Control The Individual Volume of Each Tab in Chrome
Not all videos and soundtracks are created (or edited) equally. This is the case with most YouTube videos uploaded where some videos have good audio whereas others tend to have a much lower overall volume. It’s a hassle especially if you’re operating multiple tabs that require different volume levels. It’s the reason most websites that host video and audio content start playback at 80% volume.
Rather than going through the process of changing the system volume between each tab, we take a look at two Chrome extensions to control individual volumes of each tab and even boost the volume by up to five times.
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Change the Individual Volume of Tabs Separately
There are two extensions to get the job done. One is a barebones extension called Volume Master while the more feature rich one is called Volume Controller. Both extensions are free to use and available in the Chrome Web Store.
Volume Master
The first extension called Volume Master is excellent and will be perfect for the majority of users. It has a very simple user interface and intends to do just one job which is to control the volume of media playing in each tab individually. Using the extension is as simple as clicking the extension icon and changing the individual volume of each tab.
But the best part of this extension is the ability to digitally boost the volume of the source audio by 5 times which is up to 600%. But since the audio is amplified digitally be wary of audio distortion at higher levels.
Boost and manage volume of individual tabs
Advantages
- Boost volume by up to 600%
- Switch to any tab playing audio by clicking the extension
Disadvantages
- Doesn’t remember the individual volume preferences for each site
- Breaks YouTube full-screen: In my testing, the extension disables full-screen mode and instead fills the video within the tab upon entering full-screen instead
- Lack of keyboard shortcuts or any other options
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Volume Controller
The second extension works similarly to the first which is clicking the extension icon to control volume & switch between tabs. Users can get to the settings by pressing the small gear icon in the top left of the extension’s window.
Switch between active tabs and control volume
Volume Controller settings page
Advantages
- Unlike the previous extension, this extension remembers individual website preferences
- Supports keyboard shortcuts to mute and change the volume of media
- Does not break YouTube’s full-screen mode
- Ability to control the volume step size (linear & exponential volume increase)
Disadvantages
- Lack the ability to boost volume
- Supports only sites that host video & audio content in HTML 5 compliant format
The extension also modifies YouTube’s audio scrubber with its own style
Conclusion
While both extensions have their pros and cons, I tend to lean towards the first one for its simplicity and the ability to boost volume. Which one do you prefer?
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Man, you missed Volume Manager extension.
Can you please link the volume extension you are talking about? Also, tell the advantages and disadvantages.
This article omitted a CRITICAL drawback, per their recommendations:
Any extension that can READ and/or CHANGE the data being exchanged between visited websites is NEVER a smart security practice, unless said plugin is intended for such activity.