Sound (extras/pipewire-audio.sh)

SYNOPSIS

wrenctl install pipewire-audio                     install it
wrenctl remove pipewire-audio                      remove it
wrenctl manual pipewire-audio                      print the manual steps below

volume up|down|mute|micmute [STEP]    5% steps, never above 100%
  the volume and mute keys, or Super+F10 (mute), Super+F11 (down), Super+F12 (up)
wrenctl --mic on|off                  the microphone (or the Wren menu > Microphone)

Sound through PipeWire, from Debian, started as your user's services. The volume command (bin/volume) changes the volume in 5% steps, never above 100%, unmutes on a change and refreshes the bar at once; sway's volume keys use it, and Super+F10 to F12 do for keyboards without them. The microphone is muted at every login (by bin/radios), so it stays off until you switch it on. timer and the alarm clock ring with PipeWire's pw-play. Without this extra no sound server runs for you, though the sandboxed browsers install PipeWire's programs for one of their own: nothing plays, the bar shows no volume, and Firefox doesn't ask about sound.

LIMITS

• The microphone switch is muting in software: a program running as you could unmute it. A hardware switch is stronger.
• Programs running as you can record from the microphone while it is on.

MANUAL INSTALL

# PipeWire for sound (with its PulseAudio replacement and WirePlumber)
sudo apt install --no-install-recommends pipewire-audio
# On for every user (a sandboxed browser's install switches it off without this extra)
sudo systemctl --global enable pipewire.socket pipewire-pulse.socket wireplumber.service
# Start it now, as your user (it starts at each login after that)
systemctl --user enable --now pipewire.socket pipewire-pulse.socket wireplumber.service

# The volume command, and the microphone switch
install -D -m 0755 @WREN_DIR@/bin/volume ~/.local/bin/volume
install -D -m 0755 @WREN_DIR@/bin/radios ~/.local/bin/radios
# The keys, and the microphone muted at every login
mkdir -p ~/.config/sway/config.d
cat >~/.config/sway/config.d/audio.conf <<'EOF'
bindsym --locked XF86AudioRaiseVolume exec ~/.local/bin/volume up
bindsym --locked XF86AudioLowerVolume exec ~/.local/bin/volume down
bindsym --locked XF86AudioMute exec ~/.local/bin/volume mute
bindsym --locked XF86AudioMicMute exec ~/.local/bin/volume micmute
bindsym $mod+F10 exec ~/.local/bin/volume mute
bindsym $mod+F11 exec ~/.local/bin/volume down
bindsym $mod+F12 exec ~/.local/bin/volume up
exec ~/.local/bin/radios mic off --wait
EOF
# sway must accept it (this prints no [ERROR] lines), then reads it
sway -C -c ~/.config/sway/config 2>&1 | grep ERROR
swaymsg reload
# The microphone off now, too
~/.local/bin/radios mic off

To undo:

# The keys and the volume command (keep radios if the Wren menu or Bluetooth uses it)
rm ~/.config/sway/config.d/audio.conf ~/.local/bin/volume
swaymsg reload
# PipeWire
sudo apt purge pipewire-audio
sudo apt autoremove --purge
# The sandboxed browsers keep PipeWire's programs: switch off its start for every user
sudo systemctl --global disable pipewire.socket pipewire.service pipewire-pulse.socket pipewire-pulse.service wireplumber.service filter-chain.service
systemctl --user disable --now pipewire.socket pipewire.service pipewire-pulse.socket pipewire-pulse.service wireplumber.service