Every Windows 10 user should install the EarTrumpet audio-control app

By Jez Corden
published

The Windows 10 Store might lack quality apps, but that doesn't mean you can't find the occasional gems. EarTrumpet is one such gem.

I recently found the app via the Windows 10 subreddit by accident. We covered it in a previous app roundup, but it's about time we gave it a signal boost because it's great.

EarTrumpet is a super simple app you can download for free from the Windows 10 Store, and it gives you an instant taskbar icon with additional audio controls that, frankly, should be baked into Windows directly.

EarTrumpet gives you control over audio per app, allowing you to quickly mute that annoying YouTube clip, pop-up ad, or mix volumes for different applications as you see fit.

Additionally, a right click on the icon allows you to switch between audio sources, rendering the default audio control mostly obsolete. If you want to disable the taskbar icon for the default volume controls, you can do so by right-clicking the taskbar itself, selecting taskbar settings, then hitting "Select which icons appear on the taskbar."

The app is 100 percent free, and it installs instantly with zero fuss. The project is available to view on Github too.

Do you know of any other hidden Windows 10 Store gems like this one? Please let us know in the comments and share the wealth.

Download EarTrumpet from the Windows Store (opens in new tab)

Jez Corden
Jez Corden
Co-Managing Editor

Jez Corden a Managing Editor at Windows Central, focusing primarily on all things Xbox and gaming. Jez is known for breaking exclusive news and analysis as relates to the Microsoft ecosystem while being powered by caffeine. Follow on Twitter @JezCorden and listen to his Xbox Two podcast, all about, you guessed it, Xbox!

48 Comments
  • Thanks for this one. It really is essential as long as it doesn't cause any issues. +1
  • the fact that this app provides new features that the OS lacks, is a great thing... not a lacking feature of the OS.
  • Ever hear of punctuation?
  • Sorry
  • I really try not to be a grammar **** but I have to agree with this ^ guy. It's impossible to understand your comment.
  • Sorry, I used Cortana dictation. I didn't check first to see how bad it came across... My fault.
  • I want an app that allows me to route to different audio outputs per-app on the fly... this should be part of the OS!
  • Thanks for the heads-up, just what I was looking for!!
  • I'm amazed there's still no easy way to mute individual apps. Thanks for the fined
  • There is and has been in Windows for years. Right click on the volume thing on your taskbar and select "Open Volume Mixer";, from there you can adjust the volume for each individual app as well as mute them. This has been around for a long long time.
  • Figured the mixer was removed in 10, I don't have it. Might be a driver issue I don't have any audio controls under taskbar either.
  • I still have it, but I do also have some realtek drivers I installed for room correction.
  • Ok fixed missing mixer but UWP Apps don't show up under the old mixer.
  • How did you fix it? I don't have it. Please let me know.
  • Settings - Personalisation - Taskbar - Under Taskbar find Turn system icons on or off (Volume was off for me) After you turn it on you can right click on the volume icon by the clock and open mixer.
  • Thanks..fixed :)
  • Unless the app has its own volume control, you can't mute or adjust UWP App volume individually like you can with Win32 apps. For instance, you can mute or turn down the volume for IE11 and older, but you cannot for Edge. This is a known limitation to the UWP App framework, and MS is supposedly working on it (at least for Edge that is). Go look in the Feedback Hub for the Edge Volume Control group idea, and an MS engineer responded with the gory details.
  • Each volume slider should have a built-in meter as the bar for the slider so you can tell which one is makes the noise. For Edge, you should be able to press an arrow that displays volume and meter for each tab.
  • Does this amplify the sound on UWP / Win32 ? Does it controls / mute the sound for Win32 ?
  • No. Yes.
  • Another great app on the Windows Store is Tablet Pro. So many handy customizable on-screen shortcuts/gestures at your fingertip, and a great game controller mode to turn almost any Steam game into a touch-friendly game.
  • .
  • Very useful little app. It runs at startup and the icon even looks like it's part of the standard Windows icons!
  • Does it have a way to control the volume on line in and can it pop out so it remains available via Alt+Tab if you do something in another program? If not, anyone happens to know of a credible app that does that? I'm using Adobe Soundbooth CS4 to record audio and constantly find myself using the control panel to adjust the level on the line in - a simple audio control program with a slider for audio in that'll stick around when I hit a button to start/stop recording in Soundbooth would be useful.
  • Nice find. I'm gonna give it a try.
  • Are folks aware that Windows 10 DOES have this feature built into it already? Volume mixer doesn't even need to be used, as there is a drop-down menu that can allow real-time switching between audio outputs.
  • Are you able to control volume of UWP apps independently?
    Yes, W10 added instant switch of your default output device, which is great, but even Volume Mixer don't allow you to set different vol. levels for UWP(Skype, Groove, Edge etc.). It is system limitation they are aware of, but I'm not sure if they want to fix it.
  • The use a long time, really useful app.
  • it should be build in windows but very nice app
  • In my house, we are very fond of the money management app Money Tracker pro
    We have it installed and synced across multiple PCs and Windows phones (we're still part of the 1%) and find it extremely valuable. The windows store replacement of the standard character map, Universal Character Map, is quite excellent. Not a Windows store app, but I am also very thankful for Tile Iconifier for helping me customize all the tiles on my start menu.
  • Adam!  I love the live tiles; it's one of the best things about the mobile OS, and the feature I miss most... would this Tile Iconifier enable me to manage the tiles on my start menu to look and act more like the tiles on the mobile OS?
  • You used to be able to do that in Windows 7. For some reason Microsoft removed it in Windows 10. Hoping it makes a come back!
  • It's really still present in Windows 10, right click the Volume icon in the systray and choose Volume Mixer.
  • It is still there, but UWP apps aren't in Mixers list.Win32 and system sounds can be controlled as before
  • Great app
  • Darn. When I read the headline I was really hoping for an EQ. THAT is really what's missing as far as baked-in features for W10. It's in Mobile, but not on the PC/tablet.
  • Very good find, Jez! I'm getting it now because you said to.
  • I like your music choice for the screen capture
  • Just a cool app
  • http://ear-trumpet.findmysoft.com/# So you dont need to use the windows store.
  • Ditto-cp is another app that might be missed in the store but it's really wonderful. Clipboard history that supports multiple copys and pastes by hotkeys can really enable productivity!
  • Seriously, this adds NOTHING to Windows in any way. It does EXACTLY the same as Windows' own volume-mixer control. It does not offer volume control for UWP apps so really, much ado about nothing here. Completely NOT needed..
  • It does allow you to control UWP apps like Groove and Movies and TV. I just installed it and tried it. Hint: you have to click Play in the app first before it shows up in EarTrumpet,
  • Aha. Does indeed change things. I checked it with Edge open as it was said that does not show up in Volume Mixer and I did not see Edge in Ear Trumpet either, even though it was active running.
  • Thanks for pointing that out.
  • Really like this app. My favorite little feature is that apparently the videos and ads in Hulu have separate entries, so you can auto-mute the ads until you close and re-open Hulu! :)
  • Check out Open Hardware Monitor. It allows you to track load and temps on computer components (CPU cores, RAM, video, etc.) and even pin them to the system tray. I constantly keep this running on my water cooled computer. No install, free, just run the .exe at startup or when you need it. http://openhardwaremonitor.org/downloads/
  • Use all system resources: May use any system resource (such as camera, microphone, or location) without further notification. You can't control app permissions for individual system resources via Windows Privacy Settings.