Common issue: Poor voicechat volume

[Shade]

Think everyone suffers this issue to some degree, DDOs voicechat just doesn't get that loud. Other games voicechat or apps like teamspeak/ventrilo work perfect.

Tho for me, I often come in a bit lower then some others. Seems the odd person has a really loud mic, yet I can never find one thats loud in DDO.

For most, its fine if they set there audio setings up good (all 0.001 cept voice maxxed.. But some have poor speakers/headsets and just cant hear).

And i've gone through 5+ different ones over the years, and several different sounds cards too.

ATM I use:
Soundcard:
Auzentech X-FI Bravura 7.1
Mic:
Creative Falaity USB gaming headset

Soundcard works reasonable well. Messes up occoasionally in ddo when I use EAX.. But thats an improvement over my old regular creative X-FI which would just bluescreen my machine often if I used it.

Mic is fine for most ppl with decently loud speakers/headphone, and works perfect in non-ddo voicechat like ventrilo, teamspeaker, steam, etc.. But just doesn't get that loud.

And yea it's not my settings, I've tried everything and then some to get it louder, they are all maxxed out. Im an engineer so well aware of how it works.
This particular mic is USB so it has its own built in soundcard.. Helps cut down on interference usually.. But sometimes messes up and I have to re-plug it and reset the settings. Also lacks any "mic boost" option in windows audio panel settings, I believe it's just always enabled, which is good as DDO needs that.

Anyone have one of those rather loud mics or can recommend one to me?
Also what soundcard do you use it with? (mostly doesn't matter if its usb)

[wax_on_wax_off]

I always have this problem dual booting an intel MacBook Pro. However, for me it is just the case of delving into the settings to figure out the particular place to boost the volume as there seem to be multiple places in windows and OSX where the volume can be boosted.

In Windows, I can't remember exactly where the setting is but it's not in the usual audio panel. I found it again recently when I loaded up DDO and it fixed my volume straight away, though, I didn't put it to maximum so still have an issue occasionally.

In OSX to get the mic to work properly in DDO I think I ended up figuring out that if I had skype running in the background that it would fix the problem by overriding some sound settings. Don't care now how it worked as I've given up on natively running DDO on OSX for now.

Good luck

[jcTharin]

I am using a usb Logitech headset that works wonderfully for me. I have never had someone unable to hear me since I got it, in fact more often than not people bleeding ears and what not and tell me to turn down my gain. I am not a loud individual, but I have had at least 3 people squelch me only because I was too loud.

link to headset

[bigolbear]

the only way to fix this issue for real is to allow individual volume sliders for each party member. id suggest accessing this through the audio options. It will also need a restore to default on exiting a group feature and a 'master' voice volume slider.

[Chai]

The issue for me isnt the overall mic loudness, but the variance in loudness between players. If I turn the volume up there will be at least one person in the group who will be way too loud.

The best way to solve this would be to add vent-like volume control, where we can make adjustments to each players volume in the group on an individual basis.

[mystafyi]

It took a lot of fiddling with audio setting to get vent, teamspeak and ddo chat to be somewhat balanced.

ddo vox was the problem. its just junk. plus it has a 0.5-1.0sec delay compared to every other vox program out there. not really an issue unless you are trying to guide someone through tiles with it

[nebogloee]

In Sound properties try checking the box for volume normalizing for your headset. It will make the quietest people louder and bring down the real loud ones. I had problems until I did this. Just FYI.

[Astraghal]

I don't have the patience for the sub-standard voice communication setup we have. I adjust my sound so I can hear the sound effects and the loudest people/microphones comfortably. That leaves about 90% of people inaudible. Not ideal for this type of game, but the frustrations I experienced trying to balance the sound in DDO made me realize that hearing voice just isn't worth the trouble. Glad this game doesn't require much verbal communication.

[ChaneDDO]

I'm using a USB Logitech headphone/mic : http://www.logitech.com/en-gb/gaming...s/devices/5848

Which seems to work very well in DDO. I think a lot of the problem is that people don't use the self-test option and just assume that everyone else can hear them unless someone actually says something (which most don't)

[Solmage]

I am using a usb Logitech headset that works wonderfully for me. I have never had someone unable to hear me since I got it, in fact more often than not people bleeding ears and what not and tell me to turn down my gain. I am not a loud individual, but I have had at least 3 people squelch me only because I was too loud.

link to headset

I use the same headset and I find it loud enough, I don't have my gain maxed simply because it would be too loud.

The biggest problem, in my opinion, is that DDO should have a way to right click a party member, select a volume option for that player, and then adjust their gain in relation to what's comfortable for us, so that people too loud or too quiet come across better for us. (DDO Would then store those settings locally for that particular player)

[stoerm]

When we use Skype I hear my mate loud and clear, with ddo voice chat he sounds muted. Having voice chat is a great feature but it needs honing.

[Syllph]

Agreed. A buddy of mine comes in super quiet, but sign onto Skype and it's crystal clear. Likewise another guy i group with has a very unusual "bug" (not sure what else to call it).

Roughly 1/2 the people we group with he hears them like they're completely garbled and others he hears fine. Meanwhile the rest of the group hears everyone fine.

It's always the same people and only within a dungeon setting (while in town he hears them fine again)

[Astraghal]

I gave up ages ago trying to hear voice in-game. I used to use Teamspeak a bit, but I'm sure it caused extra lag. It's stressful having to often write 'can't hear sound please type' in party chat, but it beats having my fingers surgically attached to the volume control. I just set sound so that the loudest people are just slightly loud on my end, then set the game sounds around that. I got sick of the burst eardrums and cleaning the blood out of my ears/nose/eyes after a brain explosion when someone coughs or yells at their wife/kids over an open mic.

That leaves at least 50-75% of people inaudible to me.