Loudness at start - need to limit!!!

[tvg]

Please, is it any way to limit loudness at start or to turn on smooth increasment? Today my x5 has shocked me and banged to my ears...

[LinusN]

Easy. Don't turn up the volume that much.

[Febs]

Here are a few that I can think of off the top of my head:

1.  Turn the volume down before turning off the player.

2.  Create a .cfg file with your preferred volume, put it in the root directory, and use that to set the volume when you turn on the player.

3.  Use the Sound Settings --> Volume menu to turn down the volume.

4.  Play a track and turn the volume down while the drive spins up and the track loads.

5.  Set the volume before plugging in your headphones.

[tvg]

LinusN

That's not human way, that's robot way.

Many players has limitation of volume at start, limitation or smooth increasing up to defined before turn-off level.

[Rincewind]

I would like a fade in at boot, too.
Because sometimes I use my player at my stereo with line level and it is easy to forget this when you use the player the next time.

I developed the habit to plug the headphones in only after I see at what level the volume is.

[tvg]

Rincewind:

Yes, but developing habit is not good. Because you always can forget about it - and damage your ears. This should me #1 feature, i think.

[bascule]

...2.  Create a .cfg file with your preferred volume, put it in the root directory, and use that to set the volume when you turn on the player...

Does that work automatically? I didn't think Rockbox read a config file as part of the boot sequence...

[Llorean]

I think Febs meant it in the context of "Launch the config file before resuming playback."

The very simplest way to protect your ears is to disable auto-resume, and actually check the volume before you start playback.

Even with a fade in, the fade in won't prevent it from getting terribly loud, it'll just take a second or two to get there, and you'll still probably end up there because you keep expecting the fade to stop at a reasonable level anyway.

[saratoga]

LinusN

That's not human way, that's robot way.

Many players has limitation of volume at start, limitation or smooth increasing up to defined before turn-off level.

That only works if you assume the person is using the stock player headphones.  With rockbox, that might not be a good assumption, and some people with sensitive headphones would still get blasted, while others with less sensistive ones would get too quiet output.

If you're really concerned, why not use replaygain to adjust the playback level of your files a little?

[Llorean]

You could always set the replaygain to normalize at a level that is your maximum listening volume, so at 0dB volume, your files are not painful, and you're always just working down.

Handy volume limiting, no extra calories from fat.

[tvg]

LinusN

That's not human way, that's robot way.

Many players has limitation of volume at start, limitation or smooth increasing up to defined before turn-off level.

That only works if you assume the person is using the stock player headphones.  With rockbox, that might not be a good assumption, and some people with sensitive headphones would still get blasted, while others with less sensistive ones would get too quiet output.

If you're really concerned, why not use replaygain to adjust the playback level of your files a little?

This works ALWAYS. If you have an option: "Start with XXdb level volume", this will work ever. And it is good assumption: to let person choose start volume level...

Look at MortPlayer (freeware software player for PocketPC) - it has start level predefined! Look at Iriver Imp-900 (cd-player) - it has smooth volume increasement after start!

[tvg]

You could always set the replaygain to normalize at a level that is your maximum listening volume, so at 0dB volume, your files are not painful, and you're always just working down.

Handy volume limiting, no extra calories from fat.

There is no need to limit it for all time, just for the start...