Arch Linux

silverhammermba

Wiki Maintainer

Registered: 2011-04-14

Posts: 156

Mumble attenuation makes some applications quieter and quiter

Mumble has an attenuation option that makes other applications quieter while others are talking. I like this option, but I noticed that in some cases it ends up getting into a cycle of making things ridiculously quiet. I'm not sure exactly what applications it affects, but it definitely affects Chrome.

My guess is that it's caused by a combination of:
1. Mumble reducing all pulseaudio playback by 50% when someone talks
2. PulseAudio remembering individual application volume when you close/open them
3. Chrome starting/stopping new processes frequently for new tabs

So for example, someone starts talking so Mumble reduces all Chrome process volume by 50%. I close a tab while this is happening so PulseAudio remembers that the process was running at 50% volume. I reopen a tab and PulseAudio restores the 50% volume even though no one is talking. Someone starts talking again, so now that tab is set to 25% volume. If the same sequence happens again, it goes down further to 12% etc.

I have no idea how to solve this problem. Which program is to blame here? Mumble? PulseAudio?