Alsa looks for things in /var/tmp/portage | Gentoo Linux Community | Page 1

subtle root Aug 31, 2025, 4:33 PM

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Hello! I am researching why Second Life's new WebRTC voice doesn't work, and I see in its logs a lot of ALSA lib /var/tmp/portage/media-libs/alsa-lib-1.2.14/work/alsa-lib-1.2.14/src/conf.c:5205:(_snd_config_evaluate) function snd_func_card_inum returned error: No such device ALSA lib /var/tmp/portage/media-libs/alsa-lib-1.2.14/work/alsa-lib-1.2.14/src/confmisc.c:422:(snd_func_concat) error evaluating strings ALSA lib /var/tmp/portage/media-libs/alsa-lib-1.2.14/work/alsa-lib-1.2.14/src/conf.c:5205:(_snd_config_evaluate) function snd_func_concat returned error: No such device ALSA lib /var/tmp/portage/media-libs/alsa-lib-1.2.14/work/alsa-lib-1.2.14/src/confmisc.c:1342:(snd_func_refer) error evaluating name ALSA lib /var/tmp/portage/media-libs/alsa-lib-1.2.14/work/alsa-lib-1.2.14/src/conf.c:5205:(_snd_config_evaluate) function snd_func_refer returned error: No such device ALSA lib /var/tmp/portage/media-libs/alsa-lib-1.2.14/work/alsa-lib-1.2.14/src/conf.c:5728:(snd_config_expand) Evaluate error: No such device

Why is Alsa looking for things in portage's build directory? Have I done something wrong?

finite crest Aug 31, 2025, 5:38 PM

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I don't think it's looking for anything in /var/tmp/portage - it's just that's where it was built with Portage when you emerge'd it, think of it as "debugging info"

subtle root Aug 31, 2025, 6:34 PM

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finite crest I don't think it's *looking* for anything in /var/tmp/portage - it's just that's...

So I shouldn't be concerned about these error messages? To be fair, Discord's WebRTC works flawlessly, so it's not my system.

finite crest Aug 31, 2025, 7:04 PM

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I'm not sure what the error really means, but for your original question there is nothing weird or wrong about it mentioning /var/tmp/portage

subtle root Aug 31, 2025, 8:39 PM

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All right, thanks

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 7:28 AM

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subtle root Hello! I am researching why Second Life's new WebRTC voice doesn't work, and I s...

Is that the entire log?

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It looks like config evaluating errors

subtle root Sep 9, 2025, 4:18 PM

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kind maple Is that the entire log?

The error goes away when deleting ~/.asoundrc. However, I have trouble making it work.

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 4:18 PM

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The WebRTC ?

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Is it the vanilla SL client?

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Have you tested Firestorm Viewer

subtle root Sep 9, 2025, 4:36 PM

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Oh, you know about SL! No, it's Cool VL Viewer. I haven't tried with Firestorm yet. I suspect it's my Alsa configuration, though, because Vivox works properly. Discord voice (also WebRTC, but not over Alsa, I think), also works fine.

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 4:37 PM

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A friend introduced me 3 days ago, now I've been nerdsniped into learning LSL lol, but still looking around.
Firestorm has been excellent for me, if we ignore how laggy everything is

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Nothing should be touching alsa directly

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Or most of your system sound breaks

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Alsa should be only talked to by the sound daemon

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And any app that wants to play sounds ought to talk to the sound daemon

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Play or listen to sounds*

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Or in fact do anything with sounds

subtle root Sep 9, 2025, 4:38 PM

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Agreed, but…

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 4:39 PM

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Like, if you manage to get the SL client you are using to talk to ALSA, all other system audio will break until you kill the process and restart the sound server

subtle root Sep 9, 2025, 4:40 PM

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Try Cool VL Viewer, it's less laggy (and has client-side lua scripting, which is nice to play with), and the developer knows Linux, so everything always works. But that's not out point…

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 4:40 PM

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Oo, I'll check it out

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Maybe I'll even end up reproducing the issue and debugging it lmao

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Assuming it's open source

subtle root Sep 9, 2025, 4:41 PM

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I suspect Firestorm also talks to Alsa directly, but I must check.

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Yes, of course.

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Linden Lab (LL) made the viewer code (but not the server code) open source many years ago, therefore there are now many Third Party Viewers (TPVs), of which Firestorm is the most popular.

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 4:42 PM

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Nope, it doesn't talk to ALSA directly, I'd know if it was doing that because I leave the client up in the background and I'd notice if my sound died haha

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http://sldev.free.fr/repository.html this is crazy and I love it

Cool VL Viewer sources repository

Cool VL Viewer

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There is no software-versioning-system-based repository for this viewer (well there is, but just a "manual" one), because I, Henri Beauchamp (SL and OpenSim grids avatar name), is the one and only maintainer for it and I find git, mercurial, svn, cvs & Co way too cumbersome and heavy to use when developing alone; I'm a Nedit, xterm+bash, diff, patch, grep, find, and sed guy, and can develop blazingly fast with just these few (totally antediluvian, but nonetheless lovely) tools, when git & Co would just slow me down and make me pester like the old fart I am. :-P

However, you will find on this site every file needed to rebuild the viewer (and its third parties libraries) from sources (1), as well as the full backward history of the viewer sources (2) for each released build, in the form of incremental diff files. This is in strict conformance with the GPL v2 under which this viewer is licensed.

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This is another level of insanity

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I love this

subtle root Sep 9, 2025, 4:43 PM

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LL's own viewer hasn't had a Linux version for many years. Last year they said they'll revive it, they released a few betas, but then they dropped it again.

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 4:43 PM

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Ah

subtle root Sep 9, 2025, 4:43 PM

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Hehehe, he's an old-fashioned guy.

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 4:43 PM

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Just to verify btw, do you have a sound server running?

subtle root Sep 9, 2025, 4:43 PM

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I have Alsa, Pulseaudio and Pipewire over them.

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 alsasound                                                         [  started  ]

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defaults.namehint.extended on
defaults.namehint.showall on
defaults.pcm.!card Device,
defaults.pcm.!device 0
defaults.ctl.!card Device
defaults.pcm.dmix.rate 96000
``` taking the values for my headset

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 4:46 PM

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wpctl status
pactl info

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Most apps will fall back to ALSA if they fail to connect to pw or pa

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A good test is mpv

subtle root Sep 9, 2025, 4:49 PM

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https://bpa.st/FWAQ

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Server String: /run/user/1000/pulse/native
Library Protocol Version: 35
Server Protocol Version: 35
Is Local: yes
Client Index: 1103
Tile Size: 65472
User Name: nikos
Host Name: Archytas
Server Name: PulseAudio (on PipeWire 1.4.7)
Server Version: 15.0.0
Default Sample Specification: float32le 2ch 48000Hz
Default Channel Map: front-left,front-right
Default Sink: alsa_output.pci-0000_06_00.6.analog-stereo
Default Source: alsa_input.usb-GeneralPlus_USB_Audio_Device-00.mono-fallback
Cookie: 3546:6bee
nikos@Archytas ~ $

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 4:49 PM

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Oo hmm

subtle root Sep 9, 2025, 4:50 PM

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Sorry: https://bpa.st/QOHA

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 4:50 PM

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What happens if you run it with SDL_AUDIODRIVER=pipewire

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The SL client I mean

subtle root Sep 9, 2025, 4:51 PM

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I can try

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 4:51 PM

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Oki

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Just to make sure I am understanding right btw, the issue is that there's no sound playing in Cool VL Viewer, right?

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Or only WebRTC sound

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Or what is broken specifically

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Sound input, output, both

subtle root Sep 9, 2025, 4:53 PM

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Stream and media sounds plays perfectly. WebRTC Voice (which is the new voice system, currently operating only on specific regions) doesn't work, neither output nor input. Vivox, which is the old sound system (for which the linux client is very outdated and everyone uses the windows binary through wine) works fine.

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 4:54 PM

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Also you can set SDL_LOGGING=audio=verbose

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Actually, that makes me curious

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They use gstreamer

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Do you have that set up?

subtle root Sep 9, 2025, 4:54 PM

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lemme try. Yes, for streaming music.

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that is not the same.

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 4:55 PM

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Say, with gst-play-1.0

I would expect them to use gst for WebRTC audio encoding & decoding too

subtle root Sep 9, 2025, 4:57 PM

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It can't see the devices currently

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But even when it does, it doesn't work whatever I choose

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 4:57 PM

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Have you tested gst-play-1.0?

subtle root Sep 9, 2025, 4:57 PM

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This is my bug report: http://sldev.free.fr/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&p=13391&sid=efe2113ceb1716c9a55f468160756186

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…where?

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The viewer's log shows no error. It shows 2025-09-09 16:55:32Z DEBUG: LLPluginProcessParent::setState: voice_plugin_webrtc #2 - Setting state to STATE_LAUNCHED 2025-09-09 16:55:32Z DEBUG: LLPluginProcessParent::accept: voice_plugin_webrtc #2: APR SUCCESS 2025-09-09 16:55:32Z DEBUG: LLPluginProcessParent::setState: voice_plugin_webrtc #2 - Setting state to STATE_CONNECTED 2025-09-09 16:55:32Z DEBUG: LLPluginProcessParent::receiveMessage: voice_plugin_webrtc #2: plugin host launched. 2025-09-09 16:55:32Z DEBUG: LLPluginProcessParent::setState: voice_plugin_webrtc #2 - Setting state to STATE_HELLO 2025-09-09 16:55:32Z DEBUG: LLPluginProcessParent::idle: voice_plugin_webrtc #2: received hello message 2025-09-09 16:55:32Z DEBUG: LLPluginProcessParent::setState: voice_plugin_webrtc #2 - Setting state to STATE_LOADING

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which I take it to mean it connects

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 4:59 PM

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subtle root …where?

Just, use it to play any random audio file

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I am shooting in the wild here btw

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https://gstreamer.freedesktop.org/documentation/tutorials/basic/debugging-tools.html?gi-language=c

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GST_DEBUG=7

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For Cool VL Viewer

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See if it prints anything interesting

subtle root Sep 9, 2025, 5:00 PM

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It plays an ogg file perfectly.

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 5:00 PM

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Hmm

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I'll also ask my friend that works with this stuff, ig

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And I'll get coolvlviewer

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And play around with it

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Ig

subtle root Sep 9, 2025, 5:05 PM

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2025-09-09 17:02:01Z DEBUG: LLVoiceWebRTC::setRenderDevice: Setting audio render device to: Default
2025-09-09 17:02:03Z DEBUG: LLVoiceWebRTC::refreshDeviceLists: Clearing current list of audio devices
2025-09-09 17:02:03Z DEBUG: LLVoiceWebRTC::refreshDeviceLists: Requesting audio devices list...
2025-09-09 17:02:11Z DEBUG: LLVoiceWebRTC::setCaptureDevice: Setting audio capture device to: Default
2025-09-09 17:02:11Z DEBUG: LLVoiceWebRTC::setRenderDevice: Setting audio render device to: Default
2025-09-09 17:02:14Z DEBUG: LLVoiceWebRTC::setCaptureDevice: Setting audio capture device to: Default
2025-09-09 17:02:14Z DEBUG: LLVoiceWebRTC::setRenderDevice: Setting audio render device to: Default``` But still it can't select another engine and, anyway, my "dot" doesn't give sound waves. It doesnt' seem to receive any sound

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 5:06 PM

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Nothing with GST_DEBUG=7 ?

subtle root Sep 9, 2025, 5:06 PM

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However pavucontrol sees my microphone

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Not that I can see

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 5:06 PM

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Hmm

subtle root Sep 9, 2025, 5:07 PM

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Everything is unmuted in alsamixer, obviously, but that shouldn't matter.

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Anyway. If you try to connect with CoolVLViewer, open the Map and search for "WebRTC", they have four public regions for testing the new voice. Try there. (Or with Firestorm, for that matter.) If one works, the other should too, because that's all LL code trickled down the various viewers.

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 5:13 PM

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Which test region are you using?

subtle root Sep 9, 2025, 5:14 PM

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I'm using "Isle of Rowlyria", my home sim (LL allowed for sim owners to switch to the new system if they want.) It should be the same.

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 5:15 PM

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I'm still new to the game so I am still trying to figure stuff out, and I cannot find any test sim that seems like it's safe to just pop into

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In Firestorm Viewer atm, waiting for CVLV (imma shorten it like this if that's oki) to compile

subtle root Sep 9, 2025, 5:17 PM

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you can use a binary you know 😂

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 5:17 PM

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I didn't locate one and it's probably gonna finish before I find one lol

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As it's at 98%

subtle root Sep 9, 2025, 5:18 PM

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Lol fine. That's a fine place for testing https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/WebRTC Voice 1/116/223/22

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 5:21 PM

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Now to find the button in Firestorm Viewer

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CVLV is asking for a nonexistent library, great start

subtle root Sep 9, 2025, 5:23 PM

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aaaaw

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It firestorm starts, clvl should too

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but anyway, try in firestorm and we see

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./cool_vl_viewer --check-libs

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 5:27 PM

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Yea I can't figure out what button to click in the myriad of buttons to make it attempt WebRTC

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Okay I got CLVL working

subtle root Sep 9, 2025, 5:28 PM

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aaah

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 5:28 PM

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Now to find the button there

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I found it!

subtle root Sep 9, 2025, 5:30 PM

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yes, "v1" UI was much easier

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 5:30 PM

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It's detecting mic input

subtle root Sep 9, 2025, 5:31 PM

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choose one and actually try talking?

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 5:31 PM

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And it's not using ALSA directly it seems

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(lsof +D /dev/snd/)

subtle root Sep 9, 2025, 5:33 PM

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https://bpa.st/OG5Q

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Currently voice won't even start for me (even theoretically), but might be my .asoundrc

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 5:34 PM

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What's /proc/3206/{comm,cmdline}

subtle root Sep 9, 2025, 5:35 PM

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/proc/3206/{comm,cmdline}

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 5:35 PM

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~~I'll try to not get distracted by testing if the performance is really better~~

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 5:35 PM

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subtle root /proc/3206/{comm,cmdline}

Yea, the contents of the files

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COMMAND    PID  USER  FD   TYPE DEVICE SIZE/OFF NODE NAME
do-not-di 3206 nikos 110u   CHR 116,27      0t0  816 /dev/snd/controlC5
do-not-di 3206 nikos 123u   CHR 116,27      0t0  816 /dev/snd/controlC5

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Am curious about this

subtle root Sep 9, 2025, 5:35 PM

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do-not-directly
bin/do-not-directly-run-firestorm-binnikos@Archytas ~/bin/CoolVLViewer-1.32.4 $ ```

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I opened it to find the button lol

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 5:35 PM

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Ahh

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Lmao

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Apparently my GPU that can run Cyberpunk 2077 at medium details is struggling with CVLV at Ultra

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Beautiful 15 FPS

subtle root Sep 9, 2025, 5:40 PM

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that's Second Life for you. You'll get used to it…

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 5:40 PM

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Sorry I have a new toy to play with now (comparing the two clients), I'll probably be only half useful now

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Haha yea

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Reminds me of FFXIV

subtle root Sep 9, 2025, 5:40 PM

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Haha, do your thing 🙂

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I'm told it's because they still use OpenGL.

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 5:41 PM

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Idt they'd benefit from Vulkan

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Well, it is more stable yes, but the effort is pretty big and the performance gain at workloads like these negligible

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~~That ofc doesn't mean that if I am annoyed enough I won't rewrite their entire renderer in Vulkan but that's my personal API preference~~

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Is it
Is it supposed to disappear buildings like this

subtle root Sep 9, 2025, 5:46 PM

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Is it beyond draw distance?

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 5:46 PM

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Well, there's buildings behind it that are showing up

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There's supposed to be a building here

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But there's only its shadow

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Also my hello world LSL script broke

subtle root Sep 9, 2025, 5:47 PM

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ah well sometimes

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 5:48 PM

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Is this the average SL experience

subtle root Sep 9, 2025, 5:48 PM

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hahahaa. Sometimes 🙂

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Advanced > Rendering > Refresh visibility of objects

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 5:51 PM

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Hmm

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Also yea scripts seem to be borked

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Hm wait they do seem to use Vulkan

subtle root Sep 9, 2025, 5:55 PM

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Are you in a non-scripts area?

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 5:56 PM

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I shouldn't be, it's a sandbox sim and it was working before

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Wait, you are rtight

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No scritps allowed

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Wtf

subtle root Sep 9, 2025, 5:59 PM

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😉

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 6:00 PM

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Why did they disable scripts on a sandbox sobCry

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 6:19 PM

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Oh, btw

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static LLCachedControl<bool> debug(gSavedSettings, "DebugVoicePlugin");

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@subtle root might be helpful

subtle root Sep 9, 2025, 6:27 PM

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I have it on already 🙂

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 6:28 PM

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Ah

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Anything useful in there?

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It seems that they use a proprietary library called libllwebrtc and just wrap it

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So I am opening it in a disassembler rn

subtle root Sep 9, 2025, 6:32 PM

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lol okay.

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 6:32 PM

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They state that it's apache? But I cannot find sources anywhere

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It has debug info tho

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PulseAudio is disabled using build flag.

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g_think

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In any case, they seem to be using https://webrtc.googlesource.com/src

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Or well, some wrapper/fork around that

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I did not think I'd stumble upon Google Groups

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Ah I found the src!

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+                'rtc_use_pipewire=false',
+                'rtc_include_pulse_audio=false',
+                'rtc_include_internal_audio_device=true',

subtle root Sep 9, 2025, 6:54 PM

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I admire you!

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 6:55 PM

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Thanks, haha

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I have an idea now

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subtle root Sep 9, 2025, 6:55 PM

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Well, save for forking it, I don't see what we can do

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Aye, I see that too

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 6:56 PM

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Do you have the pipewire-alsa USE flag

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Oh?

subtle root Sep 9, 2025, 6:56 PM

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I do

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 6:56 PM

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kind maple

So this shows up for you ?

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While CVLV is running

subtle root Sep 9, 2025, 6:57 PM

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It does. It's the viewer itself that doesn't cooperate

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 6:57 PM

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Hmm

subtle root Sep 9, 2025, 6:57 PM

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I haven't tried with Firestorm (I will tomorrow). Do you have actually working voice with it?

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 6:57 PM

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subtle root However pavucontrol sees my microphone

Ah, I am blind, lmfao

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 6:58 PM

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subtle root I haven't tried with Firestorm (I will tomorrow). Do you have actually working v...

I haven't found the button on Firestorm, but CVLV seems to work
I have nobody to actually test with, but it does pick up my mic input

subtle root Sep 9, 2025, 6:59 PM

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Hmm.

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 6:59 PM

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subtle root However pavucontrol sees my microphone

Stupid question, but this is the unmuted state, right

subtle root Sep 9, 2025, 7:00 PM

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yes, counter-intuitive as it might be

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 7:00 PM

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(You have diff icons than me but based on the rest of the UI I am guessing yea)

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Hmm

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If you also wanna trace the src, they have code in the viewer which wraps llwebrtc which they provide here http://sldev.free.fr/libraries/sources/ which wraps Google's (Android) WebRTC library

subtle root Sep 9, 2025, 7:01 PM

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It's the libraries he uses to build the viewer, yes.

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 7:04 PM

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I think pipewire is shimming alsa calls

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And that's why it's working for me

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And it also ought to work for you

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I am curious if

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mpv --ao=alsa works for you

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 7:06 PM

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kind maple I think pipewire is shimming alsa calls

I just wanna say that relying on this functionality on relatively new software by explicitly disabling pipewire support in a library that has native support for it is incredibly cursed and deranged

subtle root Sep 9, 2025, 7:06 PM

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It is

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 7:06 PM

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Hmm

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More random debug env vars to try :D

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PIPEWIRE_DEBUG=5

subtle root Sep 9, 2025, 7:07 PM

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I'll test tomorrow 🙂 kinda busy now.

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 7:07 PM

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O oki

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Just ping me, I'll be heading to sleep soon

subtle root Sep 9, 2025, 7:09 PM

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Will do 😘 Thanks!

kind maple Sep 9, 2025, 7:26 PM

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Np :3

subtle root Sep 10, 2025, 9:16 PM

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https://feedback.secondlife.com/bug-reports/p/linux-no-devices-available hmm might just be broken overall… lots of people complain (on windows too): https://feedback.secondlife.com/search?search=webrtc

Linux no devices available | 🪰 Viewer Bug Reports | Second Life

From https://jira.firestormviewer.org/browse/FIRE-34355 When I enable WebRTC voice, I see that it connects to the server, but no devices are available in Prefs

Second Life

kind maple Sep 10, 2025, 10:45 PM

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subtle root https://feedback.secondlife.com/bug-reports/p/linux-no-devices-available hmm mig...

What's weird is that it works for me

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This is why I wanna try to figure out why

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What is different between our setups

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I have not messed with my libasound config at all

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And I am testing this on my current main desktop (Arch), as my Gentoo machine is not yet ready

subtle root Sep 11, 2025, 9:57 AM

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kind maple And I am testing this on my current main desktop (Arch), as my Gentoo machine is...

Oh! Well, then I guess a difference between Arch and Gentoo

#Alsa looks for things in /var/tmp/portage