Presets autoloading for unknown devices

[bdaase]

EasyEffects Version

6.2.1

What package are you using?

Flatpak (Flathub)

Distribution

Fedora 35

Describe the bug

I would like to load a default preset for new devices instead of the plugins that are active at the moment when the device is connected.

The reason is as follows: I followed this tutorial (btw. thanks a lot, it is excellent). Now, my laptop speakers finally sound somehow reasonable!
This combination of plugins, however, only works well with my internal speakers and sounds horrible on everything else.
For everything else, I have a clean preset which does nothing.
Now, it's a bit cumbersome however, to always have to manually select the clean preset whenever I connect an external device (TV, external speakers etc.).
Instead, I would like to always apply the clean preset whenever a new device is connected.

Expected Behavior

No response

Debug Log

No response

Additional Information

No response

[wwmm]

I have to think about this. The code responsible for the presets autoloading is becoming more complex than I had intended it to be. In any case there is a way you can reduce the current annoyance in you face in your installation. You can associate the clean preset you already have to the other devices you do not want effects applied to. Once you switch to them the clean preset will be automatically loaded.

I understand that you will have to go through the trouble of connecting each of these additional devices and creating the profile associated to the clean preset. But it should work.

[bdaase]

You can associate the clean preset you already have to the other devices you do not want effects applied to.

That's exactly what I do at the moment and as you said, it works just fine. And it's also expected to become less trouble over time with more devices which have already been connected in the past. It's looking like this at the moment

Nonetheless, thanks for considering this. Hopefully we will find a good solution :)

[wwmm]

I see. Your hdmi devices can generate different Generic_* id when connected. Or are these actually different hardware? In any case when there are so many entries that have to be manually added that workaround definitely becomes annoying.

Besides the implementation of the code that would do this there is also what to do about the user interface. Somehow the current behavior has to be the default while we allow the user to do something like the one you are asking.

[bdaase]

Your hdmi devices can generate different Generic_* id when connected. Or are these actually different hardware? In any case when there are so many entries that have to be manually added that workaround definitely becomes annoying.

Yeah, the four different Generic_* sinks (3,7,8, and 9) always appear at once when an HDMI cable is connected and also disappear at the same time when it's disconnected. I didn't quite figure out what they are unfortunately (maybe one for HDMI, two for the USB-C ports?) but at least the ids are stable. Or do you have an idea how to get more information about them?

Besides the implementation of the code that would do this there is also what to do about the user interface. Somehow the current behavior has to be the default while we allow the user to do something like the one you are asking.

Oh yeah, absolutely, we shouldn't change the default and I see that this is definitely tricky from a UI perspective. Perhaps we could ask one of the GNOME designers to have a look if we can't come up with a satisfying solution?

[servimo]

I always thought that this extra sinks in HDMI are for 5.1 channels. Two are always for stereo, and the others center, left back, right back and LFE.

[bdaase]

I always thought that this extra sinks in HDMI are for 5.1 channels. Two are always for stereo, and the others center, left back, right back and LFE.

Interesting, thanks. But why are there only four extra Generic_* sinks (3,7,8, and 9) appearing when I connect an HDMI cable? Shouldn't it be at least 5 then (bear with me please in case this is nonsense, I don't have lots of experience with audio)?

[wwmm]

I always thought that this extra sinks in HDMI are for 5.1 channels.

Some of them are definitely for surround. The question is if the one related to stereo always has the same id or if the number can change on every boot.

Perhaps we could ask one of the GNOME designers to have a look if we can't come up with a satisfying solution?

If we are not able to find a way on our own I do not see any problem in asking someone else.

[wwmm]

Interesting, thanks. But why are there only four extra Generic_* sinks (3,7,8, and 9) appearing when I connect an HDMI cable?

What you are seeing is not the number of channels but the card profiles. For example these are the profiles of my monitor's hdmi card

[bdaase]

What you are seeing is not the number of channels but the card profiles. for example these are the profiles of my monitor's hdmi card

Ah, I see, thanks for the explanation. So the default names in my case are just terrible...

[wwmm]

So the default names in my case are just terrible...

They will be better in the next EasyEffects release. The one you are using is not showing the user friendly name. In our master branch we now show the device description like Pavucontrol does.

[bdaase]

The one you are using is not showing the user friendly name. In our master branch we now show the device description like Pavucontrol does.

The ones shown in pavucontrol aren't much better, I'm afraid

[servimo]

My HDMI output in Pavucontrol:

[bdaase]

So, it indeed looks like the IDs are stable indeed and Renoir Radeon High Definition Audio Controller HDMI / DisplayPort 2 Output is the stereo audio. Whatever the three others are, then....

[bdaase]

Do you have an idea against which project I could report these not really helpful sink names? Pipewire? Or is this baking a lower level issue?