ASUS Zenbook S14 microphone doesn't work

[vanheck]

Following up on #5325 (comment)
After updating the kernel and linux-firmware (and Fedora 43), my microphone has stopped working again.

Packages:
linux-firmware: 20251125-1.fc43
kernel: 6.17.11-300.fc43
alsa-sof-firmware: 2025.05.1-1.fc43
alsa-lib: 1.2.15-4.fc43
alsa-utils: 1.2.15-2.fc43
aplay: version 1.2.15

dmesg.log

@bardliao could you help me?

[bardliao]

@vanheck Can you share the alsa-info? And please get the dmesg right after system boot.
@rfvirgil FYI

[vanheck]

There are these logs:

dmesg2.log
alsa-info.txt

[bardliao]

I can't see the issue from the log. Have you tried arecord?
Like arecord -Dhw:0,10 -fDAT dmic.wav -vv

[charleskeepax]

When you say the mics don't work I assume you mean the built in mics in the laptop? And the other audio is fine? I also notice on the other ticket there is some talk of the mics needing really high gain, are you actually recording zeros, or is it just very quiet audio?

[vanheck]

Yes, laptop microphone. Also LED on keyboard doesn't work (mute/unmute microphone).
There is no sound in any recording application (audacity / obs / zoom / ...).

$ arecord -Dhw:0,10 -fDAT dmic.wav -vv
arecord: set_params:1387: Sample format non available
Available formats:
- S32_LE

[bardliao]

@vanheck The LED is a different issue. Did it work with previous kernel and linux-firmware? Please try arecord -Dhw:0,10 -fS32_LE -r48000 -c2 dmic.wav -vv

[vanheck]

Yes, it did work both LED and also microphone recording sound (was solved by previous issues). But not sure which kernel update causes this issue again. Guess broken kernel was 6.15.4 (patch version not sure) or 6.16.2. And no idea which version of linux-firmware causes this.

$ arecord -Dhw:0,10 -fS32_LE -r48000 -c2 dmic.wav -vv
Hardware PCM card 0 'sof-soundwire' device 10 subdevice 0
Its setup is:
  stream       : CAPTURE
  access       : RW_INTERLEAVED
  format       : S32_LE
  subformat    : STD
  channels     : 2
  rate         : 48000
  exact rate   : 48000 (48000/1)
  msbits       : 32
  buffer_size  : 24000
  period_size  : 6000
  period_time  : 125000
  tstamp_mode  : ENABLE
  tstamp_type  : MONOTONIC
  period_step  : 1
  avail_min    : 6000
  period_event : 0
  start_threshold  : 1
  stop_threshold   : 24000
  silence_threshold: 0
  silence_size : 0
  boundary     : 6755399441055744000
  appl_ptr     : 0
  hw_ptr       : 0
Recording WAVE 'dmic.wav' : Signed 32 bit Little Endian, Rate 48000 Hz, Stereo
arecord: begin_wave:2736: Wave doesn't support S32_LE format...

[bardliao]

"begin_wave:2736: Wave doesn't support S32_LE format..." looks like a regression of arecord.
alsa-project/alsa-utils@e78583a
@charleskeepax It seems a break is required right before default: at line 2734, right?

Not sure what happened. Previously, the issue was the driver was trying to use the codec DMIC but your hardware design uses the host DMIC. And the issue was fixed. And now the driver uses the host DMIC as expected, and I didn't see any error in the dmesg log.

@vanheck Can you try older version of alsa-lib, alsa-utils, and aplay?

[vanheck]

Downgrade to lib (alsa-lib, alsa-utils, and aplay) versions 1.2.12 any devices detect, no sound works (no speakers, no microphone).
Downgrade to lib versions 1.2.13 the same as before.
Downgrade to version 1.2.14 - speakers works, microphone not.

[bardliao]

Downgrade to lib (alsa-lib, alsa-utils, and aplay) versions 1.2.12 any devices detect, no sound works (no speakers, no microphone). Downgrade to lib versions 1.2.13 the same as before. Downgrade to version 1.2.14 - speakers works, microphone not.

Can you use the 1.2.14 version and run the arecord test again and share the dmesg?
Please clear the dmesg before doing arecord. I.e

dmesg -c
arecord -Dhw:0,10 -fS32_LE -r48000 -c2 dmic.wav -vv
dmesg

Then share the dmesg log

[vanheck]

Now with 1.2.14 arecord seems to work, but in waw file is no sound.

start-dmesg.log
recording-dmesg.log

This is manually killed (SIGINT) in about 10s.

$ arecord -Dhw:0,10 -fS32_LE -r48000 -c2 dmic.wav -vv
Hardware PCM card 0 'sof-soundwire' device 10 subdevice 0
Its setup is:
  stream       : CAPTURE
  access       : RW_INTERLEAVED
  format       : S32_LE
  subformat    : STD
  channels     : 2
  rate         : 48000
  exact rate   : 48000 (48000/1)
  msbits       : 32
  buffer_size  : 24000
  period_size  : 6000
  period_time  : 125000
  tstamp_mode  : ENABLE
  tstamp_type  : MONOTONIC
  period_step  : 1
  avail_min    : 6000
  period_event : 0
  start_threshold  : 1
  stop_threshold   : 24000
  silence_threshold: 0
  silence_size : 0
  boundary     : 6755399441055744000
  appl_ptr     : 0
  hw_ptr       : 0
Recording WAVE 'dmic.wav' : Signed 32 bit Little Endian, Rate 48000 Hz, Stereo
#+                                                 | 00%^C
Aborted by signal Přerušení (SIGINT)...
#+                                                 | 00%

[bardliao]

So there is no error but can only record silence. @singalsu Could you take a look? Please find the amixer contents from https://github.com/user-attachments/files/24185046/alsa-info.txt. Below looks good to me.

	control.191 {
		iface MIXER
		name 'Dmic0 Capture Volume'
		value.0 34
		value.1 34
		comment {
			access 'read write'
			type INTEGER
			count 2
			range '0 - 45'
			dbmin -9999999
			dbmax 0
			dbvalue.0 -2200
			dbvalue.1 -2200
		}
	}
	control.192 {
		iface MIXER
		name 'Dmic0 Capture Switch'
		value.0 true
		value.1 true
		value.2 true
		value.3 true
		comment {
			access 'read write'
			type BOOLEAN
			count 4
		}
	}

Not sure what else could impact the DMIC recording.

@vanheck Can you try arecord -Dhw:0,10 -fS32_LE -r48000 -c4 dmic.wav -vv? And can you check if the LED status change if you change the Dmic0 Capture Switch control? amixer -c0 cset name='Dmic0 Capture Switch' 0 and amixer -c0 cset name='Dmic0 Capture Switch' 1

[singalsu]

So there is no error but can only record silence. @singalsu Could you take a look? Please find the amixer contents from https://github.com/user-attachments/files/24185046/alsa-info.txt. Below looks good to me.

Also the audio processing controls settings look normal.

[vanheck]

@bardliao LED switch control works (probably my bad with reporting it, apologize)

But the microphone still doesnt work - recording silence.

$ arecord -Dhw:0,10 -fS32_LE -r48000 -c4 dmic.wav -vv
arecord: set_params:1398: Channels count non available

[bardliao]

@vanheck Could you switch to the working kernel and linux-firmware and get the alsa-info of the working case? So that we can check what has been changed.