SoundscapeComparison
An EarTrumpet alternative, with routing and EQ
EarTrumpet fixed the Windows volume mixer and stopped there. If you also need each app on its own output device, a system-wide equaliser, or your PC audio in a voice call, here is where Soundscape differs — and where EarTrumpet is still the better answer.
EarTrumpet is good software. It does one thing — a per-app volume mixer that behaves the way Windows' own should — it is open source, it is tiny, and it has been reliable for years. If that is all you need, it remains an easy recommendation and you can stop reading.
People usually go looking for an alternative when they hit one of its edges.
Where the two differ
| EarTrumpet | Soundscape | |
|---|---|---|
| Per-app volume | Yes | Yes |
| Move one app to another output | Yes, per app, via its menu | Yes — drag the app onto the device |
| System-wide equaliser | No | Yes, inside the Windows audio engine |
| PC audio into a voice call | No | Yes, through a virtual cable |
| Rules that fire by themselves | No | Yes — e.g. mute the mic when a game starts |
| Open source | Yes | No |
| Price | Free | Free |
The equaliser is the honest reason most people switch
Windows has no system-wide EQ. The usual answer is Equalizer APO, which is capable and asks you to install a driver, reboot, and then edit a configuration file to describe filters. Soundscape ships its own audio processing object that runs inside the Windows audio engine and is driven by dragging bands on a curve. Same place in the pipeline, no text file.
Where EarTrumpet is still the better choice
If you want to read the source. EarTrumpet is open source and Soundscape is not. For some people that decides it, and it is a reasonable thing to decide on.
If you want the smallest possible thing. EarTrumpet is a volume mixer in the tray. Soundscape is an audio control centre with a board, an equaliser and automation. If you only ever wanted the mixer, the extra surface is weight you are not using.
If you are on an older Windows. Soundscape needs Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit.
Running both
Nothing stops you. They read the same Windows audio sessions rather than taking exclusive control, so a volume set in one shows up in the other. Trying Soundscape does not mean uninstalling anything first.