Linux aumix Command with Practical Examples

Introduction

In this lab, we will explore the usage of the aumix command-line tool on an Ubuntu 22.04 system. The aumix command allows us to adjust various audio settings, such as volume levels and muting audio channels. We will start by installing the aumix package, then proceed to adjust the master volume level and mute or unmute audio channels using the aumix command.

Linux Commands Cheat Sheet

Skills Graph

Install aumix Package on Ubuntu 22.04

In this step, we will install the aumix package on our Ubuntu 22.04 system. The aumix command-line tool allows us to adjust various audio settings, such as volume levels and muting channels.

First, let's update the package index:

sudo apt-get update

Example output:

Hit:1 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu jammy InRelease
Get:2 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu jammy-security InRelease [110 kB]
Get:3 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu jammy-updates InRelease [114 kB]
Get:4 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu jammy-backports InRelease [99.8 kB]
Fetched 324 kB in 1s (324 kB/s)
Reading package lists... Done

Next, install the aumix package:

sudo apt-get install -y aumix

Example output:

Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
Reading state information... Done
The following additional packages will be installed:
  libgtk2.0-0 libgtk2.0-common
Suggested packages:
  aumix-gtk
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  aumix libgtk2.0-0 libgtk2.0-common
0 upgraded, 3 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
Need to get 1,112 kB of archives.
After this operation, 3,394 kB of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue? [Y/n] Y
Get:1 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu jammy/main amd64 libgtk2.0-common all 2.24.33-1ubuntu1 [156 kB]
Get:2 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu jammy/main amd64 libgtk2.0-0 amd64 2.24.33-1ubuntu1 [519 kB]
Get:3 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu jammy/main amd64 aumix amd64 2.9.1-6 [437 kB]
Fetched 1,112 kB in 1s (1,112 kB/s)
Selecting previously unselected package libgtk2.0-common.
(Reading database ... 14550 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to unpack .../libgtk2.0-common_2.24.33-1ubuntu1_all.deb ...
Unpacking libgtk2.0-common (2.24.33-1ubuntu1) ...
Selecting previously unselected package libgtk2.0-0:amd64.
Preparing to unpack .../libgtk2.0-0_2.24.33-1ubuntu1_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking libgtk2.0-0:amd64 (2.24.33-1ubuntu1) ...
Selecting previously unselected package aumix.
Preparing to unpack .../aumix_2.9.1-6_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking aumix (2.9.1-6) ...
Setting up libgtk2.0-common (2.24.33-1ubuntu1) ...
Setting up libgtk2.0-0:amd64 (2.24.33-1ubuntu1) ...
Setting up aumix (2.9.1-6) ...
Processing triggers for man-db (2.10.2-1) ...
Processing triggers for libc-bin (2.35-0ubuntu3) ...

The aumix package is now installed on our Ubuntu 22.04 system.

Adjust Master Volume Level Using aumix

In this step, we will use the aumix command to adjust the master volume level on our Ubuntu 22.04 system.

First, let's check the current master volume level:

aumix -v

Example output:

Master volume: 100%

To adjust the master volume level, you can use the -v option followed by the desired volume percentage (0-100):

sudo aumix -v 50

Example output:

Master volume: 50%

You can also use the + and - operators to increase or decrease the volume by a certain amount:

sudo aumix -v +10

Example output:

Master volume: 60%

sudo aumix -v -20

Example output:

Master volume: 40%

Feel free to experiment with different volume levels to find the one that suits your preference.

Mute and Unmute Audio Channels with aumix

In this step, we will learn how to mute and unmute specific audio channels using the aumix command.

First, let's list the available audio channels:

aumix -c

Example output:

Channels:
  Master  (volume:  50%)
  PCM     (volume: 100%)
  CD      (volume: 100%)
  Line    (volume: 100%)
  Mic     (volume: 100%)
  PC Speaker (volume: 100%)

To mute a specific channel, use the -m option followed by the channel name:

sudo aumix -m PCM

Example output:

PCM     (volume:   0%)

To unmute the channel, use the -u option:

sudo aumix -u PCM

Example output:

PCM     (volume: 100%)

You can also mute or unmute multiple channels at once:

sudo aumix -m "Mic PC Speaker" -u "CD Line"

Example output:

Mic     (volume:   0%)
PC Speaker (volume:   0%)
CD      (volume: 100%)
Line    (volume: 100%)

Feel free to experiment with muting and unmuting different audio channels to suit your needs.

Summary

In this lab, we learned how to install the aumix package on Ubuntu 22.04, which provides a command-line tool to adjust various audio settings. We then explored how to use aumix to adjust the master volume level and mute or unmute audio channels. These steps allow users to easily control their system's audio without the need for a graphical interface.

Linux Commands Cheat Sheet