I am new to KDE 4.X, and am using Plasma Desktop and pulseaudio. Being new, I began exploring the configuration method for the taskbar. Along the way, I noticed a graphic of a yellow apostrophe near the top of the page, and I had no knowledge of where it came from. I right clicked it, the menu offered to delete this taskbar. Ok, I don't need, and do I want a task bar up there. Delete it.

And then I see that my main taskbar is gone. I was not aware that the icon applied to the main taskbar, and the two were over 2/3rds of the screen apart. Maybe I moved it and forgot, I do not know, so I'll say this is my mistake.

So now I'm trying to reassemble the items I want to see in the (recreated) taskbar. I need a mixer. I've tried adding the KMix widget, but despite many attempts to install it, the best I can do is get the icon into the taskbar, and the icon will launch something that produces a new "application" segment in the taskbar, but that segment disappears after a few moments and even when it is still present, clicking it produces nothing. Sound works fine for everything I've used since deleting the taskbar, settings were made before I deleted the taskbar.

I open a Konsole and execute KMix, the bash prompt returns after only a second. I open a different Konsole, run top, and KMix is showing as running. I once more click the KMix icon, same pattern.

I believe that I probably have to configure KMix, but I can't 'right click to get to a configure option' on either displayed element, and KMix is not found in the KDE help center.

Or maybe I need to install a different mixer, but I have no idea how to create the necessary widget.

Just one good clue is all I ask, lol!

You may need to add the "System Tray" widget.

That was it, thanks!
Solved.