Why not be able to right click on the waveform view in the sample editor and drag up or down to adjust the volume of the sample? Moving towards the zero line would reduce the volume, and moving towards the top or bottom edge of the waveform view would increase the volume. Moving across the zero line would invert the phase. And when you make a selection, it would affect only the selection.
Is this too processor-intensive to do in real time? It doesn’t seem so.
Sounds good! Add an optional snap to a db grid too.
Ooo, that’s not a bad idea. 
Because Right-Drag is used to change Selection. Can you drag up and down without moving a single pixel left and right? And why not change the level in Instrument Settings?
Although if the way selections were made was changed I wouldn’t see anything wrong with the idea…
Oh my, you are quite correct. I never used this and had not realized it was functioning differently than left clicking when fidgeting before starting this thread.
So perhaps this idea could use a modifier + click approach instead?
And it would be more direct, give visual feedback, and most importantly allow you to do some very minute editing of samples (especially when editing just a small selection) without having to employ the draw tool.
Combined with Snap: 0 Crossing, it’d be wicked awesome.
Keep the selection modification on right-click. It works really well.
Maybe changing the volume in realtime is not fast enough to do ‘graphically’?
A compromise may be that the waveform display is ‘scaled’ in realtime to the new value when the volume change dialog is visible. Then you just hit ok to perform to actual change.
This was my original idea, and it would be great as well, in lieu of direct editing. It would be nice to avoid the dialog if possible though.
If it is possible to do this, but not the direct editing, perhaps mousing over the current point in the waveform (vertically and horizontally) could present the user with a up and down arrow, and clicking and dragging this would adjust the volume of the selection (or the whole sample if nothing is selected).
And I agree about the selection modification (unless kaza or someone else has a better idea for how it should work of course ).
I’m used to it now and happy enough with it as it is. It is not instantly obvious to new users (you yourself didn’t know it as done like that) and the Soundforge (and others) method of the cursor changing to a drag cursor when near one end of the selection is something most people will be familiar with.
But modifier key for what you want is probably more suitable anyway 