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Member

Registered: 2021-02-22

Posts: 2

Blue Yeti "Mic Playback"/loopback missing from Pulseaudio

I have the original Blue Yeti microphone that I use as my day-to-day microphone/sound card.

My issue: The Yeti has a built-in loopback/monitor of the microphone input that does not show up in Pulseaudio but does in Alsa/Alsamixer. The loopback only affects the headphone jack on the microphone itself, and will unmute itself on every reboot (unless the alsa state is stored).

My current solution: I can mute/unmute the loopback in alsamixer or in amixer using amixer -c 3 sset Mic unmute and save the configuration to persist across reboots with alsactl store

Expected behaviour: A sink/option in Pulseaudio to control the internal playback.

Command dump: (trimmed to remove anything that is clearly non-Yeti like the simultaneous and nvidia outputs)

amixer -c 3 scontents

Simple mixer control 'Speaker',0
  Capabilities: pvolume pswitch pswitch-joined
  Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right
  Limits: Playback 0 - 40
  Mono:
  Front Left: Playback 21 [52%] [-19.00dB] [on]
  Front Right: Playback 21 [52%] [-19.00dB] [on]
Simple mixer control 'Mic',0
  Capabilities: pvolume cvolume pswitch pswitch-joined cswitch cswitch-joined
  Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right
  Capture channels: Front Left - Front Right
  Limits: Playback 0 - 37 Capture 0 - 22
  Front Left: Playback 26 [70%] [-4.00dB] [off] Capture 22 [100%] [14.00dB] [on]
  Front Right: Playback 26 [70%] [-4.00dB] [off] Capture 22 [100%] [14.00dB] [on]

amixer -c 3 contents

numid=3,iface=MIXER,name='Mic Playback Switch'
  ; type=BOOLEAN,access=rw------,values=1
  : values=off
numid=4,iface=MIXER,name='Mic Playback Volume'
  ; type=INTEGER,access=rw---R--,values=2,min=0,max=37,step=0
  : values=26,26
  | dBminmax-min=-30.00dB,max=7.00dB
numid=7,iface=MIXER,name='Mic Capture Switch'
  ; type=BOOLEAN,access=rw------,values=1
  : values=on
numid=8,iface=MIXER,name='Mic Capture Volume'
  ; type=INTEGER,access=rw---R--,values=2,min=0,max=22,step=0
  : values=22,22
  | dBminmax-min=-8.00dB,max=14.00dB
numid=5,iface=MIXER,name='Speaker Playback Switch'
  ; type=BOOLEAN,access=rw------,values=1
  : values=on
numid=6,iface=MIXER,name='Speaker Playback Volume'
  ; type=INTEGER,access=rw---R--,values=2,min=0,max=40,step=0
  : values=21,21
  | dBminmax-min=-40.00dB,max=0.00dB
numid=2,iface=PCM,name='Capture Channel Map'
  ; type=INTEGER,access=r----R--,values=2,min=0,max=36,step=0
  : values=3,4
  | container
    | chmap-fixed=FL,FR
numid=1,iface=PCM,name='Playback Channel Map'
  ; type=INTEGER,access=r----R--,values=2,min=0,max=36,step=0
  : values=3,4
  | container
    | chmap-fixed=FL,FR

pacmd list-sinks

  * index: 0
	name: <alsa_output.usb-Blue_Microphones_Yeti_Stereo_Microphone_REV8-00.analog-stereo>
	driver: <module-alsa-card.c>
	flags: HARDWARE HW_MUTE_CTRL HW_VOLUME_CTRL DECIBEL_VOLUME LATENCY DYNAMIC_LATENCY
	state: RUNNING
	suspend cause: (none)
	priority: 9049
	volume: front-left: 31609 /  48% / -19.00 dB,   front-right: 31609 /  48% / -19.00 dB
	        balance 0.00
	base volume: 65536 / 100% / 0.00 dB
	volume steps: 65537
	muted: no
	current latency: 43.94 ms
	max request: 6 KiB
	max rewind: 6 KiB
	monitor source: 0
	sample spec: s16le 2ch 44100Hz
	channel map: front-left,front-right
	             Stereo
	used by: 2
	linked by: 5
	configured latency: 40.00 ms; range is 0.50 .. 2000.00 ms
	card: 2 <alsa_card.usb-Blue_Microphones_Yeti_Stereo_Microphone_REV8-00>
	module: 8
	properties:
		alsa.resolution_bits = "16"
		device.api = "alsa"
		device.class = "sound"
		alsa.class = "generic"
		alsa.subclass = "generic-mix"
		alsa.name = "USB Audio"
		alsa.id = "USB Audio"
		alsa.subdevice = "0"
		alsa.subdevice_name = "subdevice #0"
		alsa.device = "0"
		alsa.card = "3"
		alsa.card_name = "Yeti Stereo Microphone"
		alsa.long_card_name = "Blue Microphones Yeti Stereo Microphone at usb-0000:0b:00.3-2.4.4, full speed"
		alsa.driver_name = "snd_usb_audio"
		device.bus_path = "pci-0000:0b:00.3-usb-0:2.4.4:1.0"
		sysfs.path = "/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:08.1/0000:0b:00.3/usb7/7-2/7-2.4/7-2.4.4/7-2.4.4:1.0/sound/card3"
		udev.id = "usb-Blue_Microphones_Yeti_Stereo_Microphone_REV8-00"
		device.bus = "usb"
		device.vendor.id = "b58e"
		device.vendor.name = "Blue Microphones"
		device.product.id = "9e84"
		device.product.name = "Yeti Stereo Microphone"
		device.serial = "Blue_Microphones_Yeti_Stereo_Microphone_REV8"
		device.form_factor = "microphone"
		device.string = "front:3"
		device.buffering.buffer_size = "352800"
		device.buffering.fragment_size = "176400"
		device.access_mode = "mmap+timer"
		device.profile.name = "analog-stereo"
		device.profile.description = "Analog Stereo"
		device.description = "Yeti Stereo Microphone Analog Stereo"
		module-udev-detect.discovered = "1"
		device.icon_name = "audio-input-microphone-usb"
	ports:
		analog-output-speaker: Speakers (priority 10000, latency offset 0 usec, available: unknown)
			properties:
				device.icon_name = "audio-speakers"
	active port: <analog-output-speaker>

pacmd list-cards

   index: 2
	name: <alsa_card.usb-Blue_Microphones_Yeti_Stereo_Microphone_REV8-00>
	driver: <module-alsa-card.c>
	owner module: 8
	properties:
		alsa.card = "3"
		alsa.card_name = "Yeti Stereo Microphone"
		alsa.long_card_name = "Blue Microphones Yeti Stereo Microphone at usb-0000:0b:00.3-2.4.4, full speed"
		alsa.driver_name = "snd_usb_audio"
		device.bus_path = "pci-0000:0b:00.3-usb-0:2.4.4:1.0"
		sysfs.path = "/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:08.1/0000:0b:00.3/usb7/7-2/7-2.4/7-2.4.4/7-2.4.4:1.0/sound/card3"
		udev.id = "usb-Blue_Microphones_Yeti_Stereo_Microphone_REV8-00"
		device.bus = "usb"
		device.vendor.id = "b58e"
		device.vendor.name = "Blue Microphones"
		device.product.id = "9e84"
		device.product.name = "Yeti Stereo Microphone"
		device.serial = "Blue_Microphones_Yeti_Stereo_Microphone_REV8"
		device.form_factor = "microphone"
		device.string = "3"
		device.description = "Yeti Stereo Microphone"
		module-udev-detect.discovered = "1"
		device.icon_name = "audio-input-microphone-usb"
	profiles:
		input:analog-stereo: Analog Stereo Input (priority 65, available: unknown)
		input:iec958-stereo: Digital Stereo (IEC958) Input (priority 55, available: unknown)
		output:analog-stereo: Analog Stereo Output (priority 6500, available: unknown)
		output:analog-stereo+input:analog-stereo: Analog Stereo Duplex (priority 6565, available: unknown)
		output:analog-stereo+input:iec958-stereo: Analog Stereo Output + Digital Stereo (IEC958) Input (priority 6555, available: unknown)
		output:iec958-stereo: Digital Stereo (IEC958) Output (priority 5500, available: unknown)
		output:iec958-stereo+input:analog-stereo: Digital Stereo (IEC958) Output + Analog Stereo Input (priority 5565, available: unknown)
		output:iec958-stereo+input:iec958-stereo: Digital Stereo Duplex (IEC958) (priority 5555, available: unknown)
		off: Off (priority 0, available: unknown)
	active profile: <output:analog-stereo+input:analog-stereo>
	sinks:
		alsa_output.usb-Blue_Microphones_Yeti_Stereo_Microphone_REV8-00.analog-stereo/#0: Yeti Stereo Microphone Analog Stereo
	sources:
		alsa_output.usb-Blue_Microphones_Yeti_Stereo_Microphone_REV8-00.analog-stereo.monitor/#0: Monitor of Yeti Stereo Microphone Analog Stereo
		alsa_input.usb-Blue_Microphones_Yeti_Stereo_Microphone_REV8-00.analog-stereo/#1: Yeti Stereo Microphone Analog Stereo
	ports:
		analog-input-mic: Microphone (priority 8700, latency offset 0 usec, available: unknown)
			properties:
				device.icon_name = "audio-input-microphone"
		iec958-stereo-input: Digital Input (S/PDIF) (priority 0, latency offset 0 usec, available: unknown)
			properties:
				
		analog-output-speaker: Speakers (priority 10000, latency offset 0 usec, available: unknown)
			properties:
				device.icon_name = "audio-speakers"
		iec958-stereo-output: Digital Output (S/PDIF) (priority 0, latency offset 0 usec, available: unknown)
			properties:

The "monitor" listed in Pulseaudio is not the loopback I'm referring to - it is a loopback of any audio sent to the only sink. I've attempted all forms of muting/unmuting sinks within pavucontrol. Muting the audio source within pulseaudio does not mute the internal loopback, either; that can only be done within alsa.

c1t

Member

Registered: 2021-10-13

Posts: 1

Re: Blue Yeti "Mic Playback"/loopback missing from Pulseaudio

Hey,

thank you! I have the Blue Yeti too and the loopbook/monitor did work in the past and then suddenly it didn't work anymore. I read ton of pulseaudio documentation, I switched to pipewire but without any luck. With your post, I tried alsamixer and Just pressed M on the mic and voilà, I can hear myself! What a relief, particularly when you do a lot of meetings. Thanks again!

Cheers!