unity-design team mailing list archive

[Martín Soto <donsoto@xxxxxxxxx>]

2010/5/12 Frederik Nnaji <frederik.nnaji@xxxxxxxxx>

> Ensuring the alert sounds are loud enough to be heard over other sounds
>>> - -- whether by making them temporarily louder, or making the other
>>> sounds
>>> temporarily softer -- is an interesting idea, but it seems out of scope
>>> for the sound menu itself.
>>>
>>
> can be handled automatically by "side-chaining".
> does pulse know side-chaining?
>

I don't think so, but it's probably possible to create a module for that.
Anyway, thanks for the pointer, I'll look further into this idea.


> [...]
>
i wouldn't want main volume to change automatically..
> this is a very individual thing that should be left to the user's
> individual preference/control..
>

People want to control the volume of the streams coming out of the computer:
music, VOIP, movie, etc. I think we all agree that control over those
volumes should be left in the user's hands. The question is what's the best
way for them to exert that control. Our current method involves setting
volumes for a number of individual streams, which are then combined into a
single stream for which the user must also set a volume (the so-called main
volume). This is complicated and confusing for most people.

The flat volumes system, on the other hand, determines the main volume
automatically based on the volumes set for the individual streams. The idea
is to look at the individual volume settings as absolute, not relative to
the main volume. So, for example, if someone sets his Rhythmbox volume to
70%, we interpret that she wants music to play at 70% of her sound card's
maximum volume, and automatically set the main volume in such a way that
this is achieved.

This method doesn't impose any limitations on the user, because she'll still
be able to precisely set the volume for whatever she's listening to. The
advantage is that she'll be presented with a simpler model: just set the
volume for whatever source you're listening to, and that's precisely what
you'll hear.


> [...]
>
Altering the dynamics of digital audio information would alter the
> information or message itself..
>

I probably wasn't clear enough, but indeed I'm not proposing to *alter* any
playing streams, but just to *measure* them and otherwise leave them alone.
The idea is that you determine the loudness of whatever is currently
playing, and then use that to adjust the volume of any notification sounds
that are played on top of that. So the only thing that would be altered
would be the volume of the notifications.

Now, I suggested Replay Gain because it's able to measure the perceived
loudness of a piece of audio, but there are probably better options. Notice
that, for this purpose, you wouldn't have to measure the entire stream, but
only a piece as long as the notification sound you're going to play. There's
indeed no need to have the loudness measuring algorithm running
continuously.

Cheers,

Martín