There are some standards to define the control names. A control is usually defined from the three parts as “SOURCE DIRECTION FUNCTION”.
The first, SOURCE, specifies the source
of the control, and is a string such as “Master”,
“PCM”, “CD” and
“Line”. There are many pre-defined sources.
The second, DIRECTION, is one of the
following strings according to the direction of the control:
“Playback”, “Capture”, “Bypass
Playback” and “Bypass Capture”. Or, it can
be omitted, meaning both playback and capture directions.
The third, FUNCTION, is one of the
following strings according to the function of the control:
“Switch”, “Volume” and
“Route”.
The example of control names are, thus, “Master Capture Switch” or “PCM Playback Volume”.
There are some exceptions:
“Capture Source”, “Capture Switch” and “Capture Volume” are used for the global capture (input) source, switch and volume. Similarly, “Playback Switch” and “Playback Volume” are used for the global output gain switch and volume.
tone-control switch and volumes are specified like “Tone Control - XXX”, e.g. “Tone Control - Switch”, “Tone Control - Bass”, “Tone Control - Center”.
3D-control switches and volumes are specified like “3D Control - XXX”, e.g. “3D Control - Switch”, “3D Control - Center”, “3D Control - Space”.