A new feature to Windows Vista is the Volume Mixer which allows users to choose the volume for any application that is running. In Windows XP there is only one single control for all sounds which means that you could find yourself constantly making adjustments. This is why the volume mixer in Vista is so convenient, yet many users don’t even know that it’s there. To access the Volume Mixer, just right-click on the speaker icon in your system tray and select “Open Volume Mixer.” You’ll notice that there is a master control for the device and then individual volume controls for each application that is running.
If you increase the device volume, it adjusts the volume for your applications proportional to what they were set to. For example- as shown above, I raised the volume for Google Talk to the maximum. Windows Media Player was set to about half of the speaker volume, and the Windows Sounds were the lowest. When I adjusted the main volume, each application volume adjusted accordingly.
So now you’re probably wondering when you’d actually use this. Say that you wanted to play your music quietly in the background while you were talking to a friend on Google Talk. You could set it so that Google Talk is always twice as loud as Media Player so that you’ll be able to hear your music faintly in the background, and hear the person that you’re talking to loud and clear. If you want to mute a program entirely, you have that option as well. Should you change the output device from speakers to headphones, you’ll need to readjust the volume for each application again.
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Tags: Helpful Tips, Software, Windows, Features, Windows Vista
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This is maybe one of the best features of Vista that gets very little mention. If people are wondering about an alternative for Windows XP, I currently use IndieVolume which is buggy but usually gets the job done. It’s not free though.
Awesome tip!
I don’t have my new laptop yet but once I get it I will be fianally able to enjoy the Vista related tips..
This is the best reason for me to try vista. Aero, side bar, all that. Crap
This mixer is the one feature I’d love to see backported to xp. I am always listening to music and stumbling around, when someone submits a video that automatically starts and is so loud and obnoxious.
For a “hard-core” gamer such as myself, this would be a godsend. Constantly i find myself playing with my VoIP, music player, and game sound settings. If one player happens to have his mic set too low, i have to hit the windows key and wait about 30 seconds so i can ajust his volume. I guess i could just buy more RAM, but eh…
I absolutely love this feature myself, but Microsoft hid it away pretty good in Vista. I actually think this is the first thing that should popup when you click the volume icon, but instead you have to make sure to choose the Mixer option. Otherwise you can only adjust the overall volume of your system.
This is especially handy for some of those darn programs that don’t give you the option to shutoff the sound!
I didn’t even think about gamers when I was writing this, but like you said, it would be a godsend for you and many others, I’m sure.
Hell, this is helpful for anyone who browses the web and listens to music at the same time.
Currently, I have flashblock installed in Firefox so most auto-starting music and videos are automatically paused to start…..but other than that- for flash games with annoying noise, it’s either mute the entire system or put up with the noise polluting my music….and this would totally be able to solve that.
So chalk this up as at least one thing I’m looking forward to in Vista.
Ubuntu’s next release is going to come with something called PulseAudio. I’m not really sure whether it is a replacement of the current sound system or just some plug-in, but it’ll allow you to do the same thing. (Fedora 8 is also scheduled to include PulseAudio.)
In related software, this free program can make your audio files and microphone input sound much nicer:
http://www.fxsound.com/
I read about it in a Dutch computer magazine today, however I have yet to try it.
(Update: oh my word, it really works! On the downside, the Free version of the program really tries to plug the Pro version.)
The volume mixer is definitely a handy feature, the problem is it doesn’t work with the media center program. I have a TV-tuner on my computer and often have a small media center window playing on the corner but if I mute or change the volume it changes the system volume. I read somewhere that they made this decision knowingly because most users would use media center in full screen mode but I wish they offered some way to change this behavior.
Now that I have vista..I have to say that I do love this.
But one thing I hate about the mixer is that you can’t minimize it…which is kinda annoying.
good thx
This is a neat function–but it doesn’t work for Thunderbird (new mail sound), or Firefox.