I have at least 40 different TW, Slowroll and Leap installations using KDE3,
mostly to the exclusion of any other DE installed besides IceWM. Since early last
year, typically right after a zypper up or dup, I've been collecting inventories
on them of installed sound-related packages, and setup options, such as from
inxi -ASaz
alsactl info
wpctl status
pw-cli list-objects Device
pw-cli list-objects Node
aplay -lL
systemctl --global --user status pipewire.{service,socket}
systemctl --global --user status wireplumber
and sometimes others. The attachment is one such collection from 15.5.
I've been hoping to find the right combination such that alsa, pipewire and/or
jack sound always works for everything that uses it - without requiring
pavucontrol or pulseaudio be installed. WRT KMix it seems I have narrowed down
what is required or not when the audio connection is the pinjack output of
motherboard or discrete audio card, or a laptop's built in speakers, but not if
output is expected from HDMI or DP, whether from discrete GPU card or from
motherboard graphics outputs. Even when KDE3 system sounds work through HDMI or
DP, KMix seems oblivious to possible existence of speakers attached to the ends of
DP or HDMI ports.
It seems there must be somewhere that the default audio output needs to be
registered according to what is connected, or specifically as desired, but I've
been unable to locate any such setting, while KMix seems must be permanently
directed to the analog output in every case one exists, which is virtually always.
Trying to configure KDE3 sound through KControl on these produces:
"Unable to start the sound server to retrieve possible sound I/O methods. Only
automatic detection will be available."
With KDE3 system sounds, automatic detection is obviously working, but not for
KMix3. HDA Intel HDMI can be selected from the mixer window, but all that window
shows are yellow dots for e.g. 3 IEC958s - sans vertical sliders.
I note that all my most recent PCs have only Intel CPUs with integrated GPU, and
all have multiple digital outputs, either one DVI and one HDMI, one DVI, one DP
and one HDMI, or one DP and two HDMI. Normally when in use these PCs are using all
2 or 3 available digital video outputs, and those displays getting HDMI or DP
input have speakers I wish used.
Does anyone here know what is happening, or not, that keeps KMix3 from using any
DP or HDMI Intel HDA output? Is this a known KDE3-specific issue? I suspect it
shouldn't be, because on TDE and Plasma installations the problem is similar, just
less clearly analog-works, digital-not, with different mixer UIs.
Can a disabling of analog out or preference to digital out be made by the system,
and to be recognized by KMix? Is there some secret method of configuring KMix to
see the digital out? If I were to report on b.o.o. is there any likelihood
somebody would try to fix it? If would be nice if we still have KDE3 in 15.6 and
16.0 that audio would just work without including pulseaudio to degrade audio
performance.
--
Evolution as taught in public schools is, like religion,
based on faith, not based on science.
Team OS/2 ** Reg. Linux User #211409 ** a11y rocks!
Felix Miata
