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
    2015-12-10T18:14:26+00:00

    Hi - I'm not sure that it is not a Win7 issue. I recently upgraded to Win10 and it fixed this issue, but at an horrific cost.  I have reverted to Win 7 but still have this issue. Win10 completely sucks but I won't get into that now.

    Thanks to everyone that has tried to help but nothing has worked for me yet.

    The only thing I know is that this problem appeared after I plugged in a headset via usb for the first time. I never had this problem before that.

    I experience this problem no matter what I am doing - watching netflix/amazon prime, listening to music, watching video from file - anything that has audio. I have never used windows media player - why would you?

    I use a soundblaster x-fi external sound card and have totally uninstalled it and reinstalled drivers only, no difference.

    I wish I had something to offer.

    With peace and respect

    Peter

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  2. Anonymous
    2015-10-17T15:11:52+00:00

    Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

    I thought maybe I had some option selection when I ripped music from my CDs that tried to automatically adjusted the audio. Very annoying to have your music dip when playing it back. Your fix worked and I can once again listen to my tunes without an invisible hand turning the volume down on me!

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  3. Anonymous
    2015-10-14T18:04:14+00:00

    He, he... almost six years later, now with Windows 8.1, exactly the same annoying problem. After years using Spotify, I've come back to my own mp3 (Spotify sound quality is bad, even in payment plan). Paradoxically, I've started listening Genesis's ABACAB, and faced again the same old volume issue, specially appreciable with Phil Collins drums.

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  4. Anonymous
    2015-09-13T15:47:40+00:00

    That's the one! It's taken me literal weeks, and I've actually come across that button thinking it should sort it, noticed that nothing was checked already so it wouldn't make a difference, and left it. 

    Windows 7 was fine but installing windows 10 ruined everything, this in particular. Took so so long - it's not something you can easily search for in google. I tried 'gating effect' but hat just gave me loads of studio production results.

    Sigh. 

    A 5 year old post saved me. And the writer probably will never read this to hear my gratitude. 

    Well, Thanks!

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