[RESPONDED] Linux Mint 21.2: sound input issue

Framework Laptop 13 Linux
1
  • Linux Mint 21.2 x86_64
  • 11th Gen Framework

Hi,

I updated Linux Mint Cinnamon from 21.1 to 21.2 about a month ago. The audio input issues I was having in my initial install of 21.1 came back. Previously, these issues were fixed by applying the fix mentioned at https://github.com/FrameworkComputer/linux-docs/blob/main/LinuxMint21-1-Manual-Setup-11thGen.md . However, this does not correct the issue anymore.

The issue I am having is that the input for the built-in microphone does not work. When using an external microphone (such as from a headset), input works (though requiring a little bit of fine tuning as per this thread). When I plug and unplug the external microphone, the system is clearly detecting it as I can see that it will change between “Internal Microphone Built-in Audio” and “Microphone Built-in Audio” (as appropriate) in Sound Settings. However, when working with the internal microphone nothing happens (and it is not a gain issue).

I would rule out the hardware since I have not touched it and since it seems to have been triggered by the OS version upgrade.

2

While you may rule out hardware issues, it couldn’t hurt to try it out on a live-install of Ubuntu or Fedora, just for testing purposes.

1 Like
3

Exactly right. Since Linux Mint is not officially supported, they’d ask you to try out a supported live USB. Ubuntu should be closest. That would rule out hardware.

4

This sounds like it is a change with the kernel. Can you provide @Loell_Framework who will be helping with this the output of uname -r

As others have pointed out, since this is a community support release, it would be helpful to also test out a Live USB of something like Fedora. No need to install it. I’d like to see how the input behaves on a newer kernel and this is the easiest way to test it.

If it works, then we know the newer kernel resolves it once it’s available on other distros.

If it still fails, then it means there is either a kernel regression or something else.

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5

I don’t know if it was software or hardware when I asked but it’s definitely hardware now. Honestly, maybe I just never tested the microphone because whenever I’ve done teleconferencing with this machine I’ve used headphones that come with their own microphone. So I don’t actually know if it ever worked.

I figured that if it was a software issue I’d finally spend the time to sort it out when updating to Mint 22 (which I did yesterday) since they change the sound radically in this release. As it turns out, I also made a bootable USB drive a few weeks ago of Windows 11.

In any case, headset microphone works, built in microphone doesn’t.

|OS | Internal mic | Headset mic|

|— | — | —|

|Mint 22 Cinnamon (upgraded in place) | Fail | Works|
|Mint 22 Cinnamon ISO (from USB) | Fail | Works|
|ubuntu 24.04 Dekktop (from USB) | Fail | Works|
|Windows 11 (external drive) | Fail | Works|

Given the above, maybe I should never have put “Linux Mint” as the subject (but that’s the only OS I’ve been running & I was assuming it was a software issue).

6

Somehow I thought that that markdown would render as a table. Oh, well!

7

You do have the internal microphone switched on on the bezel … ?

8

Yup. No red. I even tried it without the bezel under the assumption that that would eave it in the on position (which is the case for the camera).