The Linux BootPrompt-HowTo: The Sound Drivers

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## 8. The Sound Drivers

Note that there was a rewrite of a lot of the sound core and related drivers. The older stuff is generally called `OSS' and the newer is called `ALSA'. The intention is to drop the OSS stuff eventually. To avoid name conflict, the ALSA stuff generally has `snd-' as a prefix to all the boot parameters.

Note that each driver has its own individual boot argument (very old kernels used a shared `sound=`). Also, generally no defaults are set at compile time (i.e. you must supply a boot argument for older non-PNP ISA cards to be detected.) Your best source of information for your card is the files in `linux/Documentation/sound/`.

## 8.1 Individual Sound Device Driver Arguments

### ALSA ISA drivers

`snd-dummy=` Dummy soundcard

`snd-mpu401=` mpu401 UART

`snd-mtpav=` MOTU Midi Timepiece

`snd-serial=` Serial UART 16450/16550 MIDI

`snd-virmidi=` Dummy soundcard for virtual rawmidi devices

`snd-ad1816a=` ADI SoundPort AD1816A

`snd-ad1848=` Generic driver for AD1848/AD1847/CS4248

`snd-als100=` Avance Logic ALS100

`snd-azt2320=` Aztech Systems AZT2320 (and 2316)

`snd-cmi8330=` C-Media's CMI8330

`snd-cs4231=` Generic driver for CS4231 chips

`snd-cs4232=` Generic driver for CS4232 chips

`snd-cs4236=` Generic driver for CS4235/6/7/8/9 chips

`snd-dt019x=` Diamond Technologies DT-019x

`snd-es1688=` Generic ESS AudioDrive ESx688

`snd-es18xx=` Generic ESS AudioDrive ES18xx

`snd-gusclassic=` Gus classic

`snd-gusextreme=` Gus extreme

`snd-gusmax=` Gus Max

`snd-interwave=` Interwave

`snd-interwave-stb=` Interwave

`snd-opl3sa2=` Yamaha OPL3SA2

`snd-opti93x=` OPTi 82c93x based cards

`snd-opti92x-cs4231=` OPTi 82c92x/CS4231

`snd-opti92x-ad1848=` OPTi 82c92x/AD1848

`snd-es968=` ESS AudioDrive ES968

`snd-sb16=` SoundBlaster 16

`snd-sbawe=` SoundBlaster 16 AWE

`snd-sb8=` Old 8 bit SoundBlaster (1.0, 2.0, Pro)

`snd-sgalaxy=` Sound galaxy

`snd-wavefront=` Wavefront

### OSS drivers

`ad1848=` AD1848

`adlib=` Adlib

`mad16=` MAD16

`pas2=` ProAudioSpectrum PAS16

`sb=` SoundBlaster

`uart401=` UART 401 (on card chip)

`uart6850=` UART 6850 (on card chip)

`opl3=` Yamaha OPL2/OPL3/OPL4 FM Synthesizer (on card chip)

`opl3sa=` Yamaha OPL3-SA FM Synthesizer (on card chip)

`opl3sa2=` Yamaha OPL3-SA2/SA3 FM Synthesizer (on card chip)

### ALSA PCI Drivers

`snd-ali5451=` ALi PCI audio M5451

`snd-als4000=` Avance Logic ALS4000

`snd-cmipci=` C-Media CMI8338 and 8738

`snd-cs4281=` Cirrus Logic CS4281

`snd-cs46xx=` Cirrus Logic Sound Fusion CS46XX

`snd-emu10k1=` EMU10K1 (SB Live!)

`snd-ens1370=` Ensoniq ES1370 AudioPCI

`snd-ens1371=` Ensoniq ES1371 AudioPCI

`snd-es1938=` ESS Solo-1 (ES1938, ES1946, ES1969)

`snd-es1968=` ESS Maestro 1/2/2E

`snd-fm801=` ForteMedia FM801

`snd-intel8x0=` Intel ICH (i8x0) chipsets

`snd-maestro3=` ESS Maestro3/Allegro (ES1988)

`snd-korg1212=` Korg 1212 IO

`snd-rme32=` RME Digi32, Digi32/8 and Digi32 PRO

`snd-nm256=` NeoMagic 256AV and 256ZX

`snd-rme96=` RME Digi96, Digi96/8 and Digi96/8 PRO/PAD/PST

`snd-rme9652=` RME Digi9652 audio interface

`snd-hdsp=` RME Hammerfall DSP

`snd-sonicvibes=` S3 SonicVibes

`snd-trident=` Trident 4DWave DX/NX & SiS SI7018

`snd-via82xx=` VIA South Bridge VT82C686A/B/C, VT8233A/C, VT8235

`snd-ymfpci=` Yamaha DS1/DS1E

`snd-ice1712=` ICEnsemble ICE1712 (Envy24)

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