Hi Magfan,
Sure. The potentiometer, or equivalent stepped attenuator, can have pretty much any characteristic the designer wants. Although a linear characteristic (or linear taper, as it is often referred to), would be unsuitable for audio applications because it could not provide the combination of range and resolution that our hearing characteristics require.
BTW I'll add a further thought to my previous post, concerning the reference to a volume control as usually being approximately logarithmic. That is somewhat misleading, because what is logarithmic is the relation between the amount of attenuation the volume control provides and the amount the knob is turned. But for any given position of the knob, there is nothing logarithmic about it. For a given setting, all a volume control does is to multiply the voltage going into it by some fixed fraction, meaning that all signal amplitudes are affected equally.
So in that sense, for any given setting a logarithmic (or any other) volume control affects the signal in a linear manner, just as a power amp does. Except that the control has a gain of less than 1 while the amp has a gain greater than 1 (as well as the ability to supply lots of current, provide a low output impedance, etc.).
Best regards,
-- Al
