Common Commands:
The amixer utility accepts the following commands:
get CONTROL: Display settings for the specified CONTROLset CONTROL VALUE: Adjust the value of the specified CONTROLscontrols: Show all simple mixer controlsscontents: Show contents of all simple mixer controlscontrols: Show all controls for the mixercontents: Show contents of all controls for the mixerinfo: Show info about the mixer
Adjusting Controls:
When using the set command, you can specify values in several ways:
set Master 80%: Set volume to 80%set Master 3dB: Set volume to +3dB (if supported by hardware)set Master 10%-: Decrease volume by 10%set Master 5%+: Increase volume by 5%set Master 1+: Increase volume by 1 stepset Master 2-: Decrease volume by 2 stepsset Master mute: Mute the controlset Master unmute: Unmute the controlset Master toggle: Toggle between mute and unmute
Channel Control:
You can adjust individual channels using comma-separated values:
set Master 80%,70%: Set left channel to 80% and right channel to 70%set Capture 90%,80%,85%: Set three channels to different valuesset Mic cap: Enable capture for the microphone (for recording)set Mic nocap: Disable capture for the microphone
Finding Available Controls:
Before adjusting audio settings, you may need to know what controls are available:
# List all simple controls
amixer scontrols
# List all controls with current values
amixer scontents
# List controls for a specific card
amixer -c 1 scontrols
Common Controls:
Most sound cards have these common controls:
Master: Overall output volumePCM: Digital volume control for playbackHeadphone: Volume for headphone outputSpeaker: Volume for built-in speakersCapture: Main recording input levelMic: Microphone input levelLine: Line input levelAuto-Mute Mode: Automatic muting of speakers when headphones are connected
Scripting with amixer:
Amixer is often used in scripts for audio control. Some examples:
# Check if Master is muted
if amixer get Master | grep -q '[off]'; then
echo "Sound is muted"
fi
# Get current volume percentage
volume=$(amixer get Master | grep -o '[0-9]*%' | head -1)
echo "Current volume: $volume"
# Create a simple volume increase script
#!/bin/bash
amixer -q set Master 5%+
Sound Card Selection:
If you have multiple sound cards:
- Use
-c CARD or --card CARD to select a specific card by number
- Use
-D DEVICE or --device DEVICE to select a device by name
- List available cards with
aplay -l or cat /proc/asound/cards
Saving Settings:
Like alsamixer, amixer doesn't save settings between reboots. To save settings:
# After making changes with amixer, save them
sudo alsactl store
Important Notes:
- Amixer requires the alsa-utils package to be installed
- On systems using PulseAudio or PipeWire, changes made with amixer may be overridden
- For PulseAudio systems, consider using
pactl or pacmd commands instead
- Amixer provides a more script-friendly interface compared to alsamixer
- The available controls vary significantly between different sound cards
- Some controls may have non-obvious names specific to your hardware