Kmix and headphones

Axalon · 2012-02-25 20:58:07

I've been using KDE a bit and everything works how I want it to for the most part. However KMix seems to hate headphones. The headphones I use are Clearchat Comfort USB headphones by Logitech. First, a channel for them didn't appear until I logged back in with them plugged in, now I can go ahead and manipulate the volume level of that channel, however nothing I do will direct output to my headphones. I've looked around I think every single KMix menu, perhaps there is something I missed but what I have seen hasn't helped. In my Phonon settings I set my headphones as my preferred device but it still continues to use my PC speakers. I know that the problem isn't with my headphones, they work perfectly in Windows and Cinnamon, it's just KMix that seems to have a grudge against them. So any advice or magical incantations would be appreciated.

Xabre · 2012-02-25 21:28:20

Pulseaudio or plain alsa?

Axalon · 2012-02-25 23:22:22

Pulseaudio, I believe.

Alright, I've made some progress. Using pavucontrol I was able to set my headphones as the preferred output device for Amarok, so it uses them when they're plugged in. However, everything else, system sounds, my browser, etc. still only uses my speakers, I see no option to set all that to my headphones in pavucontrol. There are only two things in the playback tab, System sounds and Amarok, and only Amarok has any output options.

Last edited by Axalon (2012-02-26 03:20:39)

Maki · 2012-02-26 08:47:39

try changing the Profile in Configuration section in pulseaudio volume control. See if it works and if it works check the failback mode, disconnect your headphones and see if everything returns to default.

viperpaulo · 2012-02-26 11:48:19

I gess you do not use pulseaudio if you are using KDE, pulseaudio is for gnome.

I also have Logitech USB headphones and I'm using alsa to switch from usb to speakers, Kmix to set volume level.
First you have to find which cards are used for your headphones and for the speakers :

cat /proc/asound/cards

then edit your /etc/asound.conf, i consider card 0 as the speakers and card 1 as the USB one :

pcm.card0 {
    type hw
    card 0
# mmap_emulation true
}
pcm.dmix0 {
    type dmix
    ipc_key 34521
    slave {
        pcm "card0"
    }
}
pcm.dsnoop0 {
    type dsnoop
    ipc_key 34523
    slave {
        pcm "card0"
    }
}
pcm.asym0 {
    type asym
    playback.pcm "dmix0"
    capture.pcm "dsnoop0"
}
pcm.pasym0 {
    type plug
    slave.pcm "asym0"
}
# 'dsp0' is espected by OSS emulation etc.
pcm.dsp0 {
    type plug
    slave.pcm "asym0"
}
ctl.dsp0 {
    type hw
    card 0
}
pcm.card1 {
    type hw
    card 1
# mmap_emulation true
}
pcm.dmix1 {
    type dmix
    ipc_key 34521
    slave {
        pcm "card1"
    }
}
pcm.dsnoop1 {
    type dsnoop
    ipc_key 34523
    slave {
        pcm "card1"
    }
}

pcm.asym1 {
    type asym
    playback.pcm "dmix1"
    capture.pcm "dsnoop1"
}
pcm.pasym1 {
    type plug
    slave.pcm "asym1"
}
# 'dsp1' is espected by OSS emulation etc.
pcm.dsp1 {
    type plug
    slave.pcm "asym1"
}
ctl.dsp1 {
    type hw
    card 1
}
pcm.!default {
    type plug
    slave.pcm "asym0"
}
ctl.!default {
    type hw
    card 0
}

And finally in your ~/.asoundrc you put this code :

pcm.!default {
    type plug
    slave.pcm "asym0" # or asym1
}

At this step you can force your system to load speakers as card 0 and USB as card 1 by editing /etc/modprobe.d/modprobe.conf :

options snd-your-speakers-card index=0
options snd-your-usb-card index=1

I made a script to switch from asym0 (speakers) to asym1 (USB) in the ~/.asoundrc and associate it to a shortcut. Then if you want to use your USB headphones you should have asym1 defined before launching the application, and asym0 if you want to use speakers. Make shure that default is defined as default output in Phonon. I did not manage to automatically define the master pcm in Kmix, I switch manually the pcm in Kmix to use fn+f10/f11 to set the volume of the desired card.

Hope this helped and sorry for my poor english !

Last edited by viperpaulo (2012-02-26 11:52:26)

will.price94 · 2012-02-26 11:55:23

viperpaulo wrote:

I gess you do not use pulseaudio if you are using KDE, pulseaudio is for gnome.
...
I made a script to switch from asym0 (speakers) to asym1 (USB) in the ~/.asoundrc and associate it to a shortcut. Then if you want to use your USB headphones you should have asym1 defined before launching the application, and asym0 if you want to use speakers. Make shure that default is defined as default output in Phonon. I did not manage to automatically define the master pcm in Kmix, I switch manually the pcm in Kmix to use fn+f10/f11 to set the volume of the desired card.
Hope this helped and sorry for my poor english !

Using pavucontrol I was able to set my headphones as the preferred output device for Amarok

Sounds like he's using Pulseaudio and not ALSA, though I don't know whether that renders your solution invalid or not, I'm not familiar with how ALSA interacts with pulse.

Last edited by will.price94 (2012-02-26 11:55:46)

viperpaulo · 2012-02-26 12:00:32

I thought puleaudio was made for gnome desktop not for KDE, personnaly i recommand to use standard kde configuration : alsa+kmix+phonon.

will.price94 · 2012-02-26 12:13:35

viperpaulo wrote:

I thought puleaudio was made for gnome desktop not for KDE, personnaly i recommand to use standard kde configuration : alsa+kmix+phonon.

Fairly certain its desktop independent, can't see any mention of gnome branding on http://pulseaudio.org/

viperpaulo · 2012-02-26 12:29:06

Ok ! My bad !

Xabre · 2012-02-26 12:29:20

Made for Gnome!?!?!? A friend of mine used to think that Gentoo is a Gnome distribution simply because of that „G“ at the beggining.
I guess the same can be applied to Pulseaudio. Please.

@Axalon

Try using Veromix (kde mixer for pulseaudio) instead of KMix.

Last edited by Xabre (2012-02-26 12:30:07)

Arch Linux

#1 2012-02-25 20:58:07

Kmix and headphones

#2 2012-02-25 21:28:20

Re: Kmix and headphones

#3 2012-02-25 23:22:22

Re: Kmix and headphones

#4 2012-02-26 08:47:39

Re: Kmix and headphones

#5 2012-02-26 11:48:19

Re: Kmix and headphones

#6 2012-02-26 11:55:23

Re: Kmix and headphones

#7 2012-02-26 12:00:32

Re: Kmix and headphones

#8 2012-02-26 12:13:35

Re: Kmix and headphones

#9 2012-02-26 12:29:06

Re: Kmix and headphones

#10 2012-02-26 12:29:20

Re: Kmix and headphones

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