How do you adjust volume?

[makken]

Just curious, since there are so many ways to adjust volume, what do you guys use? For an example, for a youtube video, you have:

1) Software level volume control (the volume slider on the youtube player)
2) OS level volume control (the volume slider on the windows taskbar)
3) Hardware level volume control (volume knob on your speakers/headphones)

I've always left the software and OS level at max and make adjustments with the speaker knob. However, I've noticed that most people use the OS level adjustment. What do you guys use?

 

[lxskllr]

O/S. My speakers are set to the loudest volume I can get without clipping when the O/S is set to max. Makes it easy to just mouse scroll the volume up and down.

 

[ThatsABigOne]

OS if a program doesn't have a quick way to turn the volume down, otherwise, through software.

I usually keep at 67% at OS level, and go from there.

Asus Sonar DX owner here and I only use headphones.

 

[gevorg]

Hardware knob. Software kills the dynamic range.

 

[Ns1]

I turn all the knobs to 11.

 

[RossMAN]

I prefer hardware controls whenever possible.

 

[CZroe]

Most of us use laptops to browse on PCs these days. My laptop only has software volume controls (only seen Toshiba notebooks and maybe old Thinkpads with potentiometers).

My desktop's Phillips AmBX Premium speakers have a hardware knob that only controls the OS level like a USB keyboard. It along with my auto-login registry settings have caused a few very loud late-night log-ins where I couldn't control the volume until it finished booting and playing log-in sounds (sometimes while even I was sleeping thanks to Windows Update). I wish it would go into sleep until I push the power button when it detected the USB host disconnecting.

 

[Kadarin]

Volume keys on the apple keyboard.

 

[Crono]

Combination of all three. Depends on whether I'm just in one program or many.

 

[JEDIYoda]

I just tell the orchestra get get softer....

 

[Leros]

Hardware. I set the OS to about 50%.

 

[_Rick_]

Bitstreaming requires I use hardware controls.
Using different media at the same time, requires software controls.
And there is no more "OS-control" and "software control" if the volume control is properly implemented. Since Vista, OS volume control is just another software control.
Still, I use the sliders that are part of the OS interface, to level out different applications, so I also chose OS.

 

[Red Squirrel]

A bit of everything, depends on the computer/program I'm on. At home I tend to have my speakers set fairly loud, and I just use the keyboard control and keep the volume about half way. I guess that would count as software since that's just controlling the OS level volume.

 

[Dr. Zaus]

mac book air: OS
desk top: hardware

unless something is off about the software

 

[Dankk]

I have volume keys on my keyboard that adjust the Windows volume slider. I use headphones.

 

[Ricky Spanish]

I use the slider on my Di-novo edge keyboard.

 

[Geosurface]

I guess hardware since I use buttons on my keyboard

 

[T9D]

OS

I just found out my logitec mouse software allows me to set buttons for volume. So If I push the middle button it mutes. If I move the middle button left it goes down, and move it right it goes up. It's actually super convenient.

 

[TheVrolok]

Hardware. I set the OS to about 50%.

This.

 

[Anubis]

O/S. My speakers are set to the loudest volume I can get without clipping when the O/S is set to max. Makes it easy to just mouse scroll the volume up and down.

basically this. there is a dial on my KB that i mapped to directly change the system volume. i output into an AVR which is set to max

 

[dbk]

usually OS level... unless i'm streaming more than one video

 

[Doppel]

OS

Er, actually on this particular laptop I do half OS, half the physical volume controls. On other laptop the physical control sucks, so always OS.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

OS.

 

[CZroe]

Bitstreaming requires I use hardware controls.
Using different media at the same time, requires software controls.
And there is no more "OS-control" and "software control" if the volume control is properly implemented. Since Vista, OS volume control is just another software control.
Still, I use the sliders that are part of the OS interface, to level out different applications, so I also chose OS.

The YouTube volume slider isn't "properly implemented?"

I guess hardware since I use buttons on my keyboard

That's usually OS software level.

 

[kranky]

Volume knob on headphone cable.