Arch Linux

evjp

Member

Registered: 2014-10-03

Posts: 5

Splitting front & back panel analog audio

Hello,

I'm new to arch linux, and I'm trying to reproduce what I was doing using Windows: I have my headphones and my speakers always connected to my computer, and I switched output "by the OS" whenever I wanted to.
Here, in arch linux, I see I have (in gnome sound panel) the two analog outputs I'd like to switch to when necessary: headphones and line-out.

However, both of them seem to output audio only to headphones.

I've tried different things:
- If I remove Auto-Mute, I can have the audio output on both front and back panel. However, if I re-enable it, I just have front panel analog audio
- I've tried this, without impact: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Pu … ont.2Frear

I guess it's not a real problem with pulse audio but more with drivers. However, I don't know how to fix it.

Would profiles help? http://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Softwar … /Profiles/
I doubt it, but if it's the way to go, I'd like to learn about it.

Here is info about my hardware:
http://pastebin.com/gnpw0bF4

And about my pulse audio sinks:
http://pastebin.com/zaeS0KD5

Last edited by evjp (2014-10-03 08:23:56)

evjp

Member

Registered: 2014-10-03

Posts: 5

Re: Splitting front & back panel analog audio

Is there someone who could point me to the direction to take?
Thank you in advance.

MSC

Member

Registered: 2014-07-13

Posts: 33

Re: Splitting front & back panel analog audio

Based on your description, I assume your speakers are plugged in to the back panel and your headphones are plugged in to the front? And you're trying to get output to one or the other, but not both?

One thing you could try is muting the headphone output before switching to line out in PulseAudio, or vice versa. See also if you can control the volume independently - can you turn the headphone volume all the way down without also silencing the speakers? Failing that, is auto-mute the only setting your card provides, or are there others? IIRC Gnome hides a lot of switches by default; you can see the full list of settings by running alsamixer in a terminal. You should also look over the ALSA page on the wiki if you haven't already. My guess is that it's not an issue with the hardware itself, but rather some setting that needs to be toggled.

evjp

Member

Registered: 2014-10-03

Posts: 5

Re: Splitting front & back panel analog audio

Based on your description, I assume your speakers are plugged in to the back panel and your headphones are plugged in to the front? And you're trying to get output to one or the other, but not both?

Indeed, they are both plugged at the same time, and I want to select my "unique" output.

One thing you could try is muting the headphone output before switching to line out in PulseAudio, or vice versa. See also if you can control the volume independently - can you turn the headphone volume all the way down without also silencing the speakers?

I can't control them independently. Turning the volume down for headphones silences the speakers.

Failing that, is auto-mute the only setting your card provides, or are there others? IIRC Gnome hides a lot of switches by default; you can see the full list of settings by running alsamixer in a terminal. You should also look over the ALSA page on the wiki if you haven't already. My guess is that it's not an issue with the hardware itself, but rather some setting that needs to be toggled.

I don't see much more in alsamixer... I've tried toggling everything up/down, the only way to output on the speakers (back panel) is to switch Auto-Mute on/off.

In the alsa page, I only see that part as relevant: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/AL … g_speakers However, it's for HDMI, which is not the case here.
Maybe changing alsa model?

I'm kinda lost...

kokoko3k

Member

Registered: 2008-11-14

Posts: 2,396

Re: Splitting front & back panel analog audio

If you identify what are the jacks on which automute works, then you could use jack-retask to map them to where you need, assuming it is compatible with your board.

Last edited by kokoko3k (2014-10-11 13:45:03)

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evjp

Member

Registered: 2014-10-03

Posts: 5

Re: Splitting front & back panel analog audio

Ok, I'm trying to follow your advice. Here is what I've done:
1) Override all the pins to "Not connected". No sound anymore -> good
2) Enable one by one the pins:
A) Pin 0x1b "Green Headphone, Front side" -> Good I have my headphone, and alsamixer just shows master. It's considered by pulseaudio as headphone. -> Great, I just need the other output to it.
B) Pin 0x14 "Green Line Out, Rear side" -> pulse audio see the 2 outputs, but mixes them together. The auto-mute selector appears in alsamixer directly, and allows me to mute the rear side speakers (and never the front side ones!)

I guess I've reached a bug. I don't know how to fix it. Or maybe should I use Advanced override, and go deeper there?

I guess I could now  use another Pin/Plug and remap it using jack retasking to line out for rear, but it's not my goal. My goal is to fix this issue.

Kr,

Last edited by evjp (2014-10-17 09:50:47)

evjp

Member

Registered: 2014-10-03

Posts: 5

Re: Splitting front & back panel analog audio

In order to test it, I've used hdajackretask and remapped another plug (the orange one: Pin 0x16) to line out(front). I've physically switched the speakers from green to the orange plug. Hdajackretasks works perfectly fine, my line out is in the orange plug.

However, this changes nothing for my usage:
- The sound ALWAYS outputs to my headphones
- The sound is muted by default on my line out when my headphones are plugged, whatever I chose for output.

Is there no way to split them?

Edit: I've also tried this: http://thomasa88.blogspot.be/2008/11/pu … hones.html and this http://alsa.opensrc.org/Splitting_front … _.asoundrc , no luck. It looks like a bug.

Last edited by evjp (2014-10-18 13:46:30)

Lazocar

Member

Registered: 2014-11-23

Posts: 1

Re: Splitting front & back panel analog audio

I have the same problem allways the sound over front headphone while the headphones are pluged in.
Can someone confirm that this is a bug or is there some workaround for this?