I had this issue with pulseaudio.  With default compile and install.  It just wouldn't load my alsa stuff.  ALSA worked fine, I could play through all 3 sound devices with a play.

[ken@ken ~/pulseaudio-0.9.21]$ /usr/bin/pulseaudio
W: module.c: module-detect is deprecated: Please use module-udev-detect instead of module-detect!
E: module.c: Failed to open module "module-alsa-sink": file not found
E: module.c: Failed to open module "module-alsa-sink": file not found
E: module.c: Failed to open module "module-alsa-source": file not found
E: module.c: Failed to open module "module-alsa-sink": file not found
E: module.c: Failed to open module "module-alsa-source": file not found
W: module.c: module-oss is deprecated: Please use module-alsa-card instead of module-oss!
W: oss-util.c: '/dev/dsp' doesn't support full duplex
W: module.c: module-oss is deprecated: Please use module-alsa-card instead of module-oss!
W: module.c: module-oss is deprecated: Please use module-alsa-card instead of module-oss!
W: module-oss.c: mmap(PROT_READ) failed, reverting to non-mmap mode: Input/output error
E: module-oss.c: Failed to read data from DSP: Invalid argument

I did a bunch of stuff, like totally replace ALSA kernel modules and libs with 1.0.22.  Didn't work.  Then, back with aplay, the new aplay, I get this:

[ken@ken ~/pulseaudio-0.9.21]$ aplay -D hw:1,0 ~/exclude/pb/track15.cdda.wav
Playing WAVE '/home/ken/exclude/pb/track15.cdda.wav' : Signed 16 bit Little Endian, Rate 44100 Hz, Stereo
aplay: relocation error: aplay: symbol snd_pcm_hw_params_is_monotonic, version ALSA_0.9 not defined in file libasound.so.2 with link time reference

So, I notice that I've got a /lib/libasound.so.2 and a /usr/lib/libasound.so.2 and that the one in /lib is old, so I nuke it.

[ken@ken aplay]$ locate libasound.so
/lib/libasound.so.2
/lib/libasound.so.2.0.0
/usr/lib/libasound.so
/usr/lib/libasound.so.2
/usr/lib/libasound.so.2.0.0

I try a play again, and I get this:

[ken@ken aplay]$ aplay ~/exclude/pb/track13.cdda.wav 
ALSA lib pcm_direct.c:1608:(snd1_pcm_direct_parse_open_conf) The field ipc_gid must be a valid group (create group audio)

So I add and "audio" group with groupadd.  Viola!  Pulseaudio works.

-KB