I solved this problem in Jaunty, but the Sound preferences menu has extensively changed in Karmic. What is the new way to do this?
Original question:
I always have my master channel muted, and I switched the volume applet to adjust the headphone channel. This way, sound never comes out of my speakers, but it's always on when I plug headphones in.
However, when I use my Fn keys to adjust volume, they adjust the "master" channel, rather than the "headphone" channel. How do I change this behavior? If it makes a difference, I am using a Dell Inspiron 1200.
Best Answer
you can use xbindkeys: Run
xbindkeys -k
in a terminal. Press your keybinding, and add the appropriate line to your ~/.xkeybindkeysrc. for example, With an 'amixer' command to raise/lower your headphone volume.) Don't forget to have xbindkeys start before your windowmanager. You can have a look here for more on xbindkeys. This way, you're not dependent on DE, and you can even transfer you keyboard short cuts to other distros/releases.(I know it's not exactly what you want, but it might solve your problems?)