Devuan Excalibur install and Pipewire.

devuan_dk_fan · 2026-01-31 20:53:15

Fresh install of Devuan with the same hardware as my last thread. This time the install is KDE Plasma, pipewire and sysv. Sound settings state the following error in the control panel:

Connection to the Sound Services lost.

$ inxi -A
Audio:
  Device-1: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD/ATI] Renoir Radeon High Definition
    Audio driver: snd_hda_intel
  Device-2: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] Audio Coprocessor driver: N/A
  Device-3: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] Family 17h/19h/1ah HD Audio
    driver: snd_hda_intel
  Device-4: BEHRINGER GmbH UMC404HD 192k driver: snd-usb-audio type: USB
  API: ALSA v: k6.12.63+deb13-amd64 status: kernel-api

My user is in the audio group.

Pipewire is active:

$  ps aux | grep pipewire
user     3327  0.0  0.0   6564  2240 pts/1    S+   10:19   0:00 grep pipewire

$ lsmod | grep snd
snd_sof_amd_rembrandt    16384  0
snd_sof_amd_acp        61440  1 snd_sof_amd_rembrandt
snd_sof_pci            24576  1 snd_sof_amd_rembrandt
snd_sof_xtensa_dsp     16384  1 snd_sof_amd_acp
snd_sof               393216  2 snd_sof_amd_acp,snd_sof_pci
snd_sof_utils          16384  1 snd_sof
snd_soc_core          421888  1 snd_sof
snd_hda_codec_realtek   217088  1
snd_hda_codec_generic   114688  1 snd_hda_codec_realtek
snd_compress           28672  1 snd_soc_core
snd_hda_scodec_component    20480  1 snd_hda_codec_realtek
snd_pcm_dmaengine      16384  1 snd_soc_core
snd_hda_codec_hdmi     98304  1
snd_pci_ps             20480  0
snd_rpl_pci_acp6x      16384  0
snd_hda_intel          61440  0
snd_acp_pci            12288  0
snd_intel_dspcfg       40960  2 snd_hda_intel,snd_sof
snd_acp_legacy_common    16384  1 snd_acp_pci
snd_intel_sdw_acpi     16384  1 snd_intel_dspcfg
snd_pci_acp6x          16384  0
snd_hda_codec         217088  4 snd_hda_codec_generic,snd_hda_codec_hdmi,snd_hda_intel,snd_hda_codec_realtek
snd_pci_acp5x          16384  0
snd_rn_pci_acp3x       20480  0
snd_acp_config         20480  6 snd_rn_pci_acp3x,snd_pci_acp6x,snd_pci_acp5x,snd_sof_amd_rembrandt,snd_acp_pci,snd_pci_ps
snd_soc_acpi           16384  2 snd_sof_amd_acp,snd_acp_config
snd_hda_core          143360  5 snd_hda_codec_generic,snd_hda_codec_hdmi,snd_hda_intel,snd_hda_codec,snd_hda_codec_realtek
snd_pci_acp3x          16384  0
snd_usb_audio         512000  0
snd_usbmidi_lib        49152  1 snd_usb_audio
snd_hwdep              20480  2 snd_usb_audio,snd_hda_codec
snd_rawmidi            53248  1 snd_usbmidi_lib
snd_seq_device         16384  1 snd_rawmidi
mc                     94208  1 snd_usb_audio
snd_pcm               188416  13 snd_sof_amd_acp,snd_hda_codec_hdmi,snd_pci_acp6x,snd_hda_intel,snd_usb_audio,snd_hda_codec,snd_sof,snd_compress,snd_soc_core,snd_sof_utils,snd_hda_core,snd_pci_ps,snd_pcm_dmaengine
snd_ctl_led            24576  0
snd_timer              53248  1 snd_pcm
snd                   151552  16 snd_ctl_led,snd_hda_codec_generic,snd_seq_device,snd_hda_codec_hdmi,snd_hwdep,snd_hda_intel,snd_usb_audio,snd_usbmidi_lib,snd_hda_codec,snd_hda_codec_realtek,snd_sof,snd_timer,snd_compress,snd_soc_core,snd_pcm,snd_rawmidi
soundcore              16384  2 snd_ctl_led,snd
usbcore               409600  7 xhci_hcd,snd_usb_audio,usbhid,snd_usbmidi_lib,btmtk,btusb,xhci_pci

# cat /var/log/syslog | grep pipewire

Does not return anything. Ideas?

---

I have successfully got partial audio, despite the same error as posted above. I achieved that by the following:

# apt install ffmpeg libavcodec-extra

# apt install gstreamer1.0-plugins-good gstreamer1.0-plugins-bad gstreamer1.0-plugins-ugly

The speaker test works:

$ speaker-test --channels=2

speaker-test 1.2.14

Playback device is default
Stream parameters are 48000Hz, S16_LE, 2 channels
Using 16 octaves of pink noise
Rate set to 48000Hz (requested 48000Hz)
Buffer size range from 12 to 96000
Period size range from 6 to 48000
Periods = 4
was set period_size = 12000
was set buffer_size = 48000
 0 - Front Left
 1 - Front Right
Time per period = 5.001446
 0 - Front Left

YouTube also works. Juk plays .mp3 files, but there is no audio. Likewise, I am not getting any midi over web for tomplay.com...

With the above error, I also have no way to switch between audio sources in the gui. Neither from the control panel nor the audio applet in the taskbar.

Last edited by devuan_dk_fan (2026-02-02 16:38:04)

fsmithred · 2026-02-01 16:29:36

No, pipewire is not running. Your grep shows that grep is running with the string "pipewire" in the command.

This discussion describes numerous ways to start pipewire. Pick one.
https://dev1galaxy.org/viewtopic.php?id=5867

devuan_dk_fan · 2026-02-01 18:23:04

Cool. Thanks for that.

devuan_dk_fan · 2026-02-02 16:39:14

Marking this as solved was premature, as today, all of the audio sources except HDMI are suddenly missing...

Last edited by devuan_dk_fan (2026-02-02 19:12:07)

devuan_dk_fan · 2026-02-03 08:16:48

And a restart today, all of a sudden all of the audio sources are back again. What is going on?

greenjeans · 2026-02-03 17:40:16

Just the first thought in my head which may not be helpful, but what you describe now seems like it may be a timing issue during start-up? In my autostart folders I sometimes have to shuffle some things around and/or add timeouts.

devuan_dk_fan · 2026-02-03 20:26:37

Thanks for the reply. I will try to take a look.

---

This is just a standard sysv init KDE Plasma install, so nothing extra than what KDE demands at startup...

Last edited by devuan_dk_fan (2026-02-03 21:35:39)

fsmithred · Yesterday 16:13:44

If pavucontrol is installed, go to the Configuration tab on the far right. There you can turn on/off your various sound cards.

greenjeans · Yesterday 16:33:09

Haven't used it, but KDE has kmix which is it's onboard mixer, perhaps the OP can try that? I would say try AlsaTune but it's not going to work with KDE due to that onboard mixer.

devuan_dk_fan · Yesterday 21:46:39

Thanks for the suggestions. However, I think that you misunderstood. All audio hardware devices in pavucontrol, the audio devices applet and in the sound control panel had disappeared. It wasn't a question of having to switch to the correct device, there were none listed. As I stated, they are back now, but for how long? Something is clearly unreliable in the mix, but what as the devices remain the same?

greenjeans · Yesterday 22:14:17

Interesting issue, and made more difficult by being intermittent. Sorry I can't be more help, I have zero experience with KDE.

I can tell you this factoid: When using AlsaTune on a pure alsa system, I have every control available for my soundcard. Some 7-8 volume sliders and a couple of toggles. But if I install it on a Mate system (Mate has an onboard mixer too) and try to use it, EVERYTHING but the main volume slider is gone completely. The onboard mixers grab control right at boot-up, and they are NOT sophisticated and you lose a lot of control. That's why in most cases people throw Pulse or Pipe at it in hopes that it all works out. Mate's onboard mixer is the main reason i'm not doing any more work with Mate, that and relentless Caja bugs.

devuan_dk_fan · Today 17:18:27

Wow, that is interesting. Particularly in reference to my thread with an only Alsa system:

https://dev1galaxy.org/viewtopic.php?id=7786

Unfortunately, I can't get midi over web to work reliably with an Alsa only system... Very few people seem to have any interest, experience or technical knowledge about midi over web. I have actually been considering switching that system from LXDE to Trinity DE to see if anything improved. Alternatively, redo the install, but with only spectrwm to see if midi over web would perform differently. Of course a shot in the dark, but simplifying the system has always been my knee jerk reaction, as it can make things easier to diagnose. With midi over web however, I am not so sure, as it appears to be dependent on some lib that may not be included in a simpler system, which is weird as to my understanding, midi over web is implemented differently depending on whether the browser is Firefox or Chrome based, yet if midi over web is on strike with the one browser, it eventually ends up striking on all of them...

igorzwx · Today 18:48:26

devuan_dk_fan wrote:

Very few people seem to have any interest, experience or technical knowledge about midi over web.

Yes, you'd probably be better off trying Gentoo or Arch Linux.

devuan_dk_fan · Today 20:25:47

Thanks for the reply. I am largely a practical person and therefore mainly use Linux to do daily things. For me, that is practicing music and doing other daily chores. Neither Gentoo nor Arch fit into that category for me. I could go to a systemd distro, where midi over web usually just works, but I am trying to dig a bit deeper and try to understand why something vital to what I do doesn't work. Furthermore, I don't like the largely corporate oriented direction that those distros are leading the entire Linux project towards. I could otherwise choose Void Linux, which I have had better success with midi over web, but the community is lacking. While Void tries their best at being lean and mean, there is notation and other music software that isn't easily available, that I can install from Devuan...

igorzwx · Today 21:07:18

systemd isn't a problem — it's easy to remove. Gentoo's exactly what you need.

How to remove systemd from Gentoo and switch to OpenRC:

Ensure OpenRC is ready: Confirm your kernel supports OpenRC and set USE="-systemd openrc" in /etc/portage/make.conf.
Switch profile: Use eselect profile set to select a non-systemd (OpenRC) profile.
Rebuild system: Run emerge --ask --update --deep --newuse @world to rebuild packages without systemd.
Install eudev: Emerge sys-fs/eudev as a replacement for udev.
Remove systemd: Run emerge --deselect sys-apps/systemd and emerge --depclean to remove systemd and unused dependencies.
Reconfigure services: Use rc-update to enable necessary services under OpenRC.
Update bootloader: Ensure the kernel command line does not include init=/usr/lib/systemd/systemd.
Reboot: Test the new configuration.

NOTE: "Confirm your kernel supports OpenRC" means ensuring that your Linux kernel is configured with the necessary options to work correctly with the OpenRC init system, particularly when using gentoo-sources.
When using sys-kernel/gentoo-sources, you should enable the following in your kernel configuration (make menuconfig):

Gentoo Linux --->
    [*] Gentoo Linux support
    [*]   Linux dynamic and persistent device naming (userspace devfs) support
    [*]   Select options required by Portage features
        Support for init systems, system and service managers  --->
          [*] OpenRC, runit and other script based systems and managers

This ensures essential Gentoo-specific features and OpenRC compatibility are built into the kernel. While OpenRC itself does not require special kernel features beyond standard POSIX compliance, enabling these options guarantees proper integration with Gentoo’s system layout and service management.

Last edited by igorzwx (Today 21:15:23)

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#1 2026-01-31 20:53:15

Devuan Excalibur install and Pipewire.

#2 2026-02-01 16:29:36

Re: Devuan Excalibur install and Pipewire.

#3 2026-02-01 18:23:04

Re: Devuan Excalibur install and Pipewire.

#4 2026-02-02 16:39:14

Re: Devuan Excalibur install and Pipewire.

#5 2026-02-03 08:16:48

Re: Devuan Excalibur install and Pipewire.

#6 2026-02-03 17:40:16

Re: Devuan Excalibur install and Pipewire.

#7 2026-02-03 20:26:37

Re: Devuan Excalibur install and Pipewire.

#8 Yesterday 16:13:44

Re: Devuan Excalibur install and Pipewire.

#9 Yesterday 16:33:09

Re: Devuan Excalibur install and Pipewire.

#10 Yesterday 21:46:39

Re: Devuan Excalibur install and Pipewire.

#11 Yesterday 22:14:17

Re: Devuan Excalibur install and Pipewire.

#12 Today 17:18:27

Re: Devuan Excalibur install and Pipewire.

#13 Today 18:48:26

Re: Devuan Excalibur install and Pipewire.

#14 Today 20:25:47

Re: Devuan Excalibur install and Pipewire.

#15 Today 21:07:18

Re: Devuan Excalibur install and Pipewire.

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