Microsoft Is Deprecating the Old Windows Volume Mixer

Megalith

Megalith

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Windows 10 19H1 testers have discovered a change indicating the classic Windows Volume Mixer may be on its way out: “clicking on the volume mixer selection in the right-click menu of the taskbar speaker icon will now open the app volume device preferences page in Settings, rather than the old Volume Mixer app.” Windows Latest notes that the old volume mixer can still be accessed from the Control Panel or by searching for SndVol.exe in Cortana.

In current versions of Windows 10, you can access the new volume mixer from settings > system > sound. In the sounds page, you would need to scroll down a bit and click the app volume and device preferences option under "other sound options." This will open a page with advanced options to control volume and input/out devices, and it works just like the legacy Volume Mixer.
 
I've been wanting this for a long time. The ability to individually select audio device per app has been lacking. I've had to use several different matrix audio router-type applications to try and make up for it, but it doesn't always work with every app or every sound card.
 
I feel like everything is going back to the ancient roots. Nothing will be left in-line, everything you click will just take you to some window with a million things you don't need 99% of the time that you have to search through to find some function that was immediately available before.
 
So how does this affect keyboard mounted volume buttons?
Do they just map to the main or adjust the in focus app?
 
Dang, more than double the mouse clicks and some scrolling to get to the volume controls. The more things they convert to the Windows 10 mode, the more I dislike Windows 10. Windows 10 has been pushing me to spend more and more of my computer time in Linux. About the only thing that makes me keep a Windows 10 partition is Photoshop and games. And with the recent advances Steam has done with Proton, Linux is looking better and better.
 
Great, they already trashed Volume Control in that it takes half a dozen click to get to configuring the devices...and half the time I don't even make it there. Now they want to shit it up even more.
 
I run linux Debian with XFCE desktop. It feels very much like windows 7. I moved to linux because of the changes made in windows 8 and 10. Things like this only confirm that I made the correct choice!

I guess there just aren't enough of us abandoning windows to motivate MS to enhance the OS work experience instead of hinder it.

I hope IBM with their new acquisition of Red Hat will work to make a nice NIX OS similar to the way Apple used BSD to make a nice OS.
 
Yay more clicks and less efficiency. What progress.. Sums up much of my w10 interactions, sadly.

Yeah Linux is looking mighty attractive for future daily use when m$ and manufacturers do the old 'jew you out of drivers trick' later.
 
If they keep this up someone really is going to make a linux replacement for windows.
 
Or how about this: create a new shortcut on your desktop sndvol.exe and then pin it to your taskbar and you have the same thing just as it always was except now its a left-click rather than a right-click.
 
They need to get rid of a lot of the legacy interface panels. The only problem is that many of the newer ones have less functionality.
 
I used to be able to switch between my headphones and speakers by right clicking on the sound icon and selecting the output... now i have to bring up "Open Sound Settings"... its extra steps for the sake of it
 
Everything is getting so interface'y. I feel that it is intentional to hide things deep in menus, and to have too many options to confuse the typical end user. Do we seriously need an option for every app installed (3D viewer, and Store needs access WTF!?)? Then you have the opposite that assume standard use-how the fuck you turn it off no option given. For example, XBox app could be mic disabled in Windows but when playing State of Decay the mic is on. Shouldn't the configuration be inherent? Then you go to the game's sound setting, not in game, but in "Settings (Privacy)." I am getting really tired of people making oodlees of money to make everything shitty.
 
BloodDonor said:
I used to be able to switch between my headphones and speakers by right clicking on the sound icon and selecting the output... now i have to bring up "Open Sound Settings"... its extra steps for the sake of it
Click to expand...

I think you mean LEFT clicking the sound icon, which still works.
 
I've already had to make a shortcut to audio control panel since they made that less accessible.

Old school style single purpose, simple apps like volume control are vastly superior to this nonsensical clutter they force on us now.

Maybe I'm just a "power user" but it so happens that the normal users I interact with are MORE CONFUSED about these changes than I am. You should have seen my father attempting to navigate through the full screen settings on windows 8.

I'm not anti windows, I dual boot with Debian and use both all the time, but I believe Windows 7 (or very arguably XP) was the apex OS from MS before they set out on a mission to destroy their nice interface.

Edit: I do like the idea of being able to select audio device per app, that's a much needed feature these days when we have multiple sound devices. Just quit removing desirable interfaces!!!!
 
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My interface to my per-app volume control is a midi controller on my desktop. I have knobs mapped to each app or app category with an app called Power Mixer: https://www.actualsolution.com/power-mixer

I use that along with Bome's midi translator and Loop-Be to get all the midi to where I want it to go.
 
The original sound mixer was a complete and udder waste of space and time. A small handful of sliders that really do not do anything else? I honestly have no idea what the bitching is about, except for the sake of bitching. You do not see me bitching about the nonsensical way in which Linux sets stuff up in KDE and the like? There is no intuitive interface for the Linux Desktop but, thankfully, search in there in Gnome which does make it at least accessible. (Oops, guess I bitched now, deal with it. :D )
 
ManofGod said:
The original sound mixer was a complete and udder waste of space and time. A small handful of sliders that really do not do anything else? I honestly have no idea what the bitching is about, except for the sake of bitching. You do not see me bitching about the nonsensical way in which Linux sets stuff up in KDE and the like? There is no intuitive interface for the Linux Desktop but, thankfully, search in there in Gnome which does make it at least accessible. (Oops, guess I bitched now, deal with it. :D )
Click to expand...

It hurts me to say it...I agree with you :p

Only time I used the volume mixer was because something screwed up and I had to fix it.

Microsoft really needs to just allow people to customize more. Set things to default all they want but leave it in. Like using the windows 7 photo editor instead of the windows 10 one or classic paint.exe instead of paint3d. Things that just are bloated and take longer to load.

That said I really want a fast way to change output device.

Often I switch audio to output to my hdmi connection to the other receiver for movies. If anyone knows a quick way that can be done I'm all ears. :D
 
Darunion said:
Often I switch audio to output to my hdmi connection to the other receiver for movies. If anyone knows a quick way that can be done I'm all ears. :D
Click to expand...
I use audiorouter for that and only swap over my media player to my other output:
https://www.thewindowsclub.com/audio-router-windows-pc

Download: https://github.com/audiorouterdev/audio-router


If you wanted to swap all of your audio around quickly, I recommend using Voicemeeter Banana and toggling routing your inputs to the output needed on the fly.

https://www.vb-audio.com/Voicemeeter/banana.htm

-- Dave
 
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