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The `pw-cat` `--volume` switch does not work on Fedora 36 as it used to do.

  • PipeWire version (pipewire --version): 0.3.49
  • Distribution and distribution version (PRETTY_NAME from /etc/os-release): Fedora Linux 36 (Workstation Edition Prerelease)
  • Desktop Environment: Gnome 42
  • Kernel version (uname -r): 5.17.1-300.fc36.x86_64

Description of Problem:

When I want to play some audiofile using the pw-cat -p file.wav command, the audio plays normally. However, when I want to play a quieter sound and use the --volume=0.5 switch, no sound is audible although the file is playing.

The same goes for recording using pw-cat -r audiofile.wav. It works normally until I try to record with the --volume switch. In that case, no audio is recorded into the file, although the file itself is playing, i.e. it is as if it was recorded with the input switched off.

On earlier versions, setting --volume to 0.5 diminished the audio. The man pages say that the value can go upto 1.000, however it is unclear whether this means that it accepts any value between 0.000 and 1.000, i.e. something like 0.569 for example, or if it means something between 0 and 1000 with no decimal places allowed.

Just to make sure I also tried setting the --volume to 600 and my head almost exploded with loudness and the sound was pretty much overboosted and the volume clearly went well above the volume settings set by the system's volume slider. When leaving the volume out of the command, the volume is as set up by the system's slider.

Is this the expected behaviour?

How Reproducible:

Always

Steps to Reproduce:

  1. Play an audio file using pw-cat -p --volume=0.6 <file.wav>

Actual Results:

The --volume switch behaves in a different way than it did before.

Expected Results:

Difficult to say.

Additional Info (as attachments):