Multimedia keys and sound applet without PulseAudio in GNOME2 in CentOS 6.7

Mitt Green · 02-25-2016, 11:55 AM

I asked this question on CentOS forums, but received no answer after several days, so 'tis here.

I would like to have multimedia keys working and a sound applet. CentOS by default (with GNOME2) installs PulseAudio, which has the mixer (pavucontrol), that also spawns in the notification area. Without PA I still have sound, but lack this functionality.

So, is there any possible workaround and what is it?

Thanks.

TobiSGD · 02-26-2016, 06:40 AM

Yes, you need to install a mixer that supports Alsa. In CentOS 6 xfce4-mixer might do the job.

dolphin_oracle · 02-26-2016, 09:38 AM

if its available for your OS, you might want to check out volumeicon-alsa, which will put a volume control in your system tray, as well as provide an interface for your media keys (configurable in the volumeicon preferences). antiX has been using it for years without pulseaudio.

Mitt Green · 02-26-2016, 01:37 PM

Xfce4-mixer doesn't play with multimedia keys and applet, though it works, unlike GNOME's default mixer.
As for volumeicon-alsa, 'tis not available in CentOS 6 and couldn't even compile it, because my intltool is too old

John VV · 02-26-2016, 03:50 PM

these are the multi media keys on a MICROSOFT media keyboard ?
i take it there is a "My Documents" and "MS Messenger" button along with a MS Media player button
and a Volume control on the keyboard

what make / model / brand of keyboard is this

and as for " a sound applet " -- What one ?

there is a long standing bug that hits people
"alsamixer" is installed in the MUTE setting

open a terminal and type in "alsamixer" and check

seasons · 02-27-2016, 03:39 AM

Bind some keys to the appropriate "amixer" command.

Gnome's mixer changed over to using pulseaudio by default somewhere around Gnome 2.24 IIRC. You could still patch gnome-mixer and gnome-settings-daemon to use the old gstreamer-based mixer, but that's probably over the head of a lot of users.

Mitt Green · 02-27-2016, 09:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John VV

these are the multi media keys on a MICROSOFT media keyboard ?
i take it there is a "My Documents" and "MS Messenger" button along with a MS Media player button
and a Volume control on the keyboard

what make / model / brand of keyboard is this

and as for " a sound applet " -- What one ?

there is a long standing bug that hits people
"alsamixer" is installed in the MUTE setting

open a terminal and type in "alsamixer" and check

There are Fn keys on most (if not all) laptop keyborards. Usually between left Ctrl and Alt.

Sound applet is a kind of drop-down volume level, usually master volume.

I have sound, and by the way, it wasn't mute by default here.

I installed GNOME ALSA Mixer, which is very handy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by seasons

Bind some keys to the appropriate "amixer" command.

Gnome's mixer changed over to using pulseaudio by default somewhere around Gnome 2.24 IIRC. You could still patch gnome-mixer and gnome-settings-daemon to use the old gstreamer-based mixer, but that's probably over the head of a lot of users.

I'll probably stick to binding keys, as I've done in Openbox. I've tried, simply to compare, Debian Squeeze, that has GNOME 2.30, and there were sound, an applet and working media keys, without PulseAudio and pavucontrol.

ondoho · 02-27-2016, 09:48 AM

i was just going to suggest that you find out what keycodes the keys return (with "xev") and, based upon that, bind some amixer commands to that.
but it seems your last remark means that you did that already.

anyhoo, xfce also has the xfce4-volumed - not sure if centos 6.7 offers that, but it would be worth a try.

Mitt Green · 02-27-2016, 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ondoho

i was just going to suggest that you find out what keycodes the keys return (with "xev") and, based upon that, bind some amixer commands to that.
but it seems your last remark means that you did that already.

anyhoo, xfce also has the xfce4-volumed - not sure if centos 6.7 offers that, but it would be worth a try.

Bound keys with amixer work fine, though there is no sound applet and notification... That is not a big loss.

There is no xfce4-volumed in here, and I don't really want to pull Xfce libraries.

John VV · 02-27-2016, 01:24 PM

Quote:

There are Fn keys on most (if not all) laptop keyborards.

so this is a laptop

expect the normal "laptop" issues with RHEL/CentOS/SL

Sound issues
Mouse pad issues
multimedia issues
some power control / battery issues

rhel was never designed for laptops
most will mostly work using rhel
but only mostly