Upgrade To ALSA 1.0.22 (And More) In Ubuntu Karmic

ALSA (Advanced Linux Sound Architecture) 1.0.22 was released about 2 weeks ago and if you are having sound issues and can't wait to upgrade, you you can already upgrade to ALSA 1.0.22.

Before you upgrade to ALSA 1.0.22 in Ubuntu Karmic, read this: only upgrade if you are experiencing sound issues. Also, it is recommended you have Kernel version 2.6.32.1 (like 2.6.32-9.13 or higher from Lucid - the PPA has this package if you wish to install it). Otherwise, it is possible that your computer's audio functionality may be limited or stop working altogether. You Have Been Warned!

Upgrading to ALSA 1.0.22 in Ubuntu Karmic

Let's add the PPA. Open a terminal and paste this:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ricotz/unstable

This PPA comes with ALSA 1.0.22, Pulseaudio 0.9.21, Kernel 2.6.32-9.13 and some other packages which you can view HERE. You have two ways you can upgrade to ALSA 1.0.22 (and other packages):


a) Only upgrade the packages you want and then remove the PPA:

To do this, after adding the PPA using the command above, open a terminal and paste this:

sudo apt-get update

Do not do any apt-get upgrade or dist-upgrade!

Then go to System > Administration > Synaptic Package Manager, on the left - bottom options -> click on "Status" and then on the top left, click on "Installed (Upgradable)", then select the packages you want to upgrade and click "Apply". Here are all these steps in a single screenshot:

Then, go to System > Administration > Software Sources, and on the second tab called "Other Software", look for "http://ppa.launchpad.net/ricotz/unstable/ubuntu" and remove it. Then, to make sure you won't install other software from this PPA repository, run this once again:

sudo apt-get update

b) Upgrade all the packages

To upgrade to ALSA 1.0.22, Pulseaudio 0.9.21, Kernel 2.6.32-9.13 and more, paste this in a terminal:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get dist-upgrade