Audio - Bazzite Audio Configuration¶

Overview¶

Bazzite uses PipeWire for audio. This skill covers virtual audio channels, surround sound emulation, Bluetooth audio, and PipeWire management.

Quick Reference¶

Virtual Audio Channels¶

Setup Virtual Channels¶

# Create virtual audio sinks
ujust setup-virtual-channels

Creates sinks: - Game - Game audio - Voice - Discord, voice chat - Browser - Web browser audio - Music - Music players

Use case: Route different apps to different channels for: - Separate volume control - Stream audio isolation - Recording specific sources

Using Virtual Channels¶

After setup, select sinks in PipeWire/PulseAudio-compatible apps:

1. Open app settings
2. Select output device
3. Choose Game/Voice/Browser/Music

In pavucontrol: 1. Go to "Playback" tab 2. Click app dropdown 3. Select virtual sink

Surround Sound¶

Virtual 7.1 Surround¶

# Setup 7.1 surround for headphones
ujust setup-virtual-surround

Creates a virtual 7.1 surround sink that: - Takes stereo headphone output - Uses HRTF spatializer - Simulates surround positioning

Best for: - Gaming with positional audio - Movies with surround tracks - Stereo headphones

Bluetooth Audio¶

Toggle BT Mic Fix¶

# Toggle Bluetooth headset profile mitigation
ujust toggle-bt-mic

Fixes issues with Bluetooth headsets switching profiles when: - Mic is enabled/disabled - Switching between A2DP and HSP/HFP - Audio quality drops unexpectedly

PipeWire Management¶

Restart PipeWire¶

# Restart PipeWire and related services
ujust restart-pipewire

Restarts: - pipewire - pipewire-pulse - wireplumber

Use when: - Audio stops working - Bluetooth audio issues - After configuration changes

Common Workflows¶

Streaming Setup¶

# Create virtual channels
ujust setup-virtual-channels

# In OBS:
# - Capture "Game" sink for game audio
# - Capture "Voice" sink for Discord
# - Exclude browser/music from stream

Gaming Audio¶

# Enable 7.1 surround for headphones
ujust setup-virtual-surround

# In game settings:
# - Select 7.1 surround output
# - Enable spatial audio

Bluetooth Troubleshooting¶

# If BT audio drops or switches profiles
ujust toggle-bt-mic

# Restart audio stack
ujust restart-pipewire

Advanced Configuration¶

PipeWire Config Location¶

~/.config/pipewire/
~/.config/wireplumber/

Check Audio Devices¶

# List sinks
pactl list sinks short

# List sources
pactl list sources short

# PipeWire info
pw-cli info

Volume Control¶

# GUI volume control
pavucontrol

# CLI volume control
pactl set-sink-volume @DEFAULT_SINK@ 50%

Troubleshooting¶

No Audio¶

Check PipeWire status:

systemctl --user status pipewire
systemctl --user status pipewire-pulse

Restart:

ujust restart-pipewire

Virtual Channels Not Showing¶

Verify sinks:

pactl list sinks short | grep -E "Game|Voice|Browser|Music"

Recreate:

ujust setup-virtual-channels

Bluetooth Audio Choppy¶

Check codec:

pactl list cards | grep -A10 "bluez"

Switch to SBC-XQ or AAC if available: Use pavucontrol > Configuration tab

Surround Not Working¶

Check sink:

pactl list sinks short | grep surround

Verify game audio settings: - Game must output 5.1/7.1 - Virtual sink must be selected

Cross-References¶

• bazzite:gaming - Gaming audio setup
• bazzite:network - Bluetooth considerations
• bazzite-ai:configure - Service configuration