Arch Linux

aurabindo

Member

From: Toronto

Registered: 2012-05-26

Posts: 41

Website

Low volume for when playing videos on Pipewire

Hi,

When I'm using pulseaudio, in Alsamixer, for my sound card, I can see "Master" and "PCM" volume controls. Usually when overall volume sounds low, it so happens that PCM audio level would be very low.

After installing archlinux and configuring pipewire, alsamixer options for the audio cards in my system does not show a PCM control knob. Overall volume is quite low because of it when playing via speakers. Is pipewire failing to expose some volume controls which I need ?

V1del

Forum Moderator

Registered: 2012-10-16

Posts: 23,944

Re: Low volume for when playing videos on Pipewire

Pipewire can't have any effect showing you the real card controls you see in alsamixer if you invoke them on your actual card (i.e. alsamixer -c0). Generally pipewire and pulse mask the different distinct controls you see and combine them into a single logical one using some heuristic on whether then need to adjust "just" the master and the PCM or a combination of the two.

So yes pipewire hides controls, but pulse would've generally done the same, and neither has an effect if you invoke alsamixer correctly.

So what's your actual situation?

amixer -c0
pactl list-sinks

aurabindo

Member

From: Toronto

Registered: 2012-05-26

Posts: 41

Website

Re: Low volume for when playing videos on Pipewire

Thanks for the response. Here are the outputs you've asked:

[aj@aura-thinkpad ~]$ amixer -c0
Simple mixer control 'IEC958',0
  Capabilities: pswitch pswitch-joined
  Playback channels: Mono
  Mono: Playback [on]
Simple mixer control 'IEC958',1
  Capabilities: pswitch pswitch-joined
  Playback channels: Mono
  Mono: Playback [on]
Simple mixer control 'IEC958',2
  Capabilities: pswitch pswitch-joined
  Playback channels: Mono
  Mono: Playback [on]

[aj@aura-thinkpad ~]$ pactl list sinks
Sink #59
        State: SUSPENDED
        Name: alsa_output.pci-0000_07_00.6.HiFi__hw_Generic_1__sink
        Description: Family 17h (Models 10h-1fh) HD Audio Controller Speaker + Headphones
        Driver: PipeWire
        Sample Specification: s32le 2ch 48000Hz
        Channel Map: front-left,front-right
        Owner Module: 4294967295
        Mute: no
        Volume: front-left: 65536 / 100% / 0.00 dB,   front-right: 65536 / 100% / 0.00 dB
                balance 0.00
        Base Volume: 65536 / 100% / 0.00 dB
        Monitor Source: alsa_output.pci-0000_07_00.6.HiFi__hw_Generic_1__sink.monitor
        Latency: 0 usec, configured 0 usec
        Flags: HARDWARE HW_MUTE_CTRL HW_VOLUME_CTRL DECIBEL_VOLUME LATENCY 
        Properties:
                object.path = "alsa:pcm:1:hw:Generic_1:playback"
                api.alsa.path = "hw:Generic_1"
                api.alsa.open.ucm = "true"
                api.alsa.pcm.card = "1"
                api.alsa.pcm.stream = "playback"
                audio.channels = "2"
                audio.position = "FL,FR"
                device.routes = "2"
                alsa.mixer_device = "_ucm0007.hw:Generic_1"
                alsa.resolution_bits = "16"
                device.api = "alsa"
                device.class = "sound"
                alsa.class = "generic"
                alsa.subclass = "generic-mix"
                alsa.name = "ALC257 Analog"
                alsa.id = "ALC257 Analog"
                alsa.subdevice = "0"
                alsa.subdevice_name = "subdevice #0"
                alsa.device = "0"
                alsa.card = "1"
                alsa.card_name = "HD-Audio Generic"
                alsa.long_card_name = "HD-Audio Generic at 0xfd3c0000 irq 110"
                alsa.driver_name = "snd_hda_intel"
                device.profile.name = "HiFi: hw:Generic_1: sink"
                device.profile.description = "Speaker + Headphones"
                card.profile.device = "0"
                device.id = "48"
                factory.name = "api.alsa.pcm.sink"
                priority.driver = "936"
                priority.session = "936"
                media.class = "Audio/Sink"
                node.nick = "HD-Audio Generic"
                node.name = "alsa_output.pci-0000_07_00.6.HiFi__hw_Generic_1__sink"
                device.description = "Family 17h (Models 10h-1fh) HD Audio Controller Speaker + Headphones"
                device.icon_name = "audio-card"
                device.bus = "pci"
                device.bus_path = "pci-0000:07:00.6"
                node.pause-on-idle = "false"
                factory.id = "18"
                client.id = "32"
                clock.quantum-limit = "8192"
                node.driver = "true"
                factory.mode = "merge"
                audio.adapt.follower = ""
                library.name = "audioconvert/libspa-audioconvert"
                object.id = "60"
                object.serial = "59"
                node.max-latency = "16384/48000"
        Ports:
                [Out] Speaker: Speaker (type: Speaker, priority: 100, availability unknown)
                [Out] Headphones: Headphones (type: Headphones, priority: 200, availability group: Headphone, not available)
        Active Port: [Out] Speaker
        Formats:
                pcm

V1del

Forum Moderator

Registered: 2012-10-16

Posts: 23,944

Re: Low volume for when playing videos on Pipewire

amixer -c1

would be for the correct card in this case, since -c0 reads like a dedicated HDMI card. (and of course you can also use alsamixer instead, but for posting text to a text board, amixer has the more concise representation, from an end user perspective it doesn't matter which of the tools you use)

Last edited by V1del (2022-02-28 15:44:26)

aurabindo

Member

From: Toronto

Registered: 2012-05-26

Posts: 41

Website

Re: Low volume for when playing videos on Pipewire

amixer -c2 appers to be the one giving me something useful. The limits 0-87 looks fishy to me:

[aj@aura-thinkpad ~]$ amixer -c2
Simple mixer control 'Master',0
  Capabilities: pvolume pvolume-joined pswitch pswitch-joined
  Playback channels: Mono
  Limits: Playback 0 - 87
  Mono: Playback 87 [100%] [0.00dB] [on]
Simple mixer control 'Headphone',0
  Capabilities: pvolume pswitch
  Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right
  Limits: Playback 0 - 87
  Mono:
  Front Left: Playback 52 [60%] [-26.25dB] [off]
  Front Right: Playback 52 [60%] [-26.25dB] [off]
Simple mixer control 'Speaker',0
  Capabilities: pvolume pswitch
  Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right
  Limits: Playback 0 - 87
  Mono:
  Front Left: Playback 87 [100%] [0.00dB] [on]
  Front Right: Playback 87 [100%] [0.00dB] [on]
Simple mixer control 'Mic ACP LED',0
  Capabilities: cswitch cswitch-joined
  Capture channels: Mono
  Mono: Capture [on]
Simple mixer control 'Mic Boost',0
  Capabilities: volume
  Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right
  Capture channels: Front Left - Front Right
  Limits: 0 - 3
  Front Left: 0 [0%] [0.00dB]
  Front Right: 0 [0%] [0.00dB]
Simple mixer control 'Capture',0
  Capabilities: cvolume cswitch
  Capture channels: Front Left - Front Right
  Limits: Capture 0 - 63
  Front Left: Capture 38 [60%] [11.25dB] [off]
  Front Right: Capture 38 [60%] [11.25dB] [off]
Simple mixer control 'Auto-Mute Mode',0
  Capabilities: enum
  Items: 'Disabled' 'Enabled'
  Item0: 'Disabled'

V1del

Forum Moderator

Registered: 2012-10-16

Posts: 23,944

Re: Low volume for when playing videos on Pipewire

Those limits are in the codec, pipewire should not have an effect here, what is possible is a kernel upgrade, assuming you're certain they were higher before. But also more generally to look at the entire stack, what does

pactl list sink-inputs

during reproduction of the issue, like did you check and make sure the actual control of the video player is not lower? Did you potentially use an overdrive e.g. higher than 100% volume on pulse and that's what you're seeing? There are also some knobs you might've set that have an effect on "perceived" loudness but are technically not related to the volume like enabling LFE remixing or so, but this would be conscious and is not enabled on stock pulse.