[orca-list] probably off topic: espeak failing at startup

[Peter Rayner <peter rayner cea fr>]

I'm not sure where to send this message.  the "espeak" mailing list at
sourceforge seems to have only one member so I thought I'd find
somewhere with a few likely users.  Perhaps best to reply privately.

I'm having a problem starting espeak.  When I attempt to run it I see
the following:
> espeak
espeak: pcm.c:2691: snd_pcm_hw_params_get_rate_numden: Assertion `params && params->rate_den != 0' failed.
Abort

This is an error I remember some people having with the  viavoice
outloud  server under emacspeak with ALSA. 
I'm running on a 2.6.9 kernel and alsa 1.0.6. I have a .asoundrc file
taken from the emacspeak distribution which works for my software Dec-Talk.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------# $Id: asoundrc 3990 2006-06-25 
06:35:36Z raman $
# these numbers work on the following:
#  aplay -l | head 1
#  I82801DBICH4 [Intel 82801DB-ICH4] (IBM Thinkpads)
# Multimedia audio controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82C686 AC97 Audio Controller (rev 50)Sony Vaio FX501 
Notebook. 
#  ICH6 [Intel ICH6],

# {{{ default device is a mixer

pcm.dmixer  {
    type dmix
    ipc_key 1024
    slave {
        pcm "hw:0,0"
        format s16_LE
        period_time 0
        period_size 1024
        buffer_size 4096
        rate 44100
    }
    #bindings {
        #0 0
        #1 1
    #}
}

pcm.recorder  {
    type dsnoop
    ipc_key 2048
    slave {
        pcm "hw:0,0"
        format s16_LE
        period_time 0
        period_size 1024
        buffer_size 4096
        rate 44100
    }
}

pcm.!default {
        type asym
        playback.pcm "plug:dmixer"
        capture.pcm "plug:dsnoop"
}


pcm.dsp0 {
  type asym;
  playback.pcm "plug:front_dmixer";
  capture.pcm "plug:dsnoop";
 }


ctl.!default {
    type hw
    card 0
}

# }}}
# {{{sub device example

pcm.sub1 {
    type hw
    card 0
    device 0
    subdevice -1
}
pcm.dsp0 {
    type plug
    slave.pcm "dmix"
    rate 11025
}
# }}}
# {{{end of file
----------------------------------------------------------------------

aplay -l lists the following devices
**** List of PLAYBACK Hardware Devices ****
card 0: I82801DBICH4 [Intel 82801DB-ICH4], device 0: Intel ICH [Intel 82801DB-ICH4]
  Subdevices: 0/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 0: I82801DBICH4 [Intel 82801DB-ICH4], device 4: Intel ICH - IEC958 [Intel 82801DB-ICH4 - IEC958]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 1: Modem [Intel 82801DB-ICH4 Modem], device 0: Intel ICH - Modem [Intel 82801DB-ICH4 Modem - Modem]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
----------------------------------------------------------------------
If I run espeak -w test.wav
some text
...

then aplay test.wav
things work quite fine.  
I confess I'm slightly mystified.
Thanks in advance for any help
cheers
Peter


# }}}
  


-- 
Peter Rayner: LSCE/IPSL, Laboratoire CEA-CNRS-UVSQ
address: Bat. 701 LSCE - CEA de Saclay
Orme des Merisiers, 91191 Gif/Yvette
work: +33  (1) 69 08 88 11;     mobile: +33 (6) 75 46 56 52;     fax: +33 (1) 69 08 77 16
mail-to: peter rayner cea fr