Logic of volume UP/DOWN/MUTE buttons in laptops - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: electr_peter
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 05, 2017, 09:45:39 pm
content: I have used many different laptops and noticed that most of them have poor (in my opinion) volume control logic. Laptops typically have three control for volume accessible as either dedicated buttons or via Fn functions - volume up, volume down, mute/unmute. There at least two different logic schemes for functions of each button. One of them is by far the most popular, but far less useful than the other IMHO.Logic A, by far the most prevalent (>90% of cases):Volume UP - increases volume ANDdisables MUTE modeVolume DOWN - decreases volume ANDdisables MUTE modeMute - enables/disables MUTE mode. Does not affect volume setting.Logic B, less popular, more useful:Volume UP - increases volume.Does not affect MUTE modeVolume DOWN - decreases volume.Does not affect MUTE modeMute - enables/disables MUTE mode. Does not affect volume setting.Logic A is annoying and makes MUTE button practically useless. Volume keys (HW or SW) should make sound level control easier than though mouse or application. User would use mute function mostly to a) disable sound if it is not needed or b) disable sound that is too loud, then reduce sound level and unmute again.However, logic A makes case b) practically unusable and annoying because volume up/down unmutes sound again and blasts your ears open (or wakes up neighbours). With case b) gone, dedicated mute button is not very useful as decreasing volume to 0 achieves the same goal as crippled mute.On the contrary, logic B is much better because buttons function independently and mute mode is not disabled by volume up/down. This allows for more control and does not require unnecessary mental planning. Professional audio gear employs logic B as well (to my knowledge).Case "sound is far too loud", logicA, unnecessary many steps to reduce sound volume:press mute to save earscannot press volume down as it will unmutefind and disable/exit sound generating apppress volume downenter sound app gainlisten in normal sound levelCase "sound is far too loud", logicB, very easy:press mute to save earspress volume downpress mute to unmutelisten in normal sound levelFor example:On older Acer laptops (3800 series) logic B is in effect when special ACER keyboard driver is active, but logic A is active when driver is uninstalled. 3800 has Fn volume keys.Older Thinkpad series laptops have dedicated HW buttons, but for some reason use logic A.Newer Dell/HP laptops with Fn volume buttons have logic A to my knowledge.There should be SW and HW solution for this. I found that "Voimeeter" audio driver for Windows uses logic B, but it can mess up windows audio for good in some cases. On HW front, I cannot find newer laptop with logic B.Which logic (A or B) do you prefer? Why logic A even exist if it has significant drawbacks? Can anybody recommend manufacturer of laptops or SW solutions with logic B?

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 05, 2017, 11:02:06 pm
content: I think this is generally handled at the driver level. Certainly I prefer a mute button to be independent of the volume level controls, as is the case on my Lenovo.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 05, 2017, 11:03:40 pm
content: Logic A is how windows works by default. And IMO it's better as many people mute the sound and don't know how to enable it again. On the other hand if the sound is too loud, you can adjust volume in the app producing that sound or pause it and adjust the system volume.In any case disabling mute by changing volume means that you need less operations to achieve intended volume.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 05, 2017, 11:05:21 pm
content: On my laptop there's an orange LED next to the mute F-key that illuminates when mute is enabled. It's about as foolproof as one could expect.

author: Electro Detective
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 06, 2017, 12:29:40 am
content: FWIW I have thin white masking tape where the up down mute buttons are,labelled with up and down arrows for volume,and an 'X' for mute with a thin tipped black markerI also label the Spacebar > and II to indicate Play / PauseIt's a real no brainer for audio and videos,no looking, no squinting, no mouse hunt, no guessing,...no smashed keyboard

author: electr_peter
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 07, 2017, 09:26:20 pm
content: It is hard to get info how buttons work about newer laptops from spec sheets and reviews (windows 10 only). Is there a brand or model dependency in this area? Could you share model name and sound logic type?