The intel8x0 ALSA drivers worked for me. The mixer's kind of odd; the "Master" control doesn't affect the subwoofer's volume. A second "Master Mono" takes care of that. So it's really more like a Treble/Bass equalizer, just confusing. If you want to control both in one swoop, use the PCM control. basically i want to fix that, if possible instead of using pcm as a master, i want to use my normal master as a master, not some eq bunder, that behaviour is absolutely normal, the master term is used a little oddly here though, granted the master control controls what goes to your front speakers, the master mono controlls what goes to your sub (apparently, mine doesn't do that) if you didn't have those controls you couldn't change the relative volume front/back, etc pcm controlls the software audio coming out of the computer, so that's the right place to make everything louder or quieter i don't have a front and back, its a laptop and it's really not an eq, just a possibility to control the volume of your speakers independently a laptop with a subwoofer? yeah, not a very big one heh now that's some strange hardware ok, but now i understand why that bothers you the principle is still the same though, or is there any problem with controlling the pcm volume? its just an annoyance why? i would rather set my master as opposed to a treble+bass then don't, leave the master and master mono alone if it helps, imagine that it isn't called master, but "front" this isn't solving my problem... another time perhaps