Low volume when running SCS (solved)

ajwilkins · Post by **ajwilkins** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 8:41 am

I have installed SCS-Standard 9.4.6 on my Vista laptop; however when I open SCS I get the error "Audio device 'Realtek AC97 Audio' not found. Using primary device for FOH'". Playback does work with these speakers running SCS, however the volume is much lower than when I play the same sounds using Media Player or any other software. Please advise.

Mike Daniell · Post by **Mike Daniell** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 6:57 pm

Regarding the 'Realtek AC97 Audio' not found message, did you create the cue file (the .scs fle) on the same laptop or on another machine? If on the same laptop, have you recently changed any audio settings or hardware on the laptop? The message indicates that you are trying to load a cue file that refers to the 'Realtek AC97 Audio' device but it cannot currently be found on the laptop.

For the low level issue, in SCS go to the menu item View / Options and click on the Mixer Levels tab. If the faders are not set to maximum, move them to the maximum position, select the 'Save Settings' checkbox, and then click the Apply button or the OK button. Note that under Vista you may find the sliders echo each other when you Apply your changes.

Let me know if you still have a problem with either of these issues.

ajwilkins · Post by **ajwilkins** » Sat Mar 08, 2008 5:17 am

Thanks for your reply; the .scs file had been copied from another PC (desktop), so I re-created the .scs file on the laptop adding each cue (only a few) and this cleared the error message.

Unfortunately, your recommended steps didn't correct the volume problem; the Master and Wave/MP3 mixer levels are set to maximum (0.0) but with changes applied, the playback volume is still too low. I also checked on my desktop PC (Windows XP), this played the sound cues at the correct volume.

jkowtko · Post by **jkowtko** » Sat Mar 08, 2008 6:48 am

As a control test, play some music through Windows Media Player or some other sound playback program other than SCS. That will at least tell you if the problem is in SCS or in your Windows sound driver and/or hardware card.

Obviously, if it's not SCS, the next step to narrow down on the problem is to put the sound card in another machine and see if it works there.

Mike Daniell · Post by **Mike Daniell** » Sat Mar 08, 2008 12:16 pm

What are the levels (volumes) of the individual cues? If you move the level sliders to the maximum position, do you get the same level as you do with Windows Media Player? When you create an audio file cue, SCS initially sets the level to the default level set in the Production Properties, and the default for that is -3dB. This is so that you have a bit of headroom for increasing levels if necessary, but it does mean the default level will be lower than what you probably get from WMP. However, I wouldn't expect that to be regarded as "much lower", so I don't know if that is the problem. If adjusting the cue levels doesn't help, could you email me your cue fle (the .scs file)?

ajwilkins · Post by **ajwilkins** » Sat Mar 08, 2008 8:22 pm

The audio levels for the cues are set to 0.0dB, but are still playing at lower volume on the Vista laptop. When I try the same file on my XP desktop, the volume is correct. However I have emailed the .scs file, if you could have a look please Mike. Thanks.

ajwilkins · Post by **ajwilkins** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 2:23 am

I tried one of the suggestions on the Notebook forum, and it appears to have sorted the problem. The action was to open Control Panel, select Sound->Manage Audio devices; select Realtek speakers and click <Properties>; select the 'Enhancements' tab and select the 'Loudness Equalization' check box.

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Low volume when running SCS (solved)

Low volume when running SCS (solved)

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