Volume.app is a small graphical software utility enabling quick and convenient control of a computer's audio volume level. It is intended for use on Linux/Unix systems in conjunction with an X window manager that supports dockable applications ("dockapps") such as AfterStep, BlackBox, or Window Maker.
It is a refinement of an idea that first appeared in Timecop's WMix: a user interface comprising a "knob" that can be interactively "turned" by clicking and dragging the mouse. I found this approach quite appealing, both from an aesthetic viewpoint, and (more importantly) from a user-interface perspective.
![[Image of sample dockapp with tiny
sliders]](img/exemplar.png)
A handful of
other dockapp volume control programs are out there, and I have tried
many of them. An interface element present in most of these is some form
of "slider" as the primary means of adjusting the volume. (A
fictitious example may be seen at right). To my dismay, with this kind
of interface, volume adjustments tended to be large and abrupt. Because
the slider was so small, raising or lowering the volume "just a
bit" required extremely careful control of the mouse-- a slip of
the hand had the potential to spike the volume to full blast. (I have a
set of Altec-Lansing ACS48 speakers which make this a rather unpleasant
experience). This approach left much to be desired.
![[Image of Timecop's WMix dockapp]](img/wmix.png)
I longed for an
alternative, and upon playing with WMix (pictured at left)
I had found it. The knob was genius in that it provided a means of
graphically adjusting the volume, as a slider would, without tying
itself directly to the motion of the mouse. The basic mode of usage is
identical: you click on the thing and drag the mouse up or down.
However, with the knob, the range of motion need not be confined to the
postage-
Still, I found WMix's interface to be a bit busy
(never was a fan of tiny little buttons) and the all-important knob was
yet a rather small target to find with the mouse. So, I grabbed a copy
of the WMix source code, and rebuilt it into a dockapp that had a much
larger knob as its sole interface element. I dubbed it Volume.app, and have placed it here for the
benefit of everyone.
Volume.app displays on the screen a graphic of a volume knob, as might be seen on a high-end stereo A/V receiver. The position of the knob reflects the current volume level.
 Low |
 Medium |
 High |
The knob may be interactively turned using a mouse input device. The user hovers the mouse cursor over the knob, clicks and holds the left mouse button, and drags the mouse up (to increase the volume) or down (to decrease it).
The volume may also be muted/unmuted by double-clicking the left button over the knob. When muted, the red LED indicator on the knob goes dark.
Unmuted |
 Muted |
(The knob may also be turned while in the muted state, and be thereby unmuted in a different position)
Volume.app requires a Linux/Unix system running X11 and an Open Sound System (OSS)-compatible sound driver. It does not need to be used with any particular window manager in order to be useful, although using it with one that explicitly supports dockapps will naturally give the best results.
Latest source code release (filelist page)
Volume.app is free software, made available under the GNU General Public License. It was written by Daniel Richard G. to satisfy his own desire for a dockable volume control that does not require surgical precision to use!
ChangeLog