mate-volume-control forgets settings

[AndyP]

Every time I plug my headphones into my laptop, the volume settings get all wonky.
That is, Left-Right gets disconnected for Headphones, everything but Main Volume (and Line Boost) gets set to maximum volume, Line Boost and Headphones Left set to 0 and Main Volume near the max.
I can set it back to what I prefer no problem, but next time I pull them out and later back in while the laptop is running the volume settings get reset to the above.
Why does this happen and how do I fix it (provided the problem's on my end rather than a bug)?

[PatH57]

Hi,

please provide more details as of hw and drivers used.
run this in terminal and post back

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inxi -Fxz

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aplay -l

[AndyP]

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$ inxi -Fxz
System:    Host: ferret2 Kernel: 3.14-2-amd64 x86_64 (64 bit gcc: 4.8.3) Desktop: MATE 1.8.1 (Gtk 3.12.2) 
           Distro: Debian GNU/Linux jessie/sid 
Machine:   System: Hewlett-Packard product: HP EliteBook 8470p v: A1028C1100
           Mobo: Hewlett-Packard model: 179B v: KBC Version 42.32
           Bios: Hewlett-Packard v: 68ICF Ver. F.40 date: 01/31/2013
CPU:       Dual core Intel Core i5-3360M (-HT-MCP-) cache: 3072 KB
           flags: (lm nx sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3 vmx) bmips: 11174 
           Clock Speeds: 1: 1568 MHz 2: 3394 MHz 3: 3495 MHz 4: 1604 MHz
Graphics:  Card: Intel 3rd Gen Core processor Graphics Controller bus-ID: 00:02.0
           Display Server: X.Org 1.16.0 drivers: intel (unloaded: fbdev,vesa) Resolution: 1600x900@60.02hz
           GLX Renderer: Mesa DRI Intel Ivybridge Mobile GLX Version: 3.0 Mesa 10.2.4 Direct Rendering: Yes
Audio:     Card Intel 7 Series/C210 Series Family High Definition Audio Controller 
           driver: snd_hda_intel bus-ID: 00:1b.0 
           Sound: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture v: k3.14-2-amd64
Network:   Card-1: Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 driver: iwlwifi v: in-tree: bus-ID: 24:00.0
           IF: wlan0 state: up mac: <filter>
           Card-2: Intel 82579LM Gigabit Network Connection driver: e1000e v: 2.3.2-k port: 4060 bus-ID: 00:19.0
           IF: eth0 state: down mac: <filter>
Drives:    HDD Total Size: 750.2GB (49.0% used) ID-1: /dev/sda model: ST9750420AS size: 750.2GB temp: 46C
Partition: ID-1: / size: 392G used: 145G (39%) fs: ext3 dev: /dev/sda6 
           ID-2: swap-1 size: 8.44GB used: 0.00GB (0%) fs: swap dev: /dev/sda5 
Sensors:   System Temperatures: cpu: 58.0C mobo: 0.0C 
           Fan Speeds (in rpm): cpu: N/A 
Info:      Processes: 183 Uptime: 1:53 Memory: 1127.0/7869.5MB Init: systemd runlevel: 5 Gcc sys: 4.9.1 
           Client: Shell (bash 4.3.221) inxi: 2.1.28 

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$ aplay -l
**** Liste der Hardware-Geräte (PLAYBACK) ****
Karte 0: PCH [HDA Intel PCH], Gerät 0: 92HD81B1X5 Analog [92HD81B1X5 Analog]
  Sub-Geräte: 1/1
  Sub-Gerät #0: subdevice #0
Karte 0: PCH [HDA Intel PCH], Gerät 3: HDMI 0 [HDMI 0]
  Sub-Geräte: 1/1
  Sub-Gerät #0: subdevice #0
Karte 0: PCH [HDA Intel PCH], Gerät 7: HDMI 1 [HDMI 1]
  Sub-Geräte: 1/1
  Sub-Gerät #0: subdevice #0
Karte 0: PCH [HDA Intel PCH], Gerät 8: HDMI 2 [HDMI 2]
  Sub-Geräte: 1/1
  Sub-Gerät #0: subdevice #0

[PatH57]

I see you are running kernel 3.14-2 ?
try 3.14.17 as it has a lot more fixes.

[AndyP]

Tbh, somehow I doubt it's a kernel issue.
At least part of what it's doing is probably working as intended and appreciated. It seems to remember two sets of audio settings: One with headphones plugged in and one without, and it automatically switches between them. So far so good, awesome even. Except sometimes it doesn't remember what the other setting was last set to. At the moment it seems to have finally saved a more normal setting for the headphones, but I have no idea why that time it saved the new settings when at other times it refused to. And it seems this time the no-headphones setting is stuck at muted now, which is fine with me atm, but I'd really like to know what makes it remember one change and forget another.

[AndyP]

Nvm the comment about it being different now. Just disconnected and then reconnected the headphones some minutes ago and the sound was coming only from the right. Checked mate-volume-control and sure enough, the headphone sides were decoupled again and the left side set to 0.
Currently compiling 3.14.17 according to the instructions in http://www.debian.org/releases/stable/i ... 06.html.en and from the kernel.org source (since I couldn't find a non-Ubuntu 3.14.17 deb I trusted anywhere). Just to be sure and try whether that fixes anything afterall.

[PatH57]

LMDE is based on testing not stable , the only real "stable thing" on your setup seems to be Mate.
Xorg is latest and kernel for debian is also testing.
It is probably a combination of all that makes it a little bit "weird" for some settings. and updates may actually correct some behavior over time.
I have Mint 17 Mate with 3.15.10 very stable and working fine. My other boot is LMDE and still trying to get my fan to work correctly (doesn't keep the settings only uses full, medium or off....) but it's testing so I can live with it and "test".

[AndyP]

I noticed the "stable" in the link, but I followed the instructions in principle, not to the letter
Anyway, I'll see whether the problem will be fixed by this newer kernel (and hope nothing else gets broken by using a selfcompiled kernel instead of the older one in the debian testing aka jessie repositories).

[PatH57]

that's why I love Linux, freedom of trying (with a good backup off course )

[AndyP]

Indeed.

So far I haven't had the problem of disconnected stereo output sliders for the headphones again, but I noticed something else:
Examples:
100% Main, 50% Headphones > unplug headphones, replug headphones > 50% Main, 100% Headphones
40% Main, 50% Headphones > unplug headphones, replug headphones > 0% Main, 90% Headphones
(need to close mate-volume-control inbetween to see changes)

Not sure if I just didn't notice before or whether it always was like this, because the overall volume stays the same if either the headphones slider is set to max (=no change) or the main slider is set to max (or either one is at 0%).

[AndyP]

Interesting. I just started the laptop with the headphones unplugged and plugged the headphones in when MATE was fully up. The headphones were muted (but left-right were linked) and main was near the top. When I clicked the unmute button for the headphones it disconnected the headphone stereo outputs from eachother, set left to 0% and right to 100%.
From now on I'll try not touching mate-volume-control and using alsamixer instead, to see if the same occurs there.

[AndyP]

Well, I can confirm one thing at least. Changing the Kernel to 3.14.17 did nothing. I just had two consecutive cases of the same happening as I described in the opening post, though I'm not so sure anymore what's the trigger. Simply unplugging and replugging isn't quite it, as far as I can tell, it must be in combination with something else.