Friday, May 24, 5:20 pm

Howto- Resolve nosound problem on Ubuntu 13.04 Raring Ringtail,12.10 and Older

Written by M. Zinoune on March 19, 2012. Posted in Linux tutorials, Ubuntu

Updated 05/04/2013 : One of the common issues facing Ubuntu users after installing or upgrading Ubuntu is the nosound problem, there are many reason for this issue, sometime is related to a volume setting configuration, misconfiguration or can be that you have a new hardware that is not supported. In this post will try to list some solutions to nosound issue on Ubuntu.

The following solution should work on Ubuntu 13.04 Raring Ringtail, 12.10 and any older release of Ubuntu.

1- Check the volume:

First thing you need to check is the volume settings, Go to top menu and click sound settings (see screenshot bellow):

Check output volume if muted or not, if not muted then go further with the steps bellow, if is muted then is your problem should be resolved just you have to unchek mute.

2- Check Alsa Mixer:

PulseAudio controls underlying ALSA-level volume controls. To change the ALSA-level volume controls directly, you can do the following:

Open a terminal. (The quickest way is the Ctrl-Alt-T shortcut.)
Enter “alsamixer” and press the Enter key.
You will now see a user interface. In this user interface, you can do the following:
1- Select your correct sound card using F6 and select F5 to see recording controls as well
2- Move around with left and right arrow keys.
3- Increase and decrease volume with up and down arrow keys.
4- Mute/Unmute with the “M” key. An “MM” means muted, and “OO” means unmuted.
5- Exit from alsamixer with the Esc key.

A caveat here: When you mute or unmute something, pulseaudio might pick it up and mute and unmute other controls, as well as PulseAudio’s main mute.

3- Install Ubuntu Audio Development Team Driver

Upgrading your sound drivers may fix the nosound issue, you will need to make sure to uninstall the previous override before trying a new one.

Open terminal and enter the following PPA:

 sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntu-audio-dev
 sudo apt-get update
 sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

And is done. If the issue persist please post your questions in ask.unixmen.com our Question/Answer Forum. Thanks

Via Ubuntu Wiki

For questions please refer to our Q/A forum at : http://ask.unixmen.com

12.10

nosound

Ubuntu 13.04 Raring Ringtail

52 Comment(s)

Anurag Salhotra

Thanks a lot Sir…you post helped me resolve my no sound problem
http://reflectionspn.wordpress.com/ Pratyush Nalam

Sound plays well but I don’t hear the login sound. What to do?
John

Hello – unixmen,
Since I’ve d/l ubuntu 12.04 ; I have NO sound! I’ve done all the suggestions here, NOW WHAT??
Worked just fine on 11.10. I upgraded instead of fresh install and running virtural box.
Mind 11 and 12 run perfectly,,just NOT ubuntu 12.04.
System: windows 7-64bit.
Thanks John in Dallas
- Lonestar17
  
  Just to add…I did a fresh install…Still NO sound..I’m reluctant to use your suggestion in updating drivers? Will that affect my windows system or just within virtual box? How do I find the old drivers in ubuntu 12.04?
  Thanks / John in Dallas
Dreamer

Howdy. My sound is working, but the sound control has disappeared from the top menu. I’ve tried to get it back with dconf viewer, but the top menu does not react to any changes there for volume control or date item. I was able to put bluetooth control on and off, but not the sound. Also the menu colors are gray-on-darker-gray, almost invisible in Ambiance layout. BTW, I am using gnome-style desktop.
markus

http://ks.renai.us/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=6320
this helped me with noisy sound probs in 12.04…
daniel hayes

Strange – its fixed – i think alsamixer might have achieved this but it was guess work and luck. I had a similar problem after 11.04 and I fixed that – again not sure how.
Acardozo

If I reload alsamixer I get the HDMI Option in the sound manager and it works but after a while it reverts to its original settings and the HDMI option disappears and I have no sound again.
Acardozo

After a little more investigation I realised that I do not have to reload alsamixer I just have to re-boot my computer to get the HDMI option in sound manager. but everytime my screensaver comes on or I log out I loose that option and sound till I reboot.
millie

hello! I seem to have sound. what is not working, it’s the mic! so, no skype, etc… any suggestions?!? tried almost everything that I found online up to now, besides throwing the laptop out of the window… thank you!
Alphasil

Hi

I made all this but still no sound at all, the strange is master is 00 and i can’t change it.

why?
john

Hello – All,
Finally found the answer…..For sound to work you must change from intel hd driver to ich ac97 in virtual box!!! NOW, I have full sound in all areas and sites I use….Compliments of Ask Ubuntu check out my post there and you’ll find the answer….enjoy.
Asdad

Thank You, it worked ;)
Gerald Fletcher

thank u for help im anewbie lol trying linux out
guest

I only had sound in the headphones, but, after doing that last step, not even that is working now…
raja krishnan

getting the following error at my terminal. help me.

W: Failed to fetch http://ppa.launchpad.net/team-iquik/alsa/ubuntu/dists/precise/main/source/Sources 404 Not FoundW: Failed to fetch http://ppa.launchpad.net/team-iquik/alsa/ubuntu/dists/precise/main/binary-i386/Packages 404 Not FoundE: Some index files failed to download. They have been ignored, or old ones used instead.
Ashk1981

tnx. It worked for me.
Luis

I fix it: run “alsamixer” AUTO-MUTE MOD is ENABLE just turn it DISABLE. That it.
Jer

My sound problem had me pulling my hair as well. It worked in all previous versions. I could see the meters moving, but no output. It turned out to be a change in the way Ubuntu deals with multi-selection on CPU mini-jacks. I have always had an external mixer plugged into the line-out jack on the front of my box, and used the one on the back for my speakers.

Starting with 12.04, it suddenly assumed I had headphones plugged into the front, and muted the speakers. When I pulled that mini out of the front line-out, shazam! Sound. (It almost deafened me. ;)
millie

you all seems very lucky or, better, very good at it. my internal mic still doesn’t work. and I’ve tried all your suggestions! *sic* :(
Aneurin1evans

still not working tried everything
Ales

Thanks very much i resolve my problem
Joacim

alsamixer did it, thanks for that.
Frank

Thanks a lot for help.
Totally non intuitive program this alsamixer, looks as an program for Commodore 64, help isn’t working from terminal, F1 is calling help for terminal.
How the hell could I know that M is command for mute/unmute. Terrible.
Anyway, people from Ubuntu could make this microphone settings more easy and friendly, I mean, 12.04 looks as a spaceship, and only this old program is helpful.
This issue is old one, I’m using Ubuntu from 6.10, and almost every time had problems with microphone…
Thanks to this post, I solved microphone settings.
Best regards,
Frank
- xurxoham
  
  Help in the terminal is usually called using the following:
  $ command –help
  or
  
  $ man command
akathepig

thankyou very much ,a great help,i was at my wits end.
JakeD

thx unixman(m. zinoune) you fixed my sound problem, appreciate it
Juan F. González

I found there was no volume in the speakers under the ALSA mixer, thanks!
bac

testing-testing-testing-is this thing on?
Thanks Unixmen, downloading the new drivers did it for me!!!
Kumar Vishal

I tried everything given above but no luck Please help me out sir …
gibran

thanks a lot worked for me
Dave Mello

Thank You !
mc

I’ve done everything here and am having no success with getting any sound. I’ve tried everything I’ve found from other sites as well.
I have an HDMI cable that sound should be coming through and have also been plugging in headphones. Only after removing alas and pulseaudio and then reinstalling and reloading them did I have sound momentarily coming through my headphones… but then nothing.

Help?
Jayakuma

This one worked me too! “run “alsamixer” AUTO-MUTE MOD is ENABLE just turn it DISABLE. That it.” Thanks, Luis! :-)
- Red Adaya
  
  Thank you! This worked for me!!!
http://awandata.blogspot.com em wai zee

I’ve tried all the suggestions above … But, with one more added step … I need to force this code to bring my alsa to life … “sudo alsa force-reload” without the parenthesis.
- nullradix
  
  this is all I had to do.
- http://www.sonicbyte.com/ Rodrigo
  
  Awesome, this fix it ! Thanks
Scriptkid

Cool! Thanks a lot!
CVR

hi.. I just installed 12.10 . After plugging in the jack of headphone sound is not coming through it but continues to come form speaker only. and i tried with alsamixer the bar for HEADPHONE is not showing. what could be the possible solution to resolve the problem
Ervin Cenmurati

Thanks thais saved my day on the ubuntu studio 12.10 :) I think I had to play a little bit on teh configuration of output sound in the sound settings. Great and easy tutorial
TonyB

Thank you! This article helped me determine that the built-in volume and mute keys on my Lenovo T60 was the culpret! I was able to identify the channels and unmute the output and raise the volume to a normal level. I know NOT to touch THOSE buttons again! :-)
xen

I had a problem with front microphone not working right.

Turning up the left input channel and turning down to zero the right in pavucontrol helped me to solve this problem (acer tm8172t / ubuntu 12.10)
Solution taken from here:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/AspireOneAOD250
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000167498002 Patrick O’Brien

Plugging in the headphones worked best for me. You should add that to your steps.
Rajib Chisim

As a new user i cant figure out the solution. alsa mixer solved my problem. thanks.
http://www.facebook.com/samward1965 Sam Ward

i always have to unmute s/pdif in alsamixer every time i log in. it worked in 12.04. i’ve tried many of the suggestions here and many many others in forums. still i have to unmute.
http://www.facebook.com/tim.rumblefish Tim Rumblefish

Thank you! I was able to get my issue sorted quickly. For some reason due to the recent upgrade to 13.04 which has gone failry smoothly. And the addition of some new multi-track sound editing software I use. The system was using the wrong driver. I simply had to choose the correct one using alsamixer. Cheers Tim
salman faridi

it worked like a charm for me after two days of trying command line here and there … thx
Vishal

HI I just upgraded my ubuntu machine from 12.10 to 13.04 but when I try to play some songs I found that

1) It is not showing any sound cards in Sound Settings. But when I open ALSA Mixer it is showing there sound card. I am using USB speakers.

I also face s strange problem, when I tried to open a Software Updater program it is also not opening.

Please help me to solve these problems and suggest me some workarounds for the same.
http://profiles.google.com/egrojovelhanegra Dark Unamed

still nothing here = (i have sound but not through hdmi)
Ryan

I have used various Linux’s distributions since 1996. What I have noticed in Ubuntu is that every time there is a new version something is broken. They fix one thing and break another.
Pogi

Works!Thanks!

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