Created attachment 152317 [details] screenshot from my volume applet SUMMARY I always find the volume applet is too difficult to deal with due to the verbose device (input/output) names. The current situation is there is a list of input and output hardware in a way that an end user would find it really hard to digest. The names feel like someone who is going to use these names for coding, not for an end-user. It's also not clear the separation between input and output devices. If you have a look at the Mac volume setting, you don't need to figure it out, input devices are separate from output devices, and simple and short device names STEPS TO REPRODUCE 1. Click on the volume applet from the system tray OBSERVED RESULT verbose and complex device names EXPECTED RESULT Device names should be: 1. Cleare and separate lists for input and output devices (different tabs) 2. Simple and short device names Operating System: Kubuntu 22.04 KDE Plasma Version: 5.24.6 KDE Frameworks Version: 5.95.0 Qt Version: 5.15.3 Kernel Version: 5.15.0-47-generic (64-bit) Graphics Platform: X11 Processors: 12 × Intel® Core™ i7-10750H CPU @ 2.60GHz Memory: 62.5 GiB of RAM Graphics Processor: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti with Max-Q Design/PCIe/SSE2
The only problem I see here are the "(LISP (brackets))" in some input/output labels.Other than that, if that's the names the hardware provides us with, then that's what applet displays.
(In reply to ratijas from comment #1) > The only problem I see here are the "(LISP (brackets))" in some input/output > labels.Other than that, if that's the names the hardware provides us with, > then that's what applet displays. The problem is that there are too many details. This applet is meant to select in/out devices, not manage them. So all these details are just too verbose. For example, two of these devices in the screenshot are just monitors(HDMI) why I don't see just the monitors' names? I also have the laptop mic and the laptop speaker, why don't see something really obvious to mention that instead of the manufacture number with some product number with weird numbers? I don't need all these details to pick the device. Additionally, because I enabled echo canceling module, I have to see that in most of the devices, needlessly. I hope the applet gets retought
> For example, two of these devices in the screenshot are just monitors(HDMI) why I don't see just the monitors' names? That's reasonable. We recently landed a patch to disambiguate monitors names even for weird manufacturers which violate sanity by shipping monitors with identical serial numbers! I saw that code, and I can tell you there are multiple level of checks to ensure that we are displaying just about enough information to disambiguate them. So we should probably do the same for audio streams. Note, however, we might not be getting the same amount of fine-grained information for e.g. HDMI audio device as we do for screens. > Additionally, because I enabled echo canceling module, I have to see that in most of the devices, needlessly. No idea what's that. Can you share a link to that module? And where is that on the screenshot?
Created attachment 152335 [details] echo canceling to all devices
> No idea what's that. Can you share a link to that module? And where is that on the screenshot? Its echo-cancellation module for pulseaudio [link](https://www.informaticar.net/enable-noise-cancellation-in-ubuntu/#:~:text=head%20to%20Settings%20%7C%20Sound%20%7C%20Input,echo%20cancellation%20enabled%20in%20Ubuntu.) Notice the "echo" work, the rest of the text has been truncated.
> If you have a look at the Mac volume setting, you don't need to figure it out, input devices > are separate from output devices, and simple and short device names If only we had it as easy as they have it. :) We have to deal with all sorts of weird hardware that exposes its audio hardware in weird ways, with manufacturers that provide stupid technical gibberish for their device names instead of user-comprehensible text. > For example, two of these devices in the screenshot are just monitors(HDMI) why I don't see just the monitors' names? Are those monitors actively connected? If not, that's a clear bug we can fix. If so, I guess we should try to map the monitor's device to a better name for it. But be aware that the monitor names that come from manufacturers often aren't any better than the names that audio devices have. An easy fix might be to get rid of the device name entirely, so that we don't have weird long technical mumbo-jumbo in parentheses).
(In reply to Nate Graham from comment #6) > If only we had it as easy as they have it. :) We have to deal with all sorts > of weird hardware that exposes its audio hardware in weird ways, with > manufacturers that provide stupid technical gibberish for their device names > instead of user-comprehensible text. Yes, I can imagine, but the Mac displays the monitors the same way "KDE Display configuration" does. in my case "C27F..." and for the microphone, Mac presents it as RODE USB. Also, the Mac knows the built-in devices from the external and mention (MacBook Pro speaker/Mic or something like that). I think that can be done too > Are those monitors actively connected? If not, that's a clear bug we can > fix. If so, I guess we should try to map the monitor's device to a better > name for it. But be aware that the monitor names that come from > manufacturers often aren't any better than the names that audio devices have. The monitors are connected and they are identical monitors, same brand, same model. > An easy fix might be to get rid of the device name entirely, so that we > don't have weird long technical mumbo-jumbo in parentheses). Until then, is there a way to manually configure a friendly name for the devices without hacking into the kernel :D?
(In reply to KING from comment #7) > (In reply to Nate Graham from comment #6) > > If only we had it as easy as they have it. :) We have to deal with all sorts > > of weird hardware that exposes its audio hardware in weird ways, with > > manufacturers that provide stupid technical gibberish for their device names > > instead of user-comprehensible text. > > Yes, I can imagine, but the Mac displays the monitors the same way "KDE > Display configuration" does. in my case "C27F..." and for the microphone, > Mac presents it as RODE USB. > > Also, the Mac knows the built-in devices from the external and mention > (MacBook Pro speaker/Mic or something like that). I think that can be done > too > > > Are those monitors actively connected? If not, that's a clear bug we can > > fix. If so, I guess we should try to map the monitor's device to a better > > name for it. But be aware that the monitor names that come from > > manufacturers often aren't any better than the names that audio devices have. > > The monitors are connected and they are identical monitors, same brand, same > model. > > > An easy fix might be to get rid of the device name entirely, so that we > > don't have weird long technical mumbo-jumbo in parentheses). > Until then, is there a way to manually configure a friendly name for the > devices without hacking into the kernel :D? When I run `hwinfo command, I found that there is a readable field can be used, which is "Model" ``` Hardware Class: monitor Model: "SAMSUNG C27F591" Hardware Class: sound Model: "RODE Microphones RODE NT-USB" ```
(In reply to KING from comment #8) > (In reply to KING from comment #7) > > (In reply to Nate Graham from comment #6) > > > If only we had it as easy as they have it. :) We have to deal with all sorts > > > of weird hardware that exposes its audio hardware in weird ways, with > > > manufacturers that provide stupid technical gibberish for their device names > > > instead of user-comprehensible text. > > > > Yes, I can imagine, but the Mac displays the monitors the same way "KDE > > Display configuration" does. in my case "C27F..." and for the microphone, > > Mac presents it as RODE USB. > > > > Also, the Mac knows the built-in devices from the external and mention > > (MacBook Pro speaker/Mic or something like that). I think that can be done > > too > > > > > Are those monitors actively connected? If not, that's a clear bug we can > > > fix. If so, I guess we should try to map the monitor's device to a better > > > name for it. But be aware that the monitor names that come from > > > manufacturers often aren't any better than the names that audio devices have. > > > > The monitors are connected and they are identical monitors, same brand, same > > model. > > > > > An easy fix might be to get rid of the device name entirely, so that we > > > don't have weird long technical mumbo-jumbo in parentheses). > > Until then, is there a way to manually configure a friendly name for the > > devices without hacking into the kernel :D? > > When I run `hwinfo command, I found that there is a readable field can be > used, which is "Model" > > ``` > Hardware Class: monitor > Model: "SAMSUNG C27F591" > > Hardware Class: sound > Model: "RODE Microphones RODE NT-USB" > ``` Here is an example of the command ``` ❯ hwinfo --monitor --short monitor: SAMSUNG C27F591 SAMSUNG C27F591 CMN LCD Monitor ❯ hwinfo --sound --short sound: Intel Comet Lake PCH cAVS nVidia Audio device RODE Microphones RODE NT-USB ```
We now use shorter names and 6.2 is going to add the ability to set custom names in addition to picking the name source should the short names be not desirable.