... is that possible? Right now, skype, when activated is blocking any program that uses the sound card (xmms, for example). Alternatively, if I start skype after xmms, it won't make voice calls (it is stuck at the "connecting" phase). How can I solve it (if at all)
Mandriva2005LE, kde, Open Sound System, skype1.1.0.3_api
Thanks

Skype does not currently support natively ALSA. Thats exactly why do you have problems like that. I hope future releases wil support ALSA natively. Hope that helps.

Under KDE, I run Skype using artsdsp with the -m switch. Works great. xmms will be a problem for you because I believe its arts plugin support is very old, but using JuK, I listen to music and can accept calls without any trouble.

Trane

I've tried running skype through artsd but I get a terrible delay on the microphone. Running it direct to /dev/dsp seems much better.

I've reduced the sound buffer right down but to no avail.

Did you have this problem? If so how did you sort it?

Hi.

No, I didn't have any trouble at all with wrapping Skype in artsdsp. Everything just works perfectly on this end. I'm using the commercial OSS/Linux sound driver, if that matters.

Thanks for the info



I'm using ALSA which could be the problem.

I'll have a look for the commercial driver.

Lomax

The problem lies between artsd ans Alsa, somehow there is a buffering-issue there.

I guess, artsd over OSS (kernel OSS emulation from alsa) should work without delay as well. This artsd problem also sometimes happens when playing audio files over artsd! (getting the buffer setting right there is quite hard!)

[quote]The problem lies between artsd and Alsa, somehow there is a buffering-issue there. [/quote]

Is this independent of Skype? (i.e. if Skype starts supporting alsa natively, will this problem remain?)

thanks
Lomax

[quote=LomaxFairchild][quote]The problem lies between artsd and Alsa, somehow there is a buffering-issue there. [/quote]

Is this independent of Skype? (i.e. if Skype starts supporting alsa natively, will this problem remain?)[/quote]This is completely independent of Skype!
So if Skype natively and fully supports ALSA then all the delay and quality issues one (eventually) get with artsd will be past

But Skype is taking (too) much time to start implementing alsa support! Even for audio features on OSS they are slow, different devices for Ringing/Speaker/Mic are not supported yet!
So instead of working on additional features, they should finish the core feature which is telephony (voice = sound!). So native support for ALSA and Jack should be implemented, and OSS support completed.

Hi

First of all, sorry for my really bad english.

I have the same problem. When I try to call anybody, skype tells me "connecting" (without any possibility of cancel the call).

I'm using ALSA, but even closing all applications that could use sound, and doing a "killall artsd", I continue getting the above error. The only advantage is that now I can cancel the call. Else, after some time (~60seg) it returns me an error: "Unknown Reason".

I run:
Debian testing/unstable
kernel 2.6.8
KDE 3.3
Skype 1.2.0.11
Intel AC'97 audio controller on-board
Samsung X05 laptop.

Note: A few hours ago I had the possibility of call to another pc on my LAN, and I didn't have any error. Now I can't try it again (its too late!). I have no idea if the reason is, as skype tells me, "unknown", or is a sound device/driver/interface error, or is about my lan configuration.

Please, any suggestion?

Thanks a lot!

With all the ALSA config files, I still can't get it working, I always have to fall back to artsdsp. This is really annoying. I already have sent an email to Skype about the native ALSA support already.

xboxrulz

[quote=xboxrulz]With all the ALSA config files, I still can't get it working, I always have to fall back to artsdsp. This is really annoying. I already have sent an email to Skype about the native ALSA support already.

xboxrulz[/quote]

Have you configured Alsa to use dmix plugin? Have you set up the Oss section and used aoss ?
When i used Alsa, my software mixing worked properly, even with Skype.
Post here your Alsa configuration file.

Hi, joining just now as I'm having the same problem of using skype while sound from other apps are grabbing the sound card.

As others, I'm using ALSA and arts through KDE 3.4.2, with Debian unstable packages. Sounds from different apps get mixed very well in my system, without the need to do any of the dmix setup explained in the alsa website:

http://www.alsa-project.org/alsa-doc/doc-p...Generic#softmix

nor do I have a ~/.asoundrc file. However, if skype gets a hold of the sound card before anything else, then it monopolizes it, and it cannot use the sound card if any other app is using it. So there's something peculiar about Skype.

I tried running Skype with `artsdsp -m skype', and it runs fine, but if I call echo123, Skype crashes royally, without any message whatsoever. It just vanishes.

What might be going on here?

[quote=patitoconejita]Hi, joining just now as I'm having the same
I tried running Skype with `artsdsp -m skype', and it runs fine, but if I call echo123[/quote]

Just to clarify this statement: calling anybody causes such a crash, not just echo123.

Hi guys, I'm a newbie in Skype world, but not in Linux and I've got the classical problem of sound card conflict between Skype clients and multimedia applications.
I read http://www.skype.com/help/guides/soundsetup_linux.html but I's not really useful in solving my problem.

Trane Francks said...
[quote=Trane Francks]Under KDE, I run Skype using artsdsp with the -m switch. Works great. xmms will be a problem for you because I believe its arts plugin support is very old, but using JuK, I listen to music and can accept calls without any trouble.[/quote]

Really great...
I'm a gnome user and I start skype with the subsequent command:

and XMMS client is configured to connect to ALSA sound server.
Everything works well... Skype audio quality is really fine and XMMS sounds good... but while I listen to music with XMMS and someone calls me, I can't hear the Skype ring tone, because the sound card is locked from XMMS.
If I stop XMMS I can correctly accept the call.

How can I realize the concurrent access from Skype and XMMS to the sound card?
Do I need two audio devices? (as decribed in http://forum.skype.com/viewtopic.php?t=360...&highlight=xmms )

Any suggestion is appreciated! :lol:

Fabio from Italy

[quote=pollopinolo]XMMS client is configured to connect to ALSA sound server.
Everything works well... Skype audio quality is really fine and XMMS sounds good... but while I listen to music with XMMS and someone calls me, I can't hear the Skype ring tone, because the sound card is locked from XMMS.
If I stop XMMS I can correctly accept the call.

How can I realize the concurrent access from Skype and XMMS to the sound card?[/quote]

Either you use 2 audio devices - one for skype and one for XMMS.

If you want to use one audio device, you need to set up applications to be able to use the single audio device concurrently.

This is possible when applications use ALSA to talk to audio devices. See if you can run two ALSA enabled applications to play at the same time (e.g. XMMS and totem for example). You it works, you are good. If it doesn't, google for topics "ALSA", "dmix", "asoundrc". It's easy.

Now the skype part:

Linux Skype doesn't use ALSA but outdated OSS system. It is not possible for two OSS applications to use a sound device at the same time. Not even one OSS application and another ALSA application.

There are several workarounds, one of which might actually work for you - search for "aoss skype", "artsdsp skype" etc.

Other than these, you can wait (or persuade) Skype company to make the developers use ALSA instead of OSS.

R.