While most PC users (especially gamers) use their sound card and speakers as much as any other component, very few sites ever emphasize tweaking sound systems. That said, this guide should get you started on improving your computer's sound quality. It's a long guide, and the procedures may take you some time to complete, but we think you'll find the results are worthwhile.
Drivers
The first step to successfully tweaking anything is downloading updated drivers. For the ones you need, check out WinDrivers.com. Installing new drivers for sound cards can:
Fix compatibility problems
Add support for games
Improve playback of MIDIs
Add new features for 3D (DirectSound3D, EAX, A3D, etc.)
Correct problems with MIDI/joystick ports
Improve and/or correct other issues not listed above =)
Troubleshooting
Freezes
If your sound card causes freezes, there's usually a simple explanation. The most common problem is an IRQ conflict. To make sure the sound card isn't sharing an IRQ:
Right click My Computer on the desktop
Choose Properties
Choose the Device Manager tab
Scroll down to Sound, Video, and Game Controllers and expand the "tree"
Double click each item pertaining to your sound card (one at a time)
Choose the Resources tab
Look under Conflicting Device List
If you see an IRQ conflict, try unchecking the Use Automatic Settings button. Re-map the IRQ to resources that are not in use. Reboot and see if the changes were affective. If not, try again.
If you're still having problems, try re-mapping the resources in your BIOS:
Reboot, depress the Delete key or the appropriate key (ckeck your motherboard's manual) to enter your BIOS setup
Find a section called PNP, PCI, & Onboard I/O (or similar)
Find Resources Controlled By: (or similar) and change the value from Auto to Manual
Change the setting of the IRQ(s) the sound card is conflicting with or using
Boot into Windows, and make sure everything is okay
When you're having audio trouble in games, applications, etc., one good way in which to troubleshoot the soundcard (and/or its drivers) is to try the following:
From the Start menu, select Settings and open the Control Panel
Double-click the Multimedia icon, and under Playback, click the Advanced Properties button
Select the Performance tab and find the Hardware Acceleration slider control
It will probably be all the way to the right. Try sliding it to the left one notch
Run the game/application with which you're having trouble and see if there's any improvement
Try this repeatedly at different Hardware Acceleration levels. While certain games may run fine with full acceleration enabled, a few may perform better with acceleration taken back just a bit.
Getting desperate? Remove the card completely and reinstall. To do so:
Right click My Computer on the desktop
Choose Properties
Choose Device Manager
Scroll down to Sound, Video, and Game Controllers and expand the "tree"
Click on each of the items pertaining to your sound card (one at a time)
Choose Remove, then Okay
Reboot once everything has been removed
Reinstall hardware as instructed by your sound card's manual
Other tips for fixing freezes:
Disable assignment of IRQ to USB (unless you're using it). This can be done in the BIOS usually. Set your card to Half-Duplex unless you need Full-Duplex (record/play at the same time). Consult your sound card's manual for this.
If nothing you find here works, consult your manual for further information, or replace the sound card if it's that bad... :)
Poor sound in certain games:
If you have an Ensoniq AudioPCI (and a few other boards) or are experiencing terribly choppy sound in Quake /II engine-based games (Quake, Quake II, Hexen, Hexen II, SiN, Half-Life, Kingpin, others), try setting the sound to Maximum Compatibility instead of Maximum Performance.
Improving Sound Quality
Don't put a great sound system to waste by setting it up for poor sound quality!
First Step: Volume Control
If you don't even have Volume Control installed, do so ASAP:
Enter your control panel
Choose Add/Remove programs, Windows Setup, Multimedia
Click details
Check the box that says Volume Control
While you're there, make sure you have Audio Compression installed. You will be prompted to insert the Windows CD-Rom.
Note: If your "mixer" is different from the standard Windows mixer, follow as many steps listed here as you can in order to install it. (There may be a setup program on your sound card's drivers CD that will allow you to install "Utilities," or something to that effect.)
First, load an MP3 or MIDI or some sort of sound so you can hear what you're doing as you're adjusting the settings.
Now, open the Volume Control panel (double click the speaker symbol in your system tray):
Set Volume Control Balance low
Set the others to your preferences
I recommend setting bass about 1/3 higher than treble, and setting the others high. Set your speakers' volume low. The sound should be very quiet now.
Slowly increase the main volume control on the speakers themselves until the volume is loud enough. Make sure that in the future you use the volume control on the speakers, NOT the Volume Control Balance. Leave the software-volume low at all times for the best quality and least amount of static.
If you followed the steps above, the sound should already be very crisp and clear. If not:
Try setting the Volume Control in you "mixer" about 3/4 of the way UP - perhaps a tad higher, even. (Be sure to turn the volume on the speakers themselves down first!) Use the volume control on your speakers to adjust the volume to an acceptable level, This is in direct opposition to the aforementioned tweak, but you may want to try it anyway, Why? Well...
Most decent-quality sound cards these days utilize pre-amps of some sort. The pre-amp powers the speakers, which, sometimes, are powered themselves. This can cause potential trouble if the speakers aren't receiving enough signal from the source. The Volume Control (in Windows) controls the pre-amp of your sound card. If your card isn't driving your speakers hard enough, you have to compensate by turning up your speakers. This can cause unnecessary "hiss." Try finding a balance between your sound card's pre-amp output and your speakers' threathold.
One last thing about setting performance:
Go to the Control Panel and open the Multimedia applet. Under Playback, click the Advanced Properties button, and select the Performance tab. Find the Sample Rate Conversion Quality. Some cards' drivers may set this to the lowest available setting. Try upping it to Best. If any problems arise, take it down a notch. Repeat the step for Recording.
Extra little hints:
Some people might not know about these; here are a few tips.
If you have a chance to pick up a sound card with 4 speaker output, go for it. You won't be disappointed.
If you're using 3D sound with your card, make sure your Codec Rate is 44K or 22K and NOT 48K+ or 3D sound will not be used. [If your manual says otherwise, try using 48K+]
If you use a "3D" button on your speakers, make sure it does NOT disable stereo. (As a marketing gimmick, some "3D" buttons only increase the volume.)
Winamp / MP3
Here are a few tweak tips for the popular MP3 player, Winamp.
(Make sure you've downloaded the latest version prior to tweaking it).
If you listen to MP3s and use plug-ins, make sure you have done the following:
Right click Winamp (in the system tray) to bring up the menu
Choose Options
Choose Preferences
Click the Plug-in tree on the left
Set Visualization plug-in priority to the notch between high and normal (or just set it to high if you have a fast enough CPU)
Configure the plug-in to your preferences
Everyone should do the following (especially if performance is not good):
Right click Winamp to bring up the menu
Choose Options
Choose Preferences
Click the Input tree
Choose NullSoft MPEG Audio Decoder...
Click Configure below
Click the Decorder tab at the top
If you have been having choppy playback Disable Stereo Output, or uncheck 16 Bit Output (or both)
If you have a Pentium 100 or faster, choose Full Quality
If you have a low-end Pentium (P 60 MHz to P 75 MHz) set Quality to Half unless MP3s play without problems
If you have a 486 or lower, set Quality to Half (or Quarter if you experience poor performance)
Choose the Decoder Mode that is optimized for your CPU.
Adjust the equalizer for your personal needs:
Click the EQ button on the main Winamp window
Adjust the Preamp until the sound is clear and loud enough
One by one, move your way from left to right, tweaking the settings
Don't set 60 Hz or 16 KHz too high or the sound clarity may be slightly degraded
Tweak the settings repeatedly, and save changes and compare, until you've decided on a "perfect" setting
Save settings one last time, and exit the EQ
Speaker Placement
Speaker placement can have a huge impact on what the listener hears.
Note: Some of this section may or may not apply to you, depending on your work (play?) environment. Do the best you can. =)
The general rule is "place low sounds low - high sounds high".
Basic Speaker Placement - 2 Speakers, no Subwoofer:
Position the speakers so that they can be heard comfortably, at a moderate volume (this is usually two to three feet from your head). Place them as far apart as possible (within reason); as a reference, home-stereos usually sound best when the speakers are set 6' or more apart. As such a distance may not be possible, try for 3 or more feet, instead (the further the better). They should be at eye-level, or somewhere thereabouts. Experiment here.
Placing the speakers somewhat ABOVE your head can sometimes lend an edge of "atmosphere" to the sound which otherwise wouldn't be present. Also, on lower-end speakers, placing them slightly above your head can diminish the "thin" sound produced by such speakers.
Also, be sure not to aim the speakers directly at your head, but rather, just slightly inward. The direct line of sound from the speakers should "graze" your ears, as opposed to striking them dead-on.
I suggest using the idea above for the two satellites, and putting the subwoofer on the floor, in the back left (or right - depending on your "handedness" =) corner of the room (or desk). Face it toward a wall or into a corner but DO NOT block the vent (most subwoofers are vented). Placing a subwoofer in such a manner usually accentuates the bass response though a phenomenon known as acoustic amplification (no BS here, folks). If the room is larger than 12' x 12', place the subwoofer closer to you, or turn up the bass. The higher you place the subwoofer, the higher its volume should be set (within reason).
Four speakers can be very effective if set up correctly. I suggest taking the Basic Speaker Placement approach for the front two satellites and subwoofer. The rear speakers should be placed about the same distance apart as the front. Place them as far back as needed. To compensate for the distance, increase their volume until you feel "centered" in the sound (pop in a CD and experiment here). The rear speakers should be aimed slightly toward your back (refer to the Basic Speaker Placement section). In my experience, the rear speakers sound a bit better if placed slightly higher than the front speakers (approx. 12" higher).
Conclusion
Even if you don't have the "latest and greatest" equipment, you can still improve the overall sound quality of your machine. Granted, the better your gear, the more you'll have to work with, but with a little know-how and ingenuity, you'll be confident that you've done all you can to squeeze every last bit of performance out what you have.
Drivers, mulitmedia and proprietary API settings, speaker placement, and a little time can go a long way in ensuring that you're getting the best results possible. We hope that in the end this guide has been of some use to you, the Tweak3D reader, and as always, if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, feel free to drop on by the Tweak3D discussion board and make yourself heard.
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Some part of this document is taken from www.tweak3d.net and www.pcguide.com.
