Linux Sound Settings
Sound on Linux
One of the things you notice after switching from Windows to Linux:
The sound is significantly quieter than on Windows at the same volume setting, and it also sounds “flatter.”
One way to change this is simply to turn up the volume :-)
With my setup (more on that below), however, the sound generally sounded rather flat.
One reason for this is that there are often no manufacturer-specific drivers for the sound card. Sound Blaster cards are a good example. While there is a mobile app available, it lacks the settings provided by the Windows driver that the desktop app offers.
Possible solutions
Linux (Mint) offers various ways to customize the sound using “effects” and equalizers.
Two of the best-known options are likely JamesDSP and Easyeffects.
After some testing, I decided on Easyeffects—specifically the version from the repository.
The newer Flatpak version (like the Flatpak version of JamesDSP) repeatedly causes brief micro-stutters during video streams.
There are countless ready-made presets for Easyeffects, though most are tailored for laptops. For my setup, the presets were usually just a starting point for further adjustments.
I couldn’t find a preset that suited me, so I created one myself.
You can find the download link to the left of the article image.
My Setup
The sound card is connected to the Logitech Z333—a 2.1 speaker system.
I use the Sound Blaster X4, an external USB sound card.
Nothing really spectacular, but it’s more than enough for me.
I have the bass and volume controls on the Z333 set to 50%.
Settings
In addition to the settings in Easyeffects, I’ve also made the following adjustments:
1.
In the file:
/usr/share/wireplumber/main.lua.d/50-alsa-config.lua
Near the end of the file, under:
--[“session.suspend-timeout-seconds”] = 5, -- 0 disables suspend
I added the following line:
[“session.suspend-timeout-seconds”] = 0, -- default is 5
This ensures that power-saving mode is disabled for the sound system.
Of course, you can also modify the line above it accordingly—I found it clearer to write the changed settings on a new line.
2.
/usr/share/pipewire/pipewire.conf
I copied the pipewire.conf file to ~/.config/pipewire so as not to apply the changes system-wide.
Then I made the following changes:
#default.clock.min-quantum = 32
changed to:
default.clock.min-quantum = 1024
as well as
# default.clock.rate = 48000
changed to::
default.clock.rate = 48000
In my case, these settings ensure that the “crackling” at the beginning of a (music) video almost never occurs.
3.
I set the sound card to “Direct Mode” using the mobile app. This ensures that none of the Sound Blaster’s own presets are used.
The preset
As always:
Use the presets at your own risk!
The preset I created is far from perfect, but to my ears, the sound is more than satisfactory.
Please turn the volume on your Linux system down to around 50 before activating the preset.
The ZIP file contains the .conf file for Easyeffects. Simply copy it to the directory:
~/.config/easyeffects/output/
Download the preset:
You’ll find the download link below the article!
Have fun :-)
You can find more articles about Linux here.
Downloads in diesem Artikel:Downloads in this article:
soundblasterX4.zip (1.87 kB) - 30 downloads
Hier noch eine etwas moderatere Version des Presets:
A more moderate version of the preset:
soundblasterX4_moderate.zip (1.4 kB) - 40 downloads
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