Desktop gadgets windows 7 volume. Volume2 Beautiful and convenient Windows sound volume control. Key Features and Functions

Volume2 is a program for controlling the sound volume level on your computer. Volume 2 Alternate Volume Control (also known as "Volume Squared") displays an on-screen volume indicator in the form of a stylish on-screen display (OSD) that appears the moment you change the volume. The program features over 70 beautiful and stylish volume controls and over 40 audio volume status icons to display in the system tray! Controlling the volume of music with Volume2 will become much more convenient; the utility allows you to change the sound volume by rotating the mouse wheel and using hotkeys.

It's time to change the volume control

Volume2 is a much more functional and convenient audio volume control than the standard Windows volume slider. The beautiful volume gadget Volume2 allows you to set the sound volume change step, add a sound effect when changing the volume, use a stylish on-screen menu (OSD) to control the volume, select a sound volume indicator skin to display in the taskbar, use wheel rotation and mouse movements to change the level volume. With Volume 2, you can set up hotkeys to turn down, turn up, and turn off the volume on your computer, and you can also set a schedule for the volume to change automatically.

The download archive contains the portable version of Volume2 and the program distribution.

Screenshots of the Volume2 program

You are familiar with this situation: you turn on your computer, your favorite Windows operating system starts, and you see that there is no volume control. The sound itself is there, but you cannot adjust it, since the volume icon is not displayed.

In fact, this is normal for Windows OS, and the next time you boot, the volume icon should be in place. But you definitely shouldn’t restart your computer because of such a trifle!

P.S. By the fact that this situation is the norm for Windows, we mean that this happens quite often, and not that this fact is normal.

In most cases, the following steps help

1) Check if the volume display is turned on.

For unknown reasons, this setting sometimes gets lost and the volume display turns off.

a) Right-click in an empty space in the tray area (next to the clock and language bar), and go to properties.

b) Or open the Control Panel, go to the “Notification Area Icons” section (icon mode), and click on the “Turn system icons on or off” link.

Make sure the volume is turned up. If the volume is “Off”, turn it on by setting it to “On” and press Ok.

2) Restart Windows Explorer.

You can restart Explorer immediately without completing the first step.

To restart Explorer, open the Task Manager (“ctrl + shift + Esc”), go to the “Processes” tab, find and end the “explorer.exe” process. Next, click “File\new task (run...)”, write explorer and click Ok.

After the above steps, the volume icon should return to its place.

The volume control gadgets category for Windows 7 and 8 includes desktop gadgets that perform the function of controlling sound on a computer. By installing one of these gadgets, you can customize the sound, as well as set and save sound parameters for certain styles of music.

Sound and volume are subjective concepts. What seems like an optimal level for you may seem too loud to your colleagues or family members. And vice versa, what you hear well when you are directly at the computer is not always available to people who are at a certain distance.

Thus, turning on, off and adjusting the sound is one of the important related functions when working with a computer. However, doing this using the keyboard or through the control panel is not always convenient, especially if you need to manipulate the volume almost instantly. That is why, to improve the comfort of sound control, it is advisable to download a volume mixer for Windows 7 and install it directly on the desktop. Such mini-applications are controlled using keys and the mouse wheel or buttons located on the interface of the gadget itself, which allows you to manipulate sound quickly and easily.

What are the capabilities of such mini-applications for the Windows 7 operating system? We tried to collect the most diverse and multifunctional widgets in the collection so that you can easily choose the one that suits your purposes. The simplest programs allow you to increase or decrease the playback volume, turn the sound on or off. For example, if you set an electronic device to wake up or remind you, it would be ideal to pair with a gadget to change the volume and mute the sound. So your alarm clock will not get those household members out of bed with you who don’t need to jump up today before dawn.

Other options have been added to the arsenal of more complex multifunctional gadgets. In particular, this is adjustment by channel using a fairly sensitive two-channel equalizer, which works equally productively with both speakers and headphones, analysis of sound spectra and monitoring of speaker activity, adjusting tones depending on the musical style, the parameters of which, moreover, can be saved , avoiding the need to re-configure the next time you turn on the device. Also, many mini-applications provide additional backgrounds and beautiful, elegant skins that allow you to choose the color scheme and style of the application to suit the specific profile of your desktop.

In addition, you can choose a multifunctional utility that combines volume control for Windows 7 and screen brightness, clock, recycle bin, battery level indicator, processor load monitor, notes, slides, timer, operating system management manager, quick launch of programs and other useful options. Occupying a minimum of space both on the screen and on the disk, such programs will significantly optimize the workflow and increase the user’s comfort at the computer, and do not require the use of any additional settings.

Where to download volume mixer for Windows 7? Don't waste time searching!

Having walked through the pages of our website, you will find in an extensive and diverse catalog structured for the convenience of visitors any gadgets for the Windows 7 operating system, including mini-applications that allow you to quickly and effectively control the quality and volume of sound. The only thing you need to do is select the appropriate utility, download the volume control for Windows 7 and install it on your desktop in any convenient place.

All programs that you see on our resource are free to download and use. We do not suggest that you register, receive a code via SMS, or tell us your mailbox address, phone number and other personal data, since we care about the convenience, safety, and saving time of our guests. You can right now in any quantity without additional actions.

Listening to your favorite music and enjoying exciting films, listening to audio books and watching videos, gaining useful knowledge through video or audio lessons and performing other necessary actions related to sound, without disturbing those around you, is now even easier: just download the controller volume control for Windows 7 to any computing device you use, and in just a few minutes optimize the sound control process at your own discretion. Visit our website regularly, replenish your desktop with current new products and turn the process of using all available Windows tools into an easy pleasure!

Volume2 is a program designed to replace the standard Windows volume control. With its help, users can adjust the sound level by scrolling the mouse wheel or assign keyboard shortcuts for this purpose. The application has a user-friendly interface and includes three interchangeable design themes. It leaves its own stash in the notification panel. During the process, you will be asked to set the standard volume indicator to automatically turn off.

By clicking on the icon described above, you can determine the balance between the right and left channels, enable or disable certain sound sources, instantly reduce the volume to minimum, and so on. Any of the previous actions can be assigned to pressing the mouse wheel or double-clicking the right button. Overall, Volume2 is a useful free application that will not hurt to install on your computer.

Key Features and Functions

• the ability to automatically replace the standard indicator with a program indicator;
• allows you to set a hotkey or key combination for a specific action;
• you can choose the theme of the interface and the type of icon in the notification panel;
• support for all sound cards, including integrated ones.

A small free program for conveniently adjusting sound volume without having to turn the knobs on speakers or headphones.

Screenshot gallery

Over the years since the personal computer has existed on a large scale, millions of programs have been created for almost all occasions. Some of them are called upon to solve global problems or create something. Others serve to facilitate the completion of trivial everyday tasks that are invariably related to computer operation. And, which is typical, it cannot be said that simple programs are less important than software giants. They are completely equal!

In this article we will talk about just such a small and inconspicuous, but very useful program designed for adjusting sound on a computer - Volume2.

Its main purpose is to facilitate and simplify the task of adjusting the volume on the computer. However, unlike its analogues, Volume2 can do this not only by rotating the mouse wheel over the tray icon and hot keys, but also in at least two more ways: by holding down the left and right mouse buttons, and also by using the wheel in corners of the monitor!

The main advantage of Volume2 over the standard volume control in Windows is simplified access to settings and the availability of volume control in full-screen applications (for example, in games).

Comparison of Volume2 volume control with paid analogue VolumeScroller

As we can see from the comparison, the free Volume2 easily outperforms its paid counterpart in terms of capabilities! However, in addition to its main function (sound control), it can do something else:

• display on-screen OSD indicators to visualize the sound level and its distribution across channels;
• use hot keys to control screen brightness, launch files and restart/turn off the computer;
• implement the function of scrolling the mouse wheel of an inactive window under the cursor;
• run scheduled tasks (setting the volume level and screen brightness, launching applications and displaying reminders).

First launch and setup

The Volume2 program does not require installation, so to start working with it, you just need to unpack the archive downloaded from our website into any convenient folder and run the executable file Volume2.exe. The program icon will appear in the tray, however, if you call up its menu, it will be in English:

To change the language, you need to enter the settings menu, which is called either by the "Volume2" item from the above-mentioned context menu, or by double-clicking on the tray icon. Here we go directly to the “Language” section, select “Russian” in the list and click the “Apply” button:

Now we can begin to consider the functions of the program in the familiar Russian-language interface.

Basic settings Volume2

I suggest starting to get acquainted with the program’s customization options from the “Basic” tab:

Here we can select the main and additional (if any) audio output devices, specify the volume level change step and adjust the channel balance. These settings will affect the parameters for changing the sound by scrolling the mouse wheel over the program icon in the tray and hotkeys.

By the way, the next configuration step I would recommend is the configuration of hot keys in the tab of the same name:

By default, there are already five preset functions: adding/decreasing the volume of the main and secondary audio devices, as well as muting the sound. However, the main device's default level adjustment is extremely inconvenient, since it uses the system CTRL+mouse wheel combination, which is used to scale images and web pages. Therefore, I advise you to immediately change the first two keyboard combinations by adding an additional ALT or SHIFT modifier key.

In addition to the functions already mentioned, you can configure hotkeys for the following actions:

1. Call up settings.
2. Call up a list of audio devices.
3. Opens the standard volume control.
4. Opening the audio mixer.
5. Sets a specific sound level percentage.
6. Opening/closing CD-ROM.
7. Set screen brightness.
8. Setting the channel balance.
9. Removing USB devices.
10. Setting up audio devices.
11. Battery percentage display for laptops.
12. Launch any application or document.
13. Turn off the monitor.

As you can see, thanks to such extensive settings, you can use Volume2 not only for its intended purpose, but also to speed up the execution of other frequently used system functions! I think everyone will find something of their own here, but I personally liked the function of quickly launching programs and shutting down the PC :)

Appearance Settings

In addition to rich functionality, Volume2 also offers the widest possibilities for customizing the appearance of both the program icon itself and all OSD elements that are displayed on the screen. The first tab is the "On-Screen Indicator" tab. Let's open it:

This tab is designed to configure the operation parameters and appearance of notification windows about Volume2 events. The display of indicators can be disabled altogether, or not shown in full-screen applications. It is also possible to specify how long the OSD window will remain on the screen. The appearance of the window itself can be of three types: plain text (colors and sizes are customizable), trackbar (color bar with an optional display of volume level percentages) and skin.

Naturally, the most functional and colorful design option for an OSD message is a skin. It is selected by default. To the right of the small preview image of the theme, its functionality is displayed in the form of icons. In total, a skin can have up to 6 separate indicators that display:

• volume level;
• notification about opening the drive;
• notification about connecting USB devices;
• battery charge level (by pressing hot keys);
• screen brightness;
• sound balance across channels.

Each of the indicators will appear only if the monitored parameter is changed using the program (usually by pressing hot keys), but not by standard methods. Therefore, to save PC resources, this function can be completely disabled without much damage to the functionality.

The second tab, which is responsible for the appearance of the program icon, will be the “System Tray” tab:

Here, just like for the OSD window, we can select the icon skin and set the number of volume change steps (by default 100, which corresponds to 100% equal to 1% per step). In addition, here you can activate the option to display a tooltip. With its help, you can display any sound-related variables available in the program. In a standard skin, this is, in principle, useless, but if you activate a skin without a numerical indication (in the form of a rotary wheel), then it won’t hurt to know the exact volume level, which means it’s better to enable the option.

Alternative ways to control sound

As I already said, Volume2 differs positively from its analogues in that it has several alternative volume control options that are usually not found in other programs. First of all, I suggest you look at the “Mouse Events” tab:

Here we can configure the actions for left, right and middle (wheel) mouse click on the tray icon. In addition, you can activate the "Enable long click" option. This option allows you to gradually increase or decrease the sound level by holding down, respectively, the left or right mouse button over the tray icon.

At the bottom of this tab there are a number of options for handling mouse wheel rotation. I recommend setting only the first option here, "Roll the mouse wheel over" to select where scrolling will be recognized as a function of changing volume. The remaining parameters, in my opinion, are simply useless (although this is a purely subjective opinion :)).

Another interesting audio control feature is the use of the edges of the screen, something I haven't seen anywhere else before. To activate and configure this function, go to the “Edge Control” tab:

The essence of the method is that you select the edges of the screen that will be active when the mouse cursor approaches them. Then, when you hover over the active edge and move the mouse up and down (or scroll the wheel of your choice), you can change the volume level. Actually, on this tab you can configure the operating parameters of the above-mentioned function, as well as the appearance of the indicator.

Setting up additional features

We have dealt with the standard functionality of Volume2, however, the program has a number of options and capabilities. They do not directly relate to sound control, but significantly expand the range of tasks that the program can perform. Regarding the options, I recommend looking at the “System” tab:

There are traditional settings here, such as program startup and checking for updates, however, I recommend paying attention not to them, but to the option “Scroll content under the mouse pointer (KatMouse)”. Activating this item will allow you to scroll the contents of any open (even inactive!) window with the mouse wheel.

If you have not disabled the display of OSD notifications, then below on the same tab you can specify for which events notifications should be displayed.

The last tab that we haven’t seen yet is “Schedule”:

In this tab, the developers managed to place an almost complete task scheduler! With its help, at a given point in time you can:

1. Set a specific volume level.
2. Launch the desired program.
3. Display a reminder text message.
4. Set the sound balance across channels.
5. Change screen brightness.

Created tasks can be launched either at a precisely specified time or at an indefinite interval, or with a specified periodicity and frequency. Also, if desired, tasks can be temporarily deactivated without deleting them, which is quite convenient.

Advantages and disadvantages of Volume2

Pros:

• support for hot keys and binding various additional functions to them;
• wide customization possibilities;
• several volume control options;
• built-in task scheduling system;
• ease of use and ease of configuration.

Minuses:

• The default hotkeys are not set very well.

conclusions

If you are looking for a way to simplify sound control, or you often need to turn it off altogether, then I think you won’t find a better tool than Volume2! Usually, I am critical of various software, looking for shortcomings in it, but in this case there are simply no shortcomings that could not be eliminated with the help of settings :) And this makes me happy.

Another good thing is that the program works perfectly both on old PCs with 32-bit Windows XP, and on modern Windows 8.1 x64. During testing, the program never turned off spontaneously and performed its functions in both windowed and full-screen modes. Therefore, there can only be one verdict - Volume2 is by far the best free program for managing sound on a PC!

P.S. Permission is granted to freely copy and quote this article, provided that an open active link to the source is indicated and the authorship of Ruslan Tertyshny is preserved.