Automatic volume leveling during audio playback

Anonymous
2009-11-05T13:16:13+00:00

This is really annoying:

Quiet sound is amplified to sound at a reasonable level. Then when a loud part of the song comes on the level automatically drops making the quiet parts sound annoyingly loud & the loud part annoyingly quiet... Sorry that's the best way I can describe this... again:

Only happens when its had a few seconds on silent (eg. pause) - at that point the system starts to "think" for itself creeping the base volumes up. Then when the song begins again you are treated to loudness that is quickly quietened when the system realises there is a higher level of sound coming through...

This is very frustrating because I use my computer to record & as such need to have the audio playing at its proper level - not the level the computer thinks it should be playing at...

I have combed through the settings looking for an "auto off" option, and have spent a long time searching for an answer online. 

Any help you could offer would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Music, photos, and video

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Anonymous
2009-11-05T22:23:05+00:00

Hi pablo647,

Welcome to Microsoft Windows 7 Answers Forum!

We would like to get a little more information from you to help troubleshoot your issue.

Are you using any Sound Card on the machine?

You can try playing the same song to a differnet Headphone or the Speakers.

I suspect it could be a problem with the sound card drivers.

You can update the drivers for the sound devices and try after that.

  1. Click Start and then click Control Panel.
  2. Click System and Maintenance, click System, and then click Device Manager.

Note If Control Panel is in Classic View, double-click System, and then click Device Manager.

  1. If you are prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation, type the password, or click Allow.
  2. In Device Manager, expland "Sound Video and Game controllers", right-click the "Sound Video and Game controllers" and go to properties.
  3. Browse to the Update tab and then click on update driver.

You may also check on the Sound card manufacturers web site and verify if they have any updated drivers for Windows 7 and try to install it.   

Hope it helps.  

Thanks and Regards:

Shekhar S - Microsoft Support.

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  1. Anonymous
    2011-01-01T11:48:00+00:00

    This issue comes up when graphic equalizer used in WMP of Win7 for me though. Ie. VLC plays every song fine even with it's equalizer on with unchanged  windows sound options. So it MUST be a WMP problem.

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  2. Anonymous
    2010-12-10T11:59:29+00:00

    I have a very similar issue.. I don't have the variable sound levels during playback (thank God), but I do have an issue where the volume control (the actual slider in the mixer) will randomly drop to about 8 or 10 or so with no action on my part. This makes it quite hard to monitor my live audio stream at times..

     

    How do I fix this?

     

    Anyone else seen anything like this before?

     

    HELP US..

    Microsoft, FIX THE AUDIO IN WIN7!

    Windows 7 is nothing but a collection of automated annoyances that can't be disabled.  From the hostile networking to the maddening Windows Explorer quirks to the traitorous multimedia, Microsoft has delivered a one-size-fits-none OS.  If you can get ahold of a copy, Windows XP 64-bit is your best option.  It was XP that could see more than 3.2 gigs of RAM, and that's as good as it gets in the Windows world.  The only limitations are the inability to use a few programs (like most Norton software),  or if you have a very new AMD video card (like a Radeon 6800)  the AMD Catalyst drivers are broken and Windows Update doesn't have new ones yet.

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  3. Anonymous
    2010-12-02T08:49:31+00:00

    I have a very similar issue.. I don't have the variable sound levels during playback (thank God), but I do have an issue where the volume control (the actual slider in the mixer) will randomly drop to about 8 or 10 or so with no action on my part. This makes it quite hard to monitor my live audio stream at times..

    How do I fix this?

    Anyone else seen anything like this before?

    HELP US..

    Microsoft, FIX THE AUDIO IN WIN7!

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  4. Anonymous
    2010-11-24T10:57:23+00:00

    The below solved my problem completely. Thanks!!

     

    Hi,

     

    I'm not sure if someone gave this answer already, but I think it's because Windows 7 automatically turns down other sounds when a second one plays. I noticed this when I was trying to play games without the background music and play music on my music player (any) with it. What happens is that the music just dies down, leaving the second loaded sound louder.

    What I did was:

    1. Go to the sound icon on the system tray, right-click, and click Sounds;

     

    1. Click on the Communications tab. On this one, you will see:

    Windows can automatically adjust the volume of different sounds when you are using your PC to place or receive telephone calls.

    When Windows detects communications activity:

    o Mute all other sounds o Reduce the volume of other sounds by 80%

    o Reduce the volume of other sounds by 50%

    o Do nothing

     

    1. Select "Do Nothing", then try and check if it works. Mine worked seamlessly since this. :) I hope it helps!

     

    -reine

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