In Game Sound Settings - Set at 100% and Adjust With Sound Mixer?

[Friar]

I was wondering what the thoughts are the following?

Ref the sound in IL2.

Many of us, due to the volume in cockpit have the in-game sound turned right down (I have mine at about 12%) so that we can hear each other in TeamSpeak.

There have a few posts over in the IL2 forums that have said that the game is best run with the in-game sound at 100%.

What they do is to use the Windows Sound Mixer to have the in-game sound at 100% so that the full range of sounds are generated but then turn it down in the Windows Sound Mixer settings to the required levels for the game. TeamSpeak can then also be set to say 90%.

I am going to try this myself and see if it makes a difference.

 

[Sid]

I have USB wireless headphones and mike for Teamspeak, the game comes through my desktop speakers - I am lucky, there is only me here and the cats are used to it by now - and the headset is not external sound absorbing. 

This means I can run the game volume at 100%, Windows sound mixer at 100% and adjust the volume using the desktop speaker volume. I can adjust Teamspeak volume using the volume control on the headset, it is independent of the computer sound system.

Currently the desktop speaker volume is at about 30% for aircraft and 40% for tanks when I am using Teamspeak. If I take it much higher then the mike picks up ingame sounds and these come out to you on Teamspeak. Besides, I know my hearing is crap but 50% is bordering on too loud even for me. 40% is also a good setting for general use for me.

I see a simple analogy for my setup as 'fire pump #1' (game sound volume) pumping 'water' (game volume and effects) to 'fire pump #2' (Windows volume mixer) and then to the 'fireman's branch' (speaker volume switch) at the end of the 'hoseline' (speaker wires). By having all the 'fire pump valves'  (volume controls) fully open on both 'pumps' you are getting all the volume and effects all the way to the 'branch' at the end - I can reduce it here to get the desired volume. To me, introducing restrictions along the line ie. reducing output on one of the volume controls, or 'pumps', creates variables so you could be fiddling around to get the right effect. Just me and my thinking..... 

[Beebop-RIP]

After they added "Ram Air" sounds to the game I found that the best way is to set in game sound to 100% then adjust Windows sound for that application to a suitable level.  So far it's worked out great.

[Reggie]

Oooh, I need to try this - I was loving the better sound quality I had last night, but struggled with not hearing everyone on TS enough, unless I boosted them so much it was deafening when I wasn't in game 😄

[Beebop-RIP]

Not quite sure HOW I did it but right now the game sounds are on my speakers and comms only in headset.  I'm using a lightweight open style set (Plantronics Audio 60 shown below) so I can hear the speakers quite well.  Noise cancelling keeps the speaker sound from being transmitted through the mic.

Sadly they don't make these anymore but I still have one brand new, unopened set for if/when they give up the ghost.

[Perfesser]

After turning the game sound to 100 I notice hearing explosions as I bomb ground targets or kill something with guns on the ground, aircraft engines in formation, other tanks if I shut my engine off.

I attached my headtracker LED's right to the headset, powered from USB (one of my monitors has a USB plug) via a telephone handset cord coiled around the headset cable.