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

Command	Description
ujust setup-virtual-channels	Create Game/Voice/Browser/Music sinks
ujust setup-virtual-surround	Setup 7.1 surround for headphones
ujust toggle-bt-mic	Toggle Bluetooth headset profile fix
ujust restart-pipewire	Restart PipeWire service

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

When to Use This Skill

Use when the user asks about:

• "audio channels", "virtual sinks", "separate audio"
• "surround sound", "7.1 headphones", "spatial audio"
• "Bluetooth mic", "BT audio", "headset profile"
• "restart audio", "PipeWire restart", "audio not working"
• "Game audio", "Voice chat audio", "streaming audio"
• "audio routing", "OBS audio", "Discord audio"