Arch Linux Microphone Configuration

Arch Linux Microphone Configuration Guide

Complete beginner-friendly guide to microphone configuration on Arch Linux, including microphone setup, testing, and troubleshooting.

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Table of Contents

1. Microphone Detection
2. Microphone Setup
3. Testing Microphone
4. Troubleshooting

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Microphone Detection

Check Microphone

Detect microphone:

# List audio devices
pactl list sources short

# Or
arecord -l

# Check ALSA
cat /proc/asound/cards

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Microphone Setup

PulseAudio

Configure PulseAudio:

# Install PulseAudio
sudo pacman -S pulseaudio pulseaudio-alsa

# Set default source
pactl set-default-source source-name

# Check sources
pactl list sources

PipeWire

Configure PipeWire:

# Install PipeWire
sudo pacman -S pipewire pipewire-pulse

# Set default source
pactl set-default-source source-name

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Testing Microphone

Record Audio

Test recording:

# Install tools
sudo pacman -S alsa-utils

# Record
arecord -d 5 test.wav

# Playback
aplay test.wav

GUI Tools

Use GUI:

# Install tools
sudo pacman -S pavucontrol audacity

# Open PulseAudio Volume Control
pavucontrol

# Record in Audacity
audacity

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Troubleshooting

Microphone Not Working

Check permissions:

# Check audio group
groups

# Add to audio group
sudo usermod -aG audio username

# Log out and back in

No Input

Check settings:

# Check microphone
pactl list sources | grep -A 10 "Source"

# Increase volume
pactl set-source-volume source-name 100%

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Summary

This guide covered microphone detection, setup, testing, and troubleshooting.

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Next Steps

• Arch Linux Audio Configuration - Audio setup
• Arch Linux Hardware Detection - Hardware
• ArchWiki Microphone: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/PulseAudio/Examples

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This guide is based on the ArchWiki. For the most up-to-date information, always refer to the official ArchWiki.