Sound Card - Low Volume 2

[BoulderBum]

So I have a SoundBlaster Audigy 2 ZS (I think) sound card, but I'm a little confused about it because the sound volume is very low. Like, I have to crank my speaker AND computer volume up to 100% to reach comfortable volume levels sometimes.

If I just plug in to the onboard analog jack, the sound is MUCH louder.

Does anyone know what might be going on with it?

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[Sympology]

Sounds daft, but are the jacks into the correct sockets? Have to ask because sometime you can get audio cross talk out of the mic sockets!

Only the truly stupid believe they know everything.
Stu.. 2004

 

[Nelviticus]

Have you installed the latest drivers? I have the same card and there are so many settings in the Creative drivers that it's easy to mess things up. There are individual (software) controls for things like CD, Wave and Midi, plus the master (software) volume control, plus maybe a volume control in the application you're using, plus the actual (hardware) control on the speakers.

On top of that, the calibration utilities (yes, there are two of them) can change the levels for individual speakers.

Regards

Nelviticus

 

[BadBigBen]

Take a look at the sound mixer properties, eg. open them up by right clicking on the speaker symbol in the TRAY area...

there move the WAVE slider UP... on some systems, like mine, the wave has to be turned up to be able to hear sounds...


Ben

"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."

 

[BoulderBum]

Thanks, guys. All of the volumes in the mixer appeared to be turned way up (except for the onboard sound's settings, which didn't make a difference) and the only option I could find in the Creative utility that made sense changing was the speaker type (which I changed to 5.1).

I installed the latest drivers I could for Vista 64, and I didn't double-check that I'm plugged into the right jacks on the sound card just because it's so hard to get to (my desk has a special location for the computer that makes me partially take it apart to get at it), but I'm hoping I didn't mess it up because it's color-coded (I'm using 6 channel direct with the three wires).

Here's where I stand.

I discovered that most applications are sufficiently loud (I can turn music loud enough to hurt my ears if I'm close to the speakers). The one application where the music is really too soft (which is the reason I wrote the OP) is when Windows Media Player plays a DVD.

Even when turned all the way up (both speaker hardware and computer controls), it's still only medium-loud. The WMP volume slider is maxed-out, and the interesting thing is that if I'm just playing music, WMP seems to be sufficiently loud, it's just the DVDs giving the weird behavior.

Any ideas what could be going on?

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[keeperofthegate]

could be that single dvd being a little bit low. try another dvd, and remember usually dvd's are mastered at lower volumes to preserve dynamic range in the audio, hence the audio might be lower.

 

[wahnula]

I didn't double-check that I'm plugged into the right jacks on the sound card just because it's so hard to get to

Not to be a nag, and go OT, but convenient access is mandatory for every system. You need to be able to check things like this easily, there are too many reasons to list. If your desk is improperly designed, take over and design a better way.

My personal PC is on wheels, with plenty of extra cable to be able to roll it out easily. You really should give this some thought.

If I just plug in to the onboard analog jack, the sound is MUCH louder.

Are you referring to integrated mainboard audio? Try going into BIOS and disabling your onboard audio. If nothing else it's using CPU cycles that could go elsewhere.

What make/model speakers are you using? Some speakers' amps don't match up well with some soundcards. Check the specs of the speakers' input sensitivity vs. the card's output.

Tony

"Buy what you like, or you'll be forced to like what you buy"...me

 

[MaxEd]

Run the audio out to your stereo receiver. You can crank it up as loud as you like. Just kidding. I've rare had a problem with dvd's not being loud enough even on really crappy el cheapo sound cards or onboard ones. It's usually the speakers that are the problem.

-Laughter works miracles.

 

[BoulderBum]

Not to be a nag, and go OT, but convenient access is mandatory for every system. You need to be able to check things like this easily, there are too many reasons to list. If your desk is improperly designed, take over and design a better way.

The design of the desk is actually one the reason I bought it! It maximizes the desk space, while still giving you access to the CD trays:

http://www.ifurn.com/xmodels/osullivan/11452.jpg

Granted, it takes 5 minutes to get the computer out, but I only do that a few times a year.

More than anything, I'm too lazy to move my monitor, and lift the top off to see how I plugged the speakers in because I don't think that's the issue (the sound quality is great and the volume is perfect with everything but DVD's).

It's usually the speakers that are the problem.

The speakers are pretty high-end (my wife went overboard for my birthday).

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-THX-Certified-505-Watt-Digital-Surround/dp/B0002WPSBC

I also experienced weird volume problems with a different set of speakers.

Anyway, what's weird is that everything is PERFECT (iTunes, system volume, game volume) it's just that with DVDs, I have to crank the sound way up to get the equivalent volume I get with everything else.

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[BadBigBen]

well, then if everything else works perfectly (or nearly so)... then you can surmise that everything is hooked up correctly...

DVD audio is usually decoded through the AC3 codecs...

Q: The audio volume is really low
A:

This is a common problem that is usually caused by playing 5.1 channel audio on stereo speakers. As a result only two channels are send to your speakers. This means that the center channel, which usually contains the dialogs, is not outputted to your speakers.

Solutions:

*
Use the Codec Tweak Tool to configure your speaker settings. This will make sure that the audio decoders that are included in the pack downmix (or upmix) the decoded audio to the appropiate number of speakers.
*
If you are using AC3Filter to decode AC3 or DTS audio, then try the "Boost voice/dialog volume" tweak that is available in the Codec Tweak Tool. You can also manually perform this tweak in AC3Filter settings by adjusting the gain for the Voice audio channel.
*
If you are using ffdshow to decode the audio, then go to "ffdshow audio configuration". Enable 'Volume' in the left panel. On the Volume page you can find a slider to adjust the general volume level. Alternatively you can enable Normalization, which will automatically adjust the volume level.
*
Another method in ffdshow is to enable 'Voice control' on the 'Mixer' page. That gives the center channel a 3dB boost. There you can also find a slider to further increase the volume of the Voice audio channel.

Source:

http://www.codecguide.com/faq.htm#troubleshooting

I would suggest you look again at your settings (5.1 or Stereo channel), install the K-Lite Mega Codec Pack, which has a tweak for boosting AC3 audio, as mentioned above...

Ben

"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."

 

[wahnula]

The design of the desk is actually one the reason I bought it!

If the back of the PC compartment is sealed, I would be concerned about heat buildup issues, unless it's vented with a fan. Heat may not knock your PC out, but it will definitely reduce the life of the components.

Tony

"Buy what you like, or you'll be forced to like what you buy"...me

 

[BoulderBum]

If the back of the PC compartment is sealed

Luckily, it's open in the back (both in computer compartment and the desk further back), though your comment made me think about how there's probably enough extra components in there that I could use an extra case fan, which I bought and installed over the weekend.

Thanks there.

Ben,

Your codec theory is the best suggestion yet! I haven't tried it yet, but I'll look into that.

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