Audio issues with windows in game

Dynamicace · June 22, 2021

In games the audio plays out of all 7.1 speakers except the center channel isn’t properly used. Sometime audio comes out of it like normal. Sometimes like in Witcher 3 (I’m clearing my backlog) it doesn’t use the center for people talking on the street and instead uses the L and R speaker ONLY. Then I talk to a merchant and his speech comes entirely from the center speaker (how is should be). Assassins creed origin same issue some people have sound from the center channel other just skip center and use LR even when I stand right in front of them. The other surround speakers work when I spin around so it’s something with the center channel audio.

troubleshooting I’ve done, use another source. My Roku streaming stick works fine 7.1 audio with level audio coming from the center channel, it’s just as loud as the others and works. So not a speaker or av issue.
windows 10 sound settings, set to 7.1 and checked out the test sound and audio comes from all 7.1 speakers and came out equally loud. So windows can use it. Reinstall the newest driver for graphics and audio. Restarted multiple times.

same problem. When in game the center channel isn’t used correctly, like half the stuff doesn’t come through correct. Cutscenes only come out the center (might be normal) then in game it’s mixed. Even riding the camel sounds quieter than it should be in the center channel.
AV receiver is on Dolby, tried thx and other and it’s all the same. And I’m banging my head on a wall right now ready to lose all data and reinstall windows new just in hopes to play a game with proper sound.

To keep things short and and sum up how things went bad. everything worked perfectly. Then I played doom eternal for a second day. It was acting odd from the day before. Like lagging. I turned off hdr and then the audio was gone, like all gone, what in the world. No sound at all! So I shutdown and restarted like 2-3 times then audio came back. I went to the nvidia driver site and upgraded my 1080ti sli setup to the newest drivers and updated the nvidia hd audio driver as well. Leaving us at today with the issues stated above. so changing the visuals in doom (hdr off) made my pc audio go nuts and I still can’t fix it.

Dynamicace · June 22, 2021

Anyone have any ideas, if not I’ll try a fresh install keep all files and then a full wipe if that still doesn’t work. Just hope I don’t need to do that.

SamClan · June 22, 2021

5 hours ago, Dynamicace said:

Witcher 3

Welcome to the world of 7.1 surround sound problems.

first things first, how have you connected your surround speakers with your pc? PC, Graphiccard - HDMI 2.0 to av-receiver - Hdmi 2.0 to Monitor?

okay witcher 3 support surround sound. the satellite speakers are super silent and center plays the sound if he speaks. sounds like that is normal with that game.

Dynamicace · June 23, 2021

I have it connected by hdmi 2.0b or whatever the 1080ti has. To the pc input of my receiver that has 2.0b. That then goes to an external dsp then external amp to finally the speakers. I know this is not the issue as it worked before and still works for 4k hdr movies with zero sound issues.

I would accept the Witcher 3 being normal as it’s almost, it’s just sounds wrong is the way to say. I played it for 25 hours and now it’s different.

like npc in the city. Walk to any npc and their Audio comes out just the L and R speakers. Even though I’m literally staring them in the face! Yeah his grunts and voice came from the center but like I said it’s as if half of what’s supposed to come out the center does while the other half is lost or from the stereo sides. I long long ago lost any hope for good surround in most game and am happy with 3.1 as most games tend to forget making surround useful or loud enough.