Using Easy Effects together with Virtual Surround doesn't work

I have used the

ujust setup-virtual-surround

ujust setup-virtual-surround

ujust setup-virtual-surround

ujust setup-virtual-surround command to set up a virtual surround config for Pipewire, which shows up as Spatial Sink in the sound devices.
Sadly I can't get it to work in conjunction with Easy Effects, which I need for my equalizer. As soon as I start Easy Effects, the sound goes mute.
Under the PipeWire tab in Easy Effects, the standard input is empty, output is Spatial Sink. I've also seen Easy Effects list

PCM2904 Analog Stereo

PCM2904 Analog Stereo

PCM2904 Analog Stereo

PCM2904 Analog Stereo which is not my audio device, but Xonar Essence.
When I go back to the general sound settings, switch back the output from Spatial Sink to my Xonar Essence soundcard, Easy Effects still displays

PCM2904 Analog Stereo

PCM2904 Analog Stereo

PCM2904 Analog Stereo

PCM2904 Analog Stereo as input but it will playback sound normally.

Female Commando IvanaOP•9/2/25, 5:11 PM

graph_04_spatial_sink__easy_effects__playback_first_second.png

graph_06_easy_effects__playback__spatializer_deactivated.png

Female Commando IvanaOP•9/2/25, 5:13 PM

So... I have installed qwpgraph and taken screenshots at different stages showing the differences.
It looks like when I open Easy Effects, the audio pipeline gets messed up.
Note in image 4 there is a link at first to my sound card beginning with CMI8788CMI8788 which is then dropped within a second (image 5) of Easy Effects opening.
The last image is a possible fix, I'm saying possible because I'm not sure whether the virtualization works properly. Note the different output from Firefox (7 channels on image 3 vs. 2 channels on image 7).

HikariKnight•9/2/25, 11:21 PM

easyeffects does not expect virtual surround because it is not default.
i wrote the ujust for virtual surround but i have no way to properly test it as my headset does not properly support virtual surround.

no idea how to fix it or if it even can be fixed since when you use easyeffects you are messing with pipewire stuff.

Female Commando IvanaOP•9/3/25, 3:58 PM

Thank you for your reply. The audio devices part is very confusing on Linux, unlike on Windows where I just activate an effect on top of my sound setup, here I switch between my sound card and the spatial sink. All the while the sound card is still being utilized, of course. Even if not expressly activated, the spatial sink is still part of the active pipeline as shown by qpwgraph.
Wouldn't it make sense to put Easy Effects at the end of the pipeline when the audio has already been mixed into two channels..?

HikariKnight•9/3/25, 4:00 PM

this would be better to ask the easyeffects devs about.
i dont use easyeffects or the virtual surround

HikariKnight•9/3/25, 4:00 PM

as i need neither

Female Commando IvanaOP•9/3/25, 7:10 PM

ok np

iMightBeSpyduck•9/3/25, 7:43 PM

easy effect only support stereo. You need to put virtual surround in front of the easy effect. There is somewhere option in easy effect to prevent it from automagically hijacking all the outputs

iMightBeSpyduck•9/3/25, 7:45 PM

https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects/discussions/2860

GitHub

Virtual Surround through Pipewire Filter Chain and Easy Effects · ...

Hello, I configured a filter chain to enable Virtual Surround Sound using Pipewire Filter Chain using various guides online. It works, but I feel like I miss something, the sound still seemed a bit...

Female Commando IvanaOP•9/3/25, 8:14 PM

Cool, I'll take a look at it! Thanks!

Female Commando IvanaOP•9/11/25, 5:26 PM

@HikariKnight Can your config be made to work with WAV files, too? This page https://airtable.com/appayGNkn3nSuXkaz/shruimhjdSakUPg2m/tbloLjoZKWJDnLtTc
has a lot of stuff only available as WAV. I remember another Pipewire config looking similar which worked with WAVs, so that's why I'm asking.

FFemale Commando Ivana @HikariKnight Can your config be made to work with WAV files, too? This page htt...

HikariKnight•9/11/25, 5:31 PM

look at github history for the just file, older version used wav files but we were told to update it to use the modern files

Female Commando IvanaOP•9/11/25, 5:34 PM

I'm trying desperately to recreate the 7.1 Virtual Speaker shifter sound from my Asus Xonar Essence STX. The HRTFs I've tried so far are definitely more the equivalent of Dolby Headphone / Atmos but not the "7.1 Virtual Speaker" which makes a much larger difference.

iMightBeSpyduck•9/11/25, 5:41 PM

I use atmos wav file from site you linked

iMightBeSpyduck•9/11/25, 5:42 PM

https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/pipewire/-/blob/master/src/daemon/filter-chain/sink-virtual-surround-7.1-hesuvi.conf

Female Commando IvanaOP•9/11/25, 5:42 PM

I mean did you just swap the SOFA file with the WAV file? Does Pipewire automatically adjust?

iMightBeSpyduck•9/11/25, 5:43 PM

no it's different

iMightBeSpyduck•9/11/25, 5:43 PM

there is config in the link I posted

Female Commando IvanaOP•9/11/25, 5:43 PM

Yeah, that was the other config I used.

HHikariKnight look at github history for the just file, older version used wav files but we we...

Female Commando IvanaOP•9/11/25, 5:48 PM

Where do I find the corresponding Github page? A quick googling didn't yield anything.

HikariKnight•9/11/25, 5:48 PM

the just file for audio

HikariKnight•9/11/25, 5:48 PM

i am not home, cant dig it up for you

HikariKnight•9/11/25, 5:48 PM

its on the bazzite github

Female Commando IvanaOP•9/11/25, 5:55 PM

Hey, no problem. Thank you for getting back to me in the first place. I was indeed on the bazzite github too and looked for setup-virtual-surround and also in the just scripts folder, but didn't come up with anything.

HikariKnight•9/11/25, 5:58 PM

ok i have a moment now, i can find the file that you need to look at the history for

HikariKnight•9/11/25, 5:59 PM

https://github.com/ublue-os/bazzite/blob/main/system_files/desktop/shared/usr/share/ublue-os/just/83-bazzite-audio.just

GitHub

bazzite/system_files/desktop/shared/usr/share/ublue-os/just/83-bazz...

Bazzite makes gaming and everyday use smoother and simpler across desktop PCs, handhelds, tablets, and home theater PCs. - ublue-os/bazzite

HikariKnight•9/11/25, 5:59 PM

look at the history for that one

HikariKnight•9/11/25, 5:59 PM

the first commit should be using the wav files

HikariKnight•9/11/25, 6:00 PM

so you can just yoink that one and run it with just -f filename.just setup-virtual-surroundjust -f filename.just setup-virtual-surround or something like that

HikariKnight•9/11/25, 6:00 PM

just make sure you remove the old setup if its still configured

Female Commando IvanaOP•9/11/25, 6:02 PM

Thank you! Appreciate your time!

Using Easy Effects together with Virtual Surround doesn't work

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