For a long time in Linux Mint v19.2, audio volume in Zoom was fine, but in the last month or so, it's changed so that I can only hear it when I have it set to the max. (Even then it's not easy to hear.)

I've applied Linux updates regularly; so, I don't know if any of these affected audio.

For comparison, last night I used Zoom on an identical laptop running Windows 7, and the audio was fine.

FYI, I'm running Zoom under Google Chrome on both laptops.

'Any ideas how to fix this problem in Mint v19.2 (I've checked the Mint forums but haven't noticed this problem there.)

I have found the zoom software for linux ropey at best. It uses it's own QT libs, and these often clash with originals. Have you just upped the volume? There's several ways to do that in Mint - Alsamixer, pavucontrol, loudspeaker icon in the window manager you can click on to get volume sliders. Try playing with them.

Here's what I've done so far:

> In the Zoom window, pushed the volume slider to the "max." (The volume did not change.)
> Ran Alsamixer and noticed that the speaker volume was already set at "max" (100%). I couldn't increase it by pressing PageUp/+
> Installed Pavucontrol, and noticed that the volume slider was set at about 70%. I could move the slider; so, when I run Zoom again I'll try the slider then.

Q: Where is the Window Manager? How do I display the loudspeaker icon in the Window Manager?

Thanks for your help :-)

Roger

BTW, I joined another Zoom session (offered by a different Zoom user) and had no volume problems. (Everything was normal.) Go figure...*#sigh-

When X comes up. you're greeted by a screen. That's the WM. Kde, gnome, XFCE, Cinnamon etc all sre different. If there's a loudspeaker icon (xfce has none, but others have), it may be a volume adjuster

Pavucontrol has various sound sliders, and can be a little confusing at times. Be sure to doublecheck, all tabs.
The window manager is "everywhere". It manages your windows. It does not provide loudspeaker icons afaik.
Without context, this question is nonsensical.

If you open alsamixer in the terminal:-

Enter

.....and hit "Enter", somewhere amongst all those sliders you should see one marked "PCM". The easiest way to think of this is as the 'master' output control for your amplifier. Make sure this is up as far as it will go. You can then control the full volume range from the taskbar.

In addition, if you're running an Intel-based set-up, especially with newer Intel HD Audio, these often have a 'Front' volume control, too. You need to make sure this is up as far as it will go, too.

Most distros don't set all these up by default, OOTB. It's up to the user to set their own personal preferences.

Since I do a lot of audio work, & video-editing/rendering, all this is one of the first things I do when setting-up any new distro. A distro without properly set-up audio is, for me, about as much use as a chocolate teapot.

Even where PulseAudio is employed - as in most mainstream distros - ALSA is still the 'back-end' that interfaces directly with your hardware. Pulse is an intermediate, 'user-space' layer that is more concerned with directing the audio between applications. It doesn't directly control the hardware; if your main audio is only set to half-way, that is ALL PulseAudio can give you.

Some applications will re-set ALSA controls when you install them.


Mike.

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