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Asked: 2024-09-26T00:46:44+05:30 In:

I’m having trouble getting my USB sound device to work for microphone input on Lubuntu. It doesn’t seem to be recognized at all. Has anyone faced a similar issue and found a solution? Any help would be appreciated!

I’ve been trying to get my USB sound device to work on my Lubuntu setup, and I’m honestly feeling a bit frustrated. I bought this external USB sound card mainly for the microphone input, but it just doesn’t seem to be recognized at all. I plug it in, and I can tell the system isn’t acknowledging that it’s even there. It’s like my computer is just ignoring it completely!

I thought it might be a straightforward plug-and-play kind of situation, you know? I’ve seen several other users talking about how they easily connected their USB sound devices on different Linux distros, so I was kind of expecting the same ease here. But nope, not for me! I’ve tried rebooting the system multiple times and even different USB ports on my laptop, but nothing seems to help.

I checked in the sound settings to see if anything would pop up, but all I get is my built-in sound card and no option for the USB device. I even ran some commands in the terminal to see if the device would show up there, but it’s as if the computer doesn’t even recognize that it’s plugged in. I thought maybe I could try to reinstall some audio drivers or check some settings, but I honestly don’t know where to start. I’ve browsed forums but can’t seem to find anything that directly points to my issue.

Has anyone out there faced a similar problem? Did you manage to get your USB sound device to work on Lubuntu? Any tips or specific commands I should be trying? I’m all ears! I’m ready to dive into the technical side of things if it will help solve this. I just need a nudge in the right direction, really. Any help would be greatly appreciated—I’m looking to get this mic working for some recording projects, and it’s kind of a bummer that I can’t get it up and running! Thanks a bunch in advance!

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    2 Answers



    1. Getting USB Sound Device to Work on Lubuntu

      Struggling with USB Sound Device?

      Hey there! I totally get your frustration with the USB sound card not being recognized. It can be super annoying when things don’t work like they’re supposed to, especially on Linux.

      Here are a few things you could try:

      • Check if the device is detected: Open a terminal and run the command lsusb. This can show you a list of all USB devices connected. If you see your sound card listed, then the system is at least recognizing it.
      • Check sound settings: Sometimes, the USB device won’t show up in the regular Sound settings. You might want to check pavucontrol (PulseAudio Volume Control). If you don’t have it, you can install it with sudo apt install pavucontrol. After installing, open it and see if your USB sound card shows up in the Output or Input sections.
      • Install or update drivers: You could try updating your ALSA (Advanced Linux Sound Architecture) and PulseAudio. Some users find that doing sudo apt update followed by sudo apt upgrade helps. You might want to run sudo apt install alsa-utils just to make sure you have everything you need.
      • Restart the audio service: You might want to restart the PulseAudio service. You can do this by running pulseaudio -k and then pulseaudio --start in the terminal.
      • Log out or reboot: Sometimes, just logging out or rebooting after all these installations and updates helps the system recognize new hardware.

      If Still Not Working…

      It’s possible there’s something weird going on with the USB ports or the sound card itself. If you have access to another computer, maybe try plugging it in there to rule out hardware issues. Also, checking dmesg (by running dmesg | grep usb) immediately after plugging in the device can provide you some insight into what’s happening behind the scenes.

      Lastly, don’t forget to check forums specific to your sound card model. Sometimes there are quirks that others have already documented. Good luck, and hopefully, you’ll have your mic up and running in no time!



    2. It sounds like you’re dealing with a frustrating issue, but let’s see if we can troubleshoot this together. First, ensure that your USB sound card is actually functioning by testing it on another device (if possible). If it works on another system, the problem likely lies within your Lubuntu setup. One common command to check for USB devices is `lsusb`. Open a terminal window and run this command. It will list all the USB devices that the system recognizes. If your USB sound card does not appear in that list, the system isn’t seeing it, which may indicate a hardware or compatibility issue. Additionally, you might want to check for any output via `dmesg | grep -i usb` right after plugging in the device. This can provide insight into whether the system is attempting to recognize it upon insertion.

      If your device shows up in `lsusb`, you may need to configure the audio settings further. Try running `pavucontrol` (PulseAudio Volume Control) if it’s not installed, you can add it via `sudo apt install pavucontrol`. Once opened, check the ‘Input Devices’ tab to see if your microphone is listed there. If it’s not, you might need to verify if you have the necessary drivers or modules loaded by checking the output of `aplay -l` and `arecord -l`. Ensure you’ve got the appropriate user permissions to access audio devices. You can add your user to the `audio` group by running `sudo usermod -aG audio $USER`, and then log out and log back in. If after all this it still doesn’t work, consider looking for specific drivers from the manufacturer’s website or explore forums for others who may have faced and resolved similar issues with the same USB sound card using Lubuntu.


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