Espeakup and Speech-Dispatcher-git--Fighting again?

Sun Mar 24 15:05:10 EDT 2019

I can't answer for Janina but that's a matter of preference, I assume.

speechd-up allows to use all voices managed by speech-dispatcher,
but maybe there are some limitations when using speechd-up vs
speakup?

This is a genuine question, being sighted I can't judge.

As an aside in the current Slint version both are available
and switching between them is easy <smile>

Best,

Didier

On 24/03/2019 18:49, John Covici wrote:
> This may be a dumb question, but why use espeakup at all, but run
> speakup through speech dispatcher instead  using speechd-up?
> 
> On Sun, 24 Mar 2019 08:07:57 -0400,
> Didier Spaier wrote:
>>
>> Hi Janina,
>>
>> alsa.conf is not attached, please send it, as well as the full
>> output of:
>> aplay -L
>>
>> For a complete diagnose, please also do this:
>> 1. Get the script alsa-info.sh:
>> wget --no-check-certificate -nv http://www.alsa-project.org/alsa-info.sh
>> 2. Run it:
>> sh alsa-info.sh --no-upload --output alsareport
>> 3. Send the file alsareport (maybe only to me, it will be huge).
>>
>> Anyway, my assumption from the information you already gave is that
>> the sound modules for your cards are no loaded in the same order by
>> udev at every boot, hence the changes in card numbering. This can
>> probably be solved writing relevant commands in /etc/modprobe.d/alsa.conf.
>>
>> Best,
>>
>> Didier
>>
>>
>> On 24/03/2019 10:25, Janina Sajka wrote:
>>> Good Morning, Didier:
>>>
>>> I'm attaching my /etc/modprobe.d/alsa.conf which works, except that I
>>> seem to have some kind of error in the vendor or product ID for the
>>> Steinberg UR22mkII, which is why it's commented out for now. This config
>>> actually does reliably load each of my audio devices usefully, most of
>>> the time anyway.
>>>
>>> *	Espeakup is started by a systemctl enabled on boot
>>>
>>> *	Speech-Dispatcher is started by hand with a startx after I'm
>>> *	confident hw:0 is correctly assigned. Sometimes on boot, it's
>>> *	missed entirely and the above devices are scrambled. That
>>> *	requires a reboot to get them correctly ordered.
>>>
>>> I have the Sennheiser headset set as alsa device in /etc/asound.conf for
>>> the benefit of linphonec, which has started working again, though it seg
>>> faults if I try to answer an incoming call.
>>>
>>> The HDSP device has had driver issues off and on in the past few years.
>>> It's a 20-year old high end audio device. I have the first generation
>>> RME Multiface card. The Steinberg UR22mkII is arguably its peer, though
>>> it doesn't provide the same array of inputs and outputs, most regretably
>>> no s/pdif.
>>>
>>> In any case, just to review, the problem of the moment is that doing the
>>> startx to get the graphical desktop up with Orca sometimes kills all of
>>> espeakup, and a restart puts espeakup on hw:2--making hw:2 unavailable
>>> for linphonec which I use for teleconferences.
>>>
>>> So, sometimes the system can boot without discovering its builtin,
>>> onboard Intel HDA hardware. That's annoying because I seem unable to fix
>>> it without a reboot.
>>>
>>> And most recently, about half the time, startx is killing espeakup and a
>>> restart of espeakup goes to the wrong card.
>>>
>>> Sounds to me like espeakup needs to expose more capabilities--like Slink
>>> does! <grin>
>>>
>>> Didier, I want to thank you for providing the pulse to alsa translation,
>>> i.e. pulse's sink equals alsa's pcm. It's a little tricky to intuit such
>>> things sometimes.
>>>
>>> Best,
>>>
>>> Janina
>>>
>>> Didier Spaier writes:
>>>> Hi again, Janina,
>>>>
>>>> Yes it's Sunday now form <smile>
>>>>
>>>> Maybe if you provide the output of aplay -L
>>>> and what sink (in PulesAudio parlance) or PCM device
>>>> (in Alsa parlance) you want to dedicate to a specific
>>>> usage we could try to help you get there.
>>>>
>>>> Time to sleep now for me, see you tomorrow (Paris time).
>>>>
>>>> Best,
>>>>
>>>> Didier
>>>>
>>>> On 23/03/2019 23:49, Janina Sajka wrote:
>>>>> Hi Again, Didier:
>>>>>
>>>>> Speaking of late Saturday, I suspect it's Sunday for you by now! <grin>
>>>>>
>>>>> I think you're correct that I've been misunderstanding libao. In any
>>>>> case having the plughw:1 in the alsa stanza wasn't harming anything.
>>>>>
>>>>> I'm currently booted with speech-dispatcher using also, so that
>>>>> directive may actually be working. It's also possible, of course, that
>>>>> it's just the next available card, because espeakup is definitely using
>>>>> plughw:0, so :0 is locked up tight for espeak's use. That makes :1 the
>>>>> next available card.
>>>>>
>>>>> In my /etc/asound.conf I have the default set for hw:2, because linphone
>>>>> is no longer allowing me to specify the particular alsa device that is
>>>>> my headset.
>>>>>
>>>>> Best,
>>>>>
>>>>> Janina
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Didier Spaier writes:
>>>>>> Hi Janina
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Setting these two directives like this in speechd.conf won't ever work,
>>>>>> I think:
>>>>>> AudioOutputMethod "libao"
>>>>>> AudioALSADevice "plughw:1"
>>>>>>
>>>>>> In the first one you tell to use the libao audio output, but
>>>>>> the second one is only used if you use the alsa audio output instead
>>>>>> if I understand well.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> If initially the card # 1 used with speech-dispatcher thte is because
>>>>>> of some other setting, I think. I don't know which one, you will
>>>>>> need to a look ayour Arch configuration and sercice files to
>>>>>> find oouT.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> So if you use the libao output (libao using in turn its alsa backend,
>>>>>> I assume), you will have to find another way to set the card to use
>>>>>> for speech managed by speech-dispatcher, than to do this setting in
>>>>>> speechd.conf.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> One of the possibility would be a setting in /etc/asound.conf or
>>>>>> in ~/.asoundrc
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Oh, and you can't take the config file I sent you as is and hope
>>>>>> it will work in Arch, as the settings in it have to be read by
>>>>>> some script managing espeakup. This is the case in Slint but
>>>>>> not in Arch. So if you want to use these settings in Arch you
>>>>>> will have to find out by why script they should be used,
>>>>>> and maybe modify it to read them.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I can't resist to suggest that you try Slint instead <smile>.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Best,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Didier
>>>>>>
>>>>>> PS I received the answer from Cris while typing. But I don't
>>>>>> think our answers contradict each other, fortunately. 	
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On 23/03/2019 20:20, Janina Sajka wrote:
>>>>>>> Hi, Didier:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Once again you're providing some very helpful guidance. Thank you so
>>>>>>> very much for that.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Yes, I'm using arch, but I'm the other way around from what you're
>>>>>>> saying. I'm using speech-dispatcher-git, but only the espeakup release
>>>>>>> at the moment. The reason is that the current speech-dispatcher relase
>>>>>>> isn't correctly accepting an alsa card designation, i.e. it won't honor
>>>>>>> these two directives in speechd.conf:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I am now going to put your espeakup script in place on my machine and
>>>>>>> try a reboot. I will report.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Thank you for this script. I wasn't aware all these directives could be
>>>>>>> included. This should solve my problem, I hope! <grin>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Janina
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Didier Spaier writes:
>>>>>>>> Hi Janina,
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> IIRC you are running Arch. Right?
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> If yes, looking at the PKGBUILD I see that it grabs a snapshot from
>>>>>>>> git at the commit d25ed10d dated 22 nov. 2018:
>>>>>>>> https://github.com/brailcom/speechd/commit/d25ed10d5ede8c0f747211928fbd5f742d753556
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> So I am puzzled that you just get it, knowing the PKGBUILD was last updated
>>>>>>>> on 24. Nov. 2018...
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> So, I can't see a reason for speech-dispatcher be in concern for an issue
>>>>>>>> occurring this week.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> And espeakup-git (if that's what you use) was last updated on
>>>>>>>> 2019-01-03 18:14.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> So I am puzzled. I don't know what happened recently, but this issue should be
>>>>>>>> reported to your distribution rather than to upstream IMHO.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Also, a tip: you can set ALSA_CARD before starting espeakup, it will
>>>>>>>> honor this setting. This how we now do in Slint, cf. attached file
>>>>>>>> /etc/espeakup.conf.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> To know which files are involved in Arch, have a look at the bottom
>>>>>>>> of https://aur.archlinux.org/cgit/aur.git/tree/PKGBUILD?h=espeakup-git
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Sorry I can't provide further guidance, not running Arch.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Best,
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Didier
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> On 22/03/2019 15:43, Janina Sajka wrote:
>>>>>>>>> I tend to update globally about once a week, usually on Fridays. With
>>>>>>>>> today's update of Speech-Dispatcher-git Espeakup is broken.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> 1.)	I boot to a console login. Works as expected. Speakup speaks
>>>>>>>>> with Espeak on hw:0. Yes, I'm using alsa, not pulse.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> 2.)	I launch the graphical desktop with startx and Orca comes up
>>>>>>>>> over Speech-Dispatcher using libao on hw:1 as specified in speechd.conf.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> 3.)	Switching back to any console, speech is gone. Doing a systemctl
>>>>>>>>> restart espeakup puts speech on hw:2.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> This is bonkers.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> PS: Isn't it time we could control what device the soft synth driver
>>>>>>>>> speaks to with a configuration option? Perhaps an additional parameter
>>>>>>>>> in /etc/conf.d/espeakup?
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Or is it supposed to be in /etc/speakup/espeakup?
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Both those configs say basically the same thing, but they're not
>>>>>>>>> symlinked. Why?
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>
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> 