Bug 279223

Summary: The Test button for Audio Recording is useless, no way to test a recording.
Product: [Frameworks and Libraries] phonon-backend-vlc Reporter: Roger Pixley <skreech2>
Component: generalAssignee: Harald Sitter <sitter>
Status: CONFIRMED ---    
Severity: normal CC: bcooksley, fabo, hspaaij, info, jb, martin.sandsmark, myriam
Priority: NOR    
Version First Reported In: 0.10.2   
Target Milestone: 0.9   
Platform: Fedora RPMs   
OS: Linux   
Latest Commit: Version Fixed In:
Sentry Crash Report:

Description Roger Pixley 2011-08-02 22:59:19 UTC 
Version:           4.5 (KDE 4.6.2) (using KDE 4.6.5) 
OS:                Linux

Phonon configuration has two sections for Audio. Playback and Recording. The test button in Playback does what one would expect. It plays a sound back to the user for them to diagnose if Phonon is working correctly. 
The test button in Recording does not seem to record anything or indicate anything is being recorded.  If it is not doing anything which is misleading to the user since they cannot test the functionality of Phonon in this category. If it is then it is confusing since there does not seem to be any obvious indicator of success or failure to the user.

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Open the Phonon configuration
2. Ensure you have some input device such as a Line In or a Microphone connected properly to the audio device you are testing
3. Select one of the Capture sub categories in Audio Recording
4. Select your device 
5. Press the Test button
6. Start Audio input for example by speaking into the microphone

Actual Results:  
No UI updates. The Push button remains pushed endlessly (Didn't actually test for endless time but seemed to be so after about 10 mins) 

Expected Results:  
Some visual indicator that input is being recieved. A VU of some sort.
Alternatively a time period in which audio is recorded then either audibly or visually played back to confirm recording works.
Comment 1 Myriam Schweingruber 2013-04-13 08:54:46 UTC 
Yes, it is impossible to actually test a recording, as there is no way to play back anything.
Comment 2 skierpage 2019-04-24 22:25:38 UTC 
This remains a problem with KDE Plasma 5.14.5, Frameworks 5.55.0.

WORKAROUND: the Sound Recorder program (gnome-sound-recorder in Fedora) has a built-in VU meter so you don't have to actually record to a file and playback to test, but it doesn't seem to let you choose a recording device and doesn't have good feedback about left and right channels (e.g. Sony SingStar USB mic pair) . SimpleScreenRecorder does let you choose a device, but doesn't have a VU meter. There are VU meter demos on the web e.g. https://webaudiodemos.appspot.com/volume-meter/ , but then you're testing your browser as well as Phonon.
Comment 3 Harald Sitter 2019-04-25 10:36:13 UTC 
I am certain that's broken in the backends