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System Sounds & Real Player?


jbuckley2004
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I'm not certain how to catogorized this problem.

I'm using a SB 16 sound card with ALSA, and often listen to streaming audio (and vidio) and straming MP3 using RealPlayer under 2005 LE. Works fine.

But after 6 months, I just discovered how to turn on system sounds. Cute. Love 'em. But when they're on I can't connect to the streaming audio without a 'device busy' error from RealPlayer.

:wall:

Sigh. I realize that the system can only play from one process at a time, but doesn't an application (as an example) release the sound device when it's done? Am I missing something here, or is it *not* possible to even have system sounds turned on and use RealPlayer (and I imagine, Timidity, Kaffine, etc) at the same time?

Advice or pointers to any HowTos are appreciated!

:thanks:

 

[moved from Software by spinynorman]

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Soundblaster 16, being an old card it is, doesn't support multi-channel mixing. That means, only one application can take control of the sound card at the same time.

 

Now, there is a way around it. Arts (the sound daemon in KDE) supports software mixing. This way, multiple apps can take control of the sound card, as long as it is routed to arts.

 

Now since you have system sounds turned on in KDE, that means arts is turned on. Now the solution, as far as I can see are these.

 

1. Open KControl (Start Menu -> System -> Configuration -> Configure My Desktop). Then go to Sound -> Sound System. The number in the field Auto Suspend should be set to 1 second. This way if arts is finished playing the sound, it will automatically let go after 1 second.

 

2. Use soundwrapper for other sound applications so that it is routed into arts. For example realplayer, open a konsole, then type

soundwrapper realplayer

Then test playing realplayer while the system sound is on. If it works, edit the menu using menudrake to reflect on the changes to the command.

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Many thanks, Gents. Worked like a champ.

 

Aomighty, I have a question, though. Changing the auto-suspend time and invoking realplayer through soundwrapper seems to accomplish what I intended. But I see no reference to artsdsp anywhere (yet, except indirectly, now that i know KDE is using it for system sounds). In other words, I didn't route realplayer through artsdsp to start with, but I think that's what you meant. Am I confused about something else now? Or am I reading what you posted incorrectly?

Again, thanks for any clarification (and thanks for the answers).

J

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