Wav's volume lowers to 50%!!

I have been searching the web and newsgroup archives, but find no answer
to this problem, but it obviously happens to other people as I found
someone else posting for help on the exact same problem, but got no
answer.

Perhaps by now, someone knows what causes this...

Playing wavs on the computer is no problem, but when you click on a wav
file from a website, as it opens and plays, the mixer level drops down
to 50% and you have to open up the mixer and turn the volume up again.
Everytime you play the wav from a website, it will again drop down to
50% This is annoying, and I have been trying to find help for this
problem for several years now. Please tell me someone finally figured
this out and how to solve this problem.

Here is someone else's post here from Feb 8 2001 explaining the same
problem:

I have a Sound Blaster Live Value Digital 1024 card on my Dell, Windows
>> 98SE, 128 ram, cablemodem. Don't know, if the above is relevant, but

>> hope it is.
>>
>> My problem is that for example in Play Center I can listen to wav's
with
>> no problem, but when I listen to one on the web or email with the
Volume
>> at 100%, the moment the wav starts, it goes down to 50%. I can then
>> increase the volume to 100% and listen to it, but the moment I start
it
>> again, it will go down. This is a nuisance, because I have to be
>> adjusting the volumes all the time. Midi's play fine, it's only the
>> wavs.
>>
>> Is there some setting that I can change for this not to happen? Dell

>> even replaced the sound card and it happens with the new one too.
The
>> technician did not know what is happening. My older computer has
>> another older version of a Creative Sound card and it worked fine.
>>

> Playing wavs on the computer is no problem, but when you click on a wav
> file from a website, as it opens and plays, the mixer level drops down
> to 50%

The "Duh" solution: don't click links from websites.

Alternatively, download and install a wav file player such as winamp and
associate that with wav files (the installation procedure will usually do
that pretty much automatically with most players - winamp's does). This
should work around whatever issue it is you're encountering when playing
sound through the browser.

Third choice, tried upgrading your sound drivers recently? This is obviously
a software issue so replacing the soundcard won't solve it.

On Sun, 15 Feb 2004 04:50:16 GMT, John <> wrote:

>I have been searching the web and newsgroup archives, but find no answer
>to this problem, but it obviously happens to other people as I found
>someone else posting for help on the exact same problem, but got no
>answer.
>
>Perhaps by now, someone knows what causes this...
>
>Playing wavs on the computer is no problem, but when you click on a wav
>file from a website, as it opens and plays, the mixer level drops down
>to 50% and you have to open up the mixer and turn the volume up again.
>Everytime you play the wav from a website, it will again drop down to
>50% This is annoying, and I have been trying to find help for this
>problem for several years now. Please tell me someone finally figured
>this out and how to solve this problem.

What application plays the .wav file when you click on a link?
Applications like Real Player will dick around with your system-wide
volume settings. Winamp and even Windows Media Player seem to do a
better job of leaving your system volume settings alone.

> >I have been searching the web and newsgroup archives, but find no answer
> >to this problem, but it obviously happens to other people as I found
> >someone else posting for help on the exact same problem, but got no
> >answer.
> >
> >Perhaps by now, someone knows what causes this...
> >
> >Playing wavs on the computer is no problem, but when you click on a wav
> >file from a website, as it opens and plays, the mixer level drops down
> >to 50% and you have to open up the mixer and turn the volume up again.
> >Everytime you play the wav from a website, it will again drop down to
> >50% This is annoying, and I have been trying to find help for this
> >problem for several years now. Please tell me someone finally figured
> >this out and how to solve this problem.
>
> What application plays the .wav file when you click on a link?
> Applications like Real Player will dick around with your system-wide
> volume settings. Winamp and even Windows Media Player seem to do a
> better job of leaving your system volume settings alone.

Actually, Netscape uses it's own program to play wavs, and although you can
go into preferences and assign and change programs to be used for files with
certain extensions (I have winamp assigned to deal with mp3 files) the Wav
assignment to Netscape's own plugin, does not allow it to be edited or
deleted like other ones are. The edit and delete are greyed out and non
selectable.

I tried adding a NEW assignment and selected winamp for WAV, but it still
wants to use it's own Netscape player. I disabled the .dll plugin, but
then it just won't play at all, it gives an error and does not ask for a
program to play it with.

What doesn't make sense is, how just playing a wav through Netscape's player
would make Creative's audio mixer drop down 50% in volume. Creative would
have to deliberately have something written into their program that could
change mixer settings when some audio players plays a file. That is
stupid. Is there any known fix for this?

I do searches and find lots of other people with this exact same problem, yet
after all these years no one ever figured out how to fix this? That seems
odd.

Surely someone on this newsgroups knows the fix, since I found this newsgroup
by a search which turned up someone asking this same question on this very
group a few years ago. of course there was no reply to it with an answer,
or I would not have had to ask the question again now years later. Surely
someone knows the fix by now?

> > Playing wavs on the computer is no problem, but when you click on a wav
> > file from a website, as it opens and plays, the mixer level drops down
> > to 50%
>
> The "Duh" solution: don't click links from websites.

Many times, they automatically play, and then the volume for all wavs is turned
down and have to open up the mixer, and raise the level to full again. Very
annoying. I don't know why designers of programs don't fully test them before
releasing them.

> Alternatively, download and install a wav file player such as winamp and
> associate that with wav files (the installation procedure will usually do
> that pretty much automatically with most players - winamp's does).

Installing winamp years ago did not do this, well it did for when I play wavs
from the computer, but not for wavs played through Netscape. I tried to
change the association of wavs to use winamp through Netscape, but it will not
let me do that for wavs, only for mp3 files.

But this is the fault of Creative's program and mixer, as it should not turn
down the wav mixer level just because some wav player is playing a wav. I
am having a hard time figuring out why that would ever be programmed into
Creative's program in the first place?

> Third choice, tried upgrading your sound drivers recently?

No, I don't like Spyware. Upgrading anything today, requires installation of
Spyware, so I don't upgrade anything, plus there is no need to always keep
upgrading things, the fact that everyone else keeps doing it is the cause of all
the incompatibility today on the internet, and the reason for all viruses and
spyware.

> This is obviously
> a software issue so replacing the soundcard won't solve it.

Right, and since this Creative software has been around for a while, and the
question was asked in years past, even on this newsgroup (I see from doing a
google search) I thought years later, by now, someone on this group would know
about the fix.

I get the impression people here don't even KNOW about this or are hearing this
for the first time.

This is a very common problem, since I can so easy find lots of people asking
this question using google, but never can I find anyone answering the question
in all my searches.

> > The "Duh" solution: don't click links from websites.

> Many times, they automatically play

Well, I don't know what web pages you visit man, but none of the sites I
frequent plays wave files when entered. You could probably edit the
browser's MIME settings to disable PLAYING wavs when they're clicked and
instead get a download file prompt instead, or do nothing at all, though
this is probably not what you want.

> I don't know why designers of programs don't fully test them before
> releasing them.

This is probably something that only happen for certain users, perhaps such
a small percentage it is not worth spending much time on, and/or the cause
which is so obscure it is not easily solved.

> > associate that with wav files (the installation procedure will usually
do
> > that pretty much automatically with most players - winamp's does).

> Installing winamp years ago did not do this

Key operative word being "years ago", LOL. Ever since WinAmp switched to
their new style of install program (and that was QUITE a while ago), one of
the steps of the install procedure is a screen with all the media types the
program handles, with check boxes for each to show which ones should be
played by the program.

> I tried to
> change the association of wavs to use winamp through Netscape, but it will
not
> let me do that for wavs, only for mp3 files.

Then I have to say Netscape's a bit daft from this point of view.

> But this is the fault of Creative's program and mixer

It could just as well be Netscape fiddling with the volume, that is entirely
possible. In fact that sounds like a much more plausible theory, especially
if you have some old, obsolete version of the browser (which I suspect,
considering your views on upgrading).

> > Third choice, tried upgrading your sound drivers recently?

> No, I don't like Spyware. Upgrading anything today, requires
installation of
> Spyware, so I don't upgrade anything

Rofl! Whatever gave you THAT silly idea? There's no spyware in soundcard
drivers, and even if there was, there's programs on the internet that will
track it down and kill it. Anyway, on one hand you complain of bugs, but you
won't consider updating your bugged software? That's a very weird position.
Why do you even bother asking for help if you won't even consider what is
likely the most effective solution to your problem?

THE most frequent source of disgruntled (novice) PC users are those sitting
with YEARS old software installations, complaining things do not work as
they should well DUH! Their OS installs are OUTDATED. That's why updates are
produced, to fix problems! Update your sound drivers AND browser - I'd
suggest you look at the latest Mozilla instead of Netscape, and if problem
persist, THEN ask around. Upgrading is ALWAYS first choice, because
invariably the first piece of advice you'll get WILL be "have you upgraded
to the latest versions?"

Paranoid delusions about spyware in anything and everything recent will
effectively make sure you will ALWAYS have to re-set your volume control
until the end of time.

> plus there is no need to always keep upgrading things

LOL; who told you that?

It's probably not much of a point upgrading everything to every single
version that is released, but if you're having a sound-related problem, it
should be obvious to you the first thing you should look at be upgrading
your soundcard drivers. Now, this might not BE a sound driver bug as I said,
it is probably your weird Netscape browser instead, but you won't know for
sure until you've tried. Jeez...

> the fact that everyone else keeps doing it is the cause of all
> the incompatibility today on the internet, and the reason for all viruses
and
> spyware.

Ahaha, LOL, no. Viruses and spyware aren't typically spread through driver
and software upgrades of legitimate applications. Most spyware comes through
either file sharing applications or ad-banners that pop up a browser plugin
download request on your screen, and viruses are typically delivered via
email, but can also be found in infected applications, though this is much
less common as PC users typically do not exchange programs much anymore.

Your explanation to the cause of these maladities is almost entirely
erroneous. No self-respecting company would boobytrap their software with
viruses and spyware.

> I get the impression people here don't even KNOW about this or are hearing
this
> for the first time.

Uh, well, yeah, probably because the rest of us upgraded from the old
versions of either drivers or browser years ago, and are thus not affected
by your issue.

> This is a very common problem, since I can so easy find lots of people
asking
> this question using google

Very common? Lots?

On what order are we talking here, tens of thousands of unique queries?
Hundreds? Dozens? How old are these inquiries anyway? Like I said, a simple
software upgrade will most likely fix it completely.

On Mon, 16 Feb 2004 22:24:00 GMT, John <> wrote:


>What doesn't make sense is, how just playing a wav through Netscape's player
>would make Creative's audio mixer drop down 50% in volume. Creative would
>have to deliberately have something written into their program that could
>change mixer settings when some audio players plays a file. That is
>stupid. Is there any known fix for this?

It's a Netscape problem, not a Creative problem. Netscape is lazily
adjusting the system volume control, rather than setting up an
internal volume control. Real Player does the same thing. Creative
can't block an application from adjusting the system-wide volume, no
more than they can block you from doing it manually.

Maybe a Netscape oriented newsgroup or forum might have an answer for
you. It sounds like the best solution would be to prevent Netscape
from playing the .wav and allowing some other app to play it. I see
you tried that with no success... you just need to find out a way to
do it through Netscape and this is the wrong group for that.

HTH