How to Turn on Sound Equalization on Windows 11
Do you find that some bits of audio content play louder than others on Windows? Here’s how to turn on sound equalization on Windows 11.
According to the Declaration of Independence, all men are created equal, and when Angelica Schuyler meets Thomas Jefferson, she’s going to compel him to include women in the sequel. Work! Hamilton lyrics aside, plenty of things aren’t created equal. One of those is audio. We’ve all experienced watching a show on TV only to find that during the commercial break, the volume goes WAY up. This is a not-so-subtle effort from these companies, akin to them coming into our homes and screaming BUY OUR STUFF!
The same thing can happen on your PC, too. Whether you’re watching some streaming content with ads, or just listening to a playlist of songs from different sources, you may find that the volume suddenly leaps way up or drops way down, taking you out of your listening experience.
If you find that this is happening to you, there is a feature you can turn on that should help. The Loudness Equalization setting in Windows tries to reduce the perceived volume differences so that all your audio sounds like it’s playing at a similar level, which can literally be music to your ears. Here’s how to turn on sound equalization on Windows 11.
What is Sound Equalization on Windows 11?
Windows 11 has a setting called Loudness Equalization that tries to equalize the sound levels on your PC. This means that the overall sound levels should remain the same no matter what audio is playing. For example, when you’re streaming a show with commercials, these will often be at a much higher volume level than the main content, to try to grab your attention and focus it on the products being promoted.
This can be pretty annoying, as the volume can jump up suddenly and if you already had the volume high to hear the main content, it can suddenly go even higher. Loudness Equalization attempts to smooth out these changes so that all of your audio sticks to similar levels. You’ll still get parts that are a little louder or quieter, but the differences won’t be so jarring. This is similar to the audio normalization used by apps such as Spotify.
How to Turn on Sound Equalization on Windows 11
Turning on Loudness Equalization on Windows 11 isn’t entirely intuitive. You go through the modern-looking Windows 11 Settings but end up in an old-school Speaker Settings dialog box that’s a reminder of the Windows versions of yesteryear.
- Right-click the Start button in the taskbar.
- Select Settings.
- In the left-hand menu, click System.
- Select Sound.
- Scroll down to the Advanced section and click More Sound Settings.
- Select your speakers.
- Click the Properties button at the bottom of the window.
- Select the Enhancements tab.
- Check Loudness Equalization.
- Click Apply.
Once that’s done, you’ll have Loudness Equalization active on Windows.
What Other Audio Enhancements Are Available in Windows 11?
There are also three other audio enhancement options you can select to enhance the audio on Windows 11.
Bass Boost
As the name suggests, the Bass Boost audio enhancement can increase the bass levels for your computer. If you find that the bass coming from your speakers is quite weak, turning on this enhancement can increase the bass levels. Ultimately, however, you’ll be limited by the capabilities of your speakers as to just how much bass you’re able to get.
Virtual Surround
Some audio content is available in a surround sound format. If you have a multi-speaker setup, different parts of the audio can play through different speakers, creating a more three-dimensional feeling to the audio. For example, in a cinema where you can hear a car approaching from the right and then disappearing to the left, this is achieved with a multi-speaker surround sound system.
If you have supported speakers, turning on the Virtual Surround enhancement sends the surround sound mix as a stereo output which can provide a simulation of surround sound. If you’re using headphones, you should check out Windows Sonic Spatial Sound for a similar effect.
Room Correction
If you’ve ever been inside a large, mostly empty building, like a cathedral, you’ll know just how much difference the acoustics of the room you’re in can make to sound. Sneeze in your bedroom and it sounds pretty flat. Do the same in a cathedral and it will echo around the space. The Room Correction enhancement attempts to compensate for the acoustic properties of the space you’re sitting in. You’ll use a separate microphone which you position where you’re going to be listening and follow a wizard that plays tones from your speakers. The microphone captures the responses from your room, and the Room Correction algorithms adjust the audio for the optimum frequency response for your particular space.
You can’t use Room Correction at the same time as Virtual Surround. If you try to turn on both options in your Speaker Properties, you’ll see a prompt asking you to turn one of them off. However, you can combine other audio enhancements, such as having Bass Boost as Loudness Equalization on at the same time.
How to Disable Audio Enhancements on Windows 11
Although turning on audio enhancements such as Loudness Equalization requires you to go through some old-school dialog boxes, turning off these enhancements can be done directly through the Settings app. You can’t change which audio enhancements are on or off through this setting, so you’ll need to use the method above to do that. However, you can decide whether the enhancements that you’ve selected are all on or all disabled. This is a quick way to turn off options such as Loudness Equalization or Bass Boost if you don’t want them.
- Right-click the Start button in the taskbar.
- Select Settings.
- In the menu on the left, select System.
- Click Sound.
- Under Output select Speakers.
- Scroll down to Audio Enhancements and click the drop-down.
- Select Off to disable audio enhancements.
- To turn them back on again, repeat the steps above and select Device Default Effects.
Normalizing Sound in Windows 11
Learning how to turn on sound equalization on Windows 11 allows you to reduce the problem of your audio suddenly getting too loud or too quiet. It should help to balance out the volume levels, so you don’t get scared half to death by the volume levels suddenly going right up.
As well as using the Loudness Normalization feature, you can also turn on other useful audio enhancements such as Bass Boost, Virtual Sound, and Room Correction, although you won’t be able to use Virtual Sound and Room Correction at the same time. Try experimenting with these settings to see if they improve your audio experience. You may find a combination that can make your listening experience much better.
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