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
    2010-07-31T23:55:49+00:00

    I will add my vote that this is NOT solved.  I have a DELL E6500 dual core Pentium 2.8, 8 GB memory, Windows-7 Ultimate 64 bit, IDT HD audio. When using iTunes and playing a song like Enya's Orinoco Flow the auto volume control makes the song absolutely unlistenable.

    Note: I have 3 Windows machines (only one of which is Windows 7), other two are XP with all SPs. Two MACs - an older G5 PowerPC, and newer G5 quad processor Intel - running OS-X.

    Only the Windows-7 machine has the audio problem. I have tried updating drivers, changing settings. I have Dell GOLD Pro support (these are all high end systems) and they spent an afternoon trying to resolve the problem to no avail.

    I really don't have a problem with Windows trying to "protect my hearing" or whatever it is trying to do to mute loud dynamic passages, or help my hearing by boosting soft ones - but you must allow me to turn it off.

    My airplane has an autopilot - but I can turn it off. My car has Distronic cruise control - but I can turn it off.

    Please ... Please ... Please - don't add features without providing an off button !!!

    -MR

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  2. Anonymous
    2010-07-02T21:27:40+00:00

    @Aaronite, don't ever change, really. This forum needs a lot of people complaining even if they're wrong, as you are. Misterbk got it right, I got it right, it's NOT a W7 feature but a driver related issue. If you disable all sound effects (loudness levelling, for instance) you get rid of the problem and, how do you know, all sound effects you can apply through the W7 audio manager depends, in fact, on the driver of your soundcard.

    So if you have to blame someone, blame the soundcard manufacturer for delivering faulty drivers.

    How can you say it's not a feature of Windows when it's clearly selectable in the 'Sounds' section of Control Panel. I'm having the same issue in Vista

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  3. Anonymous
    2010-06-14T06:22:55+00:00

    I have the same problem. I'm using Windows 7 with no sound cards; just the motherboard. The automated mic volume level in incredibly annoying. I wish it would just stay where I wanted it to go! For some odd reason, the mic on my Logitech Mic (QuickCam E3500) won't work unless the mic level is below 90. So of course, I either have to raise my voice constantly and make sure it doesn't go above 90, or constantly put it below 90, just to have it jump back up. I wish this could be stopped!!!!

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  4. Anonymous
    2010-06-02T23:10:11+00:00

    @ tricky2k

    • I've used the onboard sound card with 3 different drivers (No change)
    • Bought a generic old PCI sound card (No change)
    • And the last sound card that I bought was a 7.1 PCI Express (No change)

    All for nothing and still the same problem. Now when I want to listen to music I just use my !Pod >.>

    I still like windows 7 over other OS.

    comments?

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