vlc-backend: heavily over-amplified and distorted sound

[Nikos Chantziaras]

On 05/04/2010 11:14 PM, Allan Sandfeld Jensen wrote:
> On Tuesday 04 May 2010, Nikos Chantziaras wrote:
>> Today I thought I'd give the new vlc-backend for Phonon a try.  So I
>> installed the latest Amarok beta (Version 2.3.0.90), phonon-vlc from Git
>> and VLC 1.1 branch from Git too.
>>
>> All compiled fine.  I selected VLC as backend in Systemsettings and
>> started Amarok.  But the sound is waaaaay too amplified and extremely
>> distorted.  There's no way to tell what volume level to use to get
>> unattenuated 0db volume.  I am using OSSv4 as my system's audio system,
>> not ALSA or PulseAudio.
>>
>> Any hints?
>>
> Try decreasing master volume in kmixer. I think they way it has been explained
> is that some sounds cards advertise amplifying capabilities that are unsafe

My mixer is set to 0db.  The problem is VLC's software amplifier which 
doesn't seem to communicate at all with Phonon, not the card's hardware 
mixer.