Aug 4, 2008
Ubuntu ca0106 Audigy SE sound card working with 5.1
I decided to finally install Ubuntu 8.04.1 on my desktop today. One issue I seem to always have with a new Linux distribution is trying to figure out how to get surround sound to work with my sound card. My desktop is currently using the Creative Audigy SE sound card (ca0106) which can be very un-Linux friendly.
With Arch and Gentoo Linux, I was able to get surround sound on all five speakers with the following .asoundrc file:
pcm.!dmix {
type plug
slave {
pcm surround51
channels 6
}
}
pcm.!default {
type plug
slave.pcm “dmix”
slave.channels 6
route_policy duplicate
}
In Ubuntu, I was not getting surround sound with the above file. I decided to copy it to /etc/asound.conf to make the settings system wide. When I rebooted Ubuntu, I got surround sound when the login screen (gdm) popped up but once I logged in, only three speakers were working.
Then I found this post:
http://ubuntuforums.org/archive/index.php/t-586411.html
load-module module-alsa-sink device=”surround51″ channels=6 sink_name=sur51
to /etc/pulse/default.pa
It worked for me and should work for others as well. Now I have surround sound 
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This works in openSUSE as well. Surround sound, and multiple apps work great. The only issue I have left is no master volume control (very annoying) and the audio stutters for just a few seconds when a song is played in any media player.
Since we both have a ca0106 card and this solution works for us, I wanted to ask if you are having similar issues.
Most importantly, do you have a master volume control in Kmix\Gmix\alsamixer that controls all of the speakers.
thank you very much it worked for me too, my card it’s a creative audigy se CA0106, i’m running ubuntu 8.10 intrepid by the way
@blackened: No problem. Glad it helped.