Automatic volume leveling during audio playback

I am also experiencing this same problem. I had a corrupt startup file this morning and I reset my computer to factory settings. I then proceeded with the 90+ Windows updates, came back, restarted the computer, and every program I had would fluctuate the volume down whenever I pushed my microphone button or somebody in my voice chatting program would talk.

**FIX for Automatic Volume Levelling!**I've had my new PC for only a few days, and although I am liking Windows 7 enormously, the volume fluctuation mentioned in this thread was really aggravating. It isn't random - it's like some sort of automatic volume normalisation. It is especially noticeable when listening to classical music, as the quiet parts become almost as loud as the genuinely loud parts. If you have the same issue I did, here is an obvious symptom to check: playing system sounds while listening to some music causes the music's volume to drop suddenly, then slowly increase over the next few seconds to where it was once the system sounds have finished.

Anyway here is the fix... I have a Realtek soundcard & drivers, but I expect it is similar for other cards.

1. Right click on the volume icon !\[\](http://kona.kontera.com/javascript/lib/imgs/grey_loader.gif)in the System Tray
2. Select "Playback devices"
3. Double click on "Speakers"
4. Click the Enhancements tab
5. Check "Disable all sound effects"
6. Click OK
7. If you are playing any sound/music, close down WMP / Winamp, wait a few seconds, then try again.

This took me no less than 9 hours to find... I had tried this option before temporarily, but unlike all the other buttons, the change wasn't instant, so I hadn't realised it would work. You do actually have to close down WMP/Winamp, wait a few seconds and restart it before playing music again to notice the change. What is also nasty is that even if the box of enhancements has nothing selected, you still need to check "Disable all sound effects". It would appear that there is some other normalisation effect that is going on in the background which you can't see in the list of options. (The last option is marked "Loudness Equalization" - this sounds like it is the culprit, but it isn't. Leaving it unchecked doesn't make the problem go away (unless you have checked "Disable" above), and checking it just makes the problem even worse.)

Hope this helps a number of you,

Bluto

This one worked for me! Thanks so much...

I have a more unique problem, but trying to narrow things down.

Running Win 7 64-bit SP1.  I have an Asus MB with the SoundMax audio.  My problem is with Windows Media Player and I think that is the problem.

I can take a DVD and play it back with WMP.  When the sound gets loud, the audio will drop about 25-50%.  It gradually builds back up.  Gets loud, then drops again.   Yet, 30-45 seconds later, the sound will be as loud (or louder) and will NOT drop.

Take the same DVD, the same OS with the same soundcard drivers, same speakers, using Power DVD...  No audio drops at all.  NONE.

So, WMP = audio level dropping.  PDVD = NO audio level dropping.   I have spent over an hour trying all of the various settings above, no luck.  But, the more I thought, it definetely is a WMP issue.

It almost makes me wonder if the codec that WMP uses for decoding the DVD Audio is faulty.  I can't imagine that playing PowerDVD causes it to ignore all OS based sound card settings, but I Could imagine PowerDVD using a different codec for playback.

Problem I have is I want to setup a Windows Media server to stream and I don't think you can stream DVD files from a Media Server to anything but WMP.

Time to start looking at registry hacking for some setting that isn't available in any of the menu options.

You know exactly whats wrong with this. Microsoft decided in their most brilliant move yet to remove even more functionality from windows by adding an auto volume leveling mixer. What is the point of this? I am quite capable of turning down my volume, if it is too loud, thank you. I am sick and tired of trying to use my computer and windows stops me at every turn by making sure I don't do something I shouldn't. I know what I'm doing thank you. I don't need to be asked if I'm sure, I don't need windows to do it for me, because some moron 13 year old deleted their system32 folder. **** OFF WITH THIS BULLSHIT. Windows 7 was not my idea, it was the idea of some barely functional retard. The ONLY reason I use this piece of **** operating system is because I like to play games and seeing as you monopolise every area of the gaming OS market, I'm not left with a choice.

The only reason my heart is popping out of my chest due to uncontrollable rage right now is because I have no way to know who the Win 7 "lead hand" at Microshit is, and as such, I have no way to wrap my fingers around his scrawny neck to watch his eyes bulge, and I can't get to see him turn blue in the process.  These MS people are sick fu&#s.

Other than that, life's good... and life would be just wonderful, were it not for the constant presence of Microshit, always intruding into our lives.  I'm using Ubuntu whenever I can, but unfortunately, I cannot flight sim on Ubuntu, else I could get rid of those trolls for good.  Every new garbage they put out is worse than the one previous.

If there really was a God, which there obviously isn't, but if there were a God, he'd strike them with lightning and put them out of business in the process. 

                                                    They're Still Around = No God

Let's pray there's a Devil, maybe we can get them damned for this Win 7 atrocity.  Amen.