Internet audio players with no volume control - what's the deal?

[Dimitri001]

It seems like 1/2 or 3/4 of audio players I find embedded in web pages (like for playing podcasts) do not have a volume control function, which is just UNBELIEVABLE to me.

It's like, if you're gonna design an audio player, what's THE most important, essential and basic function, behind a play button? It's volume control. How is it possible that so many players don't have a volume control function??? It's just incomprehensible to me.

Can someone explain what the reasoning is behind all these people who design audio players without the option to control volume?

 

[USAFRet]

Lazy "programmers", that are just using some random plug in thing.
Or, they are just expecting you to use the volume controls in your OS.

 

[hotaru.hino]

They're most likely expecting you to use the system volume control. And while I get the use case for having a volume control in an embedded player, sometimes what most people actually do dictates design. And if they're not using the volume control, then get rid of it, because it's one less thing to worry about.

 

[lvt]

Can someone explain what the reasoning is behind all these people who design audio players without the option to control volume?

Be patient, they progress...

 

[Dimitri001]

They're most likely expecting you to use the system volume control. And while I get the use case for having a volume control in an embedded player, sometimes what most people actually do dictates design. And if they're not using the volume control, then get rid of it, because it's one less thing to worry about.

But if I screw with the system volume, that messes up the volume in every other audio I play on my computer, I can't imagine that's what most people do.

I was thinking maybe they're playing to people who use phones, because on phones probably most volume regulation happens via the system volume (the buttons on the side of the phone), but that's really stupid, too, because then everyone who's accessing your content via a computer is inconvenienced and all you need to do to not have that happen is just add one of the most basic and fundamental functions to your player.

Be patient, they progress...

Well, actually, it seems to me like they're regressing. This certainly wasn't the case a few years ago, this is a new trend.

 

[hotaru.hino]

But if I screw with the system volume, that messes up the volume in every other audio I play on my computer, I can't imagine that's what most people do.

I'm pretty sure most people either adjust the system volume or through their speakers or headset if there's volume adjustment on those, because it's the most convenient way.

The only time I find myself adjusting the volume on some media I have playing on a web site is if I want to throw it on the background. And even then something with my computer seems to dynamically adjust the volume anyway so background stuff isn't as loud.

 

[Dimitri001]

I'm pretty sure most people either adjust the system volume or through their speakers or headset if there's volume adjustment on those, because it's the most convenient way.

Is this true, do you folks do it this way?

I hate fiddling with the system or speaker volume, because I have it set right and I don't want to change it for the sake of one podcast and throw off everything else.

 

[hotaru.hino]

Is this true, do you folks do it this way?

I mean, I do it that way.

I hate fiddling with the system or speaker volume, because I have it set right and I don't want to change it for the sake of one podcast and throw off everything else.

The only way I can understand this is if you have every sound source set to output at roughly the same level and you're in a controlled environment where the noise floor is more or less the same no matter when you sit down and listen to stuff. Or maybe you have your computer hooked up to a sound system, but even then the computer should be outputting at the highest volume, if what the audiophiles tell people what to do means anything.

But for me, I don't see how this is practical. I typically only have one sound source I care about going and I can just turn a nob to adjust the volume as needed. Plus the noise floor changes from time to time. I have things like a fan or an AC going, or my computer's fans are ramping up, or I have the window open so I have outside noises. A one-volume-fits-all approach doesn't work here.

Also when I say "sound source", I mean anything that can produce an audio output to the computer. Be it a game, music, or video.

EDIT: After stewing on this it almost sounds like the idea that you don't want to touch the system volume is similar to how one would treat volume levels at a mixing board. Normally you set the output of the mixing board to a fixed level and adjust the volume of all the inputs so that volume wise they mix well together.

But unless you're listening to multiple audio sources at once, I don't see how this idea of volume mixing is practical on a computer.

 

[lvt]

Technically it's possible.

But if they didn't do it, maybe because the hourly pay rate is too low for the job.

 

[hotaru.hino]

But if they didn't do it, maybe because the hourly pay rate is too low for the job.

Unless the developer was some independent contractor, missing features tend to because someone above pushing down on developers to ship something yesterday.

And if the hourly pay rate is too low for them, they'd probably find another place to work anyway. Developer jobs are a dime a dozen.