Last noob question I can't find the answer to

[Meereule]

Hi all, new to the forums and posting for the first time. I've been playing SHIII for about one month now (when wife and sleep requirements allow) and am really loving the game. Sorry to ask a noob question but I've searched the forums and this is the last one I can't answer for myself. Please feel free to dope slap me :88) in your responses as long as you can help me (or direct me to a post that can)! :oops:

What sound settings can I use so that I'll actually be able to hear the gramophone tracks over the motors? I realize I can't expect much on the bridge, but even bent over the nav plot I can barely hear.

Thanks in advance!

[Vacillator]

Hi Meeruele and welcome :up:

Not quite a full answer but you need to adjust the sound level settings shown in dB with the dials on the sound setup screen (i.e. on the options screen before you laod a mission or career). You can adjust background and music to your taste if I recall correctly.

Good luck and happy huniting.

[Meereule]

Thanks for the response, Vacillator, I've tried playing with those dials without much luck so far. I cranked up the music but the gramophone volume didn't seem to change, so I wonder if gramophone volume is tied to the "FX" or "general" setting instead? Also, at one point (and I forgot what setting I tried) I made the motor sounds even louder! Anyone have a specific sound setting that works well for them?

[Red Heat]

Welcome Aboard, "Bilge Rat"! :lol:
Jocking...mate welcome to the wolfpack! :up:

[Meereule]

Thanks, Red Heat! :)

[Vacillator]

I cranked up the music but the gramophone volume didn't seem to change, so I wonder if gramophone volume is tied to the "FX" or "general" setting instead?

Hmmm, I'll have a look later at my settings if noone more knowledgeable than me :oops: comes along ;)

[Catfish]

Hi,
seems this is no Noob problem - i have this since day one with SH3 and was never able to find out :lol:
Or then i am still a noob :88)
Greetings,
Catfish

[rifleman13]

Ahoy there Meeruele!

Sound problems, have you tried setting the sound to 0 db? Because it's the maximum setting for the sound.

Sound's like it's screwed up right 0 db max and 40 db for mute?:shifty:

I hope this helps.:know:

Welcome Kaleun!:arrgh!:

[Meereule]

Yes, right now I have these settings:

F/X -2
Speech -4
General -2
Music 0

[HunterICX]

Welcome to Subsim, Meereule :ping:

HunterICX

[Cheapskate]

Hi Meeruelle

I've had Sh3 since the day it was released and can honestly say that I've never had any major problem with the comparative volume levels of the game sounds.

It has always seemed to me that the original default levels:General,Music,FX all set to 0db,Speech at -10db, are pretty much ideal.This assumes, of course, that there is no hardware problem with your sound card. The only adjustment I make on the sound options screen is to uncheck the Music box.

This isn't to say that individual sounds can't be too loud, or too quiet for your tastes. You can have a quiet gramophone ogg file or an extremely loud effects wav file. Example: some mods have a diesel engine sound like a squadron of tanks going up a 1 in 3 gradient at full throttle. U-boat engines didn't sound like that - unless you happened to be in the engine room. And the creaks noise levels are generally completely over the top!! IIRC, in Das Boot you didn't hear any creaks until the boat got down to 200 meters or so.

In cases like this it is probably better to adjust the volume level of the individual file. For this you will need a sound editor programme. It's usually pretty easy to make a simple volume adjustment with one of those.

Ooops,I'm rambling too much.:88) What I should just have said - is that if you are adjusting the volume buttons to get rid of some particularly annoying effect, to increase the volume of something you like,or to make up for a hardware deficiency, then that may not be the best way to go about it. It's possible that you could be messing up the overall balance.

[ReallyDedPoet]

Welcome to SUBSIM Meeruele! :yep::up:


RDP

[Meereule]

First, thanks for all the welcome messages!

Second, thanks, Cheapskate, for the comprehensive and helpful answer. It may be that I've been fiddling with the sound settings too much :88). I'm going to see what happens when I put the volumes back on default settings. Will report back with my findings.

Thanks again, all!

[Laufen zum Ziel]

Welcome,

You will become an addict with no hope of a cure
except GWX.

Visit the below site to find tools, mods, photos, music, resourses and other goodies.

[FIREWALL]

Welcome to SUBSIM Meeruele! :up:

I have a small portable cd player that I play my music on while playingSH3 OR 4.

Of course I play Klassic rock. :p

[Meereule]

That's a great idea, so simple yet so flexible! :hmm:

[Meereule]

In case anyone's still following, I tried these settings:

General: -2
Music: 0
F/X: -2
Speech: -7

and they work pretty well. Still can't hear the gramophone on the bridge, of course...:shifty:

[irish1958]

Here is what I have done. I convert all the sound files to MP3 and then equalize the sound with MP3Gain and increase the output level if needed. I then convert them back to .ogg and place them in my gramophone folder.

[Cheapskate]

Hi Meereule,

Was wondering how you had been getting on!
Figured that,if you hadn't come back, you had either a) solved the problem or b) you hadn't - and were suffering in silence.
Seems like there's been some improvement but you may be someplace in between the two.
What soundcard are you running (motherboard integrated (Realtek etc) or separate) and are you using headphones or speakers?
Also, have you got your basic sound setup in Windows adjusted so it gives reasonable sound with other games?
As far as hearing the gramophone on deck: well it is going to sound a fair bit quieter.... that's normal, because of the engine and ambient noises are louder up there.
How does it sound when you go to external view on the < > keys? In this view you should hear your records perfectly. If it sounds OK ,then it may not be the gramophone playing too softly, but the FX wav sound being too loud.

[Meereule]

Hi Cheapskate, thanks for the suggestions. The sound is pretty good now with those settings, and you're right, I can hear the gramophone very well in external view. Another big change - headphones, which made everything sound a lot better! :)