Camera Sound
PanoPaper can play the sound of a camera's microphone. It is muted at first: a wallpaper that suddenly makes noise would be a bad surprise.
Which camera you hear
You hear the camera on your main display - the one with the menu bar in System Settings ▸ Displays ▸ Arrange - on the Space you are looking at. Switch to a Space with another camera and the sound switches with the picture; a Space without a camera is silent. Only one camera plays at a time: several microphones at once would just be noise.
The camera's NVR account needs the right to hear sound - the line under the NVR list in Settings ▸ NVRs says whether it has it.
Muting and unmuting
- Choose 'Mute Sound' in the menu bar menu - a checkmark means muted.
- Or press your mute shortcut, in any app.
- Or use the 'Mute' checkbox in Settings ▸ General ▸ Sound.
The menu and the shortcut show a short notice - "Camera sound on" or "Camera sound off" - on the screen with the pointer.
While sound plays, the menu bar icon has sound waves on both sides; the more waves are solid, the louder it plays.
Two volumes
Settings ▸ General ▸ Sound has two volume sliders:
- Volume - while no windows cover the main display.
- Behind windows - while windows cover it. It starts at 20%, so the camera murmurs along while you work.
When windows come or go, the sound glides from one volume to the other. The slider in the menu bar menu sets the volume you hear right now - usually the Behind windows one.
Output
Output chooses the speakers: System Default follows the sound output chosen in macOS, or pick a specific device to keep the camera there. While that device is disconnected, the camera plays through the system default, and the device is listed as "(not connected)" until it is back.
Mute shortcut
A keyboard shortcut that mutes and unmutes the camera from any app. Click 'Record Shortcut' and press the keys; Delete removes the shortcut, Esc cancels. 'Clear' removes it too, and gives the keys back to other apps at once.
- A shortcut needs ⌘ or ⌃, so it never swallows ordinary typing - except a function key, F1 to F20, which may stand alone.
- Every app's standard commands - ⌘C, ⌘V, ⌘X, ⌘A, ⌘Z, ⌘Q, ⌘W, ⌘, - are refused with a beep.
- If another app already uses the shortcut, PanoPaper cannot have it: "Another app uses this shortcut." appears under it. Choose another one.
When the sound stops
The sound stops while the wallpaper is paused, and while nobody can see the video: displays asleep, screen locked, screen saver running.