Arch Linux

knarh

Member

Registered: 2023-03-11

Posts: 58

how to change volume for application(alsa dmix with pipewire)

Hello,
I have pipewire and alsa configuration as here
Section 3.1.8

It was made to run mpd system-wide(multi-users)
Original forum post(linuxquestions.org)

Problem: when I have normal volume in browser, but very high in ncmpc(if I change master volum - browser too quiet,ncmpc-normal), I can't balance them, because in ncmpc volume changes - changes PCM in alsamixer volume, but it doesn't affect on anything.
Is there a solution to set volume setting for specific application? or make PCM volume work?

Thanks in advance.

V1del

Forum Moderator

Registered: 2012-10-16

Posts: 25,237

Re: how to change volume for application(alsa dmix with pipewire)

You should be able to lower the volume on the dmix sinks you allocated for pipewire, which should show up in pavucontrol and the like.

I generally strongly suggest you setup anonymous network access and use the standard pipewire/pulse backend "over the network": https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/PipeWi … he_network instead of this dmix hack, which by definition will make mpd control the HW PCM directly.... and if I'm reading this correctly basically thrashes all of the benefits of pipewire to run over dmix again with a static configuration...

Are you knowingly and intentionally doing multi-user access, do have an actual real use case for distinct system users on that particular system needing mpd to be ran in multi-user mode?

Last edited by V1del (2023-08-10 11:35:46)

knarh

Member

Registered: 2023-03-11

Posts: 58

Re: how to change volume for application(alsa dmix with pipewire)

Thanks for answering,

You should be able to lower the volume on the dmix sinks you allocated for pipewire

Mostly I don't understand that is pipewire sink, pcm, PCH and how pipewire works and benefits of it, is there any guide or user manual about sound in linux(and alsa configuration)?
So I can't lower pipewire sinks, because I don't even know that it is.

again with a static configuration...

What a static configuration?

Are you knowingly and intentionally doing multi-user access, do have an actual real use case for distinct system users on that particular system needing mpd to be ran in multi-user mode?

I don't know why, but I have main user and user for web(personalised)(sounds stupid maybe), so it's convenient to have 1 mpd for them.

UPD:Is there any simpler solutions? like using only alsa maybe?(I've needed pipewire only for bluetooth, but I don't need it anymore)

Last edited by knarh (2023-08-11 09:33:44)