Solved Audio not working with 4.1, Arch Linux (solved)

[Pierric]

Hi,

I'm having more strange issues with Vivaldi today. I'm aware my system must be pretty unstable because I'm running Arch which upgrades some packages every single day. However, mostly it's only Vivaldi that breaks when something breaks at all!

Today, 4.1 cannot interface with sound at all anymore. Youtube says Audio renderer issue, restart your computer. Google Meet tells me it can't access the microphone (and no audio comes through from the participants, either). Downgrading to the last 4.0 fixes the issue. Upgrading again breaks it again. I've rebooted in between upgrades/downgrades just to be sure.

The weird thing is, on Friday I had no issue at all and I was already using 4.1. It seems that some other package upgrade broke this. However Chromium isn't affected (and saved the workday!).

I have tried using a blank profile and the same happens.

I'm listing here the recent updates -- to be specific these are the packages listed in my package cache folder as updated in the last days, I assume any upgrade that happened would be in the list (I'm a beginner with Arch Linux and don't know of another way to search the history of recent upgrades). I have tried downgrading the linux package after seeing an old thread about sound issues related to linux, but it didn't solve the issue even after a reboot.

Is there any way I can provide more detailed logs on the Vivaldi side? I tried running naively with --verbose but it didn't output anything useful.

Cheers,
Pierric.

Aug  2 09:22 ttf-jetbrains-mono-2.242-1-any
Aug  2 09:22 qt5ct-1.3-1-x86_64
Aug  2 09:22 nodejs-16.6.0-1-x86_64
Aug  2 09:22 mesa-vdpau-21.1.6-1-x86_64
Aug  2 09:22 mesa-21.1.6-1-x86_64
Aug  2 09:22 linux-5.13.7.arch1-1-x86_64
Aug  2 09:22 libva-mesa-driver-21.1.6-1-x86_64
Aug  2 09:22 imath-3.1.2-1-x86_64
Aug  2 09:22 audit-3.0.3-1-x86_64
Aug  2 09:22 e2fsprogs-1.46.3-1-x86_64
Jul 30 18:28 xorg-server-xvfb-1.20.13-1-x86_64
Jul 30 18:28 xorg-server-xnest-1.20.13-1-x86_64
Jul 30 18:28 xorg-server-xephyr-1.20.13-1-x86_64
Jul 30 18:28 xorg-server-devel-1.20.13-1-x86_64
Jul 30 18:28 xorg-server-1.20.13-1-x86_64
Jul 30 18:28 xorg-server-common-1.20.13-1-x86_64
Jul 30 18:28 virtualbox-guest-utils-6.1.26-1-x86_64
Jul 30 18:28 sbcl-2.1.7-1-x86_64
Jul 30 18:28 rsync-3.2.3-4-x86_64
Jul 30 18:28 npm-7.20.3-1-any
Jul 30 18:28 linux-5.13.6.arch1-1-x86_64
Jul 30 18:27 jupyterlab-3.1.1-1-any
Jul 30 18:27 iputils-20210722-1-x86_64
Jul 30 18:27 libcap-ng-0.8.2-3-x86_64
Jul 30 18:27 libidn2-2.3.2-1-x86_64
Jul 30 18:27 imlib2-1.7.2-1-x86_64
Jul 29 10:42 sudo-1.9.7.p2-1-x86_64
Jul 29 10:42 networkmanager-1.32.6-1-x86_64
Jul 29 10:42 libpulse-15.0-1-x86_64
Jul 29 10:42 libnm-1.32.6-1-x86_64

Edit: note that I'm NOT running this on a VM, even if the presence of virtualbox-guest-utils could lead you to think so - this system is a copy of one that first started as a VM.

Edit: updated the title after realizing (see post on Aug 3rd) that it hasn't "previously worked" on 4.1 as I thought, but rather stopped working with the upgrade to 4.1.

[DoppleGanger]

@pierric You are most welcome, I'm happy to try to help!

There is nothing that jumps out at me, for the moment. I have another suggestion, however. Thing is, I don't notice many pulseaudio packages installed, from the first or second list you provided. That may be due to the original install within VirtualBox. But that is just a guess on my part. Personally, I stay away from Virtual installs and such... it's just a 'me' thing.

Anyways, if it were my system, I would try the below command next:

yay -S --noconfirm --needed pulseaudio pavucontrol pulseaudio-alsa pulseaudio-equalizer pulseaudio-jack pulseaudio-lirc pulseaudio-zeroconf

That command will install any of those packages if they are not already installed. Those are the normally used/needed packages on a fresh install of Arch for a well working audio system.

Next I would advise to run the pavucontrol package, either from your menu (dmenu or rofi, or whatever you are using) or from the terminal, and double check the configuration of your sound system. For example I have a 5.1 surround sound system, and the default of pulseaudio is for stereo, so I adjust the config by using Pulse Audio Volume Control (pauvcontrol). You can also use the same prog for adjusting the output balance and such. Just look around within the prog, you'll figure it out in no time. If not, just ask, and I'll be happy to help.

So, try installing those packages, then use pavucontrol to set things, and I would reboot for good measure. Then give V another try to see how sound is at that point. In fact, open V, then go to someplace like YouTube, open pavucontrol while playing a video, go to the Output tab, and make sure the V output is not muted or anything such as that.

None of those suggested programs will hurt your Arch install in any way, so if they don't help out with your V problem, at that point it's up to you whether you want to leave them installed, or remove them. Hey, its your system, you set it up however you want it to be, right?

[DoctorG]

@pierric said in Audio not working with 4.1... although it did:

Downgrading to the last 4.0 fixes the issue. Upgrading again breaks it again.

Downgrades can break your browser config data as Vivaldi 4.0 has Chromium 91 and Vivaldi 4.1 the Chromium 92 core.

[Pierric]

@doctorg everything is working fine after the downgrade to 4.0, my config seems intact. I had downgraded and upgraded before, because of another transient issue, and on Friday things were fine in that sense too on 4.1.

I could try launching vivaldi with a different config folder just in case, though I don't remember how to tell it to do that, I'll need to look it up.

[DoctorG]

@pierric I tested Vivaldi 4.1.2369.11 Stable on YT with Mint 20.2 a few minutes ago and sound is ok for me.

[DoctorG]

@pierric Does audios work on http://hpr.dogphilosophy.net/test/?

[Pierric]

@doctorg said in Audio not working with 4.1... although it did:

@pierric Does audios work on http://hpr.dogphilosophy.net/test/?

No, it doesn't. The widget loads but the time never starts running, and no audio is heard. There is no explicit error message though. I've tried several of the various samples to try, all the same (and they all show that they are supported).

[DoctorG]

@pierric Deactivated sound for Vivaldi in Mint's volume mixer?
Disable sound in Vivaldi Settings → Webpages?
Any extension running in Vivaldi?
Any flags changed in Vivaldi Flags?

[Pierric]

@doctorg said in Audio not working with 4.1... although it did:

@pierric I tested Vivaldi 4.1.2369.11 Stable on YT with Mint 20.2 a few minutes ago and sound is ok for me.

Yes clearly this is something specific to my current system, with the latest updates published on the Arch repository, since it was working with the same software basis on Friday. That's why I included the list of recent updates, hoping it can provide a hint... the only package related to audio there is libpulse, but the update is from Thursday and I had no issues on Friday, so I don't think this could be related.

[DoctorG]

@pierric Changes in Arch's ffmpeg?

I do not know, have no Arch. I only remember a Arch issue after a systemd update and Vivaldi did not work correctly.

[Pierric]

@doctorg said in Audio not working with 4.1... although it did:

@pierric Deactivated sound for Vivaldi in Mint's volume mixer?
Disable sound in Vivaldi Settings → Webpages?
Any extension running in Vivaldi?
Any flags changed in Vivaldi Flags?

I run a relatively barebones Arch system, not Mint. I have no audio mixer as such, but sound is not muted or anything. Keep in mind, it's not just "no audio", it's error messages about it too. And not in other applications like Chromium.

Tons of extensions in my normal use, but I've tried with an empty profile too, same thing.

No flags modified.

Btw, thanks for your time so far

[DoppleGanger]

@pierric said in Audio not working with 4.1... although it did:

@doctorg said in Audio not working with 4.1... although it did:

@pierric I tested Vivaldi 4.1.2369.11 Stable on YT with Mint 20.2 a few minutes ago and sound is ok for me.

Yes clearly this is something specific to my current system, with the latest updates published on the Arch repository, since it was working with the same software basis on Friday. That's why I included the list of recent updates, hoping it can provide a hint... the only package related to audio there is libpulse, but the update is from Thursday and I had no issues on Friday, so I don't think this could be related.

What Desktop or Window Manager are you using in Arch? Also, are you using Pipewire or PulseAudio?

The reason I ask is because of the below list of packages that have been updated on my Arch system since last Thursday, and not one of them relates to audio that V uses normally. I do updates daily. V has never used Calf, AFAIK.

[2021-07-30T02:23:59-0500] [ALPM] upgraded iputils (20210202-1 -> 20210722-1)
[2021-07-30T09:46:19-0500] [ALPM] upgraded imlib2 (1.7.1-1 -> 1.7.2-1)
[2021-07-30T20:11:54-0500] [ALPM] upgraded telegram-desktop (2.8.11-2 -> 2.9.0-1)
[2021-07-31T06:20:50-0500] [ALPM] upgraded mesa (21.1.5-1 -> 21.1.6-1)
[2021-07-31T11:44:21-0500] [ALPM] upgraded audit (3.0.2-1 -> 3.0.3-1)
[2021-07-31T11:44:21-0500] [ALPM] upgraded ttf-jetbrains-mono (2.241-1 -> 2.242-1)
[2021-07-31T23:45:00-0500] [ALPM] upgraded e2fsprogs (1.46.2-1 -> 1.46.3-1)
[2021-07-31T23:45:00-0500] [ALPM] upgraded kitty-terminfo (0.22.0-1 -> 0.22.1-1)
[2021-07-31T23:45:00-0500] [ALPM] upgraded kitty (0.22.0-1 -> 0.22.1-1)
[2021-07-31T23:45:00-0500] [ALPM] upgraded lib32-e2fsprogs (1.46.2-2 -> 1.46.3-1)
[2021-08-01T04:13:06-0500] [ALPM] upgraded lib32-mesa (21.1.5-1 -> 21.1.6-1)
[2021-08-01T04:54:29-0500] [ALPM] upgraded imath (3.1.1-1 -> 3.1.2-1)
[2021-08-02T02:42:46-0500] [ALPM] upgraded qt5ct (1.2-1 -> 1.3-1)
[2021-08-02T02:42:46-0500] [ALPM] upgraded telegram-desktop (2.9.0-1 -> 2.9.0-2)
[2021-08-02T09:16:40-0500] [ALPM] upgraded kitty-terminfo (0.22.1-1 -> 0.22.2-1)
[2021-08-02T09:16:40-0500] [ALPM] upgraded kitty (0.22.1-1 -> 0.22.2-1)
[2021-08-02T12:14:29-0500] [ALPM] upgraded archlinux-keyring (20210616-1 -> 20210802-1)
[2021-08-02T12:14:31-0500] [ALPM] upgraded libxfont2 (2.0.4-3 -> 2.0.5-1)
[2021-08-02T12:14:31-0500] [ALPM] upgraded libxft (2.3.3-2 -> 2.3.4-1)
[2021-08-02T12:14:31-0500] [ALPM] upgraded poppler (21.07.0-3 -> 21.08.0-1)
[2021-08-02T12:14:31-0500] [ALPM] upgraded poppler-glib (21.07.0-3 -> 21.08.0-1)
[2021-08-02T16:03:11-0500] [ALPM] upgraded fluidsynth (2.1.8-1 -> 2.2.2-1)
[2021-08-02T16:03:11-0500] [ALPM] upgraded audacious-plugins (4.1-3 -> 4.1-4)
[2021-08-02T16:03:12-0500] [ALPM] upgraded calf (0.90.3-4 -> 0.90.3-5)
[2021-08-02T16:03:12-0500] [ALPM] upgraded gst-plugins-bad-libs (1.18.4-9 -> 1.18.4-10)
[2021-08-02T16:03:12-0500] [ALPM] upgraded gst-plugins-bad (1.18.4-9 -> 1.18.4-10)
[2021-08-02T18:28:30-0500] [ALPM] upgraded qt5-base (5.15.2+kde+r210-1 -> 5.15.2+kde+r211-1)

Perhaps you could post a more detailed list of the packages that were updated on your system? From a terminal, enter the command of:

tail -n 800 /var/log/pacman.log | grep -iE 'upgraded|downgraded' > $HOME/Downloads/RecentUpgrades.txt

After that, go to your Downloads directory, and open the RecentUpgrades.txt file, and copy/paste everything from the 30th to today. That way, we can see, in detail, what has changed as far as software since Friday.

[Pierric]

Hi!

@doppleganger said in Audio not working with 4.1... although it did:

What Desktop or Window Manager are you using in Arch? Also, are you using Pipewire or PulseAudio?

The window manager is Qtile. As a side note it has a small sound volume / mute button widget, which works fine just like before. When Vivaldi has sound (meaning when using 4.0 for now), I can change the volume or mute the system from there, as well as with the media keys I've configured in Qtile to run amixer set PCM playback 1+ for example.

To answer the second question, I think I'm using PulseAudio, though I'm not even sure if I can be confused by subtle things like libpulse not being pulse etc. I don't know much about sound in Linux really!

Curiously I'm not sure how it was first installed anyway. I maintain a list of explicitly installed packages, for "re-installability" purposes. I paste it here for reference. I'm not sure what in here is the main responsible for installing the base audio packages.

[Groups that are full installed]
base-devel
xorg
xorg-apps
xorg-fonts

[Individual packages explicitly installed and not in fully installed groups]
7zip-bin
alacritty
alsa-utils
asoundconf
autokey-gtk
base
bat
bind
breeze
btrfs-du
catfish
chromium
copyq
emacs
emoji-keyboard-appimage
fbreader
fd
fish
flameshot
galculator
gimp
git
grub
gtk2fontsel
htop
jq
jupyterlab
kate
libeatmydata
libva-mesa-driver
linux
linux-firmware
lsof
lxdm
man-db
mesa-demos
mesa-vdpau
mpv
ncdu
networkmanager
nitrogen
noto-fonts
ntfs-3g
nyxt
openssh
p7zip-gui
picom
pkgfile
plocate
python-pip
qt5ct
qtile
ripgrep
ristretto
rsync
sbsigntools
seadrive-gui
shim-signed
slack-desktop
smartmontools
sshfs
telegram-desktop-bin
thunar
tldr
tmux
ttf-jetbrains-mono
ttf-roboto
unzip
usbutils
vim
virtualbox-guest-utils
vivaldi
whois
xclip
xf86-video-fbdev
xf86-video-nouveau
xorg-xinit
xpdf
yay-bin
zsa-wally-cli-bin

Perhaps you could post a more detailed list of the packages that were updated on your system? From a terminal, enter the command of:

tail -n 800 /var/log/pacman.log | grep -iE 'upgraded|downgraded' > $HOME/Downloads/RecentUpgrades.txt

Ah, the command I was looking to check recent upgrades! While this seems to be consistent with the approach I chose in my first post, it's definitely cleaner and more reliable, thanks for this! I didn't know about pacman.log. In fact, this method got me to realize that I got my timing wrong!!! It seems that 4.1 was first deployed on Thursday evening. I downgraded on Friday morning due to some temporary shortcut issues, and upgraded again on Friday evening, when I saw that shortcuts were now working. I thought all of this had happened on Thursday. But if it happened on Friday, it's very likely that I never tried audio on 4.1 until yesterday, meaning (almost reassuringly) audio probably has never worked on 4.1 on my system. So, it's going to be less about recent updates and more about what's installed (previous list above).

[2021-07-28T09:22:20+0200] [ALPM] upgraded libldap (2.4.59-1 -> 2.4.59-2)
[2021-07-28T09:22:20+0200] [ALPM] upgraded llvm-libs (12.0.1-1 -> 12.0.1-2)
[2021-07-28T09:22:20+0200] [ALPM] upgraded libnghttp2 (1.43.0-1 -> 1.44.0-1)
[2021-07-28T09:22:20+0200] [ALPM] upgraded kdecoration (5.22.3-1 -> 5.22.4-1)
[2021-07-28T09:22:20+0200] [ALPM] upgraded breeze (5.22.3-1 -> 5.22.4-1)
[2021-07-28T09:22:21+0200] [ALPM] upgraded cmake (3.21.0-1 -> 3.21.1-1)
[2021-07-28T09:22:21+0200] [ALPM] upgraded dbus-python (1.2.16-4 -> 1.2.18-1)
[2021-07-28T09:22:21+0200] [ALPM] upgraded flameshot (0.10.0-1 -> 0.10.1-1)
[2021-07-28T09:22:21+0200] [ALPM] upgraded gegl (0.4.30-4 -> 0.4.30-5)
[2021-07-28T09:22:22+0200] [ALPM] upgraded graphviz (2.48.0-1 -> 2.48.0-2)
[2021-07-28T09:22:22+0200] [ALPM] upgraded jupyterlab (3.0.16-1 -> 3.1.0-1)
[2021-07-28T09:22:22+0200] [ALPM] upgraded npm (7.20.1-1 -> 7.20.2-1)
[2021-07-28T09:22:22+0200] [ALPM] upgraded python-tomli (1.1.0-1 -> 1.1.0-2)
[2021-07-28T09:22:22+0200] [ALPM] upgraded sbcl (2.1.1-1 -> 2.1.6-1)
[2021-07-28T09:22:46+0200] [ALPM] upgraded slack-desktop (4.17.0-1 -> 4.18.0-1)
[2021-07-28T17:09:25+0200] [ALPM] upgraded bind (9.16.18-1 -> 9.16.19-1)
[2021-07-28T17:09:25+0200] [ALPM] upgraded ttf-jetbrains-mono (2.225-1 -> 2.241-1)
[2021-07-28T17:09:25+0200] [ALPM] upgraded vivaldi (4.0.2312.41-1 -> 4.1.2369.11-1)
[2021-07-29T09:19:07+0200] [ALPM] downgraded vivaldi (4.1.2369.11-1 -> 4.0.2312.41-1)
[2021-07-29T10:42:28+0200] [ALPM] upgraded libnm (1.32.4-1 -> 1.32.6-1)
[2021-07-29T10:42:28+0200] [ALPM] upgraded libpulse (14.2-3 -> 15.0-1)
[2021-07-29T10:42:28+0200] [ALPM] upgraded networkmanager (1.32.4-1 -> 1.32.6-1)
[2021-07-29T10:42:28+0200] [ALPM] upgraded sudo (1.9.7.p1-1 -> 1.9.7.p2-1)
[2021-07-30T18:28:32+0200] [ALPM] upgraded imlib2 (1.7.1-1 -> 1.7.2-1)
[2021-07-30T18:28:32+0200] [ALPM] upgraded libidn2 (2.3.1-1 -> 2.3.2-1)
[2021-07-30T18:28:32+0200] [ALPM] upgraded libcap-ng (0.8.2-1 -> 0.8.2-3)
[2021-07-30T18:28:32+0200] [ALPM] upgraded iputils (20210202-1 -> 20210722-1)
[2021-07-30T18:28:33+0200] [ALPM] upgraded jupyterlab (3.1.0-1 -> 3.1.1-1)
[2021-07-30T18:28:33+0200] [ALPM] upgraded linux (5.13.5.arch1-1 -> 5.13.6.arch1-1)
[2021-07-30T18:28:34+0200] [ALPM] upgraded npm (7.20.2-1 -> 7.20.3-1)
[2021-07-30T18:28:34+0200] [ALPM] upgraded rsync (3.2.3-3 -> 3.2.3-4)
[2021-07-30T18:28:34+0200] [ALPM] upgraded sbcl (2.1.6-1 -> 2.1.7-1)
[2021-07-30T18:28:34+0200] [ALPM] upgraded virtualbox-guest-utils (6.1.24-1 -> 6.1.26-1)
[2021-07-30T18:28:35+0200] [ALPM] upgraded vivaldi (4.0.2312.41-1 -> 4.1.2369.11-1)
[2021-07-30T18:28:35+0200] [ALPM] upgraded xorg-server-common (1.20.12-1 -> 1.20.13-1)
[2021-07-30T18:28:35+0200] [ALPM] upgraded xorg-server (1.20.12-1 -> 1.20.13-1)
[2021-07-30T18:28:35+0200] [ALPM] upgraded xorg-server-devel (1.20.12-1 -> 1.20.13-1)
[2021-07-30T18:28:35+0200] [ALPM] upgraded xorg-server-xephyr (1.20.12-1 -> 1.20.13-1)
[2021-07-30T18:28:35+0200] [ALPM] upgraded xorg-server-xnest (1.20.12-1 -> 1.20.13-1)
[2021-07-30T18:28:35+0200] [ALPM] upgraded xorg-server-xvfb (1.20.12-1 -> 1.20.13-1)
[2021-07-30T18:28:58+0200] [ALPM] upgraded yay-bin (10.3.0-2 -> 10.3.1-2)
[2021-08-02T09:22:45+0200] [ALPM] upgraded e2fsprogs (1.46.2-1 -> 1.46.3-1)
[2021-08-02T09:22:45+0200] [ALPM] upgraded audit (3.0.2-1 -> 3.0.3-1)
[2021-08-02T09:22:45+0200] [ALPM] upgraded imath (3.1.1-1 -> 3.1.2-1)
[2021-08-02T09:22:45+0200] [ALPM] upgraded libva-mesa-driver (21.1.5-1 -> 21.1.6-1)
[2021-08-02T09:22:47+0200] [ALPM] upgraded linux (5.13.6.arch1-1 -> 5.13.7.arch1-1)
[2021-08-02T09:22:47+0200] [ALPM] upgraded mesa (21.1.5-1 -> 21.1.6-1)
[2021-08-02T09:22:48+0200] [ALPM] upgraded mesa-vdpau (21.1.5-1 -> 21.1.6-1)
[2021-08-02T09:22:48+0200] [ALPM] upgraded nodejs (16.5.0-1 -> 16.6.0-1)
[2021-08-02T09:22:48+0200] [ALPM] upgraded qt5ct (1.2-1 -> 1.3-1)
[2021-08-02T09:22:48+0200] [ALPM] upgraded ttf-jetbrains-mono (2.241-1 -> 2.242-1)
[2021-08-02T10:30:37+0200] [ALPM] upgraded telegram-desktop-bin (2.8.10-1 -> 2.9.0-1)
[2021-08-02T13:14:29+0200] [ALPM] downgraded linux (5.13.7.arch1-1 -> 5.13.5.arch1-1)
[2021-08-02T13:33:40+0200] [ALPM] downgraded vivaldi (4.1.2369.11-1 -> 4.0.2312.41-1)
[2021-08-02T13:34:43+0200] [ALPM] upgraded vivaldi (4.0.2312.41-1 -> 4.1.2369.11-1)
[2021-08-02T13:35:55+0200] [ALPM] downgraded vivaldi (4.1.2369.11-1 -> 4.0.2312.41-1)
[2021-08-02T13:36:23+0200] [ALPM] upgraded linux (5.13.5.arch1-1 -> 5.13.7.arch1-1)
[2021-08-02T18:21:16+0200] [ALPM] upgraded vivaldi (4.0.2312.41-1 -> 4.1.2369.11-1)
[2021-08-02T18:23:31+0200] [ALPM] downgraded vivaldi (4.1.2369.11-1 -> 4.0.2312.41-1)
[2021-08-02T18:49:09+0200] [ALPM] upgraded vivaldi (4.0.2312.41-1 -> 4.1.2369.11-1)
[2021-08-02T19:04:11+0200] [ALPM] downgraded libpulse (15.0-1 -> 14.2-3)
[2021-08-02T19:06:53+0200] [ALPM] downgraded vivaldi (4.1.2369.11-1 -> 4.0.2312.41-1)
[2021-08-02T19:07:13+0200] [ALPM] upgraded archlinux-keyring (20210616-1 -> 20210802-1)
[2021-08-02T19:07:14+0200] [ALPM] upgraded libpulse (14.2-3 -> 15.0-1)
[2021-08-02T19:07:14+0200] [ALPM] upgraded libxfont2 (2.0.4-3 -> 2.0.5-1)
[2021-08-02T19:07:14+0200] [ALPM] upgraded libxft (2.3.3-2 -> 2.3.4-1)
[2021-08-02T19:07:14+0200] [ALPM] upgraded poppler (21.07.0-3 -> 21.08.0-1)
[2021-08-02T19:07:14+0200] [ALPM] upgraded poppler-glib (21.07.0-3 -> 21.08.0-1)
[2021-08-02T19:07:14+0200] [ALPM] upgraded xorg-xwd (1.0.7-2 -> 1.0.8-1)

Thanks for your help so far, I really hope to get to the bottom of this!

Cheers,
Pierric.

[DoppleGanger]

@pierric You are most welcome, I'm happy to try to help!

There is nothing that jumps out at me, for the moment. I have another suggestion, however. Thing is, I don't notice many pulseaudio packages installed, from the first or second list you provided. That may be due to the original install within VirtualBox. But that is just a guess on my part. Personally, I stay away from Virtual installs and such... it's just a 'me' thing.

Anyways, if it were my system, I would try the below command next:

yay -S --noconfirm --needed pulseaudio pavucontrol pulseaudio-alsa pulseaudio-equalizer pulseaudio-jack pulseaudio-lirc pulseaudio-zeroconf

That command will install any of those packages if they are not already installed. Those are the normally used/needed packages on a fresh install of Arch for a well working audio system.

Next I would advise to run the pavucontrol package, either from your menu (dmenu or rofi, or whatever you are using) or from the terminal, and double check the configuration of your sound system. For example I have a 5.1 surround sound system, and the default of pulseaudio is for stereo, so I adjust the config by using Pulse Audio Volume Control (pauvcontrol). You can also use the same prog for adjusting the output balance and such. Just look around within the prog, you'll figure it out in no time. If not, just ask, and I'll be happy to help.

So, try installing those packages, then use pavucontrol to set things, and I would reboot for good measure. Then give V another try to see how sound is at that point. In fact, open V, then go to someplace like YouTube, open pavucontrol while playing a video, go to the Output tab, and make sure the V output is not muted or anything such as that.

None of those suggested programs will hurt your Arch install in any way, so if they don't help out with your V problem, at that point it's up to you whether you want to leave them installed, or remove them. Hey, its your system, you set it up however you want it to be, right?

[Pierric]

You saved the day, @DoppleGanger !

Installing those packages did the trick. Now, I'm very curious to find out what changed in 4.1. Why do Chromium (even Chromium 92, used by Vivaldi 4.1) and Vivaldi 4.0 not need those packages, and why does Vivaldi 4.1 do??? It feels like I would have a lot to learn in this area to fully understand how my own system works...

But at least for now, it does work again. I might play around with the package list and prune it to find which package(s) is (are) really key here. Then maybe they might have to be added as dependencies for vivaldi in Arch? I'm not even sure how to flag that.

Thanks again!
Pierric.

[DoppleGanger]

@pierric said in Audio not working with 4.1, Arch Linux (solved):

Thanks again!

Outstanding!! I'm always glad to help, it's how we all get along in this world, ya know?

Honestly, it's my personal opinion that because you used a clone of a virtualized system, it brought along with it a few 'oddities'. A few years back, that was my experience, anyway.

Glad you have sound, and once you get to know the pavucontrol program, it will serve you well no matter what distro you use.

Take care, and enjoy the journey of learning!

[Pierric]

@doppleganger said in Audio not working with 4.1, Arch Linux (solved):

Glad you have sound, and once you get to know the pavucontrol program, it will serve you well no matter what distro you use.

Already set it up as a Qtile dropdown, when I click the volume widget, instead of muting it now opens pavucontrol, which disappears when I move the mouse away from it though to be fair now that things are "wired" correctly again, 99% of the time I'll still be using the media keys (I had to update the associated shortcuts, since what was 'PCM' is now 'Master' after the new installs).

Take care, and enjoy the journey of learning!

That is the spirit indeed! One step at a time. Take care too!

Cheers,
Pierric.

[shubin]

For me worked changing profile value in pavucontrol.

$ sudo pacman -S pavucontrol
$ pavucontrol