---
layout: post
title: Creative Sound Blaster Z no sound under Fedora 33
date: 2021-02-24 22:58
author: rick
categories: 
---

I got myself an old Creative Sound Blaster Z to replace my build-in sound card, to amplify my sound experience, how-ever on first install I got myself into a pickle:

```
feb 24 22:54:52 technetium kernel: snd_hda_intel 0000:09:00.0: Direct firmware load for ctefx-desktop.bin failed with error -2
feb 24 22:54:52 technetium kernel: snd_hda_intel 0000:09:00.0: Direct firmware load for ctefx.bin failed with error -2
```

```
$ sudo lspci -v -s 09:00.0
09:00.0 Audio device: Creative Labs Sound Core3D [Sound Blaster Recon3D / Z-Series] (rev 01)
	Subsystem: Creative Labs SB1570 SB Audigy Fx
	Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 39, IOMMU group 14
	Memory at fca04000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=16K]
	Memory at fca00000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=16K]
	Capabilities: [40] Power Management version 3
	Capabilities: [50] MSI: Enable- Count=1/1 Maskable+ 64bit+
	Capabilities: [70] Express Endpoint, MSI 00
	Capabilities: [100] Advanced Error Reporting
	Capabilities: [140] Virtual Channel
	Capabilities: [170] Device Serial Number 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-00
	Capabilities: [180] Power Budgeting <?>
	Kernel driver in use: snd_hda_intel
	Kernel modules: snd_hda_intel
```

Found a brilliant suggestion [Raymond](https://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=112851#c18) (back in 2016):

```
$ dnf provides /lib/firmware/ctefx.bin
$ sudo dnf install alsa-firmware
```

Reboot the system and it was al working as expected.

Bonus tip if you want to switch between headphone and speaker output

```
If you STILL don't have sound, try opening alsamixer, selecting your card with
F6, and toggling "HP/Speaker Auto Detect" with the 'm' key. This switch sets
whether or not you want to manually select the output with the 'Output Select' control.
```

Credits [The original writer of the driver Conmanx360](https://www.reddit.com/r/SoundBlasterOfficial/comments/9mm5ad/sound_blaster_r3dr3dizzxrae5_linux_driver/)

### Output switch script

This will provide a shortcut to quickly switch between headphone and speaker output with (as bonus) an shortcut key for Gnome:

Create install directory if does not exists:

```
$ mkdir -p $HOME/bin
```

'Install' script audio-switch-output.sh script:

```
$ cat << 'EOF' > $HOME/bin/switch-audio-output.sh && chmod 755 $HOME/bin/switch-audio-output.sh
#!/bin/sh
#
# Quickly switch between headphones and speakers 
# Tested on Creative Sound Blaster Z soundcard which is assumed to be card0
#
cmd="amixer -c 0"
if $cmd sget 'Output Select',0 | grep -q "Item0: 'Speakers'"; then
	$cmd -q sset 'Output Select',0 'Headphone'
else
	$cmd -q sset 'Output Select',0 'Speakers'
fi
EOF
```

Warning: Be careful, this will override any existing custom gnome shortcut keys, use Gnome GUI Settings -> Keyboard Shortcuts.

Add shortcut to call script quickly:

```
$ cat <<EOF | DCONF_PROFILE=user dconf load /org/gnome/settings-daemon/plugins/media-keys/
[/]
custom-keybindings=['/org/gnome/settings-daemon/plugins/media-keys/custom-keybindings/custom0/']

[custom-keybindings/custom0]
binding='<Primary><Alt>AudioMute'
command='$HOME/bin/switch-audio-output.sh'
name='Switch audio output'
EOF
```