MicControlX

Advanced Universal Microphone Control Utility for Windows

Overview

MicControlX is a universal Windows application for microphone control. It provides instant mute/unmute functionality through global hotkeys, system tray integration, and visual feedback.

Key Features

• Universal Compatibility: Works with any Windows-compatible microphone and audio hardware
• Multi-Language Support: English, German, and Turkish with automatic system language detection
• Global Hotkeys: System-wide microphone toggle with intelligent conflict detection
• Push-to-Talk Mode: Hold hotkey for temporary mute/unmute, release to restore original state
• Advanced OSD System: Multiple notification styles with smart positioning, configurable duration, and theme integration
• Focus Assist Integration: Respects Windows "Do Not Disturb" mode to prevent interruptions
• Device Information: Displays current microphone device name and system details
• System Integration: Windows startup support and system tray functionality
• Modern UI: Fluent Design with dark/light theme support
• Audio Notifications: Optional sound feedback for mute/unmute actions
• Smart Error Handling: Helpful guidance when settings conflicts occur
• Single Instance: Prevents multiple instances from running simultaneously
• Real-time Monitoring: Detects external microphone state changes
• Auto-Update System: Built-in updater checks for new releases and provides seamless installation

System Requirements

• Operating System: Windows 10/11 (x64)
• Framework: .NET 8.0 Runtime
• Hardware: Any Windows-compatible microphone

Installation

Quick Start

1. Download the latest stable release from the Releases page
2. Run the application - it will automatically check for updates on startup if an internet connection is available
3. Configure your preferred hotkey in Settings
4. Enjoy!

Building from Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/Metanome/mic-controlx.git
cd mic-controlx

# Build using the provided script
build-standalone.bat

# Or build manually with .NET CLI
dotnet publish src\MicControlX.csproj --configuration Release --runtime win-x64 --output publish

Usage

Basic Operations

• Launch: Run MicControlX.exe - the application will appear in the system tray and show the main window
• Quick Toggle: Press your configured hotkey (default: F11) to permanently toggle mute/unmute
• Push-to-Talk: Hold your configured hotkey for temporary mute/unmute - releases back to original state when you let go
• Settings: Right-click the tray icon or click the Settings button in the main window
• Updates: Check for updates manually using the update button in the main window or let the app auto-check on startup
• Exit: Right-click tray icon → Exit, or close the main window

Push-to-Talk Feature

MicControlX includes an intelligent dual-mode hotkey system:

• Quick Press (under 400ms): Permanently toggles mute/unmute state
• Hold (400ms or longer): Temporarily changes mute state while held

This is perfect for:

• Quick meetings: Hold to unmute briefly, then auto-mute when done speaking
• Gaming: Hold to talk to team, release to return to muted state
• Streaming: Temporarily unmute for audience interaction without forgetting to mute again

OSD Styles

Choose from four notification styles with multiple positioning options:

• Default Style: Standard MicControlX notification with modern rounded design
• Vantage Style: Lenovo Vantage-inspired layered icon design
• Legion Toolkit Style: Gaming-focused compact horizontal layout
• Translucent Style: Beautiful theme-aware translucent overlay with modern aesthetics

OSD Positioning & Customization

• 7 Position Options: Top Left/Center/Right, Middle Center, Bottom Left/Center/Right
• Smart Taskbar Detection: Automatically adjusts position when taskbar visibility changes
• Configurable Duration: Set display time from 1-10 seconds
• Theme Integration: All styles automatically adapt to Windows dark/light theme
• Focus Assist Respect: OSD notifications honor Windows "Do Not Disturb" mode

Architecture

Core Components

• HotkeyManager.cs: Global hotkey handling and push-to-talk functionality
• AudioController.cs: Microphone control and real-time monitoring
• FocusAssistMonitor.cs: Windows "Do Not Disturb" integration and monitoring
• LocalizationManager.cs: Multi-language support and resource management
• MainWindow.xaml: Primary user interface and system information display
• SettingsWindow.xaml: Configuration interface for all application settings
• ApplicationConfig.cs: Configuration management and JSON persistence
• OsdOverlay.xaml: Visual notification overlays with multiple styles
• ThemeManager.cs: Dark/light theme management and system integration
• SoundFeedback.cs: Audio notification system for mute/unmute events
• UpdateChecker.cs: Built-in auto-updater with GitHub integration and seamless installation

Key Technologies

• WPF: Modern Windows interface
• NAudio: Audio device management
• System Tray Integration: Background operation
• Global Hotkeys: System-wide keyboard shortcuts
• JSON Configuration: Settings persistence

Configuration

Settings are automatically saved to %AppData%\MicControlX\config.json:

{
  "HotKeyVirtualKey": 122,
  "HotKeyDisplayName": "F11",
  "ShowOSD": true,
  "ShowNotifications": false,
  "OSDStyle": 0,
  "OSDPosition": 6,
  "OSDDurationSeconds": 2.0,
  "Theme": 0,
  "AutoStart": false,
  "EnableSoundFeedback": false,
  "RespectFocusAssist": false,
  "Language": "auto"
}

Available Options

• HotKeyVirtualKey: Function key codes (F1=0x70, F2=0x71, ..., F24=0x87)
• HotKeyDisplayName: Name of the hotkey for display in the UI
• ShowOSD: Enable/disable visual overlays
• ShowNotifications: Enable/disable system tray notifications
• OSDStyle: DefaultStyle (0), VantageStyle (1), LLTStyle (2), or TranslucentStyle (3)
• OSDPosition: Position options (0=TopLeft, 1=TopCenter, 2=TopRight, 3=MiddleCenter, 4=BottomLeft, 5=BottomCenter, 6=BottomRight)
• OSDDurationSeconds: Display duration in seconds (1.0-10.0)
• Theme: System (0), Dark (1), or Light (2)
• Language: "auto" (system default), "en" (English), "tr" (Turkish), or "de" (German)
• AutoStart: Launch with Windows
• EnableSoundFeedback: Play sounds on mute/unmute
• RespectFocusAssist: Respect Windows "Do Not Disturb" mode

Development

Project Structure

mic-controlx/
├── src/                    # Source code
│   ├── Resources/         # Localization files
│   │   ├── Strings.resx   # English resources
│   │   ├── Strings.de.resx # German resources
│   │   └── Strings.tr.resx # Turkish resources
│   ├── *.xaml             # WPF user interfaces
│   ├── *.xaml.cs          # UI code-behind
│   ├── *.cs               # Core application logic
│   └── MicControlX.csproj # Project file
├── assets/                # Application resources
│   ├── icons/             # Application icons
│   └── sounds/            # Audio feedback files
├── build-standalone.bat   # Build script
├── MicControlX.sln       # Visual Studio solution
└── LICENSE               # GPL v3 license

Dependencies

• NAudio: Audio device management
• WPF-UI: Modern Fluent Design components
• Hardcodet.NotifyIcon.Wpf: System tray functionality
• System.Management: System information detection
• System.Text.Json: Configuration serialization

Building

The project targets .NET 8.0-windows and produces a single-file executable for easy distribution.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to:

• Report bugs and request features via Issues
• Submit pull requests for improvements
• Share feedback about compatibility with different systems

Acknowledgments

• Open Source Libraries: NAudio, WPF-UI, and other .NET ecosystem contributors
• Community Contributors: Feedback, testing, and language translation support
• Design Inspirations: Lenovo Vantage and Legion Toolkit for visual style concepts
• Microsoft: Windows APIs and development frameworks

Support

• Issues: GitHub Issues
• Documentation: This README and inline code comments
• Updates: Automatic checking available in application
• Logs: %AppData%\MicControlX\Logs\mic-controlx.log is available for debugging issues.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues, please check the log file located at: %AppData%\MicControlX\Logs\mic-controlx.log

This file contains detailed information about:

• Microphone detection and status
• Hotkey registration and conflicts
• Application errors and diagnostics

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Made with ❤️ for the Windows community