Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with volume

Spontaneous volume-change and program-launch in OSX

Cucurbit — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 15:53:51 -0800

Spontaneous volume-change and program-launch in OSX. MacBook Pro, OSX 10.5.8. I was using iTunes to put some stuff on my iPod (I think the only other programs I had pen were Firefox and maybe Preview) when all of a sudden my computer's volume started to increase and decrease spontaneously (complete with the speaker image and volume level indicator on the screen and accompanied by the click sound), and then Front Row opened and closed a couple times. I turned off AirPort, disconnecting from the Internet, but again my volume spontaneously changed. I restarted my computer, keeping it offline, and the same things happened again. Any ideas what's going on? I'm really freaked out. I can't think what it might be; a few people were watching movie trailers on a mac in the same room while it was happening, but I guess that couldn't be relevant, since stuff happened after I disconnected from the network...

microsoft office volume licensing

alcahofa — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 07:54:54 -0800

how do i buy a microsoft office for the mac volume license? I need to buy 10 microsoft office licenses for macs for my small non-profit. When I get into the the interface on the microsoft site, they refer me to 407 value added resellers. None of the web sites for those VARs suggests that they sell volume licenses. I sent e-mails to 3 of them and they don't respond.

Has any one been able to buy volume licenses for microsoft office for a small business? If so, who did you work with?

Loud speaker. Quiet speaker. Alternate at random.

TheSecretDecoderRing — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:41:24 -0800

I want to listen to my digital music player at work (technically, WMAs and not MP3s) through speakers rather than headphones. With the latter, all my songs sound fairly consistent in volume. With the former, they're all over the map and ditto for the dynamic range. Suggestions? I'm using PC speakers. They seem of good enough quality, but is that what's magnifying the variation in volume? Would a cheaper, weaker set of speakers actually make it better?

This is at work, so sound quality and bass isn't too important. And I keep the volume just loud enough so I can hear it, and the environment is usual office ambience/conversations. I've tried maxing out the speakers and adjusting the player, vice versa, and in between on both.

I'd prefer to avoid the hassle of normalization software, unless there's something out there for WMAs that's really easy and effective. USB access to the work computer is restricted. Hopefully others have had similar problems and have found workarounds as simple as just getting the right speakers. Thanks in advance.

Good Phone for the Could You Speak Up A Little Crowd

DU — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:22:46 -0800

Loud, clear, land-line phone without feedback whine? I don't know if we are hard of hearing, or getting old or what, but I and especially my wife have a hard time hearing what people say on our landline phone. We turned up the volume to the loudest it goes and it's still not loud enough. This is a corded phone, btw.

Worse, the sound from the mic is feed to the speaker (I guess because otherwise you can't hear what you are saying? huh?). With the volume set high, this causes terrible feedback whine.

We tried a second phone and had the same problem. Are there phones out there that don't feed the mic to the speaker? Or that otherwise filter the whine out? Or simply a clearer, louder phone without me having to know how they made that happen?

We'd rather not spend $300 on a Special Phone but I do realize that we'll probably have to spend more than the $15 cheapest-they-had model.

Help me find an online surface area/volume calculator that uses 3.14 as an approximation for pi.

23skidoo — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:34:17 -0800

I'm looking for an online surface area and volume calculator, where I plug in various measurements of a cylinder or sphere and it calculates the answer for me. But I want one that approximates pi as 3.14. No, you're not helping me to cheat. I'm answer checking middle school math materials. All the surface area and volume calculators I've found online use a much longer approximation of pi, and all the questions I'm working on specifically direct students to "use 3.14 for pi".

(Note: if your answer includes any variation on "It doesn't take that long to calculate the surface area or volume yourself", then you are an unhelpful person who isn't very good at reading.)

I just want my stupid games to be silent

NoraReed — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 02:00:55 -0800

OSXFilter: Is there a way to mute individual programs in OS X? Vista allows you to adjust the volume of specific programs in its volume control. I switched to Mac but that's one of the features from Vista that I really miss. (If it matters, I'm using Leopard.) I want to listen to my music, not my games/browser, dang it!

Count the pumping events

Xhris — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 06:43:17 -0800

I need to count how many times a sump pump runs in a given period. The sump pump pumps water out of a hole on the ground, it is activated by a float switch - so generally speaking it pumps the same amount of water out each time it runs (the volume of water from the top 'on' level to the lower 'off' level). I want to know how much water is being pumped per week/month/whatever. I figure that since the pumping amount is (approx) the same each activation, if I knew how many times to runs (and it's about 4-6 times per day) I can work out the total pumped amount.

Is there a sensor or method you can suggest to do this?
Or to measure the pumped water volume directly maybe?

I'm on a tight budget, so I've been thinking of 'no-cost' solutions like balancing something on the pipe (which vibrates alot) or listening for the sound with a laptop set to record, but I hoping the hive mind can come up with a brilliant idea for me.

Thanks.

Bedshaped

Sutekh — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 22:33:56 -0800

Please help me remember the name of this stage of psychological development, where you can begin to discern the volumetric differences between containers of different sizes. Some time ago I remember reading an anecdote about a psychologist who was visiting his friend's family. The family consisted of the mother and the father, both also psychologists, and a five year old boy and seven year old girl.

As he was helping prepare lunch, he showed the boy two different glasses and said, "which holds the most water?"

And the boy said, "I'd say this one, but you should ask my sister. She already has XXXXX".

What is XXXXX?

Low Audio on Bootcamp Windows XP

strangememes — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 10:03:06 -0800

I have a few Macbook Pro systems at work that we've installed Windows XP via Bootcamp on. We've done this with previous Macbook models in the past. This time, however, there is an audio problem: the audio on the XP side is so low it's close to non-existent. Is anyone familiar with this problem? Does anyone have any ideas on how to fix it? I've been googling this and checking the Microsoft help but have come up short.

Some pertinent information:

Macbook Pro
Windows XP
Audio Hardware: Cirrus Logic 4206
Current Audio Driver: Cirrus Logic HD Audio

Hello? What?

valkane — Sun, 17 May 2009 03:11:10 -0800

My iPhone's volume is too freaking low. How do I boost it? When calling out, the first ring is at a decent level, then it backs down to almost inaudible. When talking to people, especially if I'm outdoors, or if there is any background noise, I can't hear anything! Does anyone else have this problem? This is a first-gen iPhone, in case that makes a difference, and I've already traded one in at the Apple store for the exact same reason.

"Time can never mend the careless whispers"

TheSecretDecoderRing — Sat, 02 May 2009 06:40:25 -0800

"Hi-- ahem, I mean, uh... Hi." Oh no! Do you have bouts with Spontaneous Laryngitis Syndrome, or SLS? Someone passes by you and shoots you a friendly "Hey there!" and you're caught off guard and are left whimpering a little "hey." What to do? Such brief encounters happen daily at work (esp receiving printouts), and I often find myself reduced to barely getting anything out, or just opening my mouth, nodding, and half-grinning. Even when I consciously try to get my words out more forcefully on a given day, it all goes out the window once someone addresses me out of the blue.

This is an office job, and I don't know if I'm subconsciously trying to avoid speaking too loudly and distracting others who are working at their desks. It may also be an urge to get something out as soon as possible without feeling like an eternity passes before I can respond.

I do well enough in normal extended conversation and can project when needed. I don't sound like Billy Mays, nor Tiny Tim. But in the above scenarios I think I end up sounding like the latter, in my head anyway. So does this happen to anyone else, and how do I get myself to speak at normal volume when suddenly approached, without overcompensating and going all Billy Mays, or enduring a five-second throat wake-up call, or ending up with merely a louder squeaky voice?

Unfortunately, I have no order to double for those responding within the next fifteen minutes.

Can I overclock my tea kettle?

Mayor Curley — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 12:10:28 -0800

It seems like my tea kettle (on a gas burner) boils more quickly when there's a large volume of water in it than if there's just a bit. Am I imagining this, or is there a reason it might happen?

Granular volume data from MP3 files?

joe vrrr — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 10:13:54 -0800

I'm looking for a command-line tool that can return a volume value for specific points of time in an MP3 file. Basically, I need an array of volume values for an MP3 file. Preferably, one value for every 1/30th of a second of audio. The data will be used for visualization, so the values don't have to be extremely accurate or in any particular unit of measurement.

In a perfect world, this would be an open source python-based tool.

Any ideas?

How can I set my TV so that it's mute whenever I turn it on?

scazza — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 06:52:16 -0800

How can I set my TV so that it's mute whenever I turn it on? I have a Vizio EcoTV and a Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8300HD cable box. I've looked in the settings for both and I can't find anything. There's a "Power-on Channel" but not a Power on Volume. Is there any way to hack this?

Help me hack my Leap Frog

middleclasstool — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 18:09:31 -0800

Can you hack toddler toys to lower the speaker volume? I was complaining to friends over New Years Eve dinner that seemingly every toy company that manufactures battery operated toddler toys seems to want to simultaneously damage my son's hearing and destroy my sanity. Some have low/high volume switches, but half the time "low" means "Ted Nugent concert" and high means "Ted Nugent concert in the midst of a large-scale deforestation."

One of my friends mentioned he had heard that it was possible to alter the toys' circuit boards to monkey with the volume, but he didn't have a link. Google's getting me nothing so far but links to studies that confirm my fears -- that these toys do put my son at risk for hearing loss. He likes them, so I don't want to take them away, but I'd like to turn them way down.

I have a multimeter but don't know how to use it beyond making sure an outlet isn't live. Are there resources for a guy like me? Is this kind of thing even possible?

Home Recording - Basic Equipment - Mixdown Volume Very Low

Brettus — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 07:28:57 -0800

The final mixdown on music I have created at home is very low in volume. How can I raise the volume of my final tracks without getting that god-awful digital clipping? I hope that you all can be kind enough to relate the answer directly to the software that I am using. Currently I am recording and mixing the tracks with Sonar 4 Producer. All instrumental tracks are put through a Line 6 PODxt Live and are then ran into the Line In on the back of the PC. Most songs end up with 2 guitar tracks, bass, drums (created in Fruity Loops), and a couple of misc tracks (piano, organ, percussion).

I have then tried to dump the tracks into Sound Forge 6.0 and use the Normalize feature to raise the volume. I have also tried the "Wave Hammer" compressor. All of this does the trick, but not to the extent that I would like.

Any suggestions? Are there any other peices of software that will do this specific function for me automatically and much better than what is available to me through Sonar or SF?

"Hey, what time is it?" "What?" I SAID, WHAT TIME IS IT?" "HUUUUH???"

sixcolors — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 21:28:41 -0800

What's the psychology behind EXTREMELY loud music in nightclubs, concerts, and even some stores? I think everyone likes music loud enough to hear it, but what's the reasoning behind places turning up music so loud that you feel vibrations in your chest?

It's something I've noticed forever (obviously), but I am really starting to wonder why is it necessary. When you're at nightclubs, it's really frustrating when you try to talk to your friends, or meet new people, but you can't hear ANYTHING because the music is so loud. It makes even less sense for stores to play extremely loud music, because customers and clerks need to interact with each other in order to make purchases.

It makes me wonder if it is something similar to the reason why nightclubs like to dim their lights...it's to cover up all the dirt and trash. But, what would loud music cover up? Is it a tactic to distract people from something?

Anyone who works at these sort of places or have a background in marketing, would you care to share the reasons why it is desirable to turn the volume way up?

I can't hear anything!

pinto — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 11:53:41 -0800

Quicktime/Web Audio Problems. Some quicktime video I produced is having volume issues--but only on certain computers with small speakers. What gives? When played back on the internal speakers of a g5 and a white macbook, sound is basically non-existent. It sounds fine on every other computer tested, including my macbook pro (internal speakers and powered speakers), a dell pc laptop (internal speakers), etc etc.

The file is embedded here (having these problems on several of the videos in the series):
http://www.skyscraper.org/PROGRAMS/VERTICAL_DENSITY/vertical_density_wright.php

I also uploaded it to veoh and did a flash conversion, which had no effect.

My only guess is that the EQ is such that frequencies that can travel through the internal speakers on those machines are not present, and the lower frequencies, which other speakers play fine, can't be heard.

I'm at wits end, after doing multiple gain operations and EQing.

Controlling the volume of applications in Windows?

callmejay — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 06:08:29 -0800

Is it possible to control the volume of individual Windows applications (or Firefox windows/tabs?) Also, is it possible to boost the volume of (e.g.) a YouTube video?

Boosting the volume of iPod movies...

stackhaus23 — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 04:40:31 -0800

iPodfilter: How do I increase the volume of movies I want to put onto my iPod? I sometimes convert movies from DVD or videos I've downloaded into .mp4 files for my iPod using Handbrake or iSquint. However, when I actually get to listen to them on my iPod they are always far too quiet to the point they are unlistenable. Is there anything I can use to boost this volume. Increasing the volume using iTunes still doesn't make them nearly loud enough.

How to measure the volume of gas produced?

pigelb — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 06:48:40 -0800

I would like to find out how much gas I can produce by electrolysis using homemade stuff. Is there any cost efficient/accurate way to measure the quantity of gas produced? I was thinking of simply using a balloon but I believe that it won't be that accurate.

Basically what I have is a closed system (a small reservoir) which will produce gas. I would like to quantify gas production quite accuratly in order to do some analysis of what can be done with it.

How do I learn to sneeze softly?

riffola — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 19:12:56 -0800

How do I learn to sneeze softly?

How can I control THE VOLUME OF MY VOICE?

Bardolph — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 10:25:47 -0800

Soft talker here. Any methods/courses/books/exercises that might help me develop better voice projection? I naturally have a sedate, low-pitched speaking voice-- think "NPR announcer"-- that sounds nice over a mic, but carries poorly face-to-face. Hearing-impaired people have an especially hard time with me, for instance, and often in group conversations I get talked over because nobody notices I've started speaking. I'm a girl, if that makes a difference.

I'm quite fond of the existing sound of my voice (aren't we all?), but would like to make it more audible-- especially since I do some speaking in front of groups, and it would be nice not to need a microphone to be heard. My questions are:

(1) is it even possible to make behavioral changes that substantially alter the audibility of one's normal speaking voice, or is that mostly determined by internal anatomy? Some people seem to be naturally loud, so I wasn't sure whether this is just a function of the chest cavity/throat I was born with.

and (2) if voice projection can be improved, what methods are out there to improve it?

Caveat: I've fielded all the obvious suggestions from friends and family-- "Breathe from the diaphragm!" "Aim for the back of the room!" "Have confidence!" "Just speak as loudly as you do when you're [screaming/arguing/being tickled]!", etc. Also, I've tried a few singing lessons, but they didn't really help. Any ideas?

Turning an iPod up to 11

zadcat — Tue, 20 May 2008 19:27:02 -0800

Is there any way to increase the overall volume on an iPod shuffle? I'm using the iPod to listen to podcasts, audiobooks and the like, while working in a noisy office and riding public transit to and fro. I have not set a maximum volume from iTunes. But most files max out at a volume that's often too low to override the general ambient roar. I'd like to be able to crank it up to 11 when necessary.

I'm using the stock earbuds and am hoping not to have to invest in others unless that's unavoidable.

My MacBook's Internal Speakers Are Stuck on Mute

chinese_fashion — Sat, 17 May 2008 10:08:33 -0800

I can't get my Mac laptop's internal speakers to work -- they just stopped one day. When I press the volume adjust buttons, the little bars don't move, and the classic circle-with-bar-through-it appears. I've checked the volume in System Preferences, and the "mute" button is not selected by accident. When my headphones are plugged in, they sound fine, and I can adjust the volume under System Prefs. But when I unplug the headphones, the volume control greys out -- and the Selected Output switches to "Digital Out."

I have a slightly older Macbook Pro -- a 2.1, with Intel Core 2 Duo, if that matters.

I've checked AskMefi, searched around, and I know this is not a unique problem, but everyone on all the threads I've seen has just said "oh, figured it out, thanks," without offering any explanation!

Please -- if any of you know how I can fix this, I would greatly appreciate the help.

Thanks so much ...