If I add a media player card, I get full control over media players, but I’m looking to add simple dials to the UI that control the volume, much like a radio dial. I’m looking for something like the virtual knobs that you can create with TouchOSC to control MIDI devices, or a simple set of faders that can be swiped to lower the volume of a specific player quickly without the entire media player card being at the forefront. Any ideas? The input slider is a workaround, but it requires creating automations to read the values and translate those to the media player.
Do not know about any knob type of card (unless there is a way to hack somehow thermostat card). For slider type of control you can use custom slider entity row card, available in HACS.