[LAD] Presenting volume control sliders

[Ralf Mardorf]

Jens M Andreasen wrote:
> On Fri, 2009-05-22 at 01:17 +0200, Ralf Mardorf wrote:
>   
>> If faders should be fine in a wide range for different levels, a trick 
>> can be a pad switch in addition to the faders.
>>     
>
> Mmmm ... Not bad at all, since my main problem with Desktop Application
> Mixdown is with Ekiga. It has gotten old repeatedly singing: "Put your
> sweet lips, a little closer, to the phone ..."
>
> A +20dB button would solve that :)
>   

Seriously!

I don't use any sound for the desktop, but the computer beep and I don't 
run PulseAudio. I don't know how it shall be handled for PulseAudio, 
e.g. if there shall be a fader for each application and a master control 
or what ever. A +20dB button used for a low level signal can cause 
serious damages, while unexpected high level signals. I won't say that 
+6dB or +10dB really will double the loudness, but a rule says +6dB = 
same acoustic pressure at double distance in the free field, while 
another rule says that +10dB will be felt as double loudness.

If an application like Ekiga often needs the signal to be gained, it 
should be an option for the application itself and not for the whole 
desktop environment. Without a limiter a gain of +6dB or +10dB IMO 
shouldn't be overstepped, if it's for all desktop applications.

Another issue is, that if a signal needs to be gained, the side noise 
will be gained too. A trick especially for an application like Eikiga 
would be, to compress and gain and auto level (optimize) just the 
frequencies that are relevant for human speech and to eliminate all 
other frequencies by pass filters, but I guess this is something that 
needs to be done by the application.

Messing around with +20db gain buttons is nothing for desktop users, 
that aren't audio engineers.

Just my 2 cents.

Cheers,
Ralf