volume/audio issues

[shammah98]

I notice that sometimes when I connect, I can barely hear ATC, ie the aircraft sounds seem to over power the transmissions. However if I minimize the sim, obviously the ATC is much louder. last time, when I started the session, everything was fine, and then the issue started mid flight. I've gone into FS settings and turned down cockpit , enviroment, and engine levels to less than 10%, still the PE, volume is barely audible...

any ideas?

[shammah98]

Also, is there a way to not hear ATC when they are tx'ing on other freq? I understand we need to have ppl monitoring more than one freq for coverage, but if it was possible so I wasn't hearing lax gnd transmit while im on las vegas twr, that would be great

[Keith Smith]

There are certain compromises that occur if you try to replicate the National Airspace System with fewer controllers than are actually used in real life to staff those facilities. 30+ towered airports would be 60-90 controllers (ignoring the 100+ controllers working the TRACONs and enroute position). One of those compromises is that our controllers are combining more roles/frequencies than would normally be combined in real life.

Post launch, we will quickly reach a staffing level where you ONLY hear ground-related transmissions on a ground freq (although it might still be for other airports), and only hear tower related transmissions on the tower freqs.

I can't promise we'll reach the point where we have a dedicated controller at every field, though, or that we can modify the technology where controllers can easily isolate their transmissions without significantly increasing their workload (it's the last part which is hard to solve).

We'll attempt to provide dedicated controllers at hot spot airports on a given night as much as possible. Right now during the 7-day per week beta, we don't have a lot of excess controllers, so the staffing is pretty light.

The next version of the pilot client will let you isolate the comms to a separate sound device. One or two of our controllers are on the quiet side, too. Even though the software continuously calibrates the volume, it takes time to happen, making it hard to hear the start of some transmissions. We'll work on that. For now, though, you're doing the right thing, reduce the FS volumes (either within FS itself, or from the Win7 mixer which allows for per-app volume control, if you're using Win7 of course).

Here's another recent thread about the radio system and combining of positions. Note that frequency combining does happen in the real world, we just do it on a different scale here, see below:
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=688

[shammah98]

Thanks for the response!

[Simon Ambrose]

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The next version of the pilot client will let you isolate the comms to a separate sound device. One or two of our controllers are on the quiet side, too. Even though the software continuously calibrates the volume, it takes time to happen, making it hard to hear the start of some transmissions.

Some form of VU meter, for both Pilots & Controllers, in the audio client, might make Mic level setting, and checking audio levels far easier.

Simon

[Keith Smith]

Modern operating systems already supplies such a meter. That's non-trivial to implement, and based on our experience so far, isn't necessary. I don't think we've had a single pilot yet that was inaudible for reasons related to volume.

Once pilots are conveniently able to route the audio to their headset in the FS9/X client (it's possible now, I suspect, but involves setting the default playback device to the headset , starting SB_PE, then setting the default device to the speakers, then firing up the sim), there will be less of a concern about volume.

There is one controller I've noticed that does have quiet audio on a regular basis. On long transmissions, it works out ok because the calibration kicks in and compensates accordingly, but it can be hard to catch the first few words sometimes. We'll work on that. I don't think it's a widespread issue, though.