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| author | d-s <ds@voyager.local> | 2023-03-16 22:55:32 +0100 |
|---|---|---|
| committer | d-s <ds@voyager.local> | 2023-03-16 22:55:32 +0100 |
| commit | 026106d34a696c565eff4a853361c9c4c5ead2fe (patch) | |
| tree | 6b8912e54f95ce441314f592907a5a54bf8ffb5c /content/2023 | |
| parent | bdb81a0888041b2278529bcfca7d7f9948719c0d (diff) | |
feat: article for 2023-03-16
Diffstat (limited to 'content/2023')
| -rw-r--r-- | content/2023/switching-between-speakers-and-headphones-on-freebsd.md | 51 |
1 files changed, 51 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/content/2023/switching-between-speakers-and-headphones-on-freebsd.md b/content/2023/switching-between-speakers-and-headphones-on-freebsd.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..0555169 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/2023/switching-between-speakers-and-headphones-on-freebsd.md @@ -0,0 +1,51 @@ +--- +title: "Switching Between Speakers and Headphones on FreeBSD" +category: "software" +abstract: How to change the audio device? +date: 2023-03-16T22:52:01+01:00 +year: 2023 +draft: false +tags: +- FreeBSD +- headphones +- speakers +- ThinkPad +- audio +- tutorial +--- +I want my laptop to switch to wired headphones when I attach them. FreeBSD has its own [Sound System](https://wiki.freebsd.org/Sound), so it's a great learning experience. I have yet to automate it (it is possible, but an attempt to do so forced me to do a complete rollback of the system state), but for now, this is working. + +First, check which audio outputs your device supports: + +``` +$ cat /dev/sndstat +``` + +In the case of my ThinkPad, this returns + +``` +Installed devices: +pcm0: <NVIDIA (0x0094) (HDMI/DP 8ch)> (play) +pcm1: <NVIDIA (0x0094) (HDMI/DP 8ch)> (play) +pcm2: <NVIDIA (0x0094) (HDMI/DP 8ch)> (play) +pcm3: <Conexant (0x1f86) (Analog)> (play/rec) default +pcm4: <Conexant (0x1f86) (Left Analog Headphones)> (play) +No devices installed from userspace. +``` + +The ones I care about are: +pcm3 - the speakers +pcm4 - the headphone jack + +I can now easily switch between them: + +``` +# enable speakers +$ sysctl hw.snd.default_unit=3 +# enable headphones +$ sysctl hw.snd.default_unit=4 +``` + +(replace the value with the correct id from `sndstat` file.) + +This, however, comes with a huge caveat. Some apps (khem khem, Firefox) not native to FreeBSD come configured with PulseAudio instead of FreeBSD's Sound System. This creates a level of indirection, and changing system output may not work instantly. In the case of Firefox, I need to reload the tab. Some apps, as I've heard, require a restart. |