No sound with Icaros Live 225 install

[TLF]

I'm running VirtualBox on MacOS. Networking, video, all work well. But no audio when I play a video or mp3 from the Workspace drawers. Where do I start?

I don't see the documented SB128 in Prefs/AHI, and it freezes (just that window) too, becoming unresponsive to clicks.

www.amigausers.ie

[origami]

Hi TLF,

First of all a very welcome here to the AROS forums.

Secondly and afaik AROS does not have support for the SB128 'soundcard' from Virtualbox. You could try VirtualBox' AC'97 audio inside your virtual machine instead.

It seems you already figured out that Audio on AROS is not automatically configured for you and instead relies on the end-user to change some settings.

The Icaros Desktop Manual provides some excellent instructions on that topic. In short you have to select the correct audio driver/device (e.g. no void) inside AHI prefs and then make sure to select each individual music unit and adjust the settings that are displayed at the right side panel of AHI prefs. Make sure to give the Volume a boost 

Good luck !

[TLF]

Hi origami

Thanks for the warm welcome!

As far as I can tell, I have done everything correctly. But for anyone with the patience and free time, here it is in full:

In Virtual Box I have a choice of two host audio drivers; CoreAudio and Null Audio Driver. I also have a choice of three audio controllers; Intel HD Audio, ICH AC97 & Soundblaster 16.

Depending on which I choose, I have slightly choices to make in AHI. But test sounds still don't play and the included mp3 and video don't produce audio either.

Edit: this became a long post, apologies. But it's comprehensive.

The manual refers to audio on pages 8, 19 & 27. On p8 it says:

Newer revisions of QEMU (including the one provided with Icaros Desktop Live!) include emulation of several sound cards (AC97, SB128 and HDAudio). In order to hear sound from AROS, though, you'll have to set the “SB128” audio drivers in prefs/AHI for music and audio units. AHI should be able to detect it automatically.

But the only option I see currently in AHI is hduadio: HiFi 16 bit stereo++ which is already selected.

On p19 it says:

Many AC97 and HDAudio integrated codecs already work with AROS, but there are many other that won't. The best thing you can do about this is checking in AHI prefs: if your AC97 or HD Audio sound controller is not listed under the available peripherals, well, you have to use a PCI expansion slot to add a discrete sound card. The best option is a SoundBlaster Live! 5.1 or Audigy sound card from Creative Labs, using the EMU10K1 sound chip. Please mind that some models, like the “Value” ones, use a cheaper solution instead: they won't work. Some users suggest to fit the SoundBlaster card in the first available PCI slot, the nearest to the card's one.

This seems to imply that if my audio hardware is listed, it should work? I'm using a Macbook Pro 2011 underneath the VM.

P27 says:

AHI preference panel will allow you to configure your audio hardware. Unluckily, only specific integrated codecs and discrete audio cards are supported, so AROS will try to find a suitable adapter here. If it won't, you'll end up with the VOID driver which basically 'fouls' applications letting 'em think there is an audio device on the system, otherwise they wouldn't work. Play a test sound to be sure your hardware is actually working.

While I did see the 'void' driver on some configurations, I now see "hdaudio.audio" listed as the driver in AHI.

I'm not sure if I just need to configure a bit differently or if my hardware is inappropriate. Any guidance is much appreciated! (is it possible there is just a separate volume control that I need to increase elsewhere for the system?)

[origami]

Hello TLF,

Thank you for trying AROS and providing extensive feedback

Please keep in mind that i do not have experience with either VBox on MacOS or any recent VBox. Last time i've tried would be around the late 4 series on a Windows host. Your mileage may vary on MacOS.

The information is a bit scattered around in the manual and i am therefor not entirely sure if you are just being thorough or maybe the information provides contradicting e.g. confusing information for you.

So i'm perhaps stating the obvious. Sorry in case i am.

Qemu, VMWare and VBox are all software that are able to provide a virtualized environment where you are able to install AROS but the information that is listed is not interchangeable. Meaning that if Qemu lists SB128 as supported in AROS that this does not automatically mean AROS also supports the same audio hardware for VMWare, VirtualBox and/or real SoundBlaster (native) hardware (or vice verse).

The last time i checked and so afaik only the AC'97 audio emulation of VBox is (fully) supported by AROS. And even then sometimes things can go wrong. User Neil reported on the old forums that f.e. AC97 audio was broken in VirtualBox 5.1.8 (which was not AROS at fault but VirtualBox that did seem to have broken things for that release).

I'm not sure if I just need to configure a bit differently or if my hardware is inappropriate. Any guidance is much appreciated! (is it possible there is just a separate volume control that I need to increase elsewhere for the system?)

My first incling would be to say no but i am aware that paolone is experimenting with a global volume knob/slider setting. Not sure if that made it into Icaros Desktop 2.2.6

Under normal circumstances the only place where to set the audio volume is when selecting the dropdown music units manually each at a time and setting the audio level for each unit (and for all untis). Of course a save settings is also required. It is probaby best to do a reboot of the AROS VM as well after you have saved your settings.

In case you are experimenting with your virtual machine's audi settings (and also network settings) then make sure to always do a 'cold' reboot of AROS (just close down the VM where AROS is installed and restart) each time you tweak the audio settings and/or audio driver in order to make sure there is not some interferences with old setttings. AROS kind of dislikes the 'warm' reboot in such cases.

In case you are still not able to get things working then it would perhaps be an idea to turn on some debugging. fwiw and afaik user ncaffferkey is the person that knows about and is able to share about AROS' audio. But he also seems rather busy lately. No idea where the other devs are atm or if someone else is around with more information about the topic.

[TLF]

Thanks once more origami, I appreciate the time. Perhaps there is an issue with the current version of Virtual Box.

QEmu + AROS has issues on MacOS (at least) and VMWare Player seems to have clients for Windows and Linux but not MacOS. I'll leave this project to one side for the time being but hope to return to it at some stage soon when I have more time.

Thanks again for your help.

[ncafferkey]

Hi TLF,

For VirtualBox, AC97 audio should be used. VBox's HDAudio emulation has never worked with AROS. However, as origami said, there are problems with AC97 in VBox 5. I use 5.1.10 on a Mac, but I at least get distorted sound from the test button in AHI prefs. If you can get a 4.x version of VBox, it might work better for you.

A couple of other clarifications:

• In most cases the audio driver will be selected automatically in AROS.
• It doesn't matter what sound hardware the host machine uses.

[paolone]

Thanks once more origami, I appreciate the time. Perhaps there is an issue with the current version of Virtual Box.

QEmu + AROS has issues on MacOS (at least) and VMWare Player seems to have clients for Windows and Linux but not MacOS. I'll leave this project to one side for the time being but hope to return to it at some stage soon when I have more time.

Thanks again for your help.

As I often said, VirtualBOX has some shortcomings with AROS like broken sound in latest releases. On the Mac, please consider using VMware Fusion for a more optimal virtualisation platform. I can understand, though, that it might be pricey.

[aGGreSSor]

Completely similar situation with AROS One v1.3. I think this is typical for any AROS distribution under VirtualBox 6.1 (Windows version) in 2020. Amiga without sound can't attract users. I am using VirtualBox for development and compilation and have compiled Ami-PlayMOD v1.0 from AOS4 sources, but I can't check it.
Application prints the text to the console just fine, that's all I can say.. 

If someone is more fortunate than me, I am attaching this build.

[paolone]

Completely similar situation with AROS One v1.3. I think this is typical for any AROS distribution under VirtualBox 6.1 (Windows version) in 2020. Amiga without sound can't attract users. I am using VirtualBox for development and compilation and have compiled Ami-PlayMOD v1.0 from AOS4 sources, but I can't check it.
Application prints the text to the console just fine, that's all I can say.. 

If someone is more fortunate than me, I am attaching this build.

I will test it and report. Any particular instruction to give me?

[paolone]

Ok. I have tested ami-playmod on Icaros Desktop with a couple of MOD files, and it works good. May I add it to the distribution?

[aGGreSSor]

Ok. I have tested ami-playmod on Icaros Desktop with a couple of MOD files, and it works good. May I add it to the distribution?

Thanks for testing! Of course, please.