Sounds too quiet

[Bee8190 10]

I noticed that when playing arma3 the (master - general) sounds are too quiet and I have to crank up my receiver (7850 via HDMI) to -35dB to comfortably hear the game, while in other games / movies / music volume at -50dB is loud enough.

For example weapons can be heard quite well but vehicles are very quiet. I only changed samples to 128 and effects to max, while the rest of (audio) settings sit on default values ~80%. I should note though that this isn't feedback to particular branch / build as this is something I've noticed since alpha.

What is little odd though is when I enable adaptive DRC on my amp it amplifies the vehicle sounds but quietens others instead.

[kylania 567]

but vehicles are very quiet

Vehicles, especially helicopters, are absurdly loud especially inside them. Once a helicopter is within 1km of you just forget talking on TeamSpeak. And weapon sounds for vehicles are even more crazy. Fire off the Marshall's MG or the minigun on the attack boat and let me know when blood stops pouring from your neighbor's ears.

"adaptive DRC"?? I'd say you're making your sound too complicated. Plug the green wire into your speakers and enjoy life without audiophiling the heck out of your game. :)

[Bee8190 10]

You're right about the inside of vehicle loudness. I forgot to mention this but yes, on the outside the engine/s are quieter than on the inside, which makes it even weirder.

As I said the guns are loud which is good but IMHO all sounds should be equally loud from out of the box game, let the user adjust his sounds and what he and she wants to hear louder.

The adaptive DRC suppose to amplify sounds (of any source) while listening at low volumes, to make a dialog more understandable etc.. but I am not / I don't feel like an audiophile, it's just that I had that tiny green wire plugged into the ''buzzy'' logitech's for far too long and I am sure other will appreciate the all new arma3 sounds as well ;)

[St. Jimmy 272]

I have to add my opinions and observes in audio. Though these aren't about the general audio level.

The sound balance has been pretty much off in every way since the new audio system was implemented. Also almost all the sounds quietens too much in the distance. For example you can hear very well reloading and heavy breathing when in first person but they fade almost completely in the 3rd person. I hope the audio tweaking is still pretty much w.i.p.? The system feels pretty good but it feels like it hasn't been configured well yet so things are bit off.

[EwokVillage 1]

Problems I have seen:

Reload can be heard nearly 200-300M+ away.

Mine placement can be heard 500M+ away.

Kudos:

I love the gun shot sounds in the distance. With a solid set of headphones you can almost tell where, how far, and what weapion they are firing.

Choppers can be heard from aways away and seems to be true to IRL.

[Von Quest 1161]

With sound turned up, sounds amazing!

In 1st person view, the sounds do seem a bit off. Especially your own footsteps. Luckily I always play in 3rd person view.

The other odd sound for me is the *snap* when being shot at. What is that? My brother says its the speed-of-sound being broken by the bullet as it flies by. It that true, or is it simulating hitting rocks or something?

Playing on a sound system, when a chopper flies overhead, it can shake the room. Amazing!

[roguetrooper 2]

The cricket sound that is everywhere and all the time annoys me (regardless of whether it's 'realistic' in mediterranian summer landscape).

[Primarch 10]

With sound turned up, sounds amazing!

In 1st person view, the sounds do seem a bit off. Especially your own footsteps. Luckily I always play in 3rd person view.

The other odd sound for me is the *snap* when being shot at. What is that? My brother says its the speed-of-sound being broken by the bullet as it flies by. It that true, or is it simulating hitting rocks or something?

Playing on a sound system, when a chopper flies overhead, it can shake the room. Amazing!

When a supersonic object flies faster than the speed of sound, it "breaks" the "sound barrier" resulting in a vibration that is equal to an explosion. The loud snap is a direct result of a bullet going at supersonic speed.

[Ezcoo 47]

Vehicles, especially helicopters, are absurdly loud especially inside them. Once a helicopter is within 1km of you just forget talking on TeamSpeak. And weapon sounds for vehicles are even more crazy. Fire off the Marshall's MG or the minigun on the attack boat and let me know when blood stops pouring from your neighbor's ears.

I fully agree with kylania. While the loud sounds might be realistic, it should be remembered that – unlike in real life – your voice doesn't become any louder if you start to shout on VoIP/TS/Mumble etc., it just makes your voice distorted to others because the microphones of majority of people aren't able to capture such loud sounds. This has to be compensated by lowering the highest possible volumes of the loudest vehicles (so that they could still be heard far away, but wouldn't make you deaf if they were near), not much but so that you can actually communicate while in or near those.

The sound range should be much higher too, eg. gunshots can be barely heard at 700 m distance. IRL they would sound like loud and crisp bangs at that distance if the terrain around you was not completely flat desert.

[Von Quest 1161]

When a supersonic object flies faster than the speed of sound, it "breaks" the "sound barrier" resulting in a vibration that is equal to an explosion. The loud snap is a direct result of a bullet going at supersonic speed.

Been an avid aviation fan for 30+ years. Was just wondering if indeed that was what the game was simulating or not. Not the actual concept of the sound barrier. ;)

[viniwiermann 10]

i think too...

[Primarch 10]

Been an avid aviation fan for 30+ years. Was just wondering if indeed that was what the game was simulating or not. Not the actual concept of the sound barrier. ;)

The game simulates speed of sound, although I believe the snap effect is just an overlay.

[Sneakson 1]

With sound turned up, sounds amazing!

In 1st person view, the sounds do seem a bit off. Especially your own footsteps. Luckily I always play in 3rd person view.

The other odd sound for me is the *snap* when being shot at. What is that? My brother says its the speed-of-sound being broken by the bullet as it flies by. It that true, or is it simulating hitting rocks or something?

Playing on a sound system, when a chopper flies overhead, it can shake the room. Amazing!

I love that sound. You hear gunfire you don't care. You hear cracking you get down.

[Bee8190 10]

I understand that sounds are still being tweaked left and right but as per thread title, the issue still remains - all sounds are far too quiet. While I only have two games installed, while playing I can comfortably hear those at -45 / -50dB whilst I can't hear my arma game enough till I crank the volume to at least to -35dB, effectively making my arma game good 15 - 20 dB too quiet, yet arma2 was fine too.

Are there any plans to increase the overall / general sounds in arma?

[Sneakson 1]

Never had any issues. Double-check your in-game audio settings and maybe check the configs in Notepad too if something is amiss.

Also check your Windows mixer (click volume button in the tray then â€mixer†if you’re using Windows 7) or any other audio software you have installed and update audio drivers since the issue doesn’t seem to be with your speakers and I can’t imagine it being some other hardware issue either.

[clydefrog 3]

The sound range should be much higher too, eg. gunshots can be barely heard at 700 m distance. IRL they would sound like loud and crisp bangs at that distance if the terrain around you was not completely flat desert.

Yeah this is definitely wrong, Sat on the hill to the east of the airbase, roughly 500 metres away from a bunch of guys shooting some other guys, and I can barely hear a thing with effects volume half away up.

[nodunit 397]

I don't normally say this but there is definately something odd with vehicle loudness, either helicopters are too loud or cars are too quiet. The vehicles got a nice update but after having to lower my volume for a helicopter and listening to it there, they are amazingly silent still.

As an example, my windows volume is maxed as is my ingame "Effects". The volume knob itself is at 90 degrees for the hunter idle, I can hear insects over it and the gun is MUCH louder when I fire right beside the idling vehicle.

(I could swear they had more volume last dev patch)

On the other hand if I am looking at the RAH-99 from third person at the same volumes, I have to shout over my speakers to hear myself and the volume has to be adjusted by 20-30 tics.

[Bee8190 10]

I don't normally say this but there is definately something odd with vehicle loudness, either helicopters are too loud or cars are too quiet. The vehicles got a nice update but after having to lower my volume for a helicopter and listening to it there, they are amazingly silent still.

As an example, my windows volume is maxed as is my ingame "Effects". The volume knob itself is at 90 degrees for the hunter idle, I can hear insects over it and the gun is MUCH louder when I fire right beside the idling vehicle.

(I could swear they had more volume last dev patch)

On the other hand if I am looking at the RAH-99 from third person at the same volumes, I have to shout over my speakers to hear myself and the volume has to be adjusted by 20-30 tics.

It definitely is the game as I also have windows volume at 100% and my audio device is at -35dB and aside of gun fire, it's all still too quiet, where other games or any other source would make my ears bleed at this kind of volume.

I feel the game general volume is at least good 15 - 20dB too quiet while guns are at least 10dB louder then any other sounds ingame.

[Bouben 3]

The sound are definitely too quiet. Vehicles and footsteps are almost unhearable. The audio mix is not well balanced yet. This is a serious issue, because tanks should be heard from quite a distance. Now I have problem to hear them from tens of meters. Same for the helicopters. Stealthy really :-)))

[aus_twisted 0]

Jump in the hatchback and set "this allowdamage false;" on both player and empty car then drive into a heap of enemy fire and listen to how low the volume is of everything while in the interior view :crazy:

[Vasily.B 529]

I think now chopper sounds are too qiuet - i mean if chopper flies nearby. You can hear them only if he is 40 meters from you. I live near airport and i can hear chopper 700-800 meters from me very good, while in game i hear them as i see them. It should be tweaked, as rest of vehicles driving/flying nearby. Tank tracks specially shold be heard for long distance and gas turbine of tanks and other vehicles - 600 meters as well.

[soulis6 24]

I agree with most people here, the vehicle sounds are far too quiet. Not going to repeat what everyone else has said too much, just that vehicles and specifically tanks and helicopters should be able to be heard much further away.

 

Personally i'd also really like it if footstep sounds, especially in forests/tallgrass/etc were made much louder when units aren't sneaking around or going slow. You should be able to hear a group of people sprinting through the forest (stepping on leaves, twigs, bushes) from a decent distance away. I don't think i've ever been able to hear an enemy unit's footsteps, even when listening for it and they're not attempting to be stealthy.

 

 

Somewhat related:

There was a sound mod that someone posted up a while back, making footsteps and bodies hitting the floor a bit louder, along with adding screams or grunts when soldiers got hit/died. I thought it was really cool, added a lot more atmosphere to the combat environment, although unfortunately it looks like it's been abandoned now. What would be awesome is if BIS integrated this (with some bug fixes) with their continued work on the game audio.

[x3kj 1247]

The volume balance is all over the place... that's why we have this situation. You need to define the loudness of everything via configs, if you make something not loud enough or too loud, everything else will be wrong. It's difficult to get right.

But from what i've seen/heard it looks like vehicles could stand in the focus next (after the environment sounds for the expansion are ready) - so there's hope

[Vasily.B 529]

Doesn anybody have so quiet dialogs in campaign? I barelly can hear what they saying.... BIS have changed now something and in 1.52 we should have totally diferent method of rendering sounds (as i understnd from this):
"Sound spatialization was improved.

In current release sound starts to appear in opposite channels (opposite to direction to sound source) in very short distance (few meters) so it is possible to clearly specify direction of sound source in any distance.

Attenuation curves, ranges and other parameters which affects volume (dynamic range respectively) are being reviewed. "