Audio

[Chocolate 1]

I've notice specifically that I can never hear movement or footsteps, regardless of terrain. (I can hear my own) Has anyone else noticed this? I feel like I have ninja-ed more than a few people (and been ninja-ed myself plenty) by stumbling around and they are completely oblivious that you are moving near by. I have also had issues where vehicles/helos come by and are completely silenced. Never even knew something was nearby. That is less frequent. Same for shots fired or explosions. Sometimes I hear them sometimes not at all. (Im not talking about silencers/suppressors and distant explosions.) Those could be lag/server related issues, but the footstep issue is persistent.

I run a 5.1 audio setup with all equipment up to date.

I know this is Alpha...

Thoughts, opinions, related issues.

[Gorbachev 1]

I don't hear nearby AI or player steps either.

[simjedi 10]

Make sure Windows is set to 5.1 audio.

To change it:

Right click the "Speaker icon" in the "Task Bar", select "Playback Devices", then "Speaker" and finally "Configure" to make the switch.

Edited March 22, 2013 by SIMJEDI

[dnk 13]

There is a tracker for this. Footsteps don't get heard on certain terrains.

[tremanarch 6]

sometimes shots cant be heard either - only the impact

[swiftn7 1]

When acting as leader of an AI group and taking control of one of the AIs, there is also no sound from the gun and the unit I control. Can anyone reproduce this? 5.1 is no option as I am on a 2.1 system.

[Chocolate 1]

Yeah, sometimes you can't hear rounds in the air until impact. Generally it is due to the round slowing below the sonic threshold. Also, there is a phenomena where you can't hear very loud noises at all within a few hundred meters. I forget the name of the phenomena, and I don't mean the time delay due to sound traveling. I kinda doubt either of these scenarios are programmed into the game, but I could be pleasantly surprised.

I'll look for the tracker.

Cheers

[afp 1]

I think I figured out what the sound problem is.

The game sounds are great, only they just have been recorded too low. I mean the ambient sounds, like footsteps, ambient, hit etc. Only the guns and explosions have "normal" volume. I tried to increase their volume in a mod-config file but what they really need is an "amplification", I think they were recorded in some studio and the output was too low, compared to the gun shots sounds. Then I wanted to fix them myself in Audacity, but I discovered they are more then 600 so I gave up.

What I suggest is to turn the volume to maximum, both in control panel and on speakers up to the point you are able to hear the "wind" and you will be able to hear how the real game sound is. Have some enemies shooting at you, its really great. Of course, don't shoot your own weapon in this case, its too loud.

I tried to check the Feedback Tracker too, there are about 5 pages of sound related bugs so obviously its work in progress. There is also no gear sound at all.

[Lucasmnunesk 2]

But those helicopters are wayyy too loud, can't communicate with anyone if an heli is near, and btw here the helicopter don't have any fading sound... like he getting closer, or getting far, it just starts to play almost as loud as if it was by my side, some one has this too?

[dnk 13]

Helicopters and guns are both really f'ing loud in reality. See how well you can communicate standing 30ft from a military helicopter without shouting. Same for standing in a firing range with 30 people unloading. Hell, just make it 4 or 5 people with assault rifles. I really appreciate that BIS is trying to get the levels realistic this time, instead of making footsteps on short grass half as loud as an M4 on full auto.

[Lucasmnunesk 2]

Yeah, but how about not being able to talk even if i just can see the helicopter as a little dot on the horizon? The sounds aren't working as BIS intended IMO. The heli sounds just come almost as if it is standing by your side and even the Hunter motor sometimes don't make communication possible.

But just for curiosity, soldiers on helicopters never communicate?

[Chocolate 1]

You are very correct DNK. When I made this thread, however, I was talking about in absence of nearby noises such as gunfire which should drown out something such as a boot fall.

It would appear that other audio has not been scaled appropriately in absence of chaos.

Helo noises are awesome, but do need a Doppler effect.

To answer Lucasmnunesk: Yes they do communicate but with an inboard comm system. Technically MATVs (hunters) have a system routed inside, but you can still hear so I never saw anyone use the system.

[afp 1]

You can't make a game having the "real" ratio between a gunshot decibels and the boot fall ones. People will complain either one is too loud or the other too low. This is just happening.

[Lucasmnunesk 2]

I understood DNK point, as for in helo communications, the helo shouldn't interfere since they have an inboard comm system and i don't think there is a simple way to the game simulate it. But i think that you guys are finding the gunshots and helo with realistic sound, just because the other sounds are way too low, the ambient sound could be louder, and so the gunshots. I believe the sounds will have a lot of change, those distant sounds issues are weird and the sound travel in the air isn't there too

[EDcase 87]

I think (and hope) that this is still using temporary sounds and the engine will also be improved.

(Anyone notice the heartbeat sound is recorded from someone going it with their mouth/throat :D)

[zeep 3]

Arma3 needs 3D Audio. There's no filtering or anything. Because of the bad audio engine there is bad locational information through sound.