Re: Improve in game sounds - how to

@gg123xyzNot sure I follow you. Lowering specific frequencies on the eq makes those sounds less prominent. Apex has overwhelming sounds less than 100 Hz due to many abilities and other in game random sounds. This is why it's turned way down. So you can hear the rest.

The 2nd chart was made by an audio engineer specifically for apex.

by lowering the equalizer to the lowest value you affect the distance the sound travels. making the wave smaller. similar to fps and aim assist the more fps the better the aim

assist.

maybe the lower the equalizer, the smaller the wave = more waves = more times the sound from the person is heard while other sounds blend into the overall hum the sound makes by being on the low equalizer.

maybe i am wrong.

@gg123xyz my interpretation was that while sounds overlap, we are reducing the main bit of an unwanted sound by reducing specific eq points, increasing the main bit of wanted sounds by increasing specific eq points.

This does alter the overall sound field we hear and it is not perfect, as the sound field has been adulterated. Some of the sound  overlap suffers. You are in effect sacrificing some of the og sound field.

What it does do is allow specific sounds to come through clearer, but also adulterated. You can never correct an error in a sound file perfectly. 

If you dropped the whole eq and raised the volume wouldn't that just leave you in the same original position?

I would be very interested to hear back from you on what results your idea actually has on apex sound. 

i went a found a test video and played with the equalizer in the vlc program, here is the video clip i tested with, the second test when the lady runs to the right is easier to hear the difference with: 

https://youtu.be/BMqDCws-C8o

then i didnt hear what i thought i would hear, so i played with the equalizer and found if i split the equalizer into two halves, i take the right half and make is a angled line from the middle upwards with the outside of the right equalizer side being the high point on the line. i could hear a difference like i thought.

here is a picture of my equalizer settings so you can try for yourself, i also put on my speaker volume loud so the footsteps without the equalizer are audible.

the idea behind why it works is i said the sound would be equal sized waves if the sliders of the equalizer were in the same spot.

but the sliders each have different number values.

so having the far right slider be the same sliding spot doesn't balance out the numbers to make a equivalent sized sound wave of the larger far left equalizer slider.

so i tried to make them equivalent sized sound waves by making the angle you see in the picture and it works pretty good.

i was going to make a video showing you but i decided not too. this is good enough.

@gg123xyz that's great, thank you. Everything here helps. I'm going to have to reread it a few times to get to grips with what you posted and how it works

Did you do a comparison test with sonar on instead of your eq, to get a view as to which sounds better, lost audio etc. I think you have silenced all bass in your experiment. 

How would you run the sound through a digital eq on the pc? Is there a standard one to use or perhaps you could do a a test using sonar, comparing their specific apex settings with your settings. 

Also how does your test video sounds compare to actual play sounds? Somthing may have been lost in the recording. 

@gg123xyzI get what you are saying. Higher frequencies have shorter wave lengths. I don't think this necessarily applies tho to playing this game tho. They program in levels of sounds. In real life it matters more.

Personally the setting you show would not do me any good. I cant hear sound above 13k and doubt there are sounds that high in Apex anyway. Footstep audio is generally lower frequency. I saw someone did a study of COD and found all footsteps are between 100 and 200 Hz. This is why in the Sonar software that range is boosted for their COD setting. Apex has footsteps slightly higher frequency than that because of the robot legs and water.

That video being valorant also probably isn't as  helpful as sounds will be different game to game. In that vid the footsteps are lower frequency than Apex.

If it works for you use it. I highly suggest people test things out. People hear sound so differently.

i made this version for the sonar software:

mixer

50%
-17.1dB

Game

gain = -12.0 dB
freq = 20.0Hz
Q = 0.707

gain = -12.0dB
freq = 101.8Hz
Q = 0.707

gain = -2.8dB
freq = 471.9Hz
Q = 0.707

gain = 2.5dB
freq = 1.96kHz
Q = 0.707

gain = 12.0dB
freq = 9.88kHz
Q = 0.707

bass = 0.0
voice = 12.0dB
treble = 12.0dB

gain = 12.0dB

i cant say for sure its the same as the vlc version but i tried and there you go.

just crank up the volume in your speakers too.

i havent tried it yet in the game just the valorant sound from the link i showed. its nice now you gave me the sonar software i can use it in the game now too ty!

and the idea of the angle came from me using the drawing technique of finding a third of a line. you see i half the horizontal line on the right hand and half the circle the line touches which makes a nice third of the line from the horizontal line in the center of the circle to the bottom of the circle on the vertical line;

hayhor said he cant hear at some sound, then increase the gain. increase the volume. in the sonar software the gain is zero for the apex legends setting and the footsteps are inaudible in the valorant clip for me so i increase the gain to hear something.

@gg123xyz thank you, that gives players another option to try.

If you could please come back when you have tried your settings in sonar vs the default apex settings to let us know how it went or if you make further adjustments, I'll put them in the first post as an option.

As for myself I'm almost deaf in one ear and hard of hearing in the other, with tri tonal tinnitus that is exacerbated by loud noise, so volume is an issue. So no headphones for me, just TV speakers from the xbox. Also as an example if more that one person is talking in a room the sounds get muddied. Basically what I'm trying to say is I can't really carry out sound tests 😃

But the dts settings on the xbox really improved things for me, it seems to have spread out the sounds in the stereo field, for want of a better explanation. 

i think any setting thats pre made is good just increase the treble and voice to 12 and the gain to max and your set. in the sonar sound.

i tested my settings above in apex legends and with voice at 0 its useless. but voice at 12 and its ok, so the same for the other sound settings too like the pre made apex legends sound.

@gg123xyz thank you. So I'll do out the below and put it in the first post, if you agree. 

Would you add "just crank up the volume in your speakers/headphones too." to these settings? 

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@gg123xyz wrote:

i made this version for the sonar software:

mixer

50%
-17.1dB

Game

gain = -12.0 dB
freq = 20.0Hz
Q = 0.707

gain = -12.0dB
freq = 101.8Hz
Q = 0.707

gain = -2.8dB
freq = 471.9Hz
Q = 0.707

gain = 2.5dB
freq = 1.96kHz
Q = 0.707

gain = 12.0dB
freq = 9.88kHz
Q = 0.707

bass = 0.0
voice = 12.0dB
treble = 12.0dB

gain = 12.0dB

I think any setting thats pre made in sonar is good,

just increase the treble and voice to 12 and the gain to max.

And your are set in the sonar sound.

i don't mind but these are more for valorant to be honest. that and i tried to match the sonar to the vlc equalizer and its not a 1 to 1 match more of a guessing game and trial and error listening but it works to hear better that much it does so i guess its ok to add it to the first post. ty.

@gg123xyz thank you for your ideas. Any setting improvements you find work for you pl let us know 😃

@pandareno1999 added your bit to first post, sorry for late addition. 🥳

Its made a huge difference to the Apex sound on my TV speakers from the xbox 1S, thank you. 

i played around with the settings some more and now its a bit better sounding. in apex legends. 

mixer
default

Game

gain = -10dB
freq = 20.7Hz
Q = 0.707

gain = 0.9dB
freq = 56.6Hz
Q = 0.707

gain = 10.dB
freq = 83.2Hz
Q = 0.707

gain = -10.9dB
freq = 104.4Hz
Q = 0.707

gain = 8.2dB
freq = 167Hz
Q = 0.707

gain = -11.9dB
freq = 361.8Hz
Q = 0.707

gain = 10.dB
freq = 514.4Hz
Q = 0.707

gain = -12.0dB
freq = 1.31kHz
Q = 0.707

gain = -9.9dB
freq = 5.89kHz
Q = 0.707

gain = 10.4dB
freq = 18.41kHz
Q = 0.707

bass = -12.0

voice = 12.0dB
treble = 12.0dB

gain = 12.0dB

see the way the bumps go up to the right and are equal bumps this is what i tried to make it look like.

i think its better than my other settings you put in the first post. try it out.

I love how there is a seven page thread about all these tricks to improve the sound and make the game playable, because EA won't just fix them by default.

footstep length its audible is 7 foot from the player maybe more or less idk but about 7 foot.

its only really audible 4 foot or less from the player.

valorant you can be 50 foot from them and hear their footsteps.

the gear is 2x or 3x as loud as the footsteps in apex legends. you can hear that 20 foot or so away.

@Kyldenar you don't have to read more that the first post 😛

@gg123xyz I'll get YT to rest out your settings and if they are gtg I'll put them in the first post. Thanks