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Mute Program

 Was the programmer of this thing deaf, or a sadist, or both?
  (+10)(+10)
(+10) 		  [vote for,
against]

Some software programs use sound effects wantonly and with no regard to enhancing the users experience.

Windows allows you to selectively set volumes for different sources of sound (like a microphone, the phone line, etc). However most programs generate their sounds the same way, which Windows refers to as the "WAVE" source. If you mute this source, you cut off not only the offending program, but all other programs including your media players.

To deal with these ill-behaved programs, I'd like a "Mute Program" option to cut off that application's access to the sound system in Windows. This would probably be a check box in the properties controlling how the program is launched.

And yes, this would be handy for playing games at work as well.

—krelnik, Dec 19 2003

See kX project http://kxproject.lu...om/index.php?skip=1
You can use the kX drivers to stop AOL ruining mp3s etc. [boffin, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 05 2004]

Indie Volume http://www.indievolume.com/
Baked, for a price... [Psudomorph, Feb 12 2008]

Windows Vista volume mixer http://www.waltergl...ram-volume-control/
Now baked if you are willing to "upgrade" to Vista. [krelnik, Feb 12 2008]


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Annotation:







       I'm sad to see this is only an idea on halfbakery. I've searched for this repeatedly, with no luck. +
—swamilad, Dec 20 2003
   

       What is the search order for DLL's? Would it be possible to put a dummy sound driver in the same directory as the offending application?
—supercat, Dec 20 2003
   

       Edit the program, simple. Or just a hammer...
—thelambs, Dec 20 2003
   

       I wish there was a way to put a silencer on AOL when I am recording 78 RPM RealAudio files off the internet.
—Amishman35, Dec 20 2003
   

       I wish for this. Good one, krelnik. +
—k_sra, Dec 22 2003
   

       A majority of the applications I use have volume/mute controls in the settings.....
—Micky Dread, Dec 22 2003
   

       i believe i saw this in some of the longhorn screenshots... lemme see if i can find them...
—utexaspunk, Dec 23 2003
   

       I'm not sure that screenshot really shows what I am describing, but I remain hopeful they may bake this in Longhorn.
—krelnik, Dec 23 2003
   

       Hells yeah. ++
—sartep, Dec 24 2003
   

       This program appears to do just that:   

       http://www.indievolume.com/   

       Unfortunately it's $25, which IMO is way too much for this purpose.
—Psudomorph, Feb 12 2008
   

       The Oct 2004 link by [utexaspunk] (which broke) alluded to this, but it is now baked in Windows Vista. See my latest link.
—krelnik, Feb 12 2008
   

       I would LOVE to be able to mute just Internet Explorer. I like to listen to classical music when I browse the web, and then I get to some site that plays its own sounds/music right on top of whatever I'm listening to (of course at 10x the volume). No way to turn it off; I just have to visit only sites I know are quiet.
—phundug, Feb 14 2008
   

       I'd like to see "nhtml" as the required extension for websites that make noise.
—phundug, Apr 15 2008
   


 

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