Some games missing sound in 5.1 set up

Bubbabigsexy

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Jun 20, 2014
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I just bought a new Sony Home Theater System that has a 5.1 set up for my computer. Everything sounds amazing, but in a few games, the sound doesn't work in some parts. First, in COD WWII, in some of the opening dialogue where the guys are sitting around and talking, they talk, but no sound. If it wasn't for subs, I'd have no idea what they were saying. But during battles and whatsoever, it sounds amazing. Other times when they are talking to each other, you can hear everything clearly.

In Batman Arkham Knight, when he's running around, I can't hear his footsteps or when he fights, I can't hear him fighting. There is still music, but the special effects like that or when the Joker is talking to Batman, I can't hear anything. But I can hear everything else. It's really frustrating because the new system is amazing and I got a new one because the old system was a 5.1 set up and the speaker that would have these sounds died.

Now this new set up has an hdmi connection but I still use the red/white wires to connect to the back of the computer for sound. I tried it without the wires and it didn't work. I have the Home Theater set up to an Audio In channel and that's the only one that will make the sound work. Any idea what I can do to get the sound in these games that sound amazing but are missing some key dialogue or affects?

My set up:
ASUS ROG Maximus VII Formula Watch Dogs Edition
ASUS GTX 980ti
Sony DVD Home Theater 1000W DAV-DZ650
 
For HDMI Audio to work in games you need to install the HDMI Audio driver for your GPU. When you install the display driver, choose custom install, and make sure HDMI Audio is selected as part of the install. After rebooting, go into the Playback devices tab of your Windows Sound panel, and make sure the HDMI Audio device is selected as the Default device. If you don't see it listed, right click on the open space of the sound panel and check Show disabled devices.

Believe it or not, that is only half the battle, especially since W10 Creators Update has messed with surround audio for a lot of people's PC builds. The first part of the second series of checks is making sure the audio signal is sent to a 5.1 capable component. When using HDMI that's usually a monitor, TV, or AVR (home theater receiver).

Now here's where it gets tricky, because a lot of components list no such thing in their specs. If running the audio signal from one component to another, for instance to your AVR, then to your TV/Monitor (or vice versa), the first component you connect it to has to have 5.1 pass through.

Even if all the above checks out, depending on how old (or how well updated) your MB's onboard audio is, you may have to either try reinstalling your audio driver, rolling back to an earlier driver, or even using MS' High Definition Audio as the playback device. This is because MS is really dropping the ball lately, but according to ASUS, their MB's with the newer audio chips is not affected.

That said, I only researched the ASUS MBs with Realtek audio, as that's what the models I was looking at have. As far as I've read, it seems anything with Realtek's ALC1150 or 1220 still works, perhaps because those latest Realtek audio chips don't have drivers on Realtek's site. You have to get them from the MB manufacturer's product page.

Your MB, since it's a highly modified high end version, has a Cirrus Logic audio chip. I have no idea if it's been affected by the Creators Update, but my guess is you're best off getting the driver for it from the product page of the MB on ASUS's site.
 

Bubbabigsexy

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Jun 20, 2014
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So I finally figured out the problem. As it turns out, I had my computer speakers configured to a 7.1 set up, which is what I was using before I bought the DVD home theater. That was what my Realtek Supreme FX was using as well. So I decided to change it to a 2.1 stereo set up. As it turns out, this allowed all my games to have complete surround sound. The only difference was now I had to turn the volume up to 22 where before on the 7.1 set up, I could set the volume to 13.

Now, I have no idea why this works. Some games play perfect in the 7.1 set up like Nioh, or Doom, or Skyrim V, or NBA 2K18, or Battlefield 4. But other games like Wolfenstein: The New Collossus, or Assassin's Creed Origins, or Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare and WWII, or Shadow of War, or Batman Arkham Knight/City, all lost some sound in the 7.1 set up.

So I'm not sure why some games work properly in 7.1 where other games only work in the 2.1. Also, any computer related things like youtube, movies and tv shows on PowerDVD, music on the AIMP player, all have to use the 7.1 configuration to have the surround sound work properly. So I do have to switch back and forth between them.

But at least the problem is finally solved.