YouTube, following its recent rollout of the 1080p Enhanced bitrate for YouTube Premium users on the web, appears to be introducing yet another feature called “Stable volume” on its app.
The platform has not officially disclosed the purpose of this feature, and it seems that not all users have access to it at this time. However, a Reddit user named (@OwenTheHugger) discovered and shared the feature, which reportedly appears under the Ambient mode option in the video settings page.
While the exact functionality and workings of the “Stable volume” setting remain unclear, the name implies that it aims to regulate and equalize volume levels across different videos.
YouTube’s Stable volume feature
This feature could potentially prevent sudden, drastic changes in volume or unexpected fluctuations while watching videos from various creators and channels. It is uncertain whether artificial intelligence is employed to recognize and optimize volume levels across videos.
According to YouTuber M. Brandon Lee, the Stable volume feature might function as a normalizer and compressor, evening out volume levels to minimize abrupt jumps between videos and even within a single video.
However, there may be concerns regarding its impact on music content. Lee suggests that this new feature would be beneficial for videos with speech audio set at -12dB and intense background music at 0dB during slow-motion montages.
Availability of the Stable volume feature is currently limited, indicating that it is likely in a testing phase or being gradually rolled out to YouTube users.