ESO Sound Bug - Voice volume is changing if i turn around with my mouse?

Gnarstie · January 2018

Here is a video, to show the bug:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=48&v=Uoiql6tLOG4

Any ideas how to fix this? The problem is new, i have this since a few days. Drivers are up to date.

Nestor · January 2018

I always thought the sound should change to a lower volume as you face away from who ever is speaking......

My sound has always worked this way, even with different sound cards.

CelestialSlayer · January 2018

Well if I turn away from you then the sound changes a bit. I wear headphones when i play and it's important to hear where something it's coming from.

Gnarstie · January 2018

Nestor wrote: »

I always thought the sound should change to a lower volume as you face away from who ever is speaking......

My sound has always worked this way, even with different sound cards.

Thats clearly a bug. I never had this before in any game and i know that this is not how the game should work. I saw videos (lets plays) from ESO and its normal. If you would move away a few meter, then yes, but not if you just look around with your mouse, but stay still. In real life, you also hear someone talking, if youre in the near, even if you look in a different direction. (sorry for my english)

Its annoying , i need to find a way to fix it ;(

Jhalin · January 2018

They made changes to how volume and sounds functions in general about two months ago now. These changes are intentional. They were bugged when the changes first happened, in that sounds would go completely silent if you were looking away from their source.

The way it's set up now is more realistic, if a bit heavy handed in the contrast in volume levels. Sounds behind you will be slightly quieter just because our ears are not shaped to pick up sound from that direction as well as they would pick up sound from the way we're facing.

Gnarstie · January 2018

Jhalin wrote: »

They made changes to how volume and sounds functions in general about two months ago now. These changes are intentional. They were bugged when the changes first happened, in that sounds would go completely silent if you were looking away from their source.

The way it's set up now is more realistic, if a bit heavy handed in the contrast in volume levels. Sounds behind you will be slightly quieter just because our ears are not shaped to pick up sound from that direction as well as they would pick up sound from the way we're facing.

Yeah, but the problem is still that voices go completly silent for me while they are talking and i stay only 5cm next to them.
Its bugged like the first time they did this changes like it seems.
Im completly fine with slightly changes to the volume if i look away but completly is annoying.

Has someone else this problem? I feel me so helpless.

Jhalin · January 2018

Gnarstie wrote: »

Jhalin wrote: »

They made changes to how volume and sounds functions in general about two months ago now. These changes are intentional. They were bugged when the changes first happened, in that sounds would go completely silent if you were looking away from their source.

The way it's set up now is more realistic, if a bit heavy handed in the contrast in volume levels. Sounds behind you will be slightly quieter just because our ears are not shaped to pick up sound from that direction as well as they would pick up sound from the way we're facing.

Yeah, but the problem is still that voices go completly silent for me while they are talking and i stay only 5cm next to them.
Its bugged like the first time they did this changes like it seems.
Im completly fine with slightly changes to the volume if i look away but completly is annoying.

Has someone else this problem? I feel me so helpless.

Ah, yeah that'd be the bug I had. Afaik there were no official patch notes mentioning either the bug or it's fix, but I assumed it was affecting everyone at the time. Submit a ticket and maybe see if repairing the game solves the problem. If it's like what was affecting my game, it should be resolved when the game gets patched.

I never took diliberate steps to fix it, so I don't have much advice besides that.

Sengra · January 2018

I've had the same problem since I started playing again. If this is intentional, I don't understand the decision. There's a Telvanni quest in Morrowind with five or more people standing in circle who take turns to speak, and if you don't know who is speaking and quickly turn around to target them with the cursor you miss half of the dialogue.

Conduit0 · January 2018

Gnarstie wrote: »

Jhalin wrote: »

They made changes to how volume and sounds functions in general about two months ago now. These changes are intentional. They were bugged when the changes first happened, in that sounds would go completely silent if you were looking away from their source.

The way it's set up now is more realistic, if a bit heavy handed in the contrast in volume levels. Sounds behind you will be slightly quieter just because our ears are not shaped to pick up sound from that direction as well as they would pick up sound from the way we're facing.

Yeah, but the problem is still that voices go completly silent for me while they are talking and i stay only 5cm next to them.
Its bugged like the first time they did this changes like it seems.
Im completly fine with slightly changes to the volume if i look away but completly is annoying.

Has someone else this problem? I feel me so helpless.

Check the speaker settings on your PC, make sure they reflect your actual setup. The game uses positional audio and will try to move the sound around to different speakers as you turn your camera to represent the direction the sound is coming from. If the game thinks you have a 5.1 audio setup when you have stereo/headphones it will try to send sound to a speaker that doesn't exist, which is why the audio cuts out when you turn a certain way.

Bleakraven · January 2018

huh, I wouldn't call this a bug. I use headphones with 7.1 surround simulation and I just hear the voice shift from left to right to emulate where the voice is coming from. If you play with speakers I guess you hear volume difference but not really if coming from left or right. Perhaps set it up to be stereo?

Tandor · January 2018

I agree on the need to check your speaker settings which need to match your speaker setup, then check your in-game audio settings to make sure they match your speaker settings. Run a full sound test outside of the game. Also, this will sound daft and I kicked myself when I discovered it by chance, but make sure that any volume/balance control unit you have hasn't had the balance switch knocked out of position because after ages spent checking all my connections and researching replacement speaker systems I eventually found a while ago that when I had adjusted the volume I had inadvertently knocked the balance control so that it favoured the rear speakers on my 5.1 setup. As soon as I centred the speaker balance all was well!

Sengra · January 2018

Tandor wrote: »

I agree on the need to check your speaker settings which need to match your speaker setup, then check your in-game audio settings to make sure they match your speaker settings.

Thanks for trying to help.The audio settings in the game only let me adjust the volume of the different sounds and the music. Is there anything else that is hidden in a menu somewhere?

I've looked at my laptop's sound system, but as far as I know my headset has its own external sound card, which doesn't give me a lot of options (but maybe I've overlooked something, it's a little confusing).

Gnarstie · January 2018

I found the problem. My right sound box is somehow much quieter as my left sound box. So every time in the game sounds should be played from my right sound box, i hear less until nothing.

So, this thread can be closed, because the issue seems to be on my side.

Thx for all people who helped me.

Conduit0 · January 2018

Gnarstie wrote: »

I found the problem. My right sound box is somehow much quieter as my left sound box. So every time in the game sounds should be played from my right sound box, i hear less until nothing.

So, this thread can be closed, because the issue seems to be on my side.

Thx for all people who helped me.

Assuming you're using Windows 10, right click your speaker icon, click playback devices, select your speakers in the list, click properties, click the levels tab, click the balance button next to play control. That will give you the option to individually adjust the right and left speaker volume.

Sengra wrote: »

Thanks for trying to help.The audio settings in the game only let me adjust the volume of the different sounds and the music. Is there anything else that is hidden in a menu somewhere?

I've looked at my laptop's sound system, but as far as I know my headset has its own external sound card, which doesn't give me a lot of options (but maybe I've overlooked something, it's a little confusing).

Even if you're using an external card Window's settings still need to match for correct playback.
Assuming you're using Windows 10, right click your speaker icon, click playback devices, select your speakers in the list, click configure, make sure the correct setting is selected under audio channels.

Sengra · February 2018

It's strange. I unplugged my headset and later plugged it back in and it seems to be much better. Let's wait and see if that fixed it. If not, I'll try the other solution, thanks.

Lostar · October 2022

Still having issues? I forget after every major Windows update; this setting gets reset so this is also for my memory as well. If you use headphones; make sure "Windows Sonic for Headphones" under "Spatial Audio is selected.

I'm aware that this is an old thread but this is an old problem and whenever it comes up I forget how to fix it.