I'm using a very basic 2.1 speakers on a Creative Labs X-Fi and sound is very low unless I turn SVM on. And even then, it's somewhat faint (compared to normal Windows system sounds) even after increasing master volume in INI file.

If I turn SVM off, everything is low, even the interface tones.

same problem, Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Pro... the low sound makes the game almost unplayable for me.

EDIT:

SVM does help, but unfortunately it makes all sounds louder.. even the ones that shouldn't be, so there is almost a constant level of sound/noise

EDIT 2:

2.1 speakers, set up as 2.1 speakers connected via anolog out on soundcard

Stereo. I tried other settings but didnt help. Not sure what you mean with how is attached. I think I got anolog, front speakers out.

Low volume for dialog.

How do you know if the sound is set to "24-bit"?

I get very low volumes with voices, and other weird voice glitches and bugs depending on how far away the NPCs that are talking are from me. The volumes of the voices are so low that I have set the voices at max with all other volumes at about 5-10% and I have to max my computers sound output to full, and my stereo receiver to almost max volume.

I have onboard sound, and I am using Corsair HS1 headphones.

The only issue I had was I was not able to change the volume in game. The headphnes have a volume control, and it was disabled in game. After reading some other posts I found I could change the volume if I brought up the Steam menu.

I always have to turn up the volume for Skyrim, and then remember to turn it back down before turning on internet radio.

This is definitely an issue. If you go master volume 4.0 it makes all the sounds come out the same so even if I have sounds effects turned down and voice turned up, they sound really audible compared to me sheathing my warhammer or sword. Not sure if going back to 1.0 master audio will do anything. It's been an issue since day 1.

Neither myself nor any of my many friends currently playing Skyrim (on a variety of different [desktop] PC builds) have ever experienced this problem. That leads me to believe that the problem is a specific hardware/software issue for individual's computers, perhaps manufacturer specific, soundcard specific or laptop related? I know that in the past Beth games have had issues with a variety of codecs so if everyone having the problem were to include their DxDiag we could possibly come up with some common denominators (don't forget to add immediately after.

We can't really expect Beth to be able to correct hardware issues, that would be like asking a publisher to reprint books because some people's eyeglass prescriptions don't work well!

Edit: Wow that certainly didn't work very well! just add spoiler in brackets before and /spoiler in brackets after.

I have Creative Xtreme Gamer and find the voices are too quiet even at max.

Same issue for me.... the 1st telltale sign was at the main menu.. i could BARELY hear the opening theme... i thought that was just an aberration until i started playing the game and found out that i had to turn the volume to nearly (normally for other programs) ear deafening volumes....

Using an onboard audio card (IDT High Definition Audio codec or sumthing like that)

I have this problem, but 'fix' it by just having my speaker volume higher and keeping the software volume low for everything else.

My sound gets lower if there a conservation between more then one npc and me. Like the dialog between a jarl, his defend-operating guy and his general.

I have a rather low volume in Skyrim but usually my windows main volume is set around 20%. I just increased it to ~60% and the sound is fine. Just have to remember to turn it down before watching any videos on websites.
Sound quality is ok. No problems with either music or voices.

I'm using an old Creative Audigy 2 sound-card, and Windows default audio format is set to 16bit, 48kHz (DVD Quality). Game runs fine with that.
I also have a Realtek HD Audio chip on the mainboard but hardly ever use it. Haven't tried how that sounds with Skyrim.

Me too.

Setting fAudioMasterVolume to a value higher than 1.0000 (I use 3.0000) in SkyrimPrefs.ini and flagging that file as read-only seems to have done the trick.

I don't have the issue but I've witnessed it with a PC of a friend of mine. Disabling EAX from the soundcard control panel helped quite a bit. Doesn't look like a volume issue to me, it's more like a spatial sound issue, i.e. every sound which is supposed to come from a source far from the player is heavily softened. You can tell that the sound volume is pretty normal when you get hit, your grunts and moans are at a *very* high volume compared to the other sounds.

Wow so almost 70% of the people have a low volume issue here? That's a lot. I hope Bethesda can fix this. It would be bad to have to do a volume changing routine for the next... year or so... we'll play Skyrim. :confused:


Just tried that... didn't work. Darn

just started the game (didn't play in like 3 weeks)

the volume in a fight aswell as in dialogue is too low (this can be fixed by not targeting the npc with your crosshair) or not working at all

didn't had this at launch really weird.

I do have a very, very low sound volume on my stereo (2.1) setup. Not everything though. Battle sounds (like drawing swords and hitting emenies) are deafening. Well, because I need to turn up my speakers waaaay up to hear the rest of the sound effects, speech and music, every time there's a battle, I am in danger of either going deaf or destroying my speakers. So every time there's battle, I turn down the volume. After that, I turn it up again.

This is extremely annoying.

Edit: Non-directional speech (like for example some daedra speaking directly inside you head) is also extremely loud. Basically every sound that originates from somewhere extremely close to the player character is very loud, while everything else is very (veeeerry) silent.

I have a SoundBlaster Live 24-bit PCI card with latest 64-bit drivers on Windows 7.

Yes the dialogue volume versus environmental is definitely low. I can hardly hear somebody if anything else going on.

For the record I haven't had this issue. Playing on Windows 7 Pro x64 with a Creative X-Fi XtremeGamer sound card. My audio output is set to 5.1 surround via the anolog jacks, but I'm not having the issue when I use my headphones either.

How to put this ....

A thread like this ..even with a poll is not really helping the DEV's. If everyone would Post there specs, and what they have tried that would help them. What setting there sound is set to . This might help.

I have great sound. while in the game i smile because i have to turn and face people (like in real life) to hear them better, as their voice moves from ear to ear. Ambient sounds in dungeons are great. I get Echo . I Really like the sound in this title.

So my specs.

Asus Zonar DX2 (Using the Original 2 year old drivers) Because the WHQL certified latest driver wont let my computer Sleep. :snoring:
Connected to Logitech Z-5500 (1000 watt peak) 500 watt RMS. 6 channel Direct connection. (optical is going to TV).
Sound setting in control for Speakers was (Lowered) to 44 k (cause the Game needed this) BUT going to try the new 1.3 patch and 96000.
Using 5.1 ( I hear sounds behind me and all around)

The sound is equal to what ever I have running...IE: if I load up an internet Radio station,or Winamp and adjust to good listening level , then start the game the sounds are equal.

So just posting ..I have low sound ...and not giving a DX report or any info on your system will not help get this fixed.

Edit: yes all 5.1 channels are working. even my Sub...

Yeah, I've blown out my eardrums a few times doing other things while/after playing over having to turn up the volume so much to hear things. The sounds of Skyrim are one of its strongest features, yet they're so hard to hear, particularly music and even if the sliders are altered.

DX48BT2's onboard RealTek

You're right. I don't know much about sound stuff though. If someone that knows can tell me what regular soundcards (onboard and not-onboard) there is, and what regular setting options there is, I can intergrate it into the poll.
Just tell me what important options there are for what kind of categories and I'll put it in the poll.