[pulseaudio-tickets] [PulseAudio] #438: stream and master volume below 50% mutes audio

[PulseAudio]

#438: stream and master volume below 50% mutes audio
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  Reporter:  brian_j_murrell  |       Owner:  lennart
      Type:  defect           |      Status:  closed 
  Priority:  normal           |   Milestone:         
 Component:  daemon           |    Severity:  normal 
Resolution:  wontfix          |    Keywords:         
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Comment (by brian_j_murrell):

 Replying to [comment:1 lennart]:
 > This is not really surprising. -15db at the stream level and (possibly)
 -15dB at the device level add up to -30dB (multiplying linear factors
 equals adding logarithmic factors) That relates to a linear factor of
 about .0009. At 16 bit samples this decreases the sample range to about <
 64 levels.

 Hrm.  Well, that explanation is above my head, not being familiar with how
 audio actually works.

 I just know that this is new behavior since switching from using an SB
 emu10k to this nVidia HDA controller.  On the SB, I could reduce the
 volume of both the stream and the master in any combination of decrements
 and the sound would always just get lower and lower until reaching zero in
 accordance with the slider.  Even a single increment above 0 on both
 sliders produced sound.

 Now with this HDA controller, the sound drops off from quite audible to
 absolutely nothing when either slider is at "half" and the other is put at
 one decrement below half.  It acts and sounds more like a mute than a
 volume drop.  Indeed, I am unable to achieve a "quiet" volume with any
 combination of the two sliders.  It's always "comfortable" to zilch with
 nothing between.

 > Also note that PA 0.9.10 considered <= -30dB equal to -inf dB. In newer
 version this has been moved to -60 dB.

 Maybe this solves the problem.  But given the difference in behavior in a
 single version based purely on the hardware, maybe not.

 > the link you posted doesn't work.

 Yes, that appears to be the case.  Pity.

 Beyond being audibly unintuitive (sound dropping from "comfortable" to
 muted) it's visually unintuitive to have audio completely muted when both
 sliders are at any value other than zero.  I cannot see how this can be
 not considered a bug which wont be fixed.  That said, I will leave this
 ticket closed and defer to your decision to reopen or not.

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Ticket URL: <http://pulseaudio.org/ticket/438#comment:2>
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