Headphone problem since installing Mint 18 [WORKAROUND APPLIED]

[jerkins]

Operating system details:
Linux Mint 18 64-bit
Mate 1.14.1

Audio setup is: line jack at the back of the motherboard goes to a pair of speakers, headphones plugged into socket at the front of the PC.

Problem:

When I start my computer in the morning the headphones don't work. Speakers plugged into the line out socket on the motherboard work OK.
I have to go into 'Control center' - 'Hardware' - 'Sound' - 'Output' tab and change 'selected device' from 'Line out' to 'headphones'.
After doing this, both the headphones and the speakers work OK until the computer is turned off again.

This used to work properly on Mint 17.3 prior to the fresh installation of Mint 18.

Any suggestions for fixing this?

[Flemur]

If you don't get a better answer, a couple of short scripts (add to menu or desktop or key sequence, for easy access) might do it:

Code: Select all

amixer set "Headphone" unmute
amixer set "Speaker" mute

Get the proper names for "Headphone" and "Speaker" from alsamixer, or

Code: Select all

amixer

(lot of output)

[phd21]

Hi "jerkins",

I just read your post and the good replies to it. Here are my thoughts on this as well.

You might consider installing and using "qasmixer" and the other "qas" programs from the Software Manager or Synaptic Package Manager (SPM).

There are some really nice graphical (GUI) programs for sound that start with "Qas", like the fantastic "Qasmixer", in the Software Manager or Synaptic Package Manager (SPM) that you can install and use. Sound "Mixers" can be a little confusing if you are not familiar with them. If you bring up "Qasmixer" full screen, on the right side you will have mixer devices where you can control your system sound. The item "sysdefault" will show all installed sound card devices and you will have various options to adjust various volume controls using "sliders" which you can turn off and on using the "dot" below the volume slider. There are also various other check boxes below that you can use.

The applications included are:
- qasconfig - browser for the alsa configuration tree
- qashctl - mixer for alsa's high level control interface
- qasmixer - desktop mixer with features similar to alsamixer
qasmixer is a desktop mixer application for alsa's "simple mixer interface" and offers features similar to alsamixer. it also features a sytem tray icon with basic mixer functionality.

Install "libasound2-plugin-equal" which is another system wide equalizer that's in the Software Manager or Synaptic Package Manager (SPM) that shows up in "QasMixer".

Veromix is a "superb" mixer for the Pulseaudio sound server.
Works with all editions of Linux Mint and is in the Software Manager or Synaptic Package Manager (SPM). KDE users should install this as a widget.
Features:
– Media Player Controls (aka nowplaying)
– per application volume control (replay & record)
– global hotkeys
– can be in your system tray

https://padoca.wordpress.com/2011/03/18 ... r-stories/

Hope this helps ...

[jerkins]

Flemur, The first command does the trick! It leaves me with both headphones and the speakers (when turned on) working as required. If I no-one comes up with a more elegant solution then I'll add your command to my login script (I won't need a 'change-over' script).

phd21 - I'll examine those if I want to try something more advanced.

Thanks to both,
David

If you don't get a better answer, a couple of short scripts (add to menu or desktop or key sequence, for easy access) might do it:

Code: Select all

amixer set "Headphone" unmute
amixer set "Speaker" mute

Get the proper names for "Headphone" and "Speaker" from alsamixer, or

Code: Select all

amixer

(lot of output)

[okasion]

Why the heck Mint 18 has this problem?
I NEVER had a problem like in 11 years of working with a lot of POSIX based operative systems.