HowTo: Skype 1.4.0.99 with SL 3.4f

[Fitzcarraldo]

OK, in the never-ending saga of Skype and Linux, here's how I got Skype (Beta) 1.4.0.99 to work with SL x86-64 3.4f (Skype was giving the error message "Call Failed: Problem with Audio Capture").

1. emerge -u to get the latest version of the ALSA packages alsa-firmware (1.0.14), alsa-headers (1.0.14), alsa-lib ((1.0.14a-r1), alsa-plugins ((1.0.14), alsa-tools (1.0.14).

2. Run alsaconf as root in a Terminal window and click on the OK buttons and click on your audio card. It should be obvious.

3. Run alsamixer as root in a Terminal window and make sure nothing is muted (pressing M toggles on/off) and volume levels are turned up (not into the red region, though). Ditto for the two Capture channels.

4. Run GNOME Volume Control or KDE KMix (KMix does not work properly on my laptop: Capture channels reset every time) and double-check nothing is muted and levels are all non-zero.

5. emerge -u to get the latest version of Skype (1.4.0.99).

6. K Menu > Control Centre > Sound & Multimedia > Sound System, click on the Hardware tab and tick the box 'Override device location' and enter "default" (without the quotes) in the box beside it. Don't change anything else in the as-installed settings. Click 'Apply'.

7. Reboot.

8. Launch Skype and select Options > Sound Devices. Make:
Sound In ---> HDA Intel (hw:Intel,2)
Sound Out ---> HDA Intel (hw:Intel,0)
Ringing ---> HDA Intel (hw:Intel,0)

N.B. My sound card is HDA Intel. Yours could be different, but try to select the (hw:*,2) and (hw:*,0) as I've shown above.

Note that this procedure is different to the procedure in the Wiki for earlier versions of SL and Skype.

Good luck.


Now why is it that, when I upgraded to the latest version of Skype for Windows under Windows XP this morning, it just worked?!


EDIT: If the above does not work, try also: K Menu > Control Centre > Sound & Multimedia > Sound System and untick 'Enable the sound system' under the General tab.

[mobilehunter]

Hi,

Thanks for the howto.
But for my case AcerPower 1000, AMD Sempron 3200+, 64Bit, Intel HDA too.
I just update the latest skype 1.4.0.99 ( i guest), it just work out of the box.

I experienced your problem with 3.4a.

[archwndas]

Hi thanks for the HowTo. I followed every step as you describe. Unfortunately there is a problem with my Mic. It doesn't want to record. This was not the case with Sabayon 3.4e. Everything was working fine there. Now I have installed (I forgot to mention) the Sabayon PE 1.1. I have tried KRec and ekiga, another great skype like program with Video conferencing. My Mic doesn't record in anyone of them. I believe it is PE 1.1 issue and alsa drivers issues. I have the x86_64 version of Sabayon PE 1.1 by the way. I do not know if this causes any problems. It didn't in previous Sabayon editions like the 3.4e.

Right now I can hear them in skype but they cannot hear me.

So any ideas?

[Fitzcarraldo]

I've had to use a different technique to get each version of Skype working with the different versions of SL that I've used (3.3, 3.4 Loop 2b and now 3.4f) as you can see from the SL Wiki:

http://wiki.sabayonlinux.org/index.php? ... _for_Linux

It even depended on what version of the ALSA drivers I had installed. I've not installed PE 1.1 so cannot advise you what to do, but I had a Hell of a time getting my microphone to work back in the days when I was using SL 3.3 and Skype for Linux 1.3.0.53, even having to edit HDA-Intel.conf (see the Wiki). You may find something useful over on the Skype for Linux forum; that's my first port of call if I have a problem with Skype for Linux.