db volume scaling

[Thomas Olsen]

On Thursday 11 June 2009 01:29:17 Jeff Mitchell wrote:
> Tim Blechmann wrote:
> > i have been writing all over again, that mapping and units are two
> > separate issues:
> > - log vs power law (i.e. linear loudness perception)
> > - dB vs percent
> >
> > of course it is easy to map the range -60dB to 0dB to the scale 0% to
> > 100%, but according to your mail [1] you and the majority of the amarok
> > users dislike logarithmic mappings.
>
> See the mail I just sent.  I don't dislike logarithmic mappings, and I
> have no idea what various users prefer.  What I dislike are showing dB
> values in the software, because you can't guarantee that that is
> actually the loudness level that the user is hearing (explained in more
> detail in the mail I just sent).
>
> > as far as the mapping is concerned, i guess i wrote enough about the
> > dynamic range of the human ear. with the power-law based mapping, one
> > can do a good fine-tuning for high volumes, but not for low volumes,
> > while with the logarithmic mapping, the volume resolution is equally
> > well from low to high volumes ...
>
> Which seems like something we want, right? :-)
>
> > personally, i don't really want to use a software, which treats me like
> > a stupid idiot. i can install windows, if i want to have that experience
>
> Any software that doesn't use a dB scale treats you like an idiot?  So
> any user that either doesn't understand -- or want -- a dB scale is an
> idiot?
>
> > ... so i am using aqualung again ...
>
> That's too bad.  I was really looking forward to your remapping patch.
>
> --Jeff

I join this thread as a dumb user who doesn't know anything about mappings, 
power-law based or logarithmic or whatever but likes to be able to turn the 
volume up and down. Following the thread it seems to me that you all mostly 
agree that it's a good patch (forgot who made it by now) but some doesn't want 
the GUI to reflect it as dB. I agree with that because for me decibel is an 
absolute value and there's no way to guarantee that in the software. I have 3 
different places where I can adjust the volume: my external amplifier, KMix and 
Amarok. Personally I mostly use KMix, but I can imagine a kid blasting his/her 
ears out with the external amp, the parents tells him/her to turn down the 
music but gets the reply "look, it's only 25dB, it wont hurt anybody" ;-)

-- 
Best Regards / Med venlig hilsen

  Thomas Olsen

Til uvedkommende, der læser med: Der er ingen grund til at læse min mail.
Jeg har intet at gøre med FARC, al-Jihad, al-Qaida, Hamas, Hizb al-Mujahidin 
eller ETA.
Jeg har aldrig gjort Zakat, går ikke ind for Istishad, har ikke lavet en 
bilbombe eller kernevåben og jeg ved dårligt nok, hvad Al Manar og бомба 
betyder. 
Men tak for den udviste interesse