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MidniteTheDSiXL's avatar
MidniteTheDSiXL
New Rookie
3 years ago

Sound Issues

If this needs to be moved, I can move it to the technical issues thread, although I'm not sure if this is a tech issue/bug or just the general nature of the game itself. I'd like to know if anyone else has this happen in their game.

For whatever reason, it feels like the sound in The Sims 4 isn't properly "placed" in relation to where you have your camera/POV set. Like in regular camera mode (not pressing Tab to go into freecam mode or Shift+Tab to go in the POV of your Sims' eyes), the sound seems off-placed. For example, if I pull my camera up to two talking Sims and stay right next to them, their voices are super quiet. But if I simply back up about 10 in-game feet away from them, suddenly their voices become louder and match the correct volume that my PC is turned up to. It's been making gameplay unbelievably irritating since I have a subwoofer speaker setup and turning up the sound on my PC to listen to my Sims chat away, only to get blasted away by my cowplant giving a deep bassy moo or when some annoying townie a few feet away from my global superstar decides to start screeching and blowing my ears out, is certainly a game ruiner.

Strangely enough, it's the opposite in Tab mode. When I'm right next to my Sims talking and their voices/other sound effects with them are quiet, the second I go into Tab/freecam mode, suddenly their voices and sound effects increase back to the volume they're supposed to be. When I'm about 10 in-game feet from them and they sound loud, I go into Tab mode and boom, they quiet down to a volume that makes sense for me being distanced from them.

This happens with everything in the game that makes sound. Up close and personal with the Sim/object making noise = super quiet, hitting Tab increases them to normal volume. Roughly 10 in-game feet away from the Sim/object making noise = normal volume they're supposed to be at when you're close to them, hitting Tab decreases their volume to a level that makes sense for being farther away from them.

I've tried it with my mods turned off and it still does that with the sound. At first I thought it was this camera mod I have (that VASTLY improves the camera and keeps it from acting "floaty"), but the game still quieted my Sims when I had the camera right next to to them. This has been a thing since I got the game in April this year and getting packs and updating with patches has not changed it, or at least it hasn't seemed to change.

I'm so confused why the game is like this, if it's the nature of the game or a bug that slipped by and switched the way the game handles audio for the gameplay camera and freecam mode. Regardless of why it's like that, does anyone know if there's a mod that fixes it? Or has been bothered by it enough to fix it?

I'll screen record what I'm talking about and share it if anyone is confused at what I'm talking about.

pc

4 Replies

  • simmemoirs's avatar
    simmemoirs
    Seasoned Hotshot
    3 years ago

    You have explained your issue well and after reading your post it definitely sounds like something is not right with the sound. When you are up close to your sims in regular camera mode you should be able to hear them clearly and quite loudly. You might have already done this but if not, have you tried repairing the game?  Maybe even disconnecting your subwoofer speakers setup and trying it with just the speakers on your monitor?

  • roberta591's avatar
    roberta591
    Hero (Retired)
    3 years ago

    @MidniteTheDSiXL Please tell us how your speakers are hooked up. If you have speakers hooked up from your computer can you try a headset and see if the problem is still there. If your hooked up to an audio system or tv there might be some automatic volume control causing this

  • MidniteTheDSiXL's avatar
    MidniteTheDSiXL
    New Rookie
    2 years ago
    @simmemoirs I am SO sorry for having been gone over a year (I had been dealing with a family member's cancer so the last thing on my mind was a Sims sound bug - good news is the cancer is gone!), but annoyingly enough, the sound issue is still present. At this rate I'm not sure if it is an actual sound issue or just how the game is set up, but no matter what I use, it still persists. I've done repairs on the game for other things and none have touched the weird sound issue, and my monitor doesn't have speakers so I've tested it with my headphones (both wired and wireless), and it's still the same.
  • MidniteTheDSiXL's avatar
    MidniteTheDSiXL
    New Rookie
    2 years ago
    @roberta591 Been gone a long time (apologies on that, I explained why I was gone in the reply to the person above you), but my speakers are indeed hooked up to the computer. I've since built a new PC and the problem is still present, and using wired headphones and Bluetooth earbuds doesn't make a difference as the sound problem is still there. I almost think it's how the game is set up/supposed to be, but I know that can't be the case. I don't mind doing a quick screen recording to show exactly what's happening, if that may be any help (or even to tell me the game is supposed to be like that XD)

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