When using an ALSA softvol volume control the GNOME Volume Applet (mixer) displays all softvol controls twice. This causes neither of them [the controls] to work correctly. For an example softvol configuration see http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-p-3180447.html#3180447
This is using the following versions: Volume Applet 2.12.2 alsa_headers - 1.0.11_rc3 alsa_tools - 1.0.11_rc3 alsa_utils - 1.0.10 alsa_driver - 1.0.11_rc3 although the ALSA version is believed to be unimportant.
After updating to Volume Applet 2.12.3 (with no change in results) I have noticed that choosing Open Volume Control in fact opens another application called Volume Control 2.12.0. It was this application which I was referring to in my original bug report. While Volume Applet 2.12.3 displays two instances of every softvol device in its preferences screen they are both selected when either is clicked and seem to work fairly normally. Sorry for the inaccuracy of my original bug report. I didn't realise that the mixer opened by the Volume Applet wasn't a part of said applet but in fact a separate application provided in the same package.
Can you still replicate this behavior?
Yes. Using 2.14.2.
To tell you the truth, I don't think anyone upstream is going to fix that issue unless you provide patches. All the major distros are starting to adopt PulseAudio for this sort of thing and pulse handles multiple streams much better than the softvol+dmix alsa plugins. Maybe this bug has been fixed in recent releases, but if not, you'll have to open a bug in Gnome's bugzilla so that they can fix it. If you do open a bug in Gnome's bugzilla, please paste the url here so that we can track the bug. Thanks
No one has added anything valuable to this bug for over a year and a half, and all the things I said 4 months ago are becoming true: pulse is the way forward. If this is still an issue, please contact upstream via Gnome's Bugzilla. Thanks
