Microphone not working - Intel Corporation Device 54c8 (ALC256 Analog) on Zorin OS 17.2 [Solved]

Hardware Support
1

Problem description:

Hello, Zorin OS community!

I'm facing an issue with the microphone on my laptop. The audio output (speakers) works perfectly, but the microphone doesn't capture any sound. The issue seems related to the Intel Corporation Device 54c8 controller with the ALC256 Analog codec.

System Information:

  • Zorin OS version: Zorin OS 17.2
  • Current kernel: 6.2.0-36-generic
  • Laptop model: ASUS VivoBook Go E1504GAB
  • Audio controller model: Intel Corporation Device 54c8
  • Detected codec: ALC256 Analog (HDA Intel PCH)
  • Devices detected:
    • Output (speakers): Working properly.
    • Input (microphone): Detected but not capturing audio.

What I have tried so far:

  1. Checked audio settings under Settings > Sound and PulseAudio Volume Control (pavucontrol). The device is listed but does not respond.
  2. Reinstalled ALSA and reloaded the configuration:
    sudo apt install --reinstall alsa-base alsa-utils  
sudo alsa force-reload
  3. Adjusted capture levels and enabled the microphone in alsamixer.
  4. Updated to the latest kernel available for Zorin OS 17.2.
  5. Checked devices with arecord -l and aplay -l ā€“ the ALC256 microphone was detected but remains inactive.
  6. Tried fetching logs with dmesg, but I received the following error: "dmesg: kernel buffer read failed: Operation not permitted".

What I need help with:

  • Is there any additional configuration or workaround to enable the microphone with the ALC256 Analog codec?
  • If this is a kernel or ALSA/PulseAudio issue, are there any manual tweaks or patches I can try?

Thank you in advance for any help! Iā€™m happy to provide additional logs or information if needed.

2

Is there a Reason why You still use this Kernel? At the Moment we have Kernel 6.8. Or have You Problems with that Kernel?

Because of the codecs: Did You installed Codecs? When You open Gnome Software and scroll down, you should see the ''Codecs'' Sction. Click on it and install the Codecs what are shown. And You can install more Codecs with sudo apt install ubuntu-restricted-extras (that is a Package with MS Fonts and Multimedia Codecs).

Pulse Audio You already have tried ...

You could also take a Look in the ''Additional Drivers'' Tab in Software & Updates if there are any Drivers offered for Your Mic.

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3

Thank you for the suggestion! Hereā€™s what Iā€™ve done so far:

  1. Kernel:
    Iā€™m already using the 6.12.3-061203-generic kernel, which is more recent than the 6.8 version you mentioned. So the microphone issue doesnā€™t seem to be related to the kernel itself.

  2. Codecs:
    I installed the ubuntu-restricted-extras package as suggested and confirmed that everything is up to date, but this didnā€™t solve the microphone issue.

  3. PulseAudio and ALSA:

    • I checked in PulseAudio Volume Control, and the only input device showing is Monitor of Ɓudio interno EstĆ©reo analĆ³gico.
    • I manually added the line options snd-hda-intel model=dell-headset-multi in /etc/modprobe.d/alsa-base.conf and reloaded ALSA, but it didnā€™t work.
    • I reloaded the ALSA modules using sudo alsa force-reload and restarted the system, but the microphone still isnā€™t detected.

  4. Additional Drivers:
    I checked Software & Updates under the Additional Drivers tab, but there are no extra drivers available for my microphone.

Summary: The microphone does not appear as an input device, and the system only detects the internal audio monitor. Iā€™m using an Intel ALC256 Analog device. Do you have any other ideas or suggestions?

4

I've found this thread here:

The Command is similar to Your's but there is set an index Value to it:

options snd-hda-intel index=0 model=laptop-dmic

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