Alter volume of movies

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gordonisnz

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#318264 31-Dec-2024 20:06

Hello. I'm on WIN 11. and having some sound issues..

When watching a movie, I need to turn the sound up to haer the people "talking". However whenever there's a bang / explosion, or other loud noises - it BOOMS throughout my house (hard if there's other flatmates etc...)

but if i turn it down (volume), i cannot hear the regular talking.

From what I can do - I can turn the sound up or down. this affects everything...

Query: is there any way within Win 11, to alter the "talking" range of noise and increase that volume but not alter any other noises..
(I dont think so, but just checking)

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445 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3326658 31-Dec-2024 20:22

Subtitles and/or wireless headphones (your flatmates will thank you for using headphones as noise can suck for others).

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Goosey

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#3326670 31-Dec-2024 22:34

Can you adjust the EQ settings for the application you are using?

i.e. are there any sound profiles, bass, mid, treble controls? Any EQ?

gehenna

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#3326690 1-Jan-2025 00:24

Depends on the way you're watching - what is the playback device and how are the speakers set up?

MadEngineer

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#3326691 1-Jan-2025 00:26

What’s your speaker set up and have you got your settings set to match?

If you’ve got multiple speakers you may need to turn up the volume on the centre channel.

Edit: ^ snap.

You're not on Atlantis anymore, Duncan Idaho.

xpd

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#3326764 1-Jan-2025 10:02

As above x2, sounds like its a 5.1 track and your sound card/speakers is not handling it correctly. So the center track which is usually speech, is not getting a speaker to output to properly, and your other speakers/channels are used for effects etc.

I fixed it on our media PC by getting a half decent sound bar.

Gavin / xpd / FastRaccoon / Geek of Coastguard New Zealand

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robjg63

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#3326767 1-Jan-2025 10:32

When they create Movies/TV programs these days, they go for the full multi channel surround sound mix.

As a result, they assume that everyone watching will be immersed in the "optimal" listening environment (ie a sound lab like they are).

Most people dont have the space and monetary resources for this and as a result the spoken dialog is often submerged into the 'clever' background noises and effects that they have added to the sound track and pumped through 2 speakers.

The result is - you can't hear what is being said.

If you find an older TV program from the mono days, the spoken audio is crystal clear - because they knew what the listener was using and that they would want to hear what was being said.

Amazon even piloted an 'audio boost' to try and make the spoken volume clearer - basically AI to try and revese what the audio engineers are doing with content.

Subtitles are probably the immediate answer I am afraid - unless your content has an option for 2.1 soundtrack perhaps.

A Netflix survey said this:

A 2023 survey by Preply found that 50% of Americans use subtitles or captions most of the time. The survey also found that:
70% of Gen Z respondents said they use subtitles, compared to 53% of Millennials and 35% of Baby Boomers
62% of Americans use captions and subtitles more on streaming services than on regular TV

Good job sound engineers!

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

gehenna

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#3326768 1-Jan-2025 11:07

Whatever the case, we have no idea what Ops issue is because we have no specific info about the setup. Maybe it's 5.1 channels being pushed through two speakers, maybe it's a multi speaker system but not configured well for centre channel, maybe it's just internal TV speakers. Everything is conjecture until we have more info.

Regarding younger people preferring subtitles, I don't think this is influenced by audio mixing. My wife noticed this behaviour become more and more common over the past few years of teaching her media classes. I think it's influenced by social media short-form videos having captions, and because they use multiple screens to consume content simultaneously. It's also easy to say they use captions more on streaming than on regular TV, when they probably haven't seen regular TV much in their lifetime.

Maybe I'm the one generalising now, but young people don't seem to have much interest in movies and TV to the extent previous generations did. Seems to be the view of many film/TV insider podcasts I listen to also. Media consumption could be unrecognisable in 10 years.

Rikkitic

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#3326847 1-Jan-2025 14:15

I use subtitles as much as I can. In my case it is due to simple old age hearing decline and I accept that for what it is. My ability to detect noise is probably nearly as good as it ever was, but speech gets muffled by the loss of certain frequencies.

Plesse igmore amd axxept applogies in adbance fir anu typos

gordonisnz

112 posts

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#3326848 1-Jan-2025 14:28

System Information (using directX diagnostic tool - ive copied the parts relating to sound)

------------------
Time of this report: 1/1/2025, 14:18:40
Operating System: Windows 11 Home 64-bit (10.0, Build 26100) (26100.ge_release.240331-1435)
System Model: HP All-in-One Desktop 27-cr0xxx

Sound Devices
-------------
Description: Speakers (Realtek(R) Audio)
Default Sound Playback: Yes
Default Voice Playback: Yes
Hardware ID: HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_10EC&DEV_0236&SUBSYS_103C8CEA&REV_1000
Manufacturer ID: N/A
Product ID: N/A
Type: N/A
Driver Name: RTKVHD64.sys
Driver Version: 6.0.9689.1 (English)
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
WHQL Logo'd: Yes
Date and Size: 28/05/2024 1:00:00 pm, 6203336 bytes
Other Files:
Driver Provider: Realtek Semiconductor Corp.
HW Accel Level: Emulation Only
Cap Flags: 0xF1F
Min/Max Sample Rate: 100, 200000
Static/Strm HW Mix Bufs: 1, 0
Static/Strm HW 3D Bufs: 0, 0
HW Memory: 0
Voice Management: No
EAX(tm) 2.0 Listen/Src: No, No
I3DL2(tm) Listen/Src: No, No
Sensaura(tm) ZoomFX(tm): No

Midi Renderers:
Default MidiOut Device,0x00800000,1,0,quartz.dll,10.00.26100.1882
Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth,0x00200000,1,0,quartz.dll,10.00.26100.1882

Audio Renderers:
Speakers (Realtek(R) Audio),0x00200000,1,0,quartz.dll,10.00.26100.1882
Default DirectSound Device,0x00800000,1,0,quartz.dll,10.00.26100.1882
Default WaveOut Device,0x00200000,1,0,quartz.dll,10.00.26100.1882
DirectSound: Speakers (Realtek(R) Audio),0x00200000,1,0,quartz.dll,10.00.26100.1882

xpd

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#3326850 1-Jan-2025 14:50

It also depends on the source material. So if you can give some details on the source material, it will help as well.

Gavin / xpd / FastRaccoon / Geek of Coastguard New Zealand

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gordonisnz

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#3326851 1-Jan-2025 14:57

xpd:

It also depends on the source material. So if you can give some details on the source material, it will help as well.

Netflix, Prime video, Disney (streaming services) - Havn't seen live Tv in years

richms

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#3326852 1-Jan-2025 14:57

This is the setting you need to find and check is set to stereo.

Settings -> system -> sound and then press more settings under advanced.

If this is on 5.1 because jack detection found something plugged in one time or you are using a digital output so it has no idea what you have connected it will be sending dialog to a speaker that is not there.

Richard rich.ms

gehenna

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#3326854 1-Jan-2025 15:07

gordonisnz:

System Information (using directX diagnostic tool - ive copied the parts relating to sound)

This isn't helpful. Can you just describe what you have? e.g. "I have a PC connected to my TV directly via HDMI and a soundbar" or "I have a PC connected to a receiver with 5.1 speakers" or whatever your setup is? That's much more useful to give you meaningful advice.

ezbee

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#3326899 1-Jan-2025 21:52

Yeh for something like this people need to know the whole end to end setup, is it via a TV or AMP to what speakers and configuration.

This seems like a common 'modern' problem, as noted by robjg63 above.

Not just older, younger constantly ear budded may see early onset.
Directors going for wide range punchier FX all the time, and more natural quiet voices that sound great in private viewing studio.
Incompatible with modern blocks of flats and non theater situations.

A job for an Audio Compandor/Compressor.

Compandors in old days reduced the dynamic range of audio for telecom, radio telephone, broadcast TV and cellphones.
Compressing the range of loudness.
Tape recorders typically did this due to low band-with of tape then expanded on playback I understand.

This audio app has a Night Mode sounds like exactly what is needed, and there is a trial to test.
https://www.globaldelight.com/boom/features

Its in the Microsoft Store so should be ok.

Other Audio enhancer apps might have similar, but its not a feature that gets highlighted?.
Most want to crow about enhancing loudness, bass, and soundstage for headphones.

TVs can have some sort of dialog/speech enhancement options, and some sound bars have local processing as well.

SepticSceptic

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#3326906 1-Jan-2025 23:01

Double check to ensure the audio plug is actually plugged into the "front "speaker " socket, otherwise you'll only hear the sound meant for the back speakers, ie mostly sound effects and minimal dialog.
Make sure the speakers are plugged into the light green socket.

Have also found if the plugs are not properly plugged in, or have a bad contact, there will be some sound, but oddly mono, and at a reduced volume.

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