Preferred output device is not remembered between logins

Bug #1631161 reported by Dan Dart
56
This bug affects 13 people
Affects Status Importance Assigned to Milestone
pulseaudio (Ubuntu)
Confirmed
High
Unassigned

Bug Description

Whenever I reboot anew, pulseaudio has forgotten the correct audio port which I have set using the kde pulseaudio tool.

I use line out, but it defaults to headphones, which is incorrect for my current setup. I expect it to remember that I wanted line out every time.

Once selected, everything runs fine for that session, but it doesn't get saved and defaults back to the wrong output every time.

Guessing this is pulseaudio as it happens with the gnome tool also.

Tested not working in 16.04, 16.10 and Mint 18 (packages from 16.04).

Policy installed: 1:8.0-0ubuntu3

Cheers
---
ApportVersion: 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.1
Architecture: amd64
AudioDevicesInUse:
 USER PID ACCESS COMMAND
 /dev/snd/pcmC0D0c: kvd 1577 F...m pulseaudio
 /dev/snd/pcmC0D0p: kvd 1577 F...m pulseaudio
 /dev/snd/controlC0: kvd 1577 F.... pulseaudio
CurrentDesktop: KDE
DistroRelease: Linux 18
InstallationDate: Installed on 2016-10-02 (5 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Linux Mint 18 "Sarah" - Release amd64 20160904
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia_uvm nvidia
Package: pulseaudio 1:8.0-0ubuntu3 [origin: Ubuntu]
PackageArchitecture: amd64
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.4.0-38.57-generic 4.4.19
Tags: sarah third-party-packages
Uname: Linux 4.4.0-38-generic x86_64
UnreportableReason: This is not an official Linux package. Please remove any third party package and try again.
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
UserGroups: adm cdrom dip lpadmin plugdev sambashare sudo
_MarkForUpload: True
dmi.bios.date: 09/24/2013
dmi.bios.vendor: Award Software International, Inc.
dmi.bios.version: F5f
dmi.board.name: GA-770T-USB3
dmi.board.vendor: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd.
dmi.board.version: x.x
dmi.chassis.type: 3
dmi.chassis.vendor: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd.
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAwardSoftwareInternational,Inc.:bvrF5f:bd09/24/2013:svnGigabyteTechnologyCo.,Ltd.:pnGA-770T-USB3:pvr:rvnGigabyteTechnologyCo.,Ltd.:rnGA-770T-USB3:rvrx.x:cvnGigabyteTechnologyCo.,Ltd.:ct3:cvr:
dmi.product.name: GA-770T-USB3
dmi.sys.vendor: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd.

Revision history for this message
Luke Yelavich (themuso) wrote : Re: [Bug 1631161] [NEW] Pulseaudio applications forget the correct soundcard port

Please run "apport-collect 1631161" in a terminal so we can get some more hardware info.

Please also reproduce the problem and get a log from PulseAudio, as outlined here: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/PulseAudio/Log.

Thanks.

Revision history for this message
Dan Dart (dandart) wrote : AlsaInfo.txt

apport information

tags: added: apport-collected sarah third-party-packages
description: updated
Revision history for this message
Dan Dart (dandart) wrote : CurrentDmesg.txt

apport information

Revision history for this message
Dan Dart (dandart) wrote : Dependencies.txt

apport information

Revision history for this message
Dan Dart (dandart) wrote : JournalErrors.txt

apport information

Revision history for this message
Dan Dart (dandart) wrote : ProcEnviron.txt

apport information

Revision history for this message
Dan Dart (dandart) wrote : PulseList.txt

apport information

Revision history for this message
Dan Dart (dandart) wrote : Re: Pulseaudio applications forget the correct soundcard port
Revision history for this message
Dan Dart (dandart) wrote :
Revision history for this message
Dan Dart (dandart) wrote :

All done, with the log set to startup, copied before and after changing my volume settings.

Cheers

tags: added: xenial yakkety
tags: added: bionic eoan
removed: yakkety
Revision history for this message
Launchpad Janitor (janitor) wrote :

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

Changed in pulseaudio (Ubuntu):
status: New → Confirmed
Revision history for this message
Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt) wrote :

This might be related to https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pulseaudio/pulseaudio/issues/494 although I'm not sure.

summary: - Pulseaudio applications forget the correct soundcard port
+ Preferred output device is not remembered between logins
Changed in pulseaudio (Ubuntu):
importance: Undecided → High
tags: added: rls-ff-incoming
tags: added: rls-ee-incoming
removed: rls-ff-incoming
Revision history for this message
Michael Vogt (mvo) wrote :

@vanvugt issue 494 seems similar but not close enough, I also tried the "comment out module-x11-publish" in /usr/bin/start-pulseaudio-x11 but it had no effect for me.

Revision history for this message
Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt) wrote :

There are a number of modules that control automatic switching (which I suspect may be getting in the way). See /etc/pulse/default.pa

Revision history for this message
Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt) wrote :

More specifically I would guess your login is triggering one of:

load-module module-switch-on-port-available
load-module module-switch-on-connect

and switching to HDMI immediately on login. Try disabling one of those.

Revision history for this message
Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt) wrote :

IMHO, an HDMI port should not be seen as new if it "appears" around the same time as pulseaudio itself. That's just called logging in.

Revision history for this message
Dan Dart (dandart) wrote :

This still happens when I connect and disconnect headphones, as well.

1. Connect headphones
2. Set default microphone from internal to headset
3. Disconnect headphones
4. Connect headphones
5. Observe that default microphone is internal again :(

Revision history for this message
Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt) wrote :

Though if an HDMI-specific solution is found then we should go back to using bug 1847570 and make it more clearly an HDMI-specific bug.

Revision history for this message
Michael Vogt (mvo) wrote :

Fwiw, commenting out

load-module module-switch-on-port-available
load-module module-switch-on-connect

makes the problem go away for me. I now get "line out" consistently.

Revision history for this message
Michael Vogt (mvo) wrote :

Enabling "module-switch-on-connect" makes the problem appear again. So it seems like its this module.

Revision history for this message
Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt) wrote :

OK, this feels very HDMI-specific. Let's go back to using bug 1847570.

Revision history for this message
Sebastien Bacher (seb128) wrote :

Discussed during the meeting, it's not a new issue and while it would be nice to see things improved that doesn't qualify as a release issue

tags: added: rls-ee-notfixing
removed: rls-ee-incoming
Revision history for this message
Doug Gale (doug16k) wrote :

It is not HDMI specific. I have a similar problem: every start up, output is selected on (usb) headphones, but actual audio comes out my motherboard line out. Volume control adjusts headphones, so apparently has no effect. I have to go change it to line out, then the volume control works.

Should I create yet another duplicate? Or can someone familiar suggest the right bug to follow? Thanks.

Revision history for this message
Sebastien Bacher (seb128) wrote :

@Doug, you should probably open a new bug including details about your audio configuration, your ubuntu version/desktop and journal log

Revision history for this message
Robert (snajper-ro) wrote :

it seams like the proper device disappears

Revision history for this message
Robert (snajper-ro) wrote :

i added info log when i couldn't choose proper sound device after waking up to this thread https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/pulseaudio/+bug/1860764
couldn't choose - it means i couldn't choose in settings->sounds

Revision history for this message
Robert (snajper-ro) wrote :

so I use 20.04 and it doesn't have this problem. I have other:). Thanks for job!

tags: removed: eoan
To post a comment you must log in.
This report contains Public information  
Everyone can see this information.

Duplicates of this bug

Other bug subscribers

Remote bug watches

Bug watches keep track of this bug in other bug trackers.