Problem :
I’m aware that I can right-click and mute pre-emptively as I open each new tab, but I’d prefer to just not have to worry about it, and in the event I actually want sound, I can re-enable it.
Solution :
Is there a setting/extension to default tabs to muted?
Try Silent Site Sound Blocker. “If a site is not on your list and tries to
play sound, you’ll get a prompt which gives you the option of
whitelisting it forever, allowing the sound once or rejecting it.”
Silent Site Sound Blocker maintains a white list of sites that only
you allow to play audio. If a site is not on your list and tries to
play sound, you’ll get a prompt which gives you the option of
whitelisting it forever, allowing the sound once or rejecting it.You can also configure Silent Site to work on a blacklist only model
which bans only those sites you designate. Right click the toolbar
icon to change modes or instantly blacklist / white list a site.
Select “Options” to edit your white and black lists.Note: You must have Tab audio muting enabled in the Chrome://flags
menu. However, for most users this is enabled by default.
I wrote an extension to do this: https://github.com/ludios/mute-new-tabs. It’s also available in the Chrome Web Store.