Linux.com Article DB: Setting Up the SBLive 128 With Linux

A while ago, I bought myself an SBLive! Value 1024 with Cambridge Soundworks Four Point Surround. I think this is one of the better price/quality setups around. Because I have a multiboot system I installed the drivers and software in Windows. No problems at all, I changed my settings, my EQ, as to adjust to my needs. Off course I wanted to get the card working in Linux also. So I went searching for drivers. I found drivers at the Creative Open Source Web site here . I downloaded the drivers, removed my SBLive! from my main box, and installed a Slakware kernel 2.2.6 on an old Pentium that was laying around. Then I decompressed the tar ball I just down-loaded (101910 KB). Before I'm going tell how I installed it, I list some features these *free* drivers have : - Open Sound System (OSS) compatible - Full Duplex wave playback/recording functionality (/dev/dsp) - Simultaneous wave playback streams - Analog mixer (AC97) support (/dev/mixer) - Sound Status Reporting (/dev/sndstat) - MIDI UART 1 (/dev/midi) - Joystick Interface Support (>= 2.2.x kernels only!) - Supports Multiple EMU10K1-based cards.

Lets install those drivers and get the card working so we can test this out.
The installation itself is VERY simple. Remember that your kernel must be compiled with "loadable module support" enabled and with sound card support as module and without any integrated sound card drivers. Just move to the directory the source files are in and type "make". It should compile whitout any problems. Then copy the driver (emu10k1.o) to your kernel sound modules installation location (usually /lib/modules/x.x.x/misc). UNLOAD ALL existing sound modules, then remove all old sound card references from /etc/conf.modules. Then just add "alias sound emu10k1" to /etc/conf.modules and load the driver with modprobe emu10k1. If all goes like planned you'll see a similar message to the following come up in your logs (type dmesg to access them): ns2 kernel: 0 SBLive! at 0xe800 on irq 10.
Now we should have a working SBLive! on our Linux box. I booted up my KDE and tested some of the features. Played with the mixer, midi, wave, mp3, and believe it or not... It's alive :). The /dev/sndstat feature does work also. Just 'cat /dev/sndstat' and you get a list of devices and settings from your SBLive!. Then finally the big test, now that we have a working SBLive! so we want to play some games in Linux. So I took my Quake III Arena For Linux cdrom, installed it, started it up, and after changing some settings, I'm now playing QIII in Linux, with full 3D surround support. So, get those drivers and install them. It's definitely worth a try ! If you'll excuse me now... I'm turning all the lights off, adjusting volume a little higher and entering the arena...

Originally Published: Sunday, 9 April 2000	Author: Christof Vandewalle
Published to: enhance_articles_multimedia/Audio Articles	Page: 1/1 - [Printable]
Setting Up the SBLive 128 With Linux Everybody's heard of this awesome sound card! And now there are Linux drivers for it to. With this article I'll explain how to get the SBLive! working on your Linux distribution.

	Page 1 of 1
A while ago, I bought myself an SBLive! Value 1024 with Cambridge Soundworks Four Point Surround. I think this is one of the better price/quality setups around. Because I have a multiboot system I installed the drivers and software in Windows. No problems at all, I changed my settings, my EQ, as to adjust to my needs. Off course I wanted to get the card working in Linux also. So I went searching for drivers. I found drivers at the Creative Open Source Web site here . I downloaded the drivers, removed my SBLive! from my main box, and installed a Slakware kernel 2.2.6 on an old Pentium that was laying around. Then I decompressed the tar ball I just down-loaded (101910 KB). Before I'm going tell how I installed it, I list some features these free drivers have : - Open Sound System (OSS) compatible - Full Duplex wave playback/recording functionality (/dev/dsp) - Simultaneous wave playback streams - Analog mixer (AC97) support (/dev/mixer) - Sound Status Reporting (/dev/sndstat) - MIDI UART 1 (/dev/midi) - Joystick Interface Support (>= 2.2.x kernels only!) - Supports Multiple EMU10K1-based cards. Lets install those drivers and get the card working so we can test this out. The installation itself is VERY simple. Remember that your kernel must be compiled with "loadable module support" enabled and with sound card support as module and without any integrated sound card drivers. Just move to the directory the source files are in and type "make". It should compile whitout any problems. Then copy the driver (emu10k1.o) to your kernel sound modules installation location (usually /lib/modules/x.x.x/misc). UNLOAD ALL existing sound modules, then remove all old sound card references from /etc/conf.modules. Then just add "alias sound emu10k1" to /etc/conf.modules and load the driver with modprobe emu10k1. If all goes like planned you'll see a similar message to the following come up in your logs (type dmesg to access them): ns2 kernel: 0 SBLive! at 0xe800 on irq 10. Now we should have a working SBLive! on our Linux box. I booted up my KDE and tested some of the features. Played with the mixer, midi, wave, mp3, and believe it or not... It's alive :). The /dev/sndstat feature does work also. Just 'cat /dev/sndstat' and you get a list of devices and settings from your SBLive!. Then finally the big test, now that we have a working SBLive! so we want to play some games in Linux. So I took my Quake III Arena For Linux cdrom, installed it, started it up, and after changing some settings, I'm now playing QIII in Linux, with full 3D surround support. So, get those drivers and install them. It's definitely worth a try ! If you'll excuse me now... I'm turning all the lights off, adjusting volume a little higher and entering the arena...
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