max volume setting won't "stick"
Karl Auer
Ubuntu 10.10, the sound applet on the task bar. If I open the "sound
preferences" dialogue, I see the output level is at about 60%. The
applet itself, and all other applications, treat that as the maximum
volume. That is, the most I can get out of my computer is about 60% of
the maximum volume I know it is capable of.
If I change the output level in the sound applet's "sound preferences"
to 100%, all sound gets much louder. I can do the same thing via
Applications->Preferences->Sound - it's the identical dialogue. However,
the change does not "stick". As soon as I change the sound level (by
adjusting the applet slider), the volume drops back. Opening the applet
"sound preferences" dialogue then shows the output level back at about
60%.
Interestingly, if I use the keyboard buttons to change the volume, the
volume goes backwards in small increments OK, but as long as it is above
about 60% it cannot be increased. Once it goes below about 60%, it can
be increased up to about 60%, but there is no way back up beyond about
60%.
What is limiting the maximum volume?
My googling reveals some bugs and comments that seem similar. Most boil
down to pulseaudio operating via a lower-level ALSA layer which limits
the volume. When I run amixer to look at the ALSA settings, I see this
for the master volume control:
Simple mixer control 'Master',0
Capabilities: pvolume pvolume-joined pswitch pswitch-joined penum
Playback channels: Mono
Limits: Playback 0 - 64
Mono: Playback 64 [100%] [0.00dB] [on]
That playback *limit* of 64 looks a bit suspicious. Setting the volume
lower than 60% makes that "Playback 64" change to "Playback XX" where XX
is some value lower than 64. Setting the volume higher will not change
that "Playback" value to anything higher than 64. BUT! The volume can
clearly go higher, and indeed DOES go higher if I set the output level
high in sound preferences.
So the limit shown in amixer does seem to be the problem - I can't set
that value higher than 64. But I *can* increase the volume via
pulseaudio!
In short, the problem is not that I can't get a high volume, it is that
the setting for high volume won't "stick".
Any ideas?
Regards, K.
--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Karl Auer (ka...@biplane.com.au)
http://www.biplane.com.au/kauer
GPG fingerprint: AE1D 4868 6420 AD9A A698 5251 1699 7B78 4EEE 6017
Old fingerprint: DA41 51B1 1481 16E1 F7E2 B2E9 3007 14ED 5736 F687
Marius Gedminas
> Hopefully someone out there can save me a bit of searching time:
>
> Ubuntu 10.10, the sound applet on the task bar. If I open the "sound
> preferences" dialogue, I see the output level is at about 60%.
Is there a little mark under it? That's the 100% volume mark.
This dialog lets you turn the volume beyond 100% (by telling PulseAudio
to amplify the sound in software, which can cause clipping and loss of
quality).
All the other controls (such as volume keys etc.) limit the volume to 100%.
> In short, the problem is not that I can't get a high volume, it is that
> the setting for high volume won't "stick".
If you need this software amplification, use the sound preferences to
enable it and then don't touch the volume.
Marius Gedminas
--
"If we were meant to fly, we wouldn't keep losing our luggage."
Ric Moore
> Hopefully someone out there can save me a bit of searching time:
>
> Ubuntu 10.10, the sound applet on the task bar. If I open the "sound
> preferences" dialogue, I see the output level is at about 60%. The
> applet itself, and all other applications, treat that as the maximum
> volume. That is, the most I can get out of my computer is about 60% of
> the maximum volume I know it is capable of.
>
what alsa is set to. If you set alsamixer to 50%, pulse will show 100%
of of what is actually 50%. This should fix it for you. Ric
--
My father, Victor Moore (Vic) used to say:
"There are two Great Sins in the world...
..the Sin of Ignorance, and the Sin of Stupidity.
Only the former may be overcome." R.I.P. Dad.
http://linuxcounter.net/user/44256.html
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Marius Gedminas
> On 03/16/2012 08:00 AM, Karl Auer wrote:
> >Hopefully someone out there can save me a bit of searching time:
> >
> >Ubuntu 10.10, the sound applet on the task bar. If I open the "sound
> >preferences" dialogue, I see the output level is at about 60%. The
> >applet itself, and all other applications, treat that as the maximum
> >volume. That is, the most I can get out of my computer is about 60% of
> >the maximum volume I know it is capable of.
> >
> Use alsamixer first! pavucontrol second.
That is a strange suggestion.
> Pulse merely sits on top of
> what alsa is set to. If you set alsamixer to 50%, pulse will show
> 100% of of what is actually 50%. This should fix it for you. Ric
I've a feeling it won't, if the issue is what I understood it to be
(PA's software amplification to 150% can't be enabled with alsamixer).
Marius Gedminas
--
Read what I mean, not what I write.
Basil Chupin
Oh dear, oh dear :-( .
*YOU* are the one having a problem. YOU are being given *good* *advice*
- but which you, as the know-all, consider to be "a strange suggestion".
Next time you have a problem and ask for help I certainly won't try and
help you - you can go and jump.
BC
--
The vulgar crowd always is taken by appearances, and the world consists chiefly of the vulgar.
Niccolo Machiavelli
Karl Auer
> Oh dear, oh dear :-( .
>
> *YOU* are the one having a problem. YOU are being given *good*
> *advice* - but which you, as the know-all, consider to be "a strange
> suggestion".
>
> Next time you have a problem and ask for help I certainly won't try
> and help you - you can go and jump.
Um - I (the OP) didn't write that. The various levels of quote make it
look like I did, but I have not responded yet to any of the suggestions,
because they all either restate the problem or have misunderstood it
(though I do appreciate the effort they went to).
The above exchange is actually two responders to my OP arguing :-)
Regards, K.
--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Karl Auer (ka...@biplane.com.au)
http://www.biplane.com.au/kauer
GPG fingerprint: AE1D 4868 6420 AD9A A698 5251 1699 7B78 4EEE 6017
Old fingerprint: DA41 51B1 1481 16E1 F7E2 B2E9 3007 14ED 5736 F687