Hey guys,
If it's not the right forum to ask, please let me know.
I'm testing how a loud master sounds on a low budget laptop speakers. I play it in VLC player, but it can be any other player. When the volume slider of VLC is at 100%, but the Windows volume slider is around 50%, the sound is distorted even though it's not loud. To emphasize, I can turn down the Windows volume slider to 20% and it will be very quiet, but still distorted. However, when the VLC slider is at say 50% but the Windows volume slider is at 100%, the sound is not distorted at all.
In both scenarios the speakers work at the same output level (which isn't very loud). Why is there a difference and one distorts while the second doesn't?
Thanks in advance!
Distortion in VLC vs Windows volume slider
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- KVRAF
- 7120 posts since 22 Jan, 2005 from Sweden
I have a Sennheiser Flex 5000 unit for wireless phones and a cigarr on my shirt.
- I never do more than 50% on player and windows as well
Then I have volume on the cigarr to adjust.
Maybe we should just see volume as daws do and 0 dBFs is not max, so going max usually is +6 dBFs.
Sometimes you have very weak signal and need going up closer to 100%, so levels are set for that situation. Not normal 100% all the time.
One reason you get this result could be that speakers have wrong impedance or that it's a line output not that usable to drive speakers.
Look if there is a setting configuring your output jack for speaker and not line level. Pushing a line level to drive speakers would sound bad.
I remember having a soundcard that had adjustment for input as line or microphone, but so far not outputs. But have a look at configuring sound.
Or get active speakers that have their own volume control, and just adjust levels not to clip.
- I never do more than 50% on player and windows as well
Then I have volume on the cigarr to adjust.
Maybe we should just see volume as daws do and 0 dBFs is not max, so going max usually is +6 dBFs.
Sometimes you have very weak signal and need going up closer to 100%, so levels are set for that situation. Not normal 100% all the time.
One reason you get this result could be that speakers have wrong impedance or that it's a line output not that usable to drive speakers.
Look if there is a setting configuring your output jack for speaker and not line level. Pushing a line level to drive speakers would sound bad.
I remember having a soundcard that had adjustment for input as line or microphone, but so far not outputs. But have a look at configuring sound.
Or get active speakers that have their own volume control, and just adjust levels not to clip.
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- KVRAF
- 16890 posts since 8 Mar, 2005 from Utrecht, Holland
VLC probably feeds a stream of samples as 16bit integers to the Windows sound driver.
My VLC Player (I'm on a Mac) has a marker at around 70%. I think that's the 'unity gain' notch.
If you go over that, you will get clipping and distortion.
Because that's how integer samples work: you cannot go above 0dBfs.
My VLC Player (I'm on a Mac) has a marker at around 70%. I think that's the 'unity gain' notch.
If you go over that, you will get clipping and distortion.
Because that's how integer samples work: you cannot go above 0dBfs.
We are the KVR collective. Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated. 
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