Audio Tweaking (dev branch)

[cholo 11]

lol , guys i was referring to sonic cracks and battle environments and not weapon sounds :)

[St. Jimmy 272]

I think people are overcriticising Youtube references. I believe when someone posts a Youtube video he doesn't say "take these sounds as an exact example how the gun sounds" but it's more like a reference how things overall sound. For example that Cholo's video is good because you can hear how much there's that echoing and snapping around.

You can know how well the artist plays an instrument even if it's bad quality video and even better if you know how the song goes.

[audiocustoms 375]

I know... My examples should show that not everything that sounds real IS real. even with real sources. Dont pin me down on the AK, it was just the best example to let you guys see/hear the difference before and after processing (YT, Michael Bay...)

[cholo 11]

I think people are overcriticising Youtube references. I believe when someone posts a Youtube video he doesn't say "take these sounds as an exact example how the gun sounds" but it's more like a reference how things overall sound. For example that Cholo's video is good because you can hear how much there's that echoing and snapping around.

You can know how well the artist plays an instrument even if it's bad quality video and even better if you know how the song goes.

you sir won my ultimate respect :D

i've been into real battles as a vet and i know exactly how they sounds like and i can tell that video i post is what A3 needs in terms of battle environment ...

[addicted 1]

Marksman sound for rifles is complete fail. Plastic unidentified strange noises. How can anyone disagree? Watch and listen for example this -

or this

It's not Hollywood it's real. It,s lov quality record (not enough bass and to less soprano) Anyone can tell that it sounds similar in Arma 3? You can hear lot more of examples on Youtube. To be precise I'm talking about sound when friendly or enemy is shooting. It's very hard to identify the direction and what weapon was that. Generally someone shoots are far to silent. Sound when I'm shooting is good. How can anyone say that sound for rifles is good or "marvlous" and give no examples from real live?

I'm not talking about sound system because I'm not familiar with it yet. Generally I'm totally shocked and disappointed because of new sound for rifles. It's not even an Arma 3 Alpha sound. It shouldn't be released like this before changes but I think minor tweaks shoot improve it fast. For now it's pain for my game experience.

Edited April 12, 2015 by addIcted

[Tyl3r99 41]

just wait for dragonfyre ;)

[fareast 20]

the current sounds is way better than the first release but i do agree it sounds weird sometimes still need tweaking. its still wip afaik

[i3r4ndon 16]

As others have mentioned I feel like just about all the sound elements of the game seem broken right now. Sonic cracks are pretty bad. Being indoors muffles sounds to much especially ones coming from outside, even if your standing near 2 open windows and an open door to the outside. The weapon sounds have some quirks (the popping noise mega explained). The weapon sound balance seems pretty off, someone could be shooting a gun 75 meters away and it would sound very quiet. I appreciate the effort and work put in to the new features added but I feel like the implementation was poorly executed, hopefully we'll be seeing some fixes for it soon because the game seems kinda broken at this time.

[instagoat 133]

No pleasing this community, apparently. :(

The sounds are much better than before, no more aliasing and overboost and sound carrying further than 700 meters. That alone makes this a clear improvement for me.

[KeyCat 131]

It doesn't sound anything like a bullet impacting a surface to me. It sounds like a loud snap or crack, similar to a whip crack. It sounds fine to me.

Are we talking about the same thing? Have you tested it in MP?

I can also hear snaps/cracks in SP but I assure you that it sounds like bullets is hitting the ground all around me when playing MP (when it's not). I asked another player last night in MP and he also experienced it. Would be nice to hear a comment from the devs if they noticed the same thing in MP?

Maybe it's my sound HW that makes a differerence - I don't know? I'm running a common Realtek on-board soundcard, are you using something else roshnak? What sound HW are you using CaptainObvious?

/KC

[roshnak 41]

Are we talking about the same thing? Have you tested it in MP?

I can also hear snaps/cracks in SP but I assure you that it sounds like bullets is hitting the ground all around me when playing MP (when it's not). I asked another player last night in MP and he also experienced it. Would be nice to hear a comment from the devs if they noticed the same thing in MP?

Maybe it's my sound HW that makes a differerence - I don't know? I'm running a common Realtek on-board soundcard, are you using something else roshnak? What sound HW are you using CaptainObvious?

/KC

I can't think of a single reason that bullet cracks would sound different in SP and MP. They sound the same in both to me, and they don't sound like impacts. I'm also using Realtek onboard sound (probably almost everyone is) and headphones.

[KeyCat 131]

I can't think of a single reason that bullet cracks would sound different in SP and MP. They sound the same in both to me, and they don't sound like impacts. I'm also using Realtek onboard sound (probably almost everyone is) and headphones.

Also using headphones here, wierd but maybe it's just my old ears - LOL!

I will try to record it somehow, just have to figure out a way to do it first.

/KC

[roshnak 41]

Also using headphones here, wierd but maybe it's just my old ears - LOL!

I will try to record it somehow, just have to figure out a way to do it first.

/KC

Here, it's in single player, but like I said, it sounds the same to me in MP:

Edit: I don't know if this will help if it's a problem with your hardware.

Edited April 12, 2015 by roshnak

[CaptainObvious 95]

I have onboard audio too, using both headphones and speakers.

That sound is what I have too, and I can't help it but it sounds to me like an impact, sure, there is the snap, but there's also something else I cannot describe other than an impact.

[roshnak 41]

I have onboard audio too, using both headphones and speakers.

That sound is what I have too, and I can't help it but it sounds to me like an impact, sure, there is the snap, but there's also something else I cannot describe other than an impact.

An impact with what? Like, it sounds like ______ hitting ______? Because I have never heard any object hitting any other object make that sound.

Edited April 12, 2015 by roshnak

[CaptainObvious 95]

An impact with what?

Well nothing exactly, but it reminds me of sand or gravel, there's that dry snare-ish sound that bothers me.

Edit: IMO the old sonic crack we had before the audio overhaul started was much closer to reality than this new sample.

Like this: https://soundcloud.com/therecordist/supersonic-subsonic-bullets

Edited April 12, 2015 by CaptainObvious

[roshnak 41]

Like this: https://soundcloud.com/therecordist/supersonic-subsonic-bullets

I was just about to post that, actually. To me, that sounds really close to what we have in game with a lot more echo.

[Bouben 3]

No, they are not realistic. If they were realistic, they would be far lower in volume. It's called having a large dynamic range, and audiophiles love it. More casual users might hate it.

Large dynamic range is very problematic in games. You need some control over the dynamic range in order to make sound useful and safe. Classic music has a big dynamic range and you cannot really enjoy the quiet parts unless you play it really loud or you have an exceptionally quiet environment in your room. Not really practical and safe for peak/transient-heavy action game sounds. Big dynamic range is not about "audiophilia" only. It is much more complex problem than most "audiophiles" realize (most of them know nothing about sound in general).

[Bouben 3]

Youtube videos can have perfectly acceptable audio quality that would be undistinguishable in blind tests for 99.9% listeners. I would like to ask local "audio engineers" and "audiophiles" to stop overreacting about it and to stop spreading myths. Bitrate (to some point) is one of the least important things when deciding about production quality and design of a sound.

[audiocustoms 375]

Are you serious?

Bitrate (to some point) is one of the least important things when deciding about production quality and design of a sound.

Well then, color is also one of the least important things for a painting...

[enex 11]

Are you serious?

Well then, color is also one of the least important things for a painting...

Yep.Or is similar to saying that resolution doesn't matter in quality of picture.

The higher the bitrate the more information it can store, the better the quality and

ofcourse the higher the size.

[Brisse 78]

Just to be clear: I did not mean more dynamic range is always better. It's an act of balance for the audio engineers to be able to strike a good place between high and low dynamic range. Of course we cannot have realistic dynamic range. Most sound systems cannot reproduce 150dB gunshot sounds, and we would become deaf by listening to it.

[CaptainObvious 95]

I was just about to post that, actually. To me, that sounds really close to what we have in game with a lot more echo.

If that's echo that got added to the sample, it should be separate from the snap, now it's as instant as the snap itself resulting a single sound, instead if a snap and its echo coming back from where ever.

Edit: Oh, and the echo is too loud too, it buries the snap under itself.

[audiocustoms 375]

Ok, since this is a thread about audio tweaking in arma 3 i won't start giving lessons in digital audio compression formats, bitrate, sampling rate,psychoacoustics, masking effects and the human ear b/c this would spam this thread way to much. I guess that would be enough material for a own topic...

If you think that a sound, recorded by an average camera or mobile phone with a microphone frequency response from maybe 80-17.000hz and during recording also compressed to hopefully 192kbit/s MP3, uploaded to a video hoster and again compressed with 128kbit/s mono ACC is still good... Oh my....

All i'm saying is, you can not copy a bad quality copy, copy it again and again and afterwards still expect a Monet or DaVinci.

So please let us stay by "this is to loud", this is to quiet" b/c only a few really understand what i am talking about and want to say...

Edited April 12, 2015 by audiocustoms

[roshnak 41]

Youtube videos can have perfectly acceptable audio quality that would be undistinguishable in blind tests for 99.9% listeners. I would like to ask local "audio engineers" and "audiophiles" to stop overreacting about it and to stop spreading myths. Bitrate (to some point) is one of the least important things when deciding about production quality and design of a sound.

I don't think most people cautioning against taking Youtube videos too seriously are necessarily as concerned with compression as much as they are with the fact that most of those videos are recorded on cell phone cameras or camcorders.

If that's echo that got added to the sample, it should be separate from the snap, now it's as instant as the snap itself resulting a single sound, instead if a snap and its echo coming back from where ever.

Edit: Oh, and the echo is too loud too, it buries the snap under itself.

I meant that there is more echo in the soundcloud recording than in Arma. But either way, my point is that I don't really see how anyone can hear the bullet cracks in Arma and mistake it for the sound of a bullet colliding with another object.

Edited April 12, 2015 by roshnak