[pygame] suggestions for a linux mixer

[Laura Creighton <lac@xxxxxxxxxx>]

I have an ibm thinkpad x40.  I usually run it with the sound
altogether off via a small control button it has.  And I can
turn that on again.  But somehow I keep hitting some keystroke
combination that turns it into some state where I can still get
the machine to beep, but I cannot hear any sound on, say youtube,
or on any game.

I do this about once a month.  And I have no idea what it is I do, or
more importantly how to get it undone.  If I get out kmix, everything
looks correct.  If it get out alsamixer, there are a few channels that
look empty, but turing them on does not make the sound come back.  But
I know that there is one person, and one person only, at work who can
look at my alsamixer, and do one thing, and it goes back on again.
They rest of us at the company just look at the sliders, scratch our
heads, and say -- looks fine to me, guess we have to wait until Göran
comes to work. :-(

Well, Göran is on vacation, and I would like to listen to some
videos.  Anybody got a recommendation for a linux mixer,
ideally available as a debian package, which is less subtle
than alsamixer at telling you why you have no sound?

Laura, very frustrated.