Version: (using KDE KDE 3.3.1) Installed from: Gentoo Packages Compiler: gcc (GCC) 3.3.4 20040623 (Gentoo Linux 3.3.4-r1, ssp-3.3.2-2, pie-8.7.6) OS: Linux I have selected the default system notification for a beep in Konsole, which is to play the file /usr/kde/3.3/share/sounds/KDE_Beep.ogg. Sometimes the beep varies in volume level or seems to come out only 1 speaker. Other times it seems to last only about half as long as usual or less. I've also noticed it delay a little while before beeping sometimes. (I tested it by using the down, left and right arrow keys when there's no command typed in). I don't believe it's my sound card or ALSA (which I'm using) because I opened the file in xmms and tried playing it many times and it was always the same (and the sound started sooner after pressing "Play" too). So it seems like a problem with Konsole or Arts.
Workaround, _no_ Solution, for SUSE92, KDE330: I've detected the same Effect on a 2001-Notebook with SIS630-Chipset and on a 2005-Desktop with nForce4-Chipset. The Konsole-Beep, when you touch the wrong keys more times in a second, overlay each other and so it seems the volume increases partly to 100%. This is generally not good for the membrane of the Speakers, especially for the little Notebook-Speakers. I think the cause is the act of playing the KDE_Beep.ogg, maybe it's the Ogg-Subroutine. So I used audacity to convert KDE_Beep.ogg to WAV, but saving the converted soundfile over the old name. This means you have now a KDE_Beep.ogg which is in Reality a WAV-File. Now the following happens: The Beeps do not overlay any more, the system plays one beep after another, so the Beeps are a little lazy, only 1.5 beeps in a second. Shorting the file by cutting off the last third, has surprisingly nearly no effect in the speed of playing, it stays at 1.5 Beeps per Second ;-) Side effects with concurrent playing of MP3 with amarok do not exist, the Beep beeps in the MP3 and you can hear both sounds. Using kaffeine-Player you only hear the MP3, the beep is optically here, but you don't hear it. POSITIVE: No Speaker-Destroying any more. NEGATIVE: Lazy beeping.
Beeps are rate-limited in Konsole for KDE 4, so unless the beep is very long, they shouldn't overlap.