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Qtractor Complete Guide

#qtractor #daw #audio #ubuntu

Complete First-Time Setup Guide for Qtractor on Ubuntu 26.04

  1. install and prepare the system
  2. verify audio works
  3. configure PipeWire/JACK
  4. configure Qtractor
  5. record audio
  6. record while playing other tracks
  7. export projects
  8. tune latency
  9. troubleshoot problems

Qtractor is a lightweight Linux DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) for audio and MIDI recording.
On Ubuntu, most problems come from:

  • JACK / PipeWire / ALSA conflicts
  • Permissions
  • Wrong audio device selection
  • Monitoring setup
  • Sample-rate mismatches
  • USB devices reconnecting
  • Tracks not armed correctly

This guide walks through a strategic / systematic / stable setup from zero, and covers the common failure cases along the way.

PART 1 QUICK START SETUP

1. Understanding the Linux Audio Stack

Modern Ubuntu audio typically works like this:

Applications

PipeWire

JACK compatibility layer

ALSA drivers

Audio hardware
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For Qtractor, the recommended setup is:

  • PipeWire enabled
  • JACK compatibility enabled
  • Qtractor using JACK mode through PipeWire

2. Install the Required Packages

Install everything needed:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install \
qtractor \
pipewire \
pipewire-audio \
pipewire-pulse \
pipewire-jack \
wireplumber \
qpwgraph \
alsa-utils \
qjackctl \
ffmpeg
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Useful tools:

Tool Purpose
qtractor DAW
qjackctl JACK control panel
qpwgraph audio routing graph
helvum simpler routing
pavucontrol audio device management
alsa-utils microphone troubleshooting

helvum and pavucontrol are listed as reference but not in the installation list, as many experienced Linux audio users eventually stop opening Helvum entirely and do everything through qpwgraph -- In daily use:

  • Use qpwgraph as your primary routing tool.
  • Use Helvum only if you prefer its simpler visual layout or want a quick sanity check of the PipeWire graph.

For pavucontrol, I'm using KUbuntu so I installed pavucontrol-qt instead.

3. Reboot

After installation:

reboot
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This ensures all audio services start cleanly.

4. Verify the Audio System Is Running

Check PipeWire:

systemctl --user status pipewire
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Check WirePlumber:

systemctl --user status wireplumber
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Check Pulse compatibility:

systemctl --user status pipewire-pulse
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You should see:

active (running)
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5. Verify Audio Devices Exist

Check Playback Devices 

aplay -l
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Check Recording Devices 

arecord -l
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Check PipeWire Audio Nodes 

wpctl status
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You should see sections like:

Audio
    Devices
    Sinks
    Sources
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Typical onboard audio may appear as:

Built-in Audio Analog Stereo
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6. Verify Sound Playback Works

Test speaker output:

speaker-test -c 2
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You should hear alternating left/right sound.

Press:

Ctrl+C
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to stop.

7. Verify Microphone Input Works

Open the ALSA mixer:

alsamixer
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Press:

F6
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Select your sound card.

Verify:

  • capture channels are enabled
  • input volume is reasonable
  • channels are not muted

Muted channels show:

MM
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Enabled channels show:

OO
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Toggle mute with:

M
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Make sure microphone input works by doing a test recording:

pw-record /tmp/test-rec.wav
pw-play /tmp/test-rec.wav
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8. Verify PipeWire Audio Routing

Launch:

qpwgraph &
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You should see:

  • audio devices
  • playback nodes
  • capture nodes
  • PipeWire graph connections

This tool becomes extremely important later.

9. Launch Qtractor Properly

Recommended launch method:

pw-jack qtractor &
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This ensures Qtractor uses PipeWire s JACK compatibility layer correctly.

10. Configure Qtractor Audio Settings

Inside Qtractor:

View   Options   Audio
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Recommended settings:

Setting Value
Driver JACK
Sample Rate 48000
Buffer Size 256 or 512
Channels Stereo

Restart Qtractor after changes.

11. Verify Qtractor Audio Engine

When Qtractor opens:

Verifying Qtractor Started Correctly

When Qtractor opens successfully, three things should be true:

  1. no engine errors appear
  2. transport controls are active
  3. audio meters function correctly

The last two are important because Qtractor can sometimes open partially working even when the audio engine is not fully operational.

If the engine fails to start, or partially working, see troubleshooting later.

11.1 Verify Transport Controls Are Active

The transport controls are the playback/record controls usually located near the top toolbar.

Typical controls include:

Control Purpose
Play start playback
Stop stop playback
Record arm global recording
Rewind move playhead backward
Fast Forward move playhead forward
Loop repeat playback region

What Active Means

When the audio engine is working correctly:

  • buttons respond immediately
  • Play starts timeline movement
  • Stop halts playback
  • Record engages recording mode
  • time counter advances during playback
  • playhead moves smoothly across timeline

Visual Indicators of a Working Transport

Timeline Movement

Press:

Play
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Expected result:

  • playhead moves left-to-right
  • timeline counter advances continuously
  • transport clock changes in real time

Example:

00:00:01
00:00:02
00:00:03
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If the counter stays frozen:

  • audio engine likely failed
  • JACK connection may be broken
  • transport backend may not be running

Play Button State

When playback begins:

  • Play button usually highlights or changes state
  • Stop becomes available
  • CPU/audio indicators may activate

If Play immediately returns to idle:

  • engine likely stopped internally
  • invalid routing or backend failure possible

Record Button Behavior

When Record is enabled:

  • global Record button lights up
  • armed tracks indicate recording readiness
  • pressing Play starts actual recording

If Record cannot be enabled:

  • transport engine may not exist
  • audio backend failed initialization

What Broken Transport Looks Like

Common symptoms:

Symptom Likely Cause
Play button does nothing engine not running
timeline frozen JACK/PipeWire disconnected
Record button disabled no active audio engine
playback instantly stops routing/backend issue
transport buttons greyed out engine startup failure

Verify JACK Transport Exists

Open:

qpwgraph
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You should see Qtractor nodes such as:

qtractor
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or:

qtractor-master
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If Qtractor does not appear at all:

  • JACK compatibility failed
  • Qtractor engine not started

Verify Engine Messages

Inside Qtractor:

View   Messages
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A healthy startup usually shows messages similar to:

JACK started
Audio activated
MIDI activated
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Problematic examples:

Cannot connect to JACK server
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or:

Audio device not available
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11.2 Verify Audio Meters Function Correctly

Meters confirm that audio signals are actually flowing.

Even when transport works, meters may reveal:

  • missing routing
  • silent inputs
  • muted tracks
  • disconnected outputs
  • inactive monitoring

Types of Meters in Qtractor

You may see:

Meter Purpose
Track input meter incoming recording signal
Track playback meter playback signal
Master meter final mixed output
MIDI activity indicators MIDI note activity

Verify Playback Meters

Import or record a short audio clip.

Press:

Play
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Expected behavior:

  • track meters move dynamically
  • master output meters move
  • audio is heard from speakers/headphones

What Healthy Meter Movement Looks Like

Meters should:

  • rise and fall continuously
  • react to loud/quiet audio
  • peak near louder sounds
  • return downward smoothly

Example:
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Verify Recording/Input Meters

Arm an audio track.

Speak into microphone.

Expected behavior:

  • armed track input meter reacts immediately
  • louder speech produces higher levels
  • silence returns meter near zero

If Input Meter Moves But Nothing Records

Possible causes:

  • global Record not enabled
  • playback never started
  • recording path invalid
  • disk write permissions issue

If Playback Meter Moves But No Sound Is Heard

Possible causes:

  • output routing broken
  • wrong playback device
  • muted system output
  • disconnected PipeWire graph

Check:

qpwgraph
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Verify:

Qtractor Output

System Playback
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If No Meters Move At All

Most likely causes:

Cause Description
engine failed JACK/PipeWire inactive
no routing disconnected graph
muted input ALSA/PipeWire mute
wrong device incorrect source selected
disconnected hardware USB/audio issue

Proper Recording Levels

Avoid recording too quietly or too loudly.

Recommended Recording Peaks

Typical safe peak range:

-18 dB to -6 dB
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Avoid constant clipping near:

0 dB
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Clipping Indicators

Red meter peaks indicate clipping/distortion.

If clipping occurs:

  • reduce microphone gain
  • reduce interface input gain
  • lower ALSA capture level

Verifying Meter Activity Outside Qtractor

If uncertain whether Qtractor or the system is failing:

Run:

pw-top
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Speak into microphone.

You should see activity changes for:

  • input nodes
  • Qtractor nodes
  • output nodes

This confirms PipeWire signal flow exists.

Final Healthy-State Checklist

A fully working Qtractor session should have ALL of these:

Check Expected Result
Play button works yes
timeline moves yes
Record button arms yes
input meters react yes
playback meters react yes
master meters react yes
sound audible yes
qpwgraph shows routes yes
wpctl status shows devices yes

If all are true, the audio engine, routing, recording, and playback systems are functioning correctly.


(Image not reflecting the actual Qtractor GUI)

PART 2 FIRST RECORDING

12. Create a New Session

Inside Qtractor:

File   New
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Create a dedicated project folder.

Recommended structure:

Projects/
     Song/
          audio/
          exports/
          backups/
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13. Add an Audio Track 

Track   Add Track
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Choose:

Setting Value
Type Audio
Channels Mono or Stereo
Name Vocals

Mono is usually correct for microphones.

14. Arm the Track for Recording

Click the track s red record-arm button.

The track is now ready to record.

15. Enable Main Recording

Press the global Record button in the toolbar.

16. Start Recording

Press:

  • Play
  • or Spacebar

Recording begins.

Waveforms should appear.

17. Verify Recorded Audio Works

Stop recording.

Rewind.

Press Play.

Verify:

  • waveform exists
  • audio is audible
  • meters move during playback

If not, see troubleshooting later.

PART 3 UNDERSTANDING ROUTING

18. Linux Audio Routing Basics

Signals travel like this:

Microphone

PipeWire Input Node

Qtractor Input

Track

Master Output

Speakers
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If any connection is missing:

  • no sound
  • silent recording
  • missing monitoring
  • playback problems

19. Verify Input Connections

Open:

qpwgraph
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Verify:

Audio Input Device

Qtractor Capture Input
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Example:

alsa_input

qtractor:input_1
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20. Verify Playback Connections

Verify:

Qtractor Master Output

System Output
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Example:

qtractor:output_1

alsa_output
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PART 4 MONITORING

21. Monitoring While Recording

Monitoring means hearing yourself while recording.

Two methods exist.

Software Monitoring

Handled by Qtractor.

Pros:

  • hear effects/plugins live

Cons:

  • more latency

Enable monitoring in track settings.

Hardware Monitoring

Handled directly by audio interface hardware.

Pros:

  • near-zero latency

Cons:

  • no software effects while recording

22. Verify Monitoring Works

Arm track.

Speak into microphone.

Verify:

  • Qtractor meters move
  • audio is heard in headphones/speakers

If meters move but nothing is heard:

  • monitoring disabled
  • routing incorrect
  • output muted

PART 5 MULTITRACK RECORDING

23. Recording While Playing Existing Tracks

Typical workflow:

  • existing music plays
  • new track records simultaneously

24. Procedure

Existing Tracks

Leave unarmed.

New Track

Arm only the new recording track.

Start Recording

Press:

Record + Play
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Now:

  • old tracks play normally
  • new audio records simultaneously

25. Verify Synchronization

After recording:

  • rewind
  • play all tracks together

Verify timing alignment.

PART 6 IMPORTING AND EXPORTING

26. Import Audio Files

Drag and Drop

Drag WAV/FLAC into timeline.

Manual Import 

Right-click Track   Import Audio
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27. Export Final Audio 

File   Export   Audio
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Recommended settings:

Setting Value
Format WAV
Sample Rate 48000
Bit Depth 24-bit

28. Convert WAV to MP3 

ffmpeg -i mix.wav mix.mp3
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PART 7 MIDI RECORDING

29. Verify MIDI Devices 

aconnect -i
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You should see connected MIDI devices.

30. Add MIDI Track 

Track   Add Track   MIDI
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31. Verify MIDI Routing

In:

qpwgraph
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Verify:

MIDI Keyboard

Qtractor MIDI Input
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PART 8 LATENCY AND PERFORMANCE

32. Buffer Size Recommendations

Buffer Use
128 low-latency recording
256 balanced
512 stable mixing
1024 weak hardware

33. Verify Current Audio Performance

Run:

pw-top
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Important fields:

Field Meaning
RATE sample rate
QUANT buffer
CPU processing load
ERR xruns/errors

34. Avoid XRUNS and Crackling

If audio crackles:

  • increase buffer size
  • close heavy applications
  • avoid Bluetooth audio
  • use wired headphones
  • avoid USB hubs

PART 9 TROUBLESHOOTING

Organized from most common to least common.

35. Qtractor Audio Engine Will Not Start

Symptoms

  • engine start error
  • transport disabled
  • playback unavailable

Solution 1 Launch with PipeWire JACK 

pw-jack qtractor
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Solution 2 Kill Old JACK Servers 

killall jackd
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Restart PipeWire:

systemctl --user restart pipewire
systemctl --user restart wireplumber
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Solution 3 Verify JACK Driver Setting

Inside Qtractor:

View   Options   Audio
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Set:

Driver = JACK
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36. No Sound During Playback

Verify Output Routing

Open:

qpwgraph
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Verify:

Qtractor Outputs

System Playback
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Verify Output Device

Open:

pavucontrol
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Verify correct output device selected.

Verify System Audio

Run:

speaker-test -c 2
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37. Recording Is Silent

Verify Input Routing

In:

qpwgraph
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Verify:

Input Device

Qtractor Capture
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Verify Input Gain

Run:

alsamixer
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Increase capture gain.

Verify Input Device

Open:

pavucontrol
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Check:

Input Devices
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Verify Signal Activity

Run:

pw-top
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Speak into microphone and watch activity.

38. Monitoring Does Not Work

Verify Monitoring Enabled

Enable monitoring on the track.

Verify Output Routing

Check in:

qpwgraph
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Avoid Double Monitoring

Disable either:

  • hardware monitoring
  • software monitoring

not both simultaneously.

39. Built-in Audio Analog Stereo Missing

Verify ALSA Detects Hardware 

aplay -l
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and:

arecord -l
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Restart PipeWire Stack 

systemctl --user restart pipewire
systemctl --user restart wireplumber
systemctl --user restart pipewire-pulse
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Then verify:

wpctl status
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Verify Audio Profiles

Open:

pavucontrol
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Go to:

Configuration
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Set profile to:

Analog Stereo Duplex
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Reload ALSA 

sudo alsa force-reload
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Restart PipeWire afterward.

Verify Kernel Detection 

dmesg | grep -i audio
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and:

lspci | grep -i audio
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40. Audio Device Disappears Randomly

Disable Audio Power Saving

Create:

sudo nano /etc/modprobe.d/disable-audio-powersave.conf
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Add:

options snd_hda_intel power_save=0
options snd_usb_audio power_save=0
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Reboot.

Avoid USB Hubs

Connect interfaces directly to motherboard ports.

Check Kernel Logs 

dmesg | tail -50
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Look for:

  • USB resets
  • disconnects
  • power faults

41. Crackling, Pops, Distortion

Increase Buffer Size

Inside Qtractor:

View   Options   Audio
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Try:

512
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or:

1024
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Verify CPU Load 

pw-top
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42. HDMI Audio Takes Over

Open:

pavucontrol
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Select correct analog output manually.

43. Broken Audio Graph Connections

Restart WirePlumber:

systemctl --user restart wireplumber
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Reopen:

qpwgraph
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Reconnect missing nodes.

44. Complete Diagnostic Sequence

When audio problems happen, check in this order:

wpctl status
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qpwgraph
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pw-top
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alsamixer
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pavucontrol
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Those tools diagnose most Linux audio problems quickly.

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