Creative CA0132 codec discussion (Sound Core3D)

[wern]

Layout 4 gives me Digital Out (greyed out when selected)

There is no volume control for digital outputs such as DP/HDMI and S/PDIF

Ok, it looks good now. AFAIK the Z and ZxR cards use a different stream for line-out. Copy hda-verb to /usr/local/bin or simply enter the path, run the provided script and show me the output.

Did you tried AppleALC from post #187?
Is something connected to the rear headphone jack?

If it does not work, uncheck the HDAS to HDEF patch and copy VoodooHDA to clover/kexts/Other where you should have audio and run the script again.

 

[TravelerTechie]

There is no volume control for digital outputs such as DP/HDMI and S/PDIF

Oh ok.

Ok, it looks good now. AFAIK the Z and ZxR cards use a different stream for line-out. Copy hda-verb to /usr/local/bin or simply enter the path, run the provided script and show me the output.

Yeah, looks like ZxRi is a different animal compared to other CA0132 type of audio hardware I've researched, as I haven't seen a lot of folks making them work (if any). I've entered the path, ran the hda-verb script and this is what it outputs (have I done it wrong?):

/usr/local/bin/hda-verb ; exit;
hda-verb for CodecCommander (based on alsa-tools hda-verb)
usage: hda-verb [option] nid verb param
-l List known verbs and parameters
-L List known verbs and parameters (one per line)
logout
Saving session...
...copying shared history...
...saving history...truncating history files...
...completed.

[Process completed]

Did you tried AppleALC from post #187?

Yes I have, with vanilla AppleHDA. Before trying that I've also tried the files in the first post. And then I've also tried the patched AppleHDA (reverted back to vanilla AppleHDA.kext again now). None of them gives me any sound.
The only way to give me sound at all, was from VoodooHDA.kext, and only when including the AppleHDA Disabler, otherwise it doesn't work. (I've also removed the VoodooHDA.kext and the AppleHDADisabler for the purpose of this experiment).

Is something connected to the rear headphone jack?

No. I have speakers connected on the Out jack on the back of the motherboard (that would be the top series of audio jacks (I have 6 ports behind, and 2 ports in front), and the middle audio jack). I might have had headphones connected on the front audio jack of the PC which I was testing (to no avail) while I was saving the .ioreg file I gave you.

If it does not work, uncheck the HDAS to HDEF patch and copy VoodooHDA to clover/kexts/Other where you should have audio and run the script again

Do I need a restart after running this script? Is the above output a sign that it didn't work? I don't use the HDAS to HDEF patch (or any other patch for that matter), as I think it was already seeing it as an HDEF (I could be mistaken though). Let me know after you see the above output, if you want me to try with the HDEF patch, or if I should go ahead with the VoodooHDA.kext.

Thanks for your perseverance and willingness to help me (and others with the same hardware). It's much appreciated.

EDITS / UPDATES: I seem to have the front and rear mic ports taking input now (tested in Input tab in Sound Preferences) which is a big progress. Will start swapping the speaker cable to the other audio jacks and report back.
2ND UPDATE: So I swapped the speakers cable to every single audio port. Front and rear not working, except, for the first one on the right on the bottom (I think it says C/SUB), and the volume is extremely low, despite that my speakers have their own volume control and are usually really loud. I mean, you can barely hear anything, but again, I call that progress.

 

[wern]

I've entered the path, ran the hda-verb script and this is what it outputs (have I done it wrong?):

/usr/local/bin/hda-verb ; exit;
hda-verb for CodecCommander (based on alsa-tools hda-verb)
usage: hda-verb [option] nid verb param
-l List known verbs and parameters
-L List known verbs and parameters (one per line)
logout
Saving session...
...copying shared history...
...saving history...truncating history files...
...completed.

[Process completed]

If you have already copied hda-verb to /usr/local/bin, just drag and drop the script into the terminal window and press enter.

Yes I have, with vanilla AppleHDA. Before trying that I've also tried the files in the first post. And then I've also tried the patched AppleHDA (reverted back to vanilla AppleHDA.kext again now). None of them gives me any sound.
The only way to give me sound at all, was from VoodooHDA.kext, and only when including the AppleHDA Disabler, otherwise it doesn't work. (I've also removed the VoodooHDA.kext and the AppleHDADisabler for the purpose of this experiment).

Leave the AppleHDA.kext untouched! Use only AppleALC or VoodooHDA.

Do I need a restart after running this script? Is the above output a sign that it didn't work? I don't use the HDAS to HDEF patch (or any other patch for that matter), as I think it was already seeing it as an HDEF (I could be mistaken though). Let me know after you see the above output, if you want me to try with the HDEF patch, or if I should go ahead with the VoodooHDA.kext.

No restart required. Normally, the ACPI name of SkyLake and later mainboards is HDAS, you probably use a DSDT or SSDT, but that does not matter. The purpose was to make the switch from AppleALC to VoodooHDA easier.
For better understanding, if the audio ACPI name is not HDEF, AppleHDA.kext will not load. AppleHDADisabler also prevents loading AppleHDA.

EDITS / UPDATES: I seem to have the front and rear mic ports taking input now (tested in Input tab in Sound Preferences) which is a big progress. Will start swapping the speaker cable to the other audio jacks and report back.
2ND UPDATE: So I swapped the speakers cable to every single audio port. Front and rear not working, except, for the first one on the right on the bottom (I think it says C/SUB), and the volume is extremely low, despite that my speakers have their own volume control and are usually really loud. I mean, you can barely hear anything, but again, I call that progress.

With AppleALC?
As always in a hurry, and maybe not very clear, but just ask again.

 

[TravelerTechie]

So I may have some progress. With vanilla AppleHDA.kext and AppleALC.kext, and the HDEF patch but with layout-id 1. I have audio with that ID (as Internal Speakers) and microphone takes input as well from both rear and front jacks (as Internal Microphone).

Plugging headphones on the front jack, changes automatically from Internal Speakers to Headphones, but no sound coming from the headphones. It still plays from the rear Line Out speakers instead. CA0132 Audio Switcher breaks my audio completely, so I have to restart the computer and be without it. The "set streams for ZxR" doesn't help either. Disconnecting the Line Out speakers and leaving only the front headphones doesn't help either.

So if layout-id 4 is not working at all, and layout-id 1 does, is there anything else I can try to make the rest of the ports work?

Running the script shows this (I hope I got it right this time):
Select stream 5
Selected stream
parameter ID: 0x18, parameter value = 05
Source connection point
parameter ID: 0x19, parameter value = 43
Destination connection point
parameter ID: 0x1a, parameter value = 00
Number of audio channels
parameter ID: 0x1b, parameter value = 02
Enable control
parameter ID: 0x1c, parameter value = 00
Select stream C
Selected stream
parameter ID: 0x18, parameter value = 0c
Source connection point
parameter ID: 0x19, parameter value = 09
Destination connection point
parameter ID: 0x1a, parameter value = 70
Number of audio channels
parameter ID: 0x1b, parameter value = 02
Enable control
parameter ID: 0x1c, parameter value = 00
Select stream 14
Selected stream
parameter ID: 0x18, parameter value = 14
Source connection point
parameter ID: 0x19, parameter value = 48
Destination connection point
parameter ID: 0x1a, parameter value = 91
Number of audio channels
parameter ID: 0x1b, parameter value = 02
Enable control
parameter ID: 0x1c, parameter value = 01
Select stream 15
Selected stream
parameter ID: 0x18, parameter value = 15
Source connection point
parameter ID: 0x19, parameter value = 49
Destination connection point
parameter ID: 0x1a, parameter value = 71
Number of audio channels
parameter ID: 0x1b, parameter value = 02
Enable control
parameter ID: 0x1c, parameter value = 01
Select stream 16
Selected stream
parameter ID: 0x18, parameter value = 16
Source connection point
parameter ID: 0x19, parameter value = 4a
Destination connection point
parameter ID: 0x1a, parameter value = 72
Number of audio channels
parameter ID: 0x1b, parameter value = 02
Enable control
parameter ID: 0x1c, parameter value = 01
Select stream 8
Selected stream
parameter ID: 0x18, parameter value = 08
Source connection point
parameter ID: 0x19, parameter value = 41
Destination connection point
parameter ID: 0x1a, parameter value = 91
Number of audio channels
parameter ID: 0x1b, parameter value = 02
Enable control
parameter ID: 0x1c, parameter value = 01

 

[TravelerTechie]

And I take that back. In my effort to try different layout ids to see if there's any chance to get more ports working, the audio is no longer working. I took it back to layout-id 1 and now my audio device is not recognized at all. I don't know what I did wrong. This is mind-puzzling.

 

[wern]

So I may have some progress. With vanilla AppleHDA.kext and AppleALC.kext, and the HDEF patch but with layout-id 1. I have audio with that ID (as Internal Speakers) and microphone takes input as well from both rear and front jacks (as Internal Microphone).

Plugging headphones on the front jack, changes automatically from Internal Speakers to Headphones, but no sound coming from the headphones. It still plays from the rear Line Out speakers instead. CA0132 Audio Switcher breaks my audio completely, so I have to restart the computer and be without it. The "set streams for ZxR" doesn't help either. Disconnecting the Line Out speakers and leaving only the front headphones doesn't help either.

So if layout-id 4 is not working at all, and layout-id 1 does, is there anything else I can try to make the rest of the ports work?

Running the script shows this (I hope I got it right this time):
Select stream 5
Selected stream
parameter ID: 0x18, parameter value = 05
Source connection point
parameter ID: 0x19, parameter value = 43
Destination connection point
parameter ID: 0x1a, parameter value = 00
Number of audio channels
parameter ID: 0x1b, parameter value = 02
Enable control
parameter ID: 0x1c, parameter value = 00
Select stream C
Selected stream
parameter ID: 0x18, parameter value = 0c
Source connection point
parameter ID: 0x19, parameter value = 09
Destination connection point
parameter ID: 0x1a, parameter value = 70
Number of audio channels
parameter ID: 0x1b, parameter value = 02
Enable control
parameter ID: 0x1c, parameter value = 00
Select stream 14
Selected stream
parameter ID: 0x18, parameter value = 14
Source connection point
parameter ID: 0x19, parameter value = 48
Destination connection point
parameter ID: 0x1a, parameter value = 91
Number of audio channels
parameter ID: 0x1b, parameter value = 02
Enable control
parameter ID: 0x1c, parameter value = 01
Select stream 15
Selected stream
parameter ID: 0x18, parameter value = 15
Source connection point
parameter ID: 0x19, parameter value = 49
Destination connection point
parameter ID: 0x1a, parameter value = 71
Number of audio channels
parameter ID: 0x1b, parameter value = 02
Enable control
parameter ID: 0x1c, parameter value = 01
Select stream 16
Selected stream
parameter ID: 0x18, parameter value = 16
Source connection point
parameter ID: 0x19, parameter value = 4a
Destination connection point
parameter ID: 0x1a, parameter value = 72
Number of audio channels
parameter ID: 0x1b, parameter value = 02
Enable control
parameter ID: 0x1c, parameter value = 01
Select stream 8
Selected stream
parameter ID: 0x18, parameter value = 08
Source connection point
parameter ID: 0x19, parameter value = 41
Destination connection point
parameter ID: 0x1a, parameter value = 91
Number of audio channels
parameter ID: 0x1b, parameter value = 02
Enable control
parameter ID: 0x1c, parameter value = 01

Did you run the ZxR tool before trying layout 1? If so, you will probably need to restart after running the ZxR tool.
The switcher app and CodecCommander are designed to work with the Core3D codecs. We need to make some changes, but we need to figure out how the ZxR codec works. I need the output from the script after the PC was completely off for a while and with working audio.

And I take that back. In my effort to try different layout ids to see if there's any chance to get more ports working, the audio is no longer working. I took it back to layout-id 1 and now my audio device is not recognized at all. I don't know what I did wrong. This is mind-puzzling.

As already mentioned, run the ZxR tool and restart. This codec has some RAM that stores the streams settings that remain unchanged after a restart.

 

[TravelerTechie]

Did you run the ZxR tool before trying layout 1? If so, you will probably need to restart after running the ZxR tool.
The switcher app and CodecCommander are designed to work with the Core3D codecs. We need to make some changes, but we need to figure out how the ZxR codec works. I need the output from the script after the PC was completely off for a while and with working audio.

Done that and now I have audio again, thanks. After shutting off the computer for a while, and making sure I have audio, I ran the script again, here's the output:
Select stream 5
Selected stream
parameter ID: 0x18, parameter value = 05
Source connection point
parameter ID: 0x19, parameter value = 43
Destination connection point
parameter ID: 0x1a, parameter value = 00
Number of audio channels
parameter ID: 0x1b, parameter value = 02
Enable control
parameter ID: 0x1c, parameter value = 00
Select stream C
Selected stream
parameter ID: 0x18, parameter value = 0c
Source connection point
parameter ID: 0x19, parameter value = 09
Destination connection point
parameter ID: 0x1a, parameter value = 70
Number of audio channels
parameter ID: 0x1b, parameter value = 02
Enable control
parameter ID: 0x1c, parameter value = 00
Select stream 14
Selected stream
parameter ID: 0x18, parameter value = 14
Source connection point
parameter ID: 0x19, parameter value = 48
Destination connection point
parameter ID: 0x1a, parameter value = 91
Number of audio channels
parameter ID: 0x1b, parameter value = 02
Enable control
parameter ID: 0x1c, parameter value = 01
Select stream 15
Selected stream
parameter ID: 0x18, parameter value = 15
Source connection point
parameter ID: 0x19, parameter value = 49
Destination connection point
parameter ID: 0x1a, parameter value = 71
Number of audio channels
parameter ID: 0x1b, parameter value = 02
Enable control
parameter ID: 0x1c, parameter value = 00
Select stream 16
Selected stream
parameter ID: 0x18, parameter value = 16
Source connection point
parameter ID: 0x19, parameter value = 4a
Destination connection point
parameter ID: 0x1a, parameter value = 72
Number of audio channels
parameter ID: 0x1b, parameter value = 02
Enable control
parameter ID: 0x1c, parameter value = 00
Select stream 8
Selected stream
parameter ID: 0x18, parameter value = 08
Source connection point
parameter ID: 0x19, parameter value = 41
Destination connection point
parameter ID: 0x1a, parameter value = 91
Number of audio channels
parameter ID: 0x1b, parameter value = 02
Enable control
parameter ID: 0x1c, parameter value = 00

 

[wern]

Ok, there are more differences than I thought. Use CodecCommander from the appendix and give me the output from the "more" script. From the previous post I can see that the PC was not turned off long enough, it must be off for about a minute.

 

[TravelerTechie]

Ok, there are more differences than I thought. Use CodecCommander from the appendix and give me the output from the "more" script. From the previous post I can see that the PC was not turned off long enough, it must be off for about a minute.

So I powered it off for more than 15-20 minutes. Booting it back up loses the audio (still see Internal Speakers from the top bar though). Restarting it didn't help.

Anyways, here's the output from the "more" script:

 

[wern]

So I powered it off for more than 15-20 minutes. Booting it back up loses the audio (still see Internal Speakers from the top bar though). Restarting it didn't help.

Anyways, here's the output from the "more" script:

I think we should try to fix line-out and then the other ports.
Try the updated ZxR tool with layout 1, to see if it enables audio without rebooting.

Also try this AppleALC with layout 1, without the ZxR tool. First, put the PC to sleep, which is likely to reset the streams.