Setting The Default Sound Card - USB Headset
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You go to Sound in Ubuntu preferences and no matter what you try - your selection for a default sound card will not stick! No need to fear. Just watch the video above and use the following scripts. Copy each script, then right click on you desktop and choose create document. Paste each script in there. Once the correct card name has been pasted into the script (you’ll likely want a script for the sound card and for the headset if needed), you are half way there. Right click on it afterward and then goto properties, choose permissions then allow to be executed.
What sound cards do you have? Open up a terminal and paste in:
sudo asoundconf list
Make note of each card. Use trial and error if you are unsure which card is which. The process of elimination will only take a few tries.
#! /bin/sh -f sudo asoundconf set-default-card name-of-card-to-be-default
I use the above script twice in two files for my sound card and my Plantronics USB headset - works perfectly.
Do you have an Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Simply Mepis, Linspire/Freespire or PCLinuxOS related question? Perhaps you are just burnt out on writing on the walls with crayons? Whatever the comments may be, drop me a line, and you too can “Just Ask Matt”- Linux Edition!
[tags]USb headset, sound card, Linux[/tags]
8 Comments
rain
October 12th, 2007
at 9:57pm
thanks ,it works!
Kev
January 2nd, 2008
at 12:06pm
Thanks Matt,
was driving me crazy having to wait and see where my sound was coming from :)
Cheers,
Kev
Gavin
April 14th, 2008
at 3:14am
Thanks Matt. I was setting the default device to the Plantronics device (DSP100), but just could not record any sound (Ubuntu 7.10).
You saved the day with your scripts.
Grateful.
kev
December 7th, 2008
at 3:25am
i’m lost…
sanjay
February 25th, 2009
at 2:32pm
This did not work for me.
I am running Ubuntu 8.10.
Both sound cards are visible (when I cat /proc/asound/cards I see the two cards:
0 [Intel ] : HDA-Intel .. more stuff
1 [Device ]: USB-Audio .. more stuff
asoundconf displays the two names:
Intel
Device.
When I do the set-default command with the name of card
as Intel or Device, it accepts the command but there is no
change. The sound always comes out of the built in card.
I even tried using the name “USB-Audio” no difference.
Matt Hartley
February 25th, 2009
at 11:10pm
Sanjay: That would be because this article is incredibly outdated and obsolete.
With your Synaptic package manager, install padevchooser - and all of the stuff that installs with it. Goto System, Preferences and add padevchooser into sessions. Reboot.
The new icon will appear next to your clock that will look like a headphone jack. Left click on it, choose volume control, select output device tab. Then assuming you have both a USB headset plugged in along with the default sound card, look for the headset and right click anywhere on that entry. Choose to make it default.
If you are looking to change this on the fly instead, wait until sound is playing through the speakers or the headset, then select the playback tab instead. Right click on the ALSA playback stream, choose “move stream” and move it to the desired device. Just that easy. :)
Aaron
May 18th, 2009
at 1:39pm
Do the same steps apply to Ubuntu 9.04?
Matt Hartley
May 18th, 2009
at 2:18pm
Aaron: Actually, no. It is much easier now. You are using PulseAudio now.
http://www.lockergnome.com/linux/2009/05/05/is-pulseaudio-really-that-bad/