I'm not ubuntullo but if you use pulseaudio, there is the `pulse'
plugin for alsa. You can write a `.asoundrc' file in your HOME
directory with

pcm.!default {                                                                                                  
        type pulse                                                                                              
}                                                                                                               

ctl.!default {                                                                                                  
        type pulse                                                                                              
}   

It uses the default pulse sink (you can change it at runtime).
Without pulseaudio, you can see the number of your card

  cat /proc/asound/cards

and the lines for .asoundrc are

pcm.!default {
        type hw
        card YOUR_CARD_NUMBER
}

ctl.!default {
        type hw
        card YOUR_CARD_NUMBER
}

tito

On Thu, Aug 02, 2012 at 03:27:23PM +0200, joachim heintz wrote:
> this is a bit off topic, but perhaps one of the linux people here can help.
> 
> i want to set my emu0202 usb soundcard to the primary alsa device, so 
> that it can be called as -odac from csound.
> 
> in usual ubuntu, this is easy to do with the gnome volume control. there 
> is a switch for selecting the primary device.
> 
> now i am using ubuntu studio (12.04), and i can't find a switch like 
> this in the pulse audio volume control (pavucontrol), or anywhere else.
> 
> does anyone know how to do this? is there perhaps any simple command?
> 
> thanks in advance -
> 
> 	joachim