Reproducible here on a jack sink

(In reply to flocculant from comment #0)
> Using Xubuntu 16.04.
> 
> pavucontrol              - 3.0-3build1
> pulseaudio               - 1:7.1-1ubuntu1
> pulseaudio-module-x11    - 1:7.1-1ubuntu1
> pulseaudio-utils         - 1:7.1-1ubuntu1 
> 
> Start up pavucontrol and the sound mutes momentarily - perhaps 1s or so
> 
> reported it externally - affects me with C-Media CMI8788 [Oxygen HD Audio]
> driver: snd_virtuoso
> 
> seen by someone else with Intel 5 Series/3400 Series High Definition Audio
> driver: snd_hda_intel
> 
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/pavucontrol/+bug/1504175


Oct 08 15:30:39 hostname pulseaudio[1719]: [pulseaudio] alsa-mixer.c: Volume element Master has 8 channels. That's too much! I can't handle that!

Do you mean this patch does not work? 

http://cgit.freedesktop.org/pulseaudio/pulseaudio/commit/src/modules/alsa?id=fcbbe34e001b9bee3e73a663e9bf9ddc11c0a1d5

I wouldn't know if the patch has been applied. Nor would I know how to apply it locally.

Couldn't reproduce with a quick test here - can we get a PulseAudio verbose log here please? ( https://wiki.ubuntu.com/PulseAudio/Log )

I e, one with --log-time=1, and please note at what time values the audio turns off and turns back on again?

Thanks!

Created attachment 120182 [details]
pulse verbose log

Hard to know exactly when it was. But I tried to stop the logging almost immediately after I had started pavucontrol and got the mute going on. Hope that helps.

Created attachment 120195 [details]
machine specs

mmm 

so - just putting down here what I'm seeing with sound, perhaps the wrong place but might be useful

I've seen this bug during the last 'ubuntu dev cycle even if I do so with Xubuntu' 

following recent updates I have got, I'm now seeing a momentary mute of sound when vbox starts, vbox does more than just sit there waiting for my input

not seeing any particular spikes in cpu activity

memory was recently checked out

attached machine specs

(In reply to flocculant from comment #5)
> Created attachment 120182 [details]
> pulse verbose log
> 
> Hard to know exactly when it was. But I tried to stop the logging almost
> immediately after I had started pavucontrol and got the mute going on. Hope
> that helps.

Thanks. It seems the big hickup (about 2 seconds) is below. Because pavucontrol starts recording from all sources, that includes the usb webcam mic. Just to check if this is the actual cause, could you try disconnecting the webcam and see if the problem goes away?

(  22.253|   0.000) I: [pulseaudio] source-output.c: Trying to change sample rate
(  22.253|   0.000) D: [pulseaudio] module-suspend-on-idle.c: Source alsa_input.usb-046d_0825_121F40B0-02.analog-mono becomes busy, resuming.
(  22.253|   0.000) D: [pulseaudio] source.c: Suspend cause of source alsa_input.usb-046d_0825_121F40B0-02.analog-mono is 0x0000, resuming
(  22.254|   0.000) D: [pulseaudio] reserve-wrap.c: Successfully acquired reservation lock on device 'Audio2'
(  22.254|   0.000) I: [alsa-source-USB Audio] alsa-source.c: Trying resume...
(  22.345|   0.091) D: [alsa-sink-Multichannel] protocol-native.c: Implicit underrun of ''Es Vedra' by 'The Orb Featuring David Gilmour''
(  22.815|   0.470) I: [alsa-source-USB Audio] alsa-util.c: Disabling tsched mode since BATCH flag is set
(  22.816|   0.000) D: [alsa-source-USB Audio] alsa-util.c: Maximum hw buffer size is 10922 ms
(  24.127|   1.311) D: [alsa-source-USB Audio] alsa-util.c: Set buffer size first (to 4797 samples), period size second (to 1199 samples).
(  24.131|   0.003) D: [alsa-source-USB Audio] alsa-source.c: hwbuf_unused=0
(  24.131|   0.000) D: [alsa-source-USB Audio] alsa-source.c: setting avail_min=1
(  24.131|   0.000) I: [alsa-source-USB Audio] alsa-source.c: Resumed successfully...
(  24.131|   0.000) I: [alsa-source-USB Audio] alsa-source.c: Starting capture.

For me, disconnecting the webcam helps

Confirm that unplugging webcam stops the mute issue.

Comment - fyi the person seeing the bug in the LP bug didn't have a webcam when bug was seen

<jjfrv8> [00:56:56] flocculant, I no longer have the machine that exhibited the problem for me. However, it showed the problem even without a webcam.

Maybe he has some other USB audio device?

seems they are no longer affected

The easy way out is just to blame the hardware. The harder way is to make sure we don't block other things while waiting for the hardware. Which should be possible - the tricky thing is to avoid creating races at the same time...

For sure. I'm just trying to bring as much info to the bug as I can. Because that's all I *can* do for those who can do things like fix it :)

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