optimize Auxiliary enable control

[ronso0]

Current state:
When Mixxx has just started, all Aux inputs are enabled, no matter if there's a device configured at all. This is confusing IMO because there's no opportunity to check the input level before enabling it.
Apparently as a consequence, the Aux enable control is named "Mute".
Those two issues are inconsistent regarding the Mic inputs are off per default, and can be enabled by "Talkover".

Suggestion:
1. set all Aux inputs off per default (after restart)
2. rename the enable control (and tooltip of course) to something like "Play" or "ON"

[Daniel Schürmann (daschuer)]

Can we close this bug in favor of
Bug #1779472, making the mute controls persistent?

For Aux, Mixxx is a software mixer. A mute button is a known feature there so I like to keep it.

[ronso0 (ronso0)]

I disagree. What do you think about the incosistency
> Mic inputs are off per default, and can be enabled by "Talkover".

There's a reason that Mics are muted by default: like with any external source users can't tell for sure if there's currently a signal incoming until you start Mixxx. That might be an external source already sending a signal or a plug that's only half-way plugged and produes a humming or any other faulty signal that would be sent directly to master when Mixxx is run.

So IMO it's only a workaround to make the mute controls persistent as suggested in Bug #1779472

[Daniel Schürmann (daschuer)]

All channels have a mute control, even Mics have it.
Mixxx also has a routing button: [Auxiliary1],"master" that can be used instead of "mute" here.
"mute" is the equivalent to Kill for the volume slider. It was considered to use musically the same way to mute the sound instantly without any fading.

I have never seen a "enable" button on hardware mixers though, but there are some with a mute controls. They are mostly only the routing switches for input and xfader. That's why we decided for mute, and IMHO the decision was good.

From this point of view the current Implementation of [Auxiliary1],"mute" is wrong in LateNight and Tango and correct in Deere and Shade. The "Play" label in LateNight is IMHO totally wrong, because you cannot control if the input is playing or not. If you revert the button logic, the confusion should be gone.

I would expect a mute control, but I can understand that others may expect an enable-like control.
This can be done by switch to the "master" control. And adjust the tooltip accordingly. The only issue is that the other control is not accessible after skin switch. So it must be forced to the "working" state during skin load if we decide for that.

[Daniel Schürmann (daschuer)]

I have just discovered that mute does not work for PLF which is correct. So the control is useless in Deere. I will file a bug.

[ronso0 (ronso0)]

> I have never seen a "enable" button on hardware mixers though, but there are some with a mute controls.

I'm referencing power apmlifiers (Endstufen) that have all input channels muted after startup by default to avoid the exact same issue I described: unwanted signals routed from any input going directly to master. IMO this protectie behaviour should apply to all lower-power components like mixers, too. You can't predict and completely control those inputs as you can control Mixxx decks.

So, regardless of which channel controls we have available, please answer my previous question. The current behaviour is inconsistent and dangerous IMO.

I'd be satisfied if anyAux,mute is always '1' after startup (even if it's set by the skins), then I'd agree to rename the respective controls in Tango and LateNight.

[Daniel Schürmann (daschuer)]

That works as well for me.
So we ditch the persistence idea from https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1779472 ?

[Daniel Schürmann (daschuer)]

I had second look at the skins, without the volume slider, replacing the mute button, by the master enable control, does make most sense.
So I think I we should adjust the skins to either mute or disable aux on skin load the bug is fixed.

[Daniel Schürmann (daschuer)]

https://github.com/mixxxdj/mixxx/pull/1755

[Swiftb0y (swiftb0y)]

Mixxx now uses GitHub for bug tracking. This bug has been migrated to:
https://github.com/mixxxdj/mixxx/issues/9123