Audio Settings

Audio Settings

Radio Audio Outputs

Controlled via Settings → Radio Setup → Audio tab.

Output	Control	Command
Line Out	Gain slider (0-100) + Mute	mixer lineout gain N / mixer lineout mute 0|1
Headphone	Gain slider (0-100) + Mute	mixer headphone gain N / mixer headphone mute 0|1
Front Speaker	Mute only	mixer front_speaker mute 0|1

These control the physical audio outputs on the radio itself (for powered speakers or headphones connected directly to the radio).

PC Audio Devices

Output (Speakers)

Select which PC audio device receives the radio's RX audio. The default system output is used if none is selected. Your selection persists across restarts.

AetherSDR automatically handles sample rate conversion:

• If the device supports 24kHz → direct output
• If not → upsamples to 48kHz via r8brain polyphase resampler

Input (Microphone)

Select which PC audio device captures mic audio for TX. Only active when mic source is set to PC in the P/CW applet. Your selection persists across restarts.

• If the device supports 24kHz → direct capture
• If not → captures at 48kHz and downsamples

Volume Boost

The AF gain slider extends to 200%. Above 100%, software gain (+6 dB max) is applied to the PCM audio before output. This addresses situations where AetherSDR's maximum volume is lower than SmartSDR's. The boost only applies to PC speaker output — DAX channels have their own independent gain controls.

Audio Compression (SmartLink)

When operating remotely via SmartLink, audio can optionally be Opus-compressed to reduce bandwidth. Configure in Settings → Radio Setup → Audio → Audio Compression (SmartLink):

Setting	LAN Behavior	SmartLink WAN Behavior
Uncompressed (default)	Uncompressed	Uncompressed
Auto	Uncompressed	Opus compressed
Opus	Opus compressed	Opus compressed

Notes:

• The default is Uncompressed — Opus must be explicitly enabled
• Opus compression reduces bandwidth but may degrade audio quality, especially on voice modes
• The setting takes effect immediately when you close the Radio Setup dialog (brief audio dropout during stream swap)
• On LAN connections, the radio may ignore the Opus request and send uncompressed regardless
• The toggle affects both RX (radio → speaker) and TX (mic → radio) audio paths

Mic Source Selection

Controlled in the P/CW applet:

Source	Description
MIC	Front panel 1/8" jack
BAL	Rear balanced XLR input
LINE	Rear line input
ACC	Accessory connector
PC	PC audio via DAX stream

When PC is selected, TX audio streams from your selected PC input device to the radio via VITA-49 UDP packets.

Volume Control

• AF slider (VFO widget or RX applet) — client-side volume (0-200%)
• Mute button (speaker emoji) — mutes RX audio locally
• The radio's volume is independent of the client-side volume