I'm trying to switch between the audio outputs of my video card from the command line. I'm able to do that via the GUI settings, as it's shown on the picture. How can I do this programmatically?
On the picture are presented two audio devices wit two outputs each:
-
(green) Device 1 – Built-in Audio with two outputs:
- Digital Output
- Headphones
-
(red) Device 2 – HDMI Audio Controller of NVidia GTX 660. To the video card are connected two monitors:
-
The first monitor is LG TV and it is connected to HDMI-0.
-
The second monitor is LG ULTRAWIDE and it is connected to DVI-I-1.
-
So I want to switch, via the command-line, between the red outputs (the two monitors). Everything I've found, in my research, is how to switch between the audio devices (sound cards). I've already read few topics as these questions:
- Audio output device, fast switch?
- How to change pulseaudio sink with "pacmd set-default-sink" during playback?
- How can I choose the audio output device using the terminal?
- How to switch sound output with key shortcut
When the first monitor LG TV | HDMI-0 is engaged as audio output:
$ pactl list sinks short
8 alsa_output.pci-0000_00_1b.0.analog-stereo module-alsa-card.c s16le 2ch 44100Hz SUSPENDED
16 alsa_output.pci-0000_03_00.1.hdmi-stereo module-alsa-card.c s16le 2ch 44100Hz RUNNING
$ pacmd list-sinks | grep name:
name: <alsa_output.pci-0000_00_1b.0.analog-stereo>
name: <alsa_output.pci-0000_03_00.1.hdmi-stereo>
When the second monitor LG ULTRAWIDE | DVI-I-1 is engaged as audio output:
$ pactl list sinks short
8 alsa_output.pci-0000_00_1b.0.analog-stereo module-alsa-card.c s16le 2ch 44100Hz SUSPENDED
17 alsa_output.pci-0000_03_00.1.hdmi-stereo-extra1 module-alsa-card.c s16le 2ch 44100Hz RUNNING
$ pacmd list-sinks | grep name:
name: <alsa_output.pci-0000_00_1b.0.analog-stereo>
name: <alsa_output.pci-0000_03_00.1.hdmi-stereo-extra1>
The output of pacmd list-cards
and pactl list cards
is provided here.
You can see (in this particular case) I'm searching for a way to switch between sink 16
and sink 17
. But when sink 16
is presented in pactl list sinks
, sink 17
is not presented and vice versa. I can switch them only from the GUI settings. Is ithere a way to do that via the command-line?
Best Answer
Thanks to the discussion with @Thomas I realised the proper therms (key words) are profile and card. In the terms of the question profiles are the inputs and outputs. The cards are the audio devices. And the sink numbers are not so important, but we need them.
We can find all available profiles for each card name by the command
pacmd list-cards
orpactl list cards
that outputs the same information:A certain profile can be set by command with format as this:
According to the question for the four mentioned outputs the commands are:
As it is shown in this answer, when the new profile is set next things to do are:
According to my needs, described in the question, I've created the following script:
The script is ready to be used with custom keyboard shortcuts, because it can handle the value (
1
-4
) of the first positional parameter. When it is called without additional paraneter it will ask for your choice: