volume buttons control PCM instead of Master volume

[Bogdan Butnaru]

Ubuntu Feisty on a Dell Latitude D620 laptop.

I have three volume-related buttons above the keyboard, up, down and mute. They seem to be correctly detected: the keyboard shortcuts applet reports them as, respectively, 0xb0, 0xae and 0xa0. Each button generates the appropriate visual effect (a volume slider appears briefly on the screen, doing the expected action.) However, the behavior of the various volume control and player applications is inconsistent.

The main problem is that the volume up/down buttons control the PCM entry in the volume applet instead of the master volume.(*) This doesn't affect PulseAudio applications, and I use PA for pretty much everything.

(*: I think this was done in response to a bug that made the Master volume not affect either headphones or line out on some hardware. I've seen many reports like that on the web. I think this is not the proper way to fix the problem.)

Another (a bit less important) problem is that the mute key doesn't coordinate with the volume applet. When I press "mute" on the keyboard, the little volume slider appears on the screen, the sound mutes correctly, but the volume sliders don't display this (I can't use them to un-mute, either). In fact, the mute in the volume applets works in parallel, and the sound works only when both settings are un-muted.

I haven't been able to figure out what exactly happens when the volume keys are pressed -- i.e., what programs are run that change the volume and display the "volume changed" slider on the screen. I think the bug should be filed under that, if anyone knows please tell me.

[Bogdan Butnaru (bogdanb)]

In case it's interesting, the audio-related section of lspci:

00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) High Definition Audio Controller (rev 01)
        Subsystem: Dell Unknown device 01c2
        Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 20
        Memory at efebc000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=16K]
        Capabilities: [50] Power Management version 2
        Capabilities: [60] Message Signalled Interrupts: Mask- 64bit+ Queue=0/0 Enable-
        Capabilities: [70] Express Unknown type IRQ 0

[Brian Murray (brian-murray)]

Thanks for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. Could you please add the output requested at https://help.ubuntu.com/community/DebuggingSoundProblems ? Thanks in advance.

[董雅各 (jacob-rhoden)]

I am confirming this problem with my Asus W5F latop. The volume control keys are recognised, however they control the CD volume not the master volume. (Which is kind of useless to me) It worked fine until I upgraded from ubuntu 6.10 to ubuntu 7.04

[Matteo Collina (matteo-collina)]

I'm confirming the same problem.
I have an Asus A8Js.
I haven't got a "master" item in alsamixer. The volume control keys changes the "front" one which actually modify only the volume of the front speakers and so the "Headphone" volume isn't changed.
I think I have the same audio device:
00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) High Definition Audio Controller (rev 02)
I'm using Ubuntu 7.04.

[Nuno Cardoso (ncardoso-xldb)]

Yup, my Feisty @ D620 sometimes booted without volume. Pressing the buttons dfoes not change the volume. I had to go to alsamixer and change the PCM volume, to hear something. I guess the buttons are moving the wrong channel, or something...

[Santiago Canez (canez)]

Maybe you (the submitter) already knows this, but you can control what volume (PCM, Master, etc) the keyboard buttons change by selecting the required one under "Default Mixer Tracks" in Sound Preferences (System -> Preferences -> Sound). If your bug goes beyond this, then excuse this message :)

[Bogdan Butnaru (bogdanb)]

I've just tried this (I didn't know about it, thanks!), but it doesn't seem to work. That is, no matter what channel I pick the keys seem to move the same slider all the time, the PCM one. I'll have to try some rebooting tests later, but I can't use the sound right now.

[Matteo Collina (matteo-collina)]

Thanks! That solved my problem. So I haven't got a "master" volume but I can configure gnome to use both "headphone" and "front". So It might be a completely different problem!

[Juannjo (jujalovadz)]

Santiago :
I have a Dell Latitude 620 and since the first installation the volume buttons worked fine, until one upgrade about three months ago.
Now with your message I found the problem....and the control is back !
Thank's

[john brown (vulgusoccidio)]

i am using 7.04 and my alsa mixer doesnt do anything it slides up and down but does not actually control the volume i cant control the volume at all except in programs like movies player but thats only that volume not the master any ideas?

[Daniel T Chen (crimsun)]

This symptom is worked around by using System> Preferences> Sound> Devices> Default Mixer Tracks

[Matteo Collina (matteo-collina)]

I don't agree with you, because for a great user experience sound should "just work". Newbies will be scared.

It it's not fixable there should be a good help inside the Sound application that explain this issue and how to work around it.

[董雅各 (jacob-rhoden)]

When I first started using ubuntu one of the initial attractions to it
was the seeming attention to details, that is everythig "Just worked"
which was great. I thought great effort had gone into making sure ubuntu
worked properly for everyone without needing them to be too technical,
it seems things have gone downhill :(

Best regards,
Jacob

wisecapt wrote:
> ** Changed in: alsa-driver (Ubuntu)
> Status: New => Invalid
>
>

[Jeffonline (jeffonline)]

I'm under Ubuntu 9.04 Beta with STAC9750 and i have a multimedia keyboards on my Dell 9300 :
->Etiher I use pulseaudio (by default), and i can't use my multimedia keyboards to manage the volume because it will increase/decrease the master volume and not the PCM Volume
-> Either I select Alsa PCM by default Mixer and i can't use pulseaudio to have mutliples sounds in my Ubuntu...

Can we resolve this problem ?

[Ryan (ubuntu-draziw)]

Jeffonline: System -> Preferences -> Sound
 Try different options for 'Default Mixer Tracks' - the one working for me is Playback: HDA Intel - STAC92xx Analog (PulseAudio)

[Jeffonline (jeffonline)]

On my ubuntu 9..04rc fresh nstall :
With Pulseaudio, i don't have the choice (without capture, see my
screenshot). I have only master volume and i want pcm volume !

Thanks for you answer

Jeff

2009/4/14 Ryan <email address hidden>

> Jeffonline: System -> Preferences -> Sound
> Try different options for 'Default Mixer Tracks' - the one working for me
> is Playback: HDA Intel - STAC92xx Analog (PulseAudio)
>
> --
> volume buttons control PCM instead of Master volume
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/97530
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
>

[Jeffonline (jeffonline)]

On my ubuntu 9..04rc fresh install :
With Pulseaudio, i don't have the choice (without capture, see my screenshot). I have only master volume and i want pcm volume !

Thanks for you answer

Jeff