---
title: "Switch deliberately between audio tabs in Free · Sound Boost"
description: "Switch the Free Sound Boost single channel and check which previous players continue unprocessed."
url: https://soundboost.impulse-apps.de/en/guides/switch-tabs-in-free/
language: en
website: Sound Boost
publisher: Impulse Apps
---

Start and volume

# Switch deliberately between audio tabs in Free

Free processes one channel. Switching processing is separate from pausing the previous player.

By Impulse Apps · Content reviewed on 7 October 2026

## What happens when starting another channel

Open the target tab and activate Sound Boost there. Starting a new Free channel stops the previously processed channel. That does not automatically turn the previous player into a paused source.

Several websites can remain audible while only one channel is processed. Check actual players. The Plus overview helps with independent management, but belongs to the protected area with sales currently disabled.

## A clear switching procedure

1. Pause the old player if you do not want it to continue.
2. Open the new tab and start its original audio.
3. Open the toolbar and start the new channel there.
4. Begin at low gain and check that only the intended source is audible.

## Check player and processing at the end

Power stops processing; Pause stops player playback. Choose both deliberately when finishing a session. A quiet or muted tab can still contain a running player.

## Account for browser windows and active tabs

With several browser windows open, check the actually focused window and active tab before starting. A similarly named tab may contain another episode or recording. Open the intended player and check title and domain. Free controls from another tab are not independent multi-channel management. The target tab’s toolbar is the clear starting point. Do not start high merely because that value suited the previous quiet source.

For a clear session, close unnecessary sources or deliberately pause them. That is a separate player action. At the end, check whether original audio is audible after Power off. To continue later, Pause preserves the intended position; stopping a channel does not automatically save every player position. Note important timestamps in your workflow.

## A worked example

You move from a lecture to a podcast. Pause the lecture first, open the podcast and activate Free there. Otherwise the lecture may continue unprocessed and mix with the podcast. That does not mean Free has started several independent processing channels.

Add your observations. This template processes no files and sends no report.

### Check the result

### If something is wrong

**Observation and next step**

| Observation | Next step |
| --- | --- |
| Both sources audible | Pause the previous website player; switching channels does not automatically pause it. |
| Target control locked | Activate the target tab and reopen the toolbar there. |
| New source too loud | Reduce gain and begin the switch moderately. |

## Common questions

**Can Free process several channels at once?**

Free is a single channel. Starting a new Free channel stops the previous processed channel.

**Does the previous player stop?**

Playback and processing are separate. Pause the player yourself if it should not continue.

Browser activation and a Plus entitlement are separate requirements. Protected content and specialised players can have their own limitations.

[Help and contact](https://soundboost.impulse-apps.de/en/support/)

## Continue here

[Understand the Plus mixer](https://soundboost.impulse-apps.de/en/guides/control-tabs/)

### Control tabs individually and keep an overview

Understand the Plus tab overview: independent audio channels, mute, play/pause and the activation each tab requires.

**Read the guide**

[Start and volume](https://soundboost.impulse-apps.de/en/guides/pause-mute-zero-and-power/)

### Distinguish pause, mute, zero percent and Power

Choose between player pause, browser mute, zero gain and Power off and check actual playback state.

**Read the guide**

[Access and help](https://soundboost.impulse-apps.de/en/guides/navigation-and-browser-restart/)

### Continue after navigation, sleeping tabs or restart

Check Sound Boost channels after domain changes, sleeping tabs and browser restarts and deliberately reactivate.

**Read the guide**