availability group: Legacy 1, availability unknown)
			Properties:
				port.type = "mic"
				port.availability-group = "Legacy 1"
				device.icon_name = "audio-input-microphone"
				card.profile.port = "0"
			Part of profile(s): input:analog-stereo, output:analog-stereo+input:analog-stereo, output:hdmi-stereo+input:analog-stereo
		analog-input-mic: Microphone (type: Mic, priority: 8700, latency offset: 0 usec, availability group: Legacy 2, not available)
			Properties:
				port.type = "mic"
				port.availability-group = "Legacy 2"
				device.icon_name = "audio-input-microphone"
				card.profile.port = "1"
			Part of profile(s): input:analog-stereo, output:analog-stereo+input:analog-stereo, output:hdmi-stereo+input:analog-stereo
		analog-output-speaker: Haut-parleurs (type: Speaker, priority: 10000, latency offset: 0 usec, availability group: Legacy 3, availability unknown)
			Properties:
				port.type = "speaker"
				port.availability-group = "Legacy 3"
				device.icon_name = "audio-speakers"
				card.profile.port = "2"
			Part of profile(s): output:analog-stereo, output:analog-stereo+input:analog-stereo
		analog-output-headphones: Casque audio (type: Headphones, priority: 9900, latency offset: 0 usec, availability group: Legacy 4, not available)
			Properties:
				port.type = "headphones"
				port.availability-group = "Legacy 4"
				device.icon_name = "audio-headphones"
				card.profile.port = "3"
			Part of profile(s): output:analog-stereo, output:analog-stereo+input:analog-stereo
		hdmi-output-0: HDMI / DisplayPort (type: HDMI, priority: 5900, latency offset: 0 usec, availability group: Legacy 5, available)
			Properties:
				port.type = "hdmi"
				port.availability-group = "Legacy 5"
				device.icon_name = "video-display"
				card.profile.port = "4"
				device.product.name = "PL2875UH"
			Part of profile(s): output:hdmi-stereo, output:hdmi-stereo+input:analog-stereo
[x245@x245 ~]$ pactl list sources short; pactl get-default-source

50	alsa_output.pci-0000_00_1b.0.analog-stereo.monitor	PipeWire	s32le 2ch 48000Hz	SUSPENDED
51	alsa_input.pci-0000_00_1b.0.analog-stereo	PipeWire	s32le 2ch 48000Hz	SUSPENDED
alsa_input.pci-0000_00_1b.0.analog-stereo
8

Any solution?

9

Data from pactl shows system is using PipeWire audio server

I suggest turn off PipeWire and Wireplumber services

systemctl --user stop pipewire-pulse wireplumber

and try recording internal microphone in ALSA without using a plugin for a software sound server

If Audacity recording works without PipeWire - report microphone issue to gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire

If Audacity recording does not work with just ALSA, please post more information about ALSA audio device

sudo alsa-info.sh --upload