Media and audio

The Shell provides controls around host audio devices and media players. It does not replace the audio server or the player that owns the music or video.

Audio devices

The Audio page in Control Center selects the host’s output and input devices. Volume keys change the default output, the microphone key toggles the default input, and the Shell shows short-lived volume feedback. A mixer such as pavucontrol can expose per-application streams and device routing; it is an optional host application, not installed by hornero-config.

PipeWire and WirePlumber are common Arch audio components, but their exact installation and service state belong to the host setup. Check the current Control Center state before changing services. See the Arch Wiki PipeWire guide and pavucontrol.

Media players

The Shell watches MPRIS-compatible players and presents the active player’s metadata and transport controls. Media keys use playerctl in the curated Hyprland config. The player itself is chosen by the user; mpv is an optional playback tool in the personal dotfiles setup, not a required Hornero dependency.

Opening an audio or video file uses the host’s MIME association. This is separate from the player currently selected for the Shell’s media controls. See Default applications to change file associations.

Visualizer

Cava is an optional package with a Hornero Config file. The Shell’s desktop visualizer is disabled by default. Enabling that visualizer requires a working audio source and the configured audio integration; Cava’s existence alone does not start it.

Troubleshooting:

• If the volume OSD moves but sound does not change, verify the host audio service and the selected output device.
• If media controls show no player, start a player that supports MPRIS.
• If media keys do nothing, check whether playerctl is installed and the active player accepts MPRIS commands.

Upstream: MPRIS, playerctl, mpv manual, Cava.