Episode 3: Sound Idiosyncrasies Abound

The continuing adventures of one man's attempt to migrate his desktop PC from MS Windows to Ubuntu/Linux.

On boot with the USB headset plugged in, there is a drum-tap sound that plays through the speakers when the "username" login screen appears. After logging in, the Ubuntu jingle plays through the headset. Strange...

Putting an audio CD in the CD-RW drive sets an "audio CD" icon on the desktop. Double clicking the icon launches a music player, but I hear the music through the speakers. Damn, the boss will know I'm hardly working, not working hard!

• Checking System/Preferences/Sound reveals that the sound card (SB Live!) is the default sound card. Selecting the USB Headset and rebooting, the CD music plays through the headset. Problem solved.
  
• However, rechecking the System/Preferences/Sound reveals that the sound card (SB Live!) is again the default sound card. I don't know why the music is coming from the headset now when it came from the speakers before.

Controlling the volume in the headset for the CD I am playing is problematic.

• A single click on the "Master" volume control on the Ubuntu panel displays a slider control that does ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.
  
• This behavior of this Master slider control holds true if I am playing the CD using either Rhythmbox or Sound Juicer.
• In the player window, there is a control that WORKS! It does allow you to increase or decrease the overall volume in the headset.
  
• This behavior of the player volume control holds true if I am playing the CD using either Rhythmbox or Sound Juicer.

But how do I control the balance and tone of the music played by Rhythmbox or Sound Juicer in the headset?

• Trial and error disclosed that a double-click on the Master volume control on the Ubuntu panel launches an "Alsa Mixer" volume control window for the USB headset. Here I can adjust the sound volume. I can also change the balance by "unlocking the channels."
• BTW, somewhere along the trial-and-error line I added the Alsa Mixer to the system using Add/Remove Applications.
  
• I haven't found how to change sound tone yet.

I continue to believe that the issues I am having with sound are related to the sound card driver. Sound Blaster sound cards used by Dell may not be the same as the versions used by other system builders. The card that Dell used in my machine may require a different driver, one that works better than the one that Ubuntu installed for this card!?

Episodes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.