Comment 1 by Palacee_hun on 2015-09-21 14:21
Just a suggestion: if you happen to find some samples that are pleasant for you and they are in .wav format, it's quite easy to replace the current sounds with those. NVDA sounds are in the waves subfolder of the main NVDA folder, the filenames are self-explanatory. You just need to overwrite them with your custom sound sample.

Comment 2 by bhavyashah on 2015-09-21 14:27
Hi,
Umm, yes I did know that.
All the same, thanks for the information.
I'll write to the NVDA Users list and ask if anyone has something better and more pleasant they may be using...
If I find something noteworthy, I will also certainly pass it on here as well.
Best Regards,
Bhavya Shah.

Comment 3 by jteh on 2015-09-22 06:14
Sounds are a very subjective thing. I, for example, use NVDA with headphones quite frequently and don't have an issue.

It's certainly true that the JAWS forms mode sounds are more subtle, but they're also far less distinct. One is a higher tone and one is a lower tone, but otherwise, there is no difference. This could be a problem for someone who doesn't have a decent grasp of pitch. I'm not really attached to the current sounds, but the point is that things like this need to be considered.

This discussin has come up several times over the years. No one has come up with sounds that offer sufficient advantages over the current ones. One also has to consider that changing something that has been there for years may be confusing for existing users who must then re-train to the change. If there are sufficient advantages and consensus, then such a change needs to be considered, but it needs to be done with great caution.

Comment 4 by briang1 on 2015-09-22 11:41
Perhaps it is just that the current sounds are a bit too loud or have a large dynamic range. If i have time I'll have a mess around in that area, but in the meantime unless anyone else has already tried it, load the annoying sound into a sound editor and reduce its legvel by, say 3Db or half and see if that actually is less anoying.

Here are some tweaked versions of the same sounds
https://www.dropbox.com/s/4g3njwscgdowpvh/focusMode.wav?dl=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/4g3njwscgdowpvh/focusMode.wav?dl=1

Comment 5 by bhavyashah on 2015-09-22 16:45
Hi,
@jteh,
I agree with your valid points.
I checked a variation of the existing focus mode and browse mode sounds made by Brian, but, I have the feeling that editing the existing sounds is not what I really desire. A totally new set of sounds which are subtle yet distinct, as Jamie rightly pointed out must be ushered.
And it must be integrated keeping this in mind of course:
'If there are sufficient advantages and consensus, then such a change needs to be considered, but it needs to be done with great caution.'
Even if users may need to retrain themselves, if we find a suitable set of sounds, I think we should make the change.
An NVDA list member has sent me several sound schemes, out of which, if I find a pair of distinct yet similar sounds suitable for signifying focus mode and browse mode, I'll pass them on.
Best Regards,
Bhavya Shah.

See also #1007. However, that issue is more about allowing users to customise the sounds, as opposed to changing the bundled sounds.

Feedback on #7218 , #7393, these two nvda-devel threads, social media and elsewhere suggests that while some users are happy with the new sounds, a significant number of users have concerns (e.g. difficulty in discerning the sounds) or are vehemently opposed to them. As a result, we're going to revert this change, and given the amount of difficulty in satisfying various groups, we are not going to consider any alternatives in the near term. Eventually, our aim would be to allow add-ons to more easily provide sound packs; see #1007. I'm going to lock comments on this issue; further discussion at this point is not useful. Thanks to those who provided feedback.