system crash when recording in Audacity 2.01 - debian 7.1

Hello,

A I am new in this forum, here’s a little presentation : my name is Christian, I live in Switzerland (french) and I’ve been using linux for 7 or 8 years now - first Ubuntu and now Debian for about a year. I am interested in computer but I am no expert. I also play saxophone, which is why I’m trying to recored myself with Audacity.

My problem : when trying to record myself with a usb microphone (Zoom H2), it records for a few minutes and the it crashes and a black screen full of error messages appears (see picture)
2013-06-24 18.03.20.jpg
Here are some infos, I hope nothing’s missing :

Debian 7.1

Audacity : version 2.01

# uname -a :

Linux christian 3.2.0-4-amd64 #1 SMP Debian 3.2.46-1 x86_64 GNU/Linux

# lspci :

00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation 2nd Generation Core Processor Family DRAM Controller (rev 09)
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation 2nd Generation Core Processor Family Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 09)
00:16.0 Communication controller: Intel Corporation 6 Series/C200 Series Chipset Family MEI Controller #1 (rev 04)
00:1a.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation 6 Series/C200 Series Chipset Family USB Enhanced Host Controller #2 (rev 04)
00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation 6 Series/C200 Series Chipset Family High Definition Audio Controller (rev 04)
00:1c.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 6 Series/C200 Series Chipset Family PCI Express Root Port 1 (rev b4)
00:1c.1 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 6 Series/C200 Series Chipset Family PCI Express Root Port 2 (rev b4)
00:1c.3 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 6 Series/C200 Series Chipset Family PCI Express Root Port 4 (rev b4)
00:1d.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation 6 Series/C200 Series Chipset Family USB Enhanced Host Controller #1 (rev 04)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation HM65 Express Chipset Family LPC Controller (rev 04)
00:1f.2 SATA controller: Intel Corporation 6 Series/C200 Series Chipset Family 6 port SATA AHCI Controller (rev 04)
00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corporation 6 Series/C200 Series Chipset Family SMBus Controller (rev 04)
02:00.0 Ethernet controller: Broadcom Corporation NetLink BCM57785 Gigabit Ethernet PCIe (rev 10)
02:00.1 SD Host controller: Broadcom Corporation NetXtreme BCM57765 Memory Card Reader (rev 10)
02:00.2 System peripheral: Broadcom Corporation Device 16be (rev 10)
02:00.3 System peripheral: Broadcom Corporation Device 16bf (rev 10)
03:00.0 Network controller: Atheros Communications Inc. AR9287 Wireless Network Adapter (PCI-Express) (rev 01)
05:00.0 USB controller: NEC Corporation uPD720200 USB 3.0 Host Controller (rev 04)

# lsusb :

Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 004 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 001 Device 002: ID 8087:0024 Intel Corp. Integrated Rate Matching Hub
Bus 004 Device 002: ID 8087:0024 Intel Corp. Integrated Rate Matching Hub
Bus 001 Device 003: ID 064e:d20c Suyin Corp.

dmidecode

# dmidecode 2.11
SMBIOS 2.7 present.
52 structures occupying 2453 bytes.
Table at 0x000E6580.

Handle 0x0000, DMI type 0, 24 bytes
BIOS Information
	Vendor: Acer
	Version: V1.16
	Release Date: 10/24/2011
	ROM Size: 2560 kB
	Characteristics:
		PCI is supported
		BIOS is upgradeable
		BIOS shadowing is allowed
		Boot from CD is supported
		Selectable boot is supported
		EDD is supported
		Japanese floppy for NEC 9800 1.2 MB is supported (int 13h)
		Japanese floppy for Toshiba 1.2 MB is supported (int 13h)
		5.25"/360 kB floppy services are supported (int 13h)
		5.25"/1.2 MB floppy services are supported (int 13h)
		3.5"/720 kB floppy services are supported (int 13h)
		3.5"/2.88 MB floppy services are supported (int 13h)
		8042 keyboard services are supported (int 9h)
		CGA/mono video services are supported (int 10h)
		ACPI is supported
		USB legacy is supported
		BIOS boot specification is supported
		Targeted content distribution is supported
		UEFI is supported
	BIOS Revision: 16.240

Handle 0x0001, DMI type 1, 27 bytes
System Information
	Manufacturer: Acer
	Product Name: Aspire 5755G
	Version: V1.16
	Serial Number: LXRV3020051510C27F3400
	UUID: D72517F2-3917-E111-8D74-DC0EA121816B
	Wake-up Type: Power Switch
	SKU Number:  
	Family:  

Handle 0x0002, DMI type 2, 16 bytes
Base Board Information
	Manufacturer: Acer
	Product Name: JV51_HR
	Version: Base Board Version
	Serial Number: Base Board Serial Number
	Asset Tag: Base Board Asset Tag
	Features:
		Board is a hosting board
		Board is replaceable
	Location In Chassis: Base Board Chassis Location
	Chassis Handle: 0x0003
	Type: Motherboard
	Contained Object Handles: 0

Handle 0x0003, DMI type 3, 23 bytes
Chassis Information
	Manufacturer: Acer
	Type: Notebook
	Lock: Not Present
	Version: V1.16
	Serial Number: Chassis Serial Number
	Asset Tag:  
	Boot-up State: Safe
	Power Supply State: Safe
	Thermal State: Safe
	Security Status: None
	OEM Information: 0x00000000
	Height: Unspecified
	Number Of Power Cords: 1
	Contained Elements: 0
	SKU Number: Not Specified

Handle 0x0004, DMI type 9, 17 bytes
System Slot Information
	Designation: J5C1
	Type: x16 PCI Express x16
	Current Usage: In Use
	Length: Long
	ID: 0
	Characteristics:
		3.3 V is provided
		Opening is shared
		PME signal is supported
		Hot-plug devices are supported
	Bus Address: 0000:00:1f.7

Handle 0x0005, DMI type 9, 17 bytes
System Slot Information
	Designation: J6C1
	Type: x4 PCI Express x4
	Current Usage: In Use
	Length: Short
	ID: 0
	Characteristics:
		3.3 V is provided
		Opening is shared
		PME signal is supported
		Hot-plug devices are supported
	Bus Address: 0000:00:1f.7

Handle 0x0006, DMI type 9, 17 bytes
System Slot Information
	Designation: J6C2
	Type: x1 PCI Express x1
	Current Usage: In Use
	Length: Short
	ID: 1
	Characteristics:
		3.3 V is provided
		Opening is shared
		PME signal is supported
		Hot-plug devices are supported
	Bus Address: 0000:00:1f.7

Handle 0x0007, DMI type 9, 17 bytes
System Slot Information
	Designation: J6D2
	Type: x1 PCI Express x1
	Current Usage: In Use
	Length: Short
	ID: 2
	Characteristics:
		3.3 V is provided
		Opening is shared
		PME signal is supported
		Hot-plug devices are supported
	Bus Address: 0000:00:1f.7

Handle 0x0008, DMI type 9, 17 bytes
System Slot Information
	Designation: J7C1
	Type: x1 PCI Express x1
	Current Usage: In Use
	Length: Short
	ID: 3
	Characteristics:
		3.3 V is provided
		Opening is shared
		PME signal is supported
		Hot-plug devices are supported
	Bus Address: 0000:00:1f.7

Handle 0x0009, DMI type 9, 17 bytes
System Slot Information
	Designation: J7D2
	Type: x1 PCI Express x1
	Current Usage: In Use
	Length: Short
	ID: 4
	Characteristics:
		3.3 V is provided
		Opening is shared
		PME signal is supported
		Hot-plug devices are supported
	Bus Address: 0000:00:1f.7

Handle 0x000A, DMI type 9, 17 bytes
System Slot Information
	Designation: J8C2
	Type: x16 PCI Express x16
	Current Usage: In Use
	Length: Long
	ID: 1
	Characteristics:
		3.3 V is provided
		Opening is shared
		PME signal is supported
		Hot-plug devices are supported
	Bus Address: 0000:00:1f.7

Handle 0x000B, DMI type 10, 6 bytes
On Board Device Information
	Type: Video
	Status: Enabled
	Description: Intel Video Graphics Controller

Handle 0x000C, DMI type 10, 6 bytes
On Board Device Information
	Type: Ethernet
	Status: Enabled
	Description: Broadcom Lan Controller

Handle 0x000D, DMI type 11, 5 bytes
OEM Strings
	String 1: String1 for Original Equipment Manufacturer
	String 2: String2 for Original Equipment Manufacturer
	String 3: String3 for Original Equipment Manufacturer
	String 4: String4 for Original Equipment Manufacturer
	String 5: String5 for Original Equipment Manufacturer

Handle 0x000E, DMI type 12, 5 bytes
System Configuration Options
	Option 1: String1 for Type12 Equipment Manufacturer

Handle 0x000F, DMI type 13, 22 bytes
BIOS Language Information
	Language Description Format: Long
	Installable Languages: 4
		en|US|iso8859-1
		fr|CA|iso8859-1
		ja|JP|unicode
		zh|TW|unicode
	Currently Installed Language: en|US|iso8859-1

Handle 0x0010, DMI type 21, 7 bytes
Built-in Pointing Device
	Type: Touch Pad
	Interface: PS/2
	Buttons: 4

Handle 0x0011, DMI type 26, 22 bytes
Voltage Probe
	Description: Voltage Probe Description.
	Location: Unknown
	Status: Unknown
	Maximum Value: Unknown
	Minimum Value: Unknown
	Resolution: Unknown
	Tolerance: Unknown
	Accuracy: Unknown
	OEM-specific Information: 0x00000000
	Nominal Value: Unknown

Handle 0x0012, DMI type 27, 15 bytes
Cooling Device
	Type: Fan
	Status: OK
	OEM-specific Information: 0x00000000
	Nominal Speed: 2000 rpm
	Description: Cooling Device Description.

Handle 0x0013, DMI type 32, 20 bytes
System Boot Information
	Status: No errors detected

Handle 0x0014, DMI type 39, 22 bytes
System Power Supply
	Location: OEM_Define0
	Name: OEM_Define1
	Manufacturer: OEM_Define2
	Serial Number: OEM_Define3
	Asset Tag: OEM_Define4
	Model Part Number: OEM_Define5
	Revision: OEM_Define6
	Max Power Capacity: 75 W
	Status: Present, OK
	Type: Regulator
	Input Voltage Range Switching: Auto-switch
	Plugged: No
	Hot Replaceable: No
	Cooling Device Handle: 0x0012

Handle 0x0015, DMI type 40, 18 bytes
Additional Information 1
	Referenced Handle: 0x0004
	Referenced Offset: 0x05
	String: PCIExpressx16
	Value: 0xaa
Additional Information 2
	Referenced Handle: 0x0000
	Referenced Offset: 0x05
	String: Compiler Version: VC 9.0
	Value: 0x05dc

Handle 0x0016, DMI type 41, 11 bytes
Onboard Device
	Reference Designation: Hanksville Gbe Lan Connection
	Type: Ethernet
	Status: Enabled
	Type Instance: 1
	Bus Address: 0000:00:00.1

Handle 0x0017, DMI type 22, 26 bytes
Portable Battery
	Location: Fake
	Manufacturer: -Virtual Battery 0-
	Manufacture Date: 10/12/2007
	Serial Number: Battery 0
	Name: CRB Battery 0
	Chemistry: Lithium Ion
	Design Capacity: Unknown
	Design Voltage: Unknown
	SBDS Version: Not Specified
	Maximum Error: Unknown
	OEM-specific Information: 0x00000000

Handle 0x0018, DMI type 136, 6 bytes
OEM-specific Type
	Header and Data:
		88 06 18 00 5A 5A

Handle 0x0019, DMI type 129, 8 bytes
OEM-specific Type
	Header and Data:
		81 08 19 00 01 01 02 01
	Strings:
		Intel_ASF
		Intel_ASF_001

Handle 0x001A, DMI type 130, 20 bytes
OEM-specific Type
	Header and Data:
		82 14 1A 00 24 41 4D 54 01 01 01 01 01 A5 1F 02
		00 00 00 00

Handle 0x001B, DMI type 16, 23 bytes
Physical Memory Array
	Location: System Board Or Motherboard
	Use: System Memory
	Error Correction Type: None
	Maximum Capacity: 16 GB
	Error Information Handle: No Error
	Number Of Devices: 2

Handle 0x001C, DMI type 17, 34 bytes
Memory Device
	Array Handle: 0x001B
	Error Information Handle: 0x001E
	Total Width: 64 bits
	Data Width: 64 bits
	Size: 4096 MB
	Form Factor: SODIMM
	Set: None
	Locator: ChannelA-DIMM0
	Bank Locator: BANK 0
	Type: DDR3
	Type Detail: Synchronous
	Speed: 1333 MHz
	Manufacturer: Nanya Technology
	Serial Number: 13063B69
	Asset Tag: 0123456789
	Part Number: NT4GC64B8HG0NS-CG 
	Rank: Unknown
	Configured Clock Speed: 1333 MHz

Handle 0x001D, DMI type 6, 12 bytes
Memory Module Information
	Socket Designation: ChannelA-DIMM0
	Bank Connections: None
	Current Speed: Unknown
	Type: DIMM
	Installed Size: 4096 MB (Single-bank Connection)
	Enabled Size: 4096 MB (Single-bank Connection)
	Error Status: OK

Handle 0x001E, DMI type 18, 23 bytes
32-bit Memory Error Information
	Type: OK
	Granularity: Unknown
	Operation: Unknown
	Vendor Syndrome: Unknown
	Memory Array Address: Unknown
	Device Address: Unknown
	Resolution: Unknown

Handle 0x001F, DMI type 20, 35 bytes
Memory Device Mapped Address
	Starting Address: 0x00000000000
	Ending Address: 0x000FFFFFFFF
	Range Size: 4 GB
	Physical Device Handle: 0x001C
	Memory Array Mapped Address Handle: 0x0029
	Partition Row Position: Unknown
	Interleave Position: 1
	Interleaved Data Depth: 2

Handle 0x0020, DMI type 17, 34 bytes
Memory Device
	Array Handle: 0x001B
	Error Information Handle: Not Provided
	Total Width: Unknown
	Data Width: Unknown
	Size: No Module Installed
	Form Factor: DIMM
	Set: None
	Locator: ChannelA-DIMM1
	Bank Locator: BANK 1
	Type: Unknown
	Type Detail: None
	Speed: Unknown
	Manufacturer: Not Specified
	Serial Number: Not Specified
	Asset Tag: 0123456789
	Part Number: Not Specified
	Rank: Unknown
	Configured Clock Speed: Unknown

Handle 0x0021, DMI type 6, 12 bytes
Memory Module Information
	Socket Designation: ChannelA-DIMM1
	Bank Connections: None
	Current Speed: Unknown
	Type: DIMM
	Installed Size: Not Installed
	Enabled Size: Not Installed
	Error Status: OK

Handle 0x0022, DMI type 17, 34 bytes
Memory Device
	Array Handle: 0x001B
	Error Information Handle: 0x0024
	Total Width: 64 bits
	Data Width: 64 bits
	Size: 4096 MB
	Form Factor: SODIMM
	Set: None
	Locator: ChannelB-DIMM0
	Bank Locator: BANK 2
	Type: DDR3
	Type Detail: Synchronous
	Speed: 1333 MHz
	Manufacturer: Nanya Technology
	Serial Number: 62F23A67
	Asset Tag: 0123456789
	Part Number: NT4GC64B8HG0NS-CG 
	Rank: Unknown
	Configured Clock Speed: 1333 MHz

Handle 0x0023, DMI type 6, 12 bytes
Memory Module Information
	Socket Designation: ChannelB-DIMM0
	Bank Connections: None
	Current Speed: Unknown
	Type: DIMM
	Installed Size: 4096 MB (Single-bank Connection)
	Enabled Size: 4096 MB (Single-bank Connection)
	Error Status: OK

Handle 0x0024, DMI type 18, 23 bytes
32-bit Memory Error Information
	Type: OK
	Granularity: Unknown
	Operation: Unknown
	Vendor Syndrome: Unknown
	Memory Array Address: Unknown
	Device Address: Unknown
	Resolution: Unknown

Handle 0x0025, DMI type 20, 35 bytes
Memory Device Mapped Address
	Starting Address: 0x00100000000
	Ending Address: 0x001FFFFFFFF
	Range Size: 4 GB
	Physical Device Handle: 0x0022
	Memory Array Mapped Address Handle: 0x0029
	Partition Row Position: Unknown
	Interleave Position: 2
	Interleaved Data Depth: 2

Handle 0x0026, DMI type 17, 34 bytes
Memory Device
	Array Handle: 0x001B
	Error Information Handle: Not Provided
	Total Width: Unknown
	Data Width: Unknown
	Size: No Module Installed
	Form Factor: DIMM
	Set: None
	Locator: ChannelB-DIMM1
	Bank Locator: BANK 3
	Type: Unknown
	Type Detail: None
	Speed: Unknown
	Manufacturer: Not Specified
	Serial Number: Not Specified
	Asset Tag: 0123456789
	Part Number: Not Specified
	Rank: Unknown
	Configured Clock Speed: Unknown

Handle 0x0027, DMI type 6, 12 bytes
Memory Module Information
	Socket Designation: ChannelB-DIMM1
	Bank Connections: None
	Current Speed: Unknown
	Type: DIMM
	Installed Size: Not Installed
	Enabled Size: Not Installed
	Error Status: OK

Handle 0x0028, DMI type 18, 23 bytes
32-bit Memory Error Information
	Type: OK
	Granularity: Unknown
	Operation: Unknown
	Vendor Syndrome: Unknown
	Memory Array Address: Unknown
	Device Address: Unknown
	Resolution: Unknown

Handle 0x0029, DMI type 19, 31 bytes
Memory Array Mapped Address
	Starting Address: 0x00000000000
	Ending Address: 0x001FFFFFFFF
	Range Size: 8 GB
	Physical Array Handle: 0x001B
	Partition Width: 2

Handle 0x002A, DMI type 5, 20 bytes
Memory Controller Information
	Error Detecting Method: None
	Error Correcting Capabilities:
		None
	Supported Interleave: One-way Interleave
	Current Interleave: One-way Interleave
	Maximum Memory Module Size: 8192 MB
	Maximum Total Memory Size: 16384 MB
	Supported Speeds:
		Other
	Supported Memory Types:
		Other
	Memory Module Voltage: Unknown
	Associated Memory Slots: 2
		0x001D
		0x0023
	Enabled Error Correcting Capabilities:
		None

Handle 0x002B, DMI type 170, 82 bytes
OEM-specific Type
	Header and Data:
		AA 52 2B 00 01 00 18 00 7F 00 0F 00 06 00 03 02
		01 00 21 02 00 00 23 02 00 00 25 02 00 00 41 02
		04 00 48 02 01 00 49 02 02 00 42 02 20 00 43 02
		40 00 44 02 08 00 45 02 10 00 61 02 08 00 64 02
		04 00 62 02 01 00 63 02 02 00 81 02 04 00 83 02
		02 00

Handle 0x002C, DMI type 171, 29 bytes
OEM-specific Type
	Header and Data:
		AB 1D 2C 00 01 86 80 26 01 02 E4 14 B5 16 05 86
		80 20 1C 07 8C 16 2E 00 04 4E 06 0C D2

Handle 0x002D, DMI type 172, 6 bytes
OEM-specific Type
	Header and Data:
		AC 06 2D 00 02 0C

Handle 0x002E, DMI type 4, 42 bytes
Processor Information
	Socket Designation: CPU1
	Type: Central Processor
	Family: Core i5
	Manufacturer: Intel(R) Corporation
	ID: A7 06 02 00 FF FB EB BF
	Signature: Type 0, Family 6, Model 42, Stepping 7
	Flags:
		FPU (Floating-point unit on-chip)
		VME (Virtual mode extension)
		DE (Debugging extension)
		PSE (Page size extension)
		TSC (Time stamp counter)
		MSR (Model specific registers)
		PAE (Physical address extension)
		MCE (Machine check exception)
		CX8 (CMPXCHG8 instruction supported)
		APIC (On-chip APIC hardware supported)
		SEP (Fast system call)
		MTRR (Memory type range registers)
		PGE (Page global enable)
		MCA (Machine check architecture)
		CMOV (Conditional move instruction supported)
		PAT (Page attribute table)
		PSE-36 (36-bit page size extension)
		CLFSH (CLFLUSH instruction supported)
		DS (Debug store)
		ACPI (ACPI supported)
		MMX (MMX technology supported)
		FXSR (FXSAVE and FXSTOR instructions supported)
		SSE (Streaming SIMD extensions)
		SSE2 (Streaming SIMD extensions 2)
		SS (Self-snoop)
		HTT (Multi-threading)
		TM (Thermal monitor supported)
		PBE (Pending break enabled)
	Version: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-2450M CPU @ 2.50GHz
	Voltage: 0.0 V
	External Clock: 1333 MHz
	Max Speed: 4000 MHz
	Current Speed: 2500 MHz
	Status: Populated, Enabled
	Upgrade: Other
	L1 Cache Handle: 0x0030
	L2 Cache Handle: 0x0031
	L3 Cache Handle: 0x0032
	Serial Number: Not Specified
	Asset Tag: FFFF
	Part Number: Not Specified
	Core Count: 2
	Core Enabled: 2
	Thread Count: 4
	Characteristics:
		64-bit capable

Handle 0x002F, DMI type 7, 19 bytes
Cache Information
	Socket Designation: L1 Cache
	Configuration: Enabled, Not Socketed, Level 1
	Operational Mode: Write Through
	Location: Internal
	Installed Size: 32 kB
	Maximum Size: 32 kB
	Supported SRAM Types:
		Synchronous
	Installed SRAM Type: Synchronous
	Speed: Unknown
	Error Correction Type: Single-bit ECC
	System Type: Data
	Associativity: 8-way Set-associative

Handle 0x0030, DMI type 7, 19 bytes
Cache Information
	Socket Designation: L1 Cache
	Configuration: Enabled, Not Socketed, Level 1
	Operational Mode: Write Through
	Location: Internal
	Installed Size: 32 kB
	Maximum Size: 32 kB
	Supported SRAM Types:
		Synchronous
	Installed SRAM Type: Synchronous
	Speed: Unknown
	Error Correction Type: Single-bit ECC
	System Type: Instruction
	Associativity: 8-way Set-associative

Handle 0x0031, DMI type 7, 19 bytes
Cache Information
	Socket Designation: L2 Cache
	Configuration: Enabled, Not Socketed, Level 2
	Operational Mode: Write Through
	Location: Internal
	Installed Size: 256 kB
	Maximum Size: 256 kB
	Supported SRAM Types:
		Synchronous
	Installed SRAM Type: Synchronous
	Speed: Unknown
	Error Correction Type: Single-bit ECC
	System Type: Unified
	Associativity: 8-way Set-associative

Handle 0x0032, DMI type 7, 19 bytes
Cache Information
	Socket Designation: L3 Cache
	Configuration: Enabled, Not Socketed, Level 3
	Operational Mode: Write Through
	Location: Internal
	Installed Size: 3072 kB
	Maximum Size: 3072 kB
	Supported SRAM Types:
		Synchronous
	Installed SRAM Type: Synchronous
	Speed: Unknown
	Error Correction Type: Single-bit ECC
	System Type: Unified
	Associativity: 12-way Set-associative

Handle 0x0033, DMI type 127, 4 bytes
End Of Table

Things I tried

Christian

A crash like that is likely to be a driver problem.
Tell us about your sound system. Do you have the default ALSA / PulseAudio set-up?

Yes, I have the default ALSA setup (I think)

Some infos I found, I hope it’s useful :

cat /proc/asound/version

Advanced Linux Sound Architecture Driver Version 1.0.24.

aplay -l

**** Liste des Périphériques Matériels PLAYBACK ****
carte 0: PCH [HDA Intel PCH], périphérique 0: ALC269VB Analog [ALC269VB Analog]
  Sous-périphériques: 1/1
  Sous-périphérique #0: subdevice #0
carte 0: PCH [HDA Intel PCH], périphérique 3: HDMI 0 [HDMI 0]
  Sous-périphériques: 1/1
  Sous-périphérique #0: subdevice #0

cat /proc/asound/modules

 0 snd_hda_intel

What do you get from:

aplay -L

when your Zoom H2 is connected and enabled as a microphone?

Sorry, I’m at work, I’ll do that at noon when I get home

Soory for the delay. Here’s the result of

aplay -L

null
    Discard all samples (playback) or generate zero samples (capture)
pulse
    PulseAudio Sound Server
default:CARD=PCH
    HDA Intel PCH, ALC269VB Analog
    Default Audio Device
sysdefault:CARD=PCH
    HDA Intel PCH, ALC269VB Analog
    Default Audio Device
front:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
    HDA Intel PCH, ALC269VB Analog
    Front speakers
surround40:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
    HDA Intel PCH, ALC269VB Analog
    4.0 Surround output to Front and Rear speakers
surround41:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
    HDA Intel PCH, ALC269VB Analog
    4.1 Surround output to Front, Rear and Subwoofer speakers
surround50:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
    HDA Intel PCH, ALC269VB Analog
    5.0 Surround output to Front, Center and Rear speakers
surround51:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
    HDA Intel PCH, ALC269VB Analog
    5.1 Surround output to Front, Center, Rear and Subwoofer speakers
surround71:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
    HDA Intel PCH, ALC269VB Analog
    7.1 Surround output to Front, Center, Side, Rear and Woofer speakers
hdmi:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
    HDA Intel PCH, HDMI 0
    HDMI Audio Output
default:CARD=H2
    H2, USB Audio
    Default Audio Device
sysdefault:CARD=H2
    H2, USB Audio
    Default Audio Device
front:CARD=H2,DEV=0
    H2, USB Audio
    Front speakers
surround40:CARD=H2,DEV=0
    H2, USB Audio
    4.0 Surround output to Front and Rear speakers
surround41:CARD=H2,DEV=0
    H2, USB Audio
    4.1 Surround output to Front, Rear and Subwoofer speakers
surround50:CARD=H2,DEV=0
    H2, USB Audio
    5.0 Surround output to Front, Center and Rear speakers
surround51:CARD=H2,DEV=0
    H2, USB Audio
    5.1 Surround output to Front, Center, Rear and Subwoofer speakers
surround71:CARD=H2,DEV=0
    H2, USB Audio
    7.1 Surround output to Front, Center, Side, Rear and Woofer speakers
iec958:CARD=H2,DEV=0
    H2, USB Audio
    IEC958 (S/PDIF) Digital Audio Output

with my usb microphone Zomm H2 connected.

OK thanks - your H2 is listed now.
I’ll be able to test an H2 on Debian Stable next week (please bump this thread if you don’t hear by mid-week).
In the mean time, try using a different USB socket and use the mains adaptor rather than batteries with the H2 and see if that is any better just in case the H2 is losing its connection and messing things up.

Thanks for your help. I tried to use my microphone on a different usb socket and with an adaptator, but with the same result.

I noticed something interesting : as I was working in Audacity on a recording I made with my Zoom H2 (recorded on the sd card and then transfered on the computer) I had the same crash after 20 - 30 minutes. The microphone was not pluged in, I was only listening to the recording and working on it (erasing things etc). The file is quite long - 3 hours. I’ll do some tests to see in which conditions this crash occurs.

Also see if you can stress test the computer RAM.

I tested the computer ram with memtester, the test was ok :

memtester 4096M 1

memtester version 4.2.2 (64-bit)
Copyright (C) 2010 Charles Cazabon.
Licensed under the GNU General Public License version 2 (only).

pagesize is 4096
pagesizemask is 0xfffffffffffff000
want 4096MB (4294967296 bytes)
got  4096MB (4294967296 bytes), trying mlock ...locked.
Loop 1/1:
  Stuck Address       : ok         
  Random Value        : ok
  Compare XOR         : ok
  Compare SUB         : ok
  Compare MUL         : ok
  Compare DIV         : ok
  Compare OR          : ok
  Compare AND         : ok
  Sequential Increment: ok
  Solid Bits          : ok         
  Block Sequential    : ok         
  Checkerboard        : ok         
  Bit Spread          : ok         
  Bit Flip            : ok         
  Walking Ones        : ok         
  Walking Zeroes      : ok         
  8-bit Writes        : ok
  16-bit Writes       : ok

Done.

I tried to play a file in Audacity, no crash after an hour, I also made the same memory test as above while playing a file in Audacity, everything was ok, no crash.

This crash seems to happend only when I’m recording or working on a file (erasing, modifying etc), playing is ok.

I also noticed that pulseaudio was not installed as standard in Debian, so I installed it and modified the prefences in Audacity so that recording is made with pulse, but it still crashes. I tried to change the options in the configuration file /etc/modprobe.d/alsa-base.conf by adding the following line at the end :

options snd-hda-intel model=lifebook position_fix=0

alias snd-card-0 snd-hda-intel
alias sound-slot-0 snd-hda-intel
alias sound-slot-0 snd-card-0
alias sound-service-0-0 snd-mixer-oss
alias sound-service-0-1 snd-seq-oss
alias sound-service-0-3 snd-pcm-oss
alias sound-service-0-8 snd-seq-oss
alias sound-service-0-12 snd-pcm-oss

no change either, crash still happends. I tried a few other options (snd-hda-intel model=acer or model=auto), still nothing changed.

Are you using oss4 by any chance?

No, I’m using ALSA

Try opening Audacity without the H2 connected and do some editing. Do you still get the crash?

I tried editing a big recording (3 hours long) without the H2 connected, I cut, used some effects etc, I had no crash, it just freezed a couple of times, but it came back and I guess it’s normal with a big file like that.

Today I installed Ardour and I was able to record with my Zoom H2 without crash. I start jack which I configured for my Zoom H2, then Ardour and it seems to be stable. I’d still prefer to use Audacity if there is a possible solution, I find it a lot easier to use, but in the meantime I have a solution.

I decided to install the tango studio repository for debian and use Ardour. Thanks a lot. I’m not sure if the solved is correct ??

When working with big files Audacity can sometimes appear to freeze. Processes that take a long time should display a progress bar, but there are some processes that can take a long time when working with big files. Generally I prefer to keep projects to under an hour or so. If I have a really long project I’ll just split it into multiple projects of about an hour each, and that way I find that Audacity remains reasonably responsive and gets the job done quicker.

Some Nyquist scripts / plug-ins can cause Audacity to crash if used on very long files. One limitation of how Audacity uses Nyquist is that Nyquist often needs to load the entire audio file into RAM. If there is not enough physical RAM available then Nyquist is likely to crash, and if Nyquist crashes then it take Audacity with it. Nyquist effects are listed below the dividing line in the Effect, Generate and Analyze menus, and if they have an interface they have a “Debug” button.

I finally found a solution to my problem in the linux MAO forum (http://www.linuxmao.org/tiki-view_forum_thread.php?comments_parentId=48368&forumId=27). I installed Tango Studio for Debian, which has everything I will ever need : http://tangostudio.tuxfamily.org/fr/documentations/tango-debian; it works with alsa and jack, so I removed pulseaudio. Tango Studio uses MATE as desktop environment, so I removed xfce and also made some cleaning, erased a lot of unused soft, etc. Now audacity works perfectly, no crash anymore, I now have the choice between audacity and Ardour.

Thanks again for your help.

Thanks for letting us know, and glad that you are now all up and running, though it’s a shame that we don’t know precisely what fixed the problem.
By the way, I’ve recently been trying MATE desktop (with Mint) and I like it :slight_smile: