Red Hat Bugzilla – Bug 488779
Sound Preferences sets input level too high.
Last modified: 2009-03-19 11:56:38 EDT
I wanted to test my microphone with pulse audio. It did not work. In the preferences, the slider was set to max. I checked alsamixer, which showed the level was 150%. Changing it there, it reset to 100% max. Tested, it works! Sound Preferences should not offer to set the level higher than alsamixer would. Note: I have checked the same using my usb headset. Input actually works with the slider set to max (>100% too) but the sound quality is very bad this way. Setting the level to 100% in alsamixer works best in this case, too.
Created attachment 334168 [details] Screenshot
If it sounds bad, it's PA's fault. FWIW, it goes up to 150% thanks to this bug: http://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=567536
Shouldn't bug 567536 be fixed in the 2.25.92 gnome-media package that is in RawHide atm?
And it is. I think you're misunderstanding. The fact that the volume goes to 150% for inputs isn't a bug, it's a feature. Read the upstream bug.
The PA and ALSA volumes are not directly related. PA's volumes are solely based on the dB information from the sound card. The result is that 100% in PA does not need to match up with 100% of the ALSA sound card. I think this bug report is mostly due to a misunderstanding regarding how the volume values are related to each other. Closing.
PulseAudio? ALSA? (In reply to comment #5) > I think this bug report is mostly due to a misunderstanding regarding how the > volume values are related to each other. Closing. Why would a user care how different parts of the linux sound eco system work (or even know they exist). If this is still the case => FAIL. I was hoping PulseAudio would finally fix issues like this...
We try to hide as much ugly stuff below PA as we can. But if you bypass PA then you will of course need to notice that there are certain differences between how PA and ALSA handles things. What did you expect?