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Kids Echo Dot and Ducking

  • 28 December 2018
  • 12 replies
  • 507 views
T
I've seen various posts that try to piece together how to get rid of the "ducking" feature. We have 5 rooms setup with SONOS. We were an early adopter to SONOS and none of ours have the Alexa App built in. For XMAS we got our daughter the Kids Echo Dot. It is in her room that does not have a SONOS speaker. How do we disable ducking on our SONOS rooms? Our music "ducks" no less than 10 times an hour.

Thanks
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Best answer by jgatie 28 December 2018, 21:41

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12 replies

jgatie
Go to the Alexa app. Choose the icon on the right (house with sliders). Create a group for each Echo you have, name it appropriately. Choose the appropriate Echo as the Alexa device. Add the Sonos speaker(s) you wish to be the default for that Echo. Also, scroll down and add the Sonos speaker(s) as the Preferred Speaker(s). Save the group.

Now when you tell the Alexa to play music, you (A) Do not need to specify the room and (B) Only the assigned Sonos will duck the volume.

However, not having a Sonos speaker in the room with the Echo begs the question: Why have the Sonos skill enabled at all if there is no Sonos speaker for the Echo to control?
Ken_Griffiths
Yes, as jgatie says, if there is no Sonos device in her bedroom, she simply would not need the Sonos Skill installed in her Amazon Household Family Profile. It’s not relevant to her operation of her echo device, so simply remove it and then no Sonos speakers will duck at all in the household.
T
Good question. My wife set up the Echo and maybe she didn't realize. So then I just need to go into that Echo off of the Alexa app and disable the Sonos skill?
T
Does it matter that we have an echo in our kitchen and an echo in our bedroom? I can't seem to find the Sonos Skill in the Amazon App.
Ken_Griffiths
tomindenver,

The audio 'ducking' and 'room grouping' activities for the rest of your devices about the house are explained in the links I posted to the other 'old' thread where you have posted on this issue. Look at those and how Amazon Households work and you will see your daughter can have her own family profile that you can oversee (if necessary) and just omit the Sonos Skill from her Amazon Alexa Profile.

Hope that helps.
jgatie
In addition, I just did an experiment. Create a group for your daughters room. Add her Echo as the Alexa enabled device. Do not add any Sonos speakers. Do not add any preferred speakers. You can add lights or any other devices in the room. Save. That will cause no Sonos to duck when she speaks to her Echo.

Your other Echos can be configured with or without Sonos speakers as above.
T
Thanks Ken and jgatie. Daughter just got home...time to try it out!
Ken_Griffiths
Does it matter that we have an echo in our kitchen and an echo in our bedroom? I can't seem to find the Sonos Skill in the Amazon App.No you can have those other echo devices linked to your Amazon Account profile, which does need the Sonos Skill installed ..Perhaps read through the links I posted in the other thread. They will show you exactly how each echo device in your home can be setup as a 'group controlling device' and within each of those created groups, you can choose which speakers play and which ones duck their audio.

These groups will even auto-group your Sonos speakers together (on the fly) for music playback, without you having to manually group them using the App's Room tab. You can go onto have a group for a room, several rooms, or an entire floor of your home and the speakers will come together automatically and play your streaming music services.
Ken_Griffiths
In addition, I just did an experiment. Create a group for your daughters room. Add her Echo as the Alexa enabled device. Do not add any Sonos speakers. Do not add any preferred speakers. You can add lights or any other devices in the room. Save. That will cause no Sonos to duck when she speaks to her Echo.

Your other Echos can be configured with or without Sonos speakers as above.
That’s worth knowing and something I didn’t realise .. these new Alexa/Sonos groups are incredible I think. Thanks for that jgatie ?
T
jgatie - we just tried what you suggested and it worked. Thanks all!
jgatie
Glad to help.
Ken_Griffiths
jgatie - we just tried what you suggested and it worked. Thanks all!Thats great to hear, as it simplifies things going forward. Can I also suggest though, you go onto read about the new grouping features (when you have time), as you may find they can benefit your Sonos setup in a variety of ways. They are well worth getting to grips with.
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