[SOLVED] Cannot restore application volume after it goes to zero

anatolik · 2014-08-09 18:28:06

About a week ago I spotted an issue on my [testing] Arch. The issue looks related to the recent xorg update.

I use keyboard volume button to set Banshee player volume level. The keyboard is Targus AKB04US if it matters. The volume up/down work fine until I set volume to zero. After that I cannot restore volume back. The only way to do it is to go to "Sound" app to tab named "Application" and set volume for Banshee to non-zero value. After that I can use up/down keyboard buttons again. I see some cryptic messages in my log when volume goes to zero:

Aug 09 11:26:36 argo gdm-Xorg-:0[294]: The XKEYBOARD keymap compiler (xkbcomp) reports:
Aug 09 11:26:36 argo gdm-Xorg-:0[294]: > Warning: Compat map for group 2 redefined
Aug 09 11:26:36 argo gdm-Xorg-:0[294]: > Using new definition
Aug 09 11:26:36 argo gdm-Xorg-:0[294]: > Warning: Compat map for group 3 redefined
Aug 09 11:26:36 argo gdm-Xorg-:0[294]: > Using new definition
Aug 09 11:26:36 argo gdm-Xorg-:0[294]: > Warning: Compat map for group 4 redefined
Aug 09 11:26:36 argo gdm-Xorg-:0[294]: > Using new definition
Aug 09 11:26:36 argo gdm-Xorg-:0[294]: Errors from xkbcomp are not fatal to the X server

Does anybody see the same issue? Any way to fix/workaround it?

Last edited by anatolik (2014-08-09 20:33:37)

emeres · 2014-08-09 18:45:16

So you are using XF86Audio keys with that keyboard? Does xdotool bring Banshee back from mute?

xdotool key XF86AudioRaiseVolume
xdotool key XF86AudioMute

Edit: Did you specify anything for Xkb extension in xorg.conf or used any other application customizing the default settings?

Last edited by emeres (2014-08-09 18:50:58)

anatolik · 2014-08-09 19:25:48

emeres wrote:

So you are using XF86Audio keys with that keyboard? Does xdotool bring Banshee back from mute?
xdotool key XF86AudioRaiseVolume
xdotool key XF86AudioMute

I tried it and it does not restore *application specific* volume for Banshee. It works the same way as I press VolumeUp i.e. it increases *system volume*. Other applications that use system volume (such as web browsers) are fine, but applications that use their own volume level (Banshee, deadbeef player...) are stuck at zero.

emeres wrote:

Edit: Did you specify anything for Xkb extension in xorg.conf or used any other application customizing the default settings?

My /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d is empty. I explicitly avoid touching that beast (xorg config files). I did not modify any of the keyboard/xorg setting recently.

emeres · 2014-08-09 20:03:05

I misunderstood the situation. So when you set the master level down all the application specific volumes get also down, or at least does the volume of Banshee go down? Do you use pulseaudio?

Edit: Let me restate that: What exactly do you control with keyboard volume keys? System (master) level of your sound card, Banshee volume or both/custom/unique? If you set the master level down in pulseaudio, and the application specific volumes also go down, after which only system volume goes up, I would consider normal behaviour. Should also the Banshee volume shortcuts be bound to the same keys, then yes, there is a problem.

I also found these: https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?pid=1105212
https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=77504

Last edited by emeres (2014-08-09 20:23:26)

anatolik · 2014-08-09 20:24:24

emeres wrote:

I misunderstood the situation. So when you set the master level down all the application specific volumes get also down, or at least does the volume of Banshee go down? Do you use pulseaudio?

Currently I have only one application with a separate volume control (Banshee) and it is indeed goes down with the master volume. Once Banshee level reaches zero it does not go up if I press VolumeUp, only master level goes up.

I have pulse installed:

$ pacman -Qd | grep pulse
libcanberra-pulse 0.30-4
libpulse 5.0-1
pulseaudio 5.0-1
pulseaudio-alsa 2-3

lucke · 2014-08-09 20:28:44

Perhaps disable flat volumes? https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Pu … s_adjusted

emeres · 2014-08-09 20:31:14

Did you check pulseaudios wiki? Read both chapters. Again, I would consider this normal behaviour, but I do not use PA any more, so maybe it is unique. Does the volume change when using 'amixer sset Master 1%+'?

anatolik · 2014-08-09 20:33:00

lucke wrote:

Perhaps disable flat volumes? https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Pu … s_adjusted

Yay, it works! Thanks a lot!

Although I swear that volume worked fine with flat volume until recently. I am going to post a message to that xorg bug.

Arch Linux

#1 2014-08-09 18:28:06

[SOLVED] Cannot restore application volume after it goes to zero

#2 2014-08-09 18:45:16

Re: [SOLVED] Cannot restore application volume after it goes to zero

#3 2014-08-09 19:25:48

Re: [SOLVED] Cannot restore application volume after it goes to zero

#4 2014-08-09 20:03:05

Re: [SOLVED] Cannot restore application volume after it goes to zero

#5 2014-08-09 20:24:24

Re: [SOLVED] Cannot restore application volume after it goes to zero

#6 2014-08-09 20:28:44

Re: [SOLVED] Cannot restore application volume after it goes to zero

#7 2014-08-09 20:31:14

Re: [SOLVED] Cannot restore application volume after it goes to zero

#8 2014-08-09 20:33:00

Re: [SOLVED] Cannot restore application volume after it goes to zero

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