def get_volume(self, channel=None):
        """
        Gets the current sound volume by parsing the output of
        ``amixer get <channel>``.
        If the channel is not specified, it tries to determine the default one
        by running ``amixer scontrols``. If that fails as well, it uses the
        ``Playback`` channel, as that is the only channel on the EV3.
        """

        if channel is None:
            channel = self._get_channel()

        out = check_output(['amixer', 'get', channel]).decode()
        m = re.search(r'\[(?P<volume>\d+)%\]', out)
        if m:
            return int(m.group('volume'))
        else:
            raise Exception('Failed to parse output of `amixer get {}`'.format(channel))