Pulse Audio

Trevor Astrope astrope at tabbweb.com
Sun Mar 9 13:11:24 EDT 2014 

Make sure your user is in the pulse-access group. I also have Debian-gdm, 
speech-dispatcher and root in pulse-access. I added these users to the 
audio group too, for good measure.

For orca, I don't get speech until I login. It selects my user by default 
and places focus on the password field, so I just need to enter my 
password and then it will start speaking.

On Sun, 9 Mar 2014, Robert Spangler wrote:

> I am running Jesse/Sid.  I tried all of these things with no luck.  I even 
> tried Janina's suggestion of disabling Pulseaudio (using her steps) and that 
> just resulted in Orca not speaking.
>
> I thought I would try a little experimenting of my own, so I recompiled 
> espeak to use Pulseaudio.  I then configured Pulseaudio to run as a system 
> service.  When I attempted to restart espeakup, it said it couldn't connect 
> to PulseAudio: access denied.
>
> On another note: I noticed, when booting, that speech starts before the 
> Pulseaudio daemon.  Could this be causing a problem?
>
> I'll keep hammering away at this.  I agree with another poster that someone 
> should fix this bug.
>
> Thanks,
> Rob
>
> On 3/7/2014 10:48 AM, Trevor Astrope wrote:
>> On Fri, 7 Mar 2014, John G. Heim wrote:
>> 
>>> I think the  classic fix for this probme is to recompile espeak to use
>>> pulseaudio.  Here is a link to a bug report explaining (sort of) what
>>> to do.
>>> https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=481651
>>> 
>>> I think we had a discussion of this point back in November of 2013 but
>>> i can't find the thread on google. I am still running debian squeeze
>>> on my every day work machine and all my other machines now use sonar
>>> linux. So I haven't tried to get speakup and orca to play nice for
>>> several months. But I know I got speakup and orca to work in wheezy by
>>> following the advice on that bug report. The real problem was that the
>>> version of orca in debian wheezy
>>> didn't work.
>> 
>> Below is the post from you and Mike Ray on how to configure and build
>> espeak to use pulseaudio. I run pulseaudio as a daemon to get espeakup
>> to start speaking as soon as it is loaded so I get speech at the login
>> prompt.
>> 
>> In Debian Jessie/Sid, you will need to edit /etc/default/pulseaudio to
>> have this line:
>> 
>> PULSEAUDIO_SYSTEM_START=1
>> 
>> And in /etc/pulse/client.conf:
>> 
>> autospawn = no
>> 
>> It's been a while since I configured speech for orca, but I think I had
>> to modify /etc/speech-dispatcher/speechd.conf to use a unix socket:
>> 
>> SocketPath "/var/run/speech-dispatcher/speech-dispatcher.sock"
>> 
>> And in my .bash_profile, I added:
>> 
>> export
>> SPEECHD_ADDRESS="unix_socket:/var/run/speech-dispatcher/speech-dispatcher.sock"
>> 
>> 
>> I use hardware speech with speakup on the machine running orca and I
>> don't run orca on the machine using espeakup, so I can't say that it
>> will work for both orca and speakup with espeakup. Please follow up if I
>> missed something.
>> 
>> ----- Forwarded Message -----
>> Date: Fri, 1 Nov 2013 22:17:03
>> From: John G. Heim <jheim at math.wisc.edu>
>> Reply-To: Speakup is a screen review system for Linux.
>> <speakup at linux-speakup.org>
>> To: mike at raspberryvi.org, Speakup is a screen review system for Linux.
>> <speakup at linux-speakup.org>, Brandon McGinty-Carroll
>> <bmmcginty at bmcginty.hopto.org>
>> Subject: Re: speakup & orca in debian 7
>> 
>> I got it working on my debian 7 (wheezy) system. Here is what I did:
>> 
>> apt-get remove espeakup espeak
>> apt-get install libpulse-dev libsonic-dev
>> apt-get source espeak
>> cd espeak-1.6.42/src/
>> [edit Makefile as describe below]
>> make
>> make install
>> 
>> cd ../../
>> apt-get install espeakup
>> cd espeakup-0.71/
>> make
>> make install
>> 
>> modprobe speakup-soft
>> espeakup
>> Viola!
>> 
>> Notes:
>> 1. I couldn't figure out how to get the debian espeakup package to work
>> with my custom compiled version of speakup. You can't install espeakup
>> w/o the espeak package.
>> 2. The apt-get source command downloads the source for the debian
>> package into the current working directory.
>> 
>> On 11/01/2013 07:28 PM, Mike Ray wrote:
>>> 
>>> I should also say the command to compile is:
>>> 
>>> make all
>>> 
>>> not just make
>>> 
>>> Mike
>>> 
>>> On 02/11/2013 00:22, Mike Ray wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> Here is what I did:
>>>> 
>>>> Edit the Makefile and find the section which reads like this:
>>>> 
>>>> # 'runtime' uses pulseaudio if it is running, else uses portaudio
>>>> #AUDIO = runtime
>>>> AUDIO = portaudio
>>>> #AUDIO = portaudio0
>>>> #AUDIO = portaudio2
>>>> #AUDIO = pulseaudio
>>>> #AUDIO = sada
>>>> 
>>>> And simply change it to read thusly:
>>>> 
>>>> # 'runtime' uses pulseaudio if it is running, else uses portaudio
>>>> #AUDIO = runtime
>>>> #AUDIO = portaudio
>>>> #AUDIO = portaudio0
>>>> #AUDIO = portaudio2
>>>> AUDIO = pulseaudio
>>>> #AUDIO = sada
>>>> 
>>>> As you can see I just commented out portaudio and uncommented
>>>> pulseaudio.
>>>> 
>>>> I'm pretty sure that's all I did.  If you get errors about libraries
>>>> just install what you have missing.
>>>> 
>>>> I am currently having trouble configuring pulseaudio to autospawn
>>>> properly on the Raspberry Pi.
>>>> 
>>>> But I hope if I can get it to work switching from portaudio to
>>>> pulseaudio will solve all the latency issues and crashes we currently
>>>> have with Arch on the Pi.
>>>> 
>>>> We have SpeakUp and Emacspeak running with eSpeak on Arch on the Pi
>>>> but have had to blacklist firmware and newer versions of sound
>>>> drivers because of a change to the driver which introduced some
>>>> latency problems.
>>>> 
>>>> The other way to make SpeakUp use pulse would be to ditch espeakup
>>>> and use speechd-up to connect it to speech-dispatcher but I haven't
>>>> had much success with speechd-up on Arch either on x86 or on the Pi.
>>>> 
>>>> Mike
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> On 02/11/2013 00:01, Brandon McGinty-Carroll wrote:
>>>>> Mike,
>>>>> If you have the configure commands/steps handy, I'd love them, as
>>>>> would others, I'm sure.
>>>>> If not, I'll go looking and post back what I find.
>>>>> 
>>>>> Brandon McGinty-Carroll
>>>>> 
>>>>> On Fri, Nov 01, 2013 at 10:22:05PM +0000, Mike Ray wrote:
>>>>>> Hello,
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Espeakup doesn't use either portaudio or pulseaudio.  It just calls
>>>>>> espeak, which in it's default configuration uses portaudio.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> It is possible to re-compile espeak to use pulseaudio.  I have just
>>>>>> done exactly that in efforts to get tts to work properly on Arch
>>>>>> Linux on a Raspberry Pi.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> espeak using portaudio suffers appalling latency on the Pi and
>>>>>> sometimes crashes the kernel, but using pulseaudio the latency
>>>>>> issues are gone.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Mike
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> On 01/11/2013 20:37, Gregory Nowak wrote:
>>>>>>> If there is a way to use dmix to augment/replace pulse, I'd love to
>>>>>>> know about it. The problem here is that espeakup uses alsa directly
>>>>>>> instead of going through pulse. The only two ways I can think of to
>>>>>>> fix this would be either to be able to run espeakup as a normal user,
>>>>>>> which should force it to use pulse by virtue of opening alsa as a
>>>>>>> regular user from what I understand, or to add pulse support to
>>>>>>> espeakup. Actually, espeak uses portaudio if I remember right, so
>>>>>>> maybe it's
>>>>>>> as simple as portaudio supporting pulse.
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Greg
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> On Sat, Nov 02, 2013 at 04:52:48AM +0900, Devon Stewart wrote:
>>>>>>>> Isn't there a way to use alsa's dmix plugin to either replace, or
>>>>>>>> at least augment, pulse? Also, this is assuming that Alsa is
>>>>>>>> being used from the CLI.
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> -Devon
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> On 2013/11/02, at 4:41, "John G. Heim" <jheim at math.wisc.edu> wrote:
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>> If I kill pulseaudio, do I still get speech with orca?
>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>> On 11/01/13 14:23, Trevor Astrope wrote:
>>>>>>>>>> Are you using software speech with both speakup and orca? I've
>>>>>>>>>> had this
>>>>>>>>>> problem with sound not working on the command line after
>>>>>>>>>> running orca.
>>>>>>>>>> In my case, gnome/orca started a pulseaudio process running as
>>>>>>>>>> my user,
>>>>>>>>>> even though I have pulseaudio and speechd-up configured to run
>>>>>>>>>> as a
>>>>>>>>>> system daemon.
>>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>> Killing the pulseaudio process running as my user gets sound
>>>>>>>>>> back. You
>>>>>>>>>> may need to restart speechd-up service as well, as I sometimes
>>>>>>>>>> have a
>>>>>>>>>> problem with this too, but I usually use hardware speech, so I
>>>>>>>>>> don't
>>>>>>>>>> remember the scenario where that is necessary to do as well.
>>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>> On Fri, 1 Nov 2013, John G. Heim wrote:
>>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>>> Sorry if this is an FAQ but is there a solution to that
>>>>>>>>>>> problem with
>>>>>>>>>>> running both speakup & orca in debian 7? Every time I've
>>>>>>>>>>> installed
>>>>>>>>>>> debian 7 (aka wheezy), I can use speakup fine unless I log in
>>>>>>>>>>> at the
>>>>>>>>>>> GUI and run orca.  At that point, speakup stops talking and
>>>>>>>>>>> nothing
>>>>>>>>>>> I've found short of rebooting gets it working agin. I
>>>>>>>>>>> understand this
>>>>>>>>>>> has something to do with pulse audio run in the GUI.
>>>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>>> --
>>>>>>>>>>> ---
>>>>>>>>>>> John G. Heim, 608-263-4189, jheim at math.wisc.edu
>>>>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>>>>>> Speakup mailing list
>>>>>>>>>>> Speakup at linux-speakup.org
>>>>>>>>>>> http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup
>>>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>>>>> Speakup mailing list
>>>>>>>>>> Speakup at linux-speakup.org
>>>>>>>>>> http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup
>>>>>>>>> --
>>>>>>>>> ---
>>>>>>>>> John G. Heim, 608-263-4189, jheim at math.wisc.edu
>>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>>>> Speakup mailing list
>>>>>>>>> Speakup at linux-speakup.org
>>>>>>>>> http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup
>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>>> Speakup mailing list
>>>>>>>> Speakup at linux-speakup.org
>>>>>>>> http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> --
>>>>>> Michael A. Ray
>>>>>> Analyst/Programmer
>>>>>> Witley, Surrey, South-east UK
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> I KEEP six honest serving-men, They taught me all I know. Their
>>>>>> names are What and Why and When and How and Where and Who.
>>>>>> -- Rudyard Kipling (paraphrased)
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Interested in accessibility on the Raspberry Pi?
>>>>>> Visit: http://www.raspberryvi.org/
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  From where you can join our mailing list for visually-impaired Pi
>>>>>> hackers
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>> Speakup mailing list
>>>>>> Speakup at linux-speakup.org
>>>>>> http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
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>> 
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