No way to change the metronome volume

[kenden]

Jokosher 0.10.1
Ubuntu 8.10

The metronome volume is too loud. I can not find a way to adjust it.
If I lower the sound of Jokosher ( using pulseaudio) or the master volume of Ubuntu, then the other instruments are too low.

It would be nice to be able to control the metronome volume.

Note: This would be a lesser problem if the metronome beep sound was less annoying (that's another bug: https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/69796)

[Laszlo Pandy (laszlok)]

A totally reasonable request. I'll try to fix this before the next release.

[Laszlo Pandy (laszlok)]

Make the metronome button switch to a volume button (for example totem's volume control) when the mouse is over it. When the mouse is elsewhere it looks like a regular button with the metronome icon on it. Good idea?

[David Corrales (davidcorrales)]

I like that bar-on-hover approach. It's instantly useful. Though, how
can you turn it on/off? Will the volume bar appear beneath the button?

On Thu, Jan 22, 2009 at 8:36 AM, Laszlo Pandy <email address hidden> wrote:
> Make the metronome button switch to a volume button (for example totem's
> volume control) when the mouse is over it. When the mouse is elsewhere
> it looks like a regular button with the metronome icon on it. Good idea?
>
> --
> No way to change the metronome volume
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/314888
> You received this bug notification because you are a member of Jokosher
> Bugs, which is subscribed to Jokosher.
>

[kenden (kenden)]

Good point, if the button become a slider when the mouse pointer is over it... how then do you click the button?!

A few ideas:
1- the button could behave exactly like in totem, with volume-set-to-zero meaning "metronome is off". Drawback: having to set the volume to zero to turn the metronome off is not ergonomic nor practical.

2- show the metronome in the audio mixer. Drawback: add non-essential information to the GUI, kind of gets in your way when you use the program.

3- add an option in the preferences? The metronome volume is not something that would be changed often. Drawback: adding stuff-that-could-need-to-be-adjusted-sometimes in the preferences is bad (this is a Gnome program!).

-4-add a volume button that behaves like in totem next to the metronome button. It would appear ONLY when the metronome button is clicked. Advantages:
  - does not clutter the GUI when metronome is off,
  - opens up the GUI for more metronome options (choosing different rhythms, different sounds...) that could appear when the metronome is on.

I vote for #4.

[Laszlo Pandy (laszlok)]

No it doesn't appear below it. I don't think we can control where it pops up. It centers itself so that the handle on the slider is directly below the mouse. Therefore the popup will always be obscuring the button.

The button is also not a toggle button anymore, so to turn off the click track you just turn the volume all the way down to zero.

Its all implemented now. You can check if out from the lp:~laszlok/jokosher/main branch if you can't wait until its merged and released.

[Laszlo Pandy (laszlok)]

Sorry kenden, I didn't see your comment until now.
I agree, theoretically #4 is the best option, however right now we don't have any rhythms or options that would necessitate another button. And the bigger problem is that there is very limited room in the space where the metronome button is. Might be enough for a second button but I'm not sure.

When we have the a better sound for the metronome and the ability to change options we'll reconsider #4. Open another bug if it is important to you so we don't forget.

[kenden (kenden)]

Thanks for the fix!
Just a thing: when the volume of the metronome is superior to zero, maybe the metronome button should be displayed as 'clicked' to give a visual feedback to the user that the metronome is 'on'.

[Laszlo Pandy (laszlok)]

I don't this you are right. VolumeButton is a type of button, which is different from a ToggleButton. There is no way we can make it look toggled that I know of. Plus making it look toggled makes it less obvious that it will pop something up.

You are right though that there should be a way to indicate the metronome's status. Maybe we can have different icons for enabled/disabled.