Doesn't seem to help my situation

[MysticBrightShadow]

Hello, I've been dealing with this issue for a long time now on a lenovo thinkpad X1 yoga (gen5) convertible laptop. When I use your software and select my speakers, every time I use the program is just says Loudness Equalization is On. If I change to all enhancements it will report Off, but I can audibly confirm that its still On. Almost like something is locking the setting. Do you have any advice/suggestions?

I also discovered that if I change my laptop to tablet mode (by bending the screen back), and restart the audio (like hit pause and then play on a video) the problem is gone, and remains gone for that specific audio so long as I don't pause, even if I bend the screen forward again. I really hope this might lead to some discovery that can help people like myself. Thank you for trying to solve this for us all.

[kudoamine]

Hi,
Thanks for trying my small software, if I understand correctly the software does turn the Loudness Equalization ON but it gets stuck like that even if you open the software again, right?

I also would like to know some things:

• What's your Windows 10 version?
• How many audio devices you see when you open the software the first time, and what's their names? and which one do you choose?
• When you turn on and off the Loudness Equalization from the Sound Control panel, do you face the same issue or does it work fine from there?
• And lastly, when you open the software, take a look at the Loudness Equalization in the Sound Control panel if it's changing or if it's stuck at ON (checked) there too? (make sure to close the Sound Control panel before you open the software and open it after to check)

Based on the answers, I'll try to figure where the issue is :)

[kudoamine]

Update: Hi, I managed to try the software on a computer with a different audio device than what I originally tried it on, and I encountered the same issue (Loudness Equalization always showing ON, and when using All Enhancement showing OFF).
And what fixed it for me, was turning the Loudness Equalization once from the Sound Control panel, then I could use the software to toggle it every time.

More details: When I had this issue I checked the registry where the Loudness Equalization settings is saved to (Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\MMDevices\Audio\Render\DEVICE ID\FxProperties) and noticed that the key responsible for the Loudness Equalization was missing ({fc52a749-4be9-4510-896e-966ba6525980},3) that's why the software couldn't edit it every time and was showing wrong results, so try the above solution, hopefully that works for you too, otherwise inform me :)

[MysticBrightShadow]

Thanks for trying to look into this issue. Im using windows 11, and only have one audio device, the speakers. I don't have an option for loudness equalization in the control panel (or settings), only the choice between default audio enhancements on and off. My device also has access to Dolby stuff, and im able to turn off the dolby stuff but then it removes the volume boost function which I need otherwise it's overall too quiet.

I would be happy to manually add in a registry entry if it will fix my problem, but judging from the way the key was named, it's not an easy thing to do. Basically when I start to listen to something, it comes out loud and then equalizes down >.< unless as I said I am in tablet mode.

I've also tried using an alternative to dolby, for example a program called FxSound, but the problem comes back. But again no issue if in tablet mode when I start the audio...

[kudoamine]

I see, I doubt adding the key to the registry will have any effect since Loudness Equalization is not available for your audio device in the Sound Control panel, so unfortunately the software can't help you with your issue.

My laptop sound also is low, and I use FxSound to boost it, and that works fine for me, and sometimes I also have to enable the Loudness Equalization when the audio is way too low, but I've never had a similar issue.. and since you don't get the issue in the tablet mode makes it even weirder.

I'm not sure who the culprit is, it could be the Win 11 if you never had this issue in Win 10, or some driver issue, so I would suggest you try installing the latest audio driver from your Lenovo drivers page if not already, and see if the loudness equalization becomes visible or if the issue itself is resolved, otherwise try switching to High Definition Audio driver. (as shown in this video) and see if it helps, good luck!

[MysticBrightShadow]

Im pretty sure the issue existed in windows 10 for this machine as well. Ive tried the official Lenovo drivers, and some realtek company drivers, and the issue remained. Ill look into the driver you mentioned and get back to you. Thank you again for trying to help!!

[ZaCloud]

Hello. Unfortunately, this problem is indeed also happening to me on a Windows 10 (Home Edition) tower PC. Even though I have a perfectly good & available Loudness Equalization setting available (unlike MysticBrightShadow, if I understand correctly). The pop-up over the taskbar always says it's toggling the Loudness Equalization ON, but doesn't do anything. Neither turns it on, nor off.

If I change it manually, then try to use this tool, it still doesn't change the last state I set it to.

I followed all the ReadMe instructions for first-time setup.

(Or at least, I did my best to; the instruction for first running is confusingly written: "Before using the software, you have to turn the Loudness Equalization once for the correct audio device from the Sound Control panel." Did you mean "you have to turn the Loudness Equalization ON", instead of "once"? That's what I assumed, so that's what i did.)

Turning it ON, then closing the audio settings menus completely, then running the EXE & selecting the correct device. Just in case, I later deleted the Settings.ini file & tried it with the LE already turned OFF, but it didn't make any difference. I also tried it while keeping the audio settings menus open. Still no improvement.)

I've only been trying it with LE checkmarked, not other enhancements, because they're not relevant to me & I'd still like to keep my EQ on.

I'll answer the same questions you asked MysticBrightShadow:

• Windows 10 21H2.

• It shows 3 audio devices when I opened the software the first time:

1. BenQ RL2455 (NVIDIA High Definition Audio) [My monitor's speakers],
2. Speakers (Realtek High Definition Audio) [My soundbar plugged into 3.5mm jack],
3. Speakers (3- Shure Digital ) [Headphones plugged into Shure analog-to-digital converter].

It automatically highlighted the 2nd one, which is the same thing it calls my default & active audio device. I selected that, since that's the one I'm using.

• About the "Sound Control panel", where do I find that? Currently, I've been activating/deactivating my Loudness Equalization from the Speaker Properties>Enhancements window (by right-clicking the sound icon on my taskbar, selecting "Sounds", going to the Playback tab, double-clicking my Speakers - Realtek High Definition Audio Default Device, & going to the Enhancements tab.

Is there another way? Or is that what you meant?

• If that IS what you meant, then turning on/off Loudness Equalization there manually works perfectly fine. Both with Immediate Mode turned on, or off (in which case I have to hit Apply or OK).

• And when I activate your toggle, then check to see if the LE is changing or stuck at ON (at least, in the menu I've been using), it does indeed stay stuck ON, no changes. And if I have it OFF, it stays OFF too, no changes. Both with Immediate Mode active & inactive.

I also tried both of these with silence, then unpausing YouTube videos to see if there was a change or not... then also with audio running (YouTube videos, & also mp3 files in Windows Media Player). No improvement either way. The audio cuts out for about a second while the message pops up, but then it goes back to the same way it already was, either with LE on or off, the way I last left it.

---

(Phew!) I've, in the meantime, found another version of this function that works perfectly fine. So I know it SHOULD be possible, somehow. I'm still willing to help you troubleshoot this one a bit too though, if you want, so your hard work won't be in vain.

[ZaCloud]

ADDENDUM: I caved in & tried deleting the Settings file, then this time selected for it to toggle All Enhancements (or however it's worded). And well, that works! It successfully checks/unchecks the "Disable All Sound Effects", & correctly reports them as "ON" or "OFF" on the pop-up. So anything I have check-marked (including Loudness Equalization) is enabled/disabled.

But the problem is, that also includes my EQ, etc. :(

Hopefully that narrows things down a bit more, at least.

If you want me to check anything else, let me know, & I'll get around to it sometime within a few days of the requests.

[MysticBrightShadow]

To access the control panel, you go to the bottom of the System->Sound and hit "More Sound Settings". This opens the classic control panel. Which settings file did you delete?

[MysticBrightShadow]

Yea currently if I disable all sound enhancements (its either that or use device defaults for me), I lose the improved sound of the EQ. I don't have an option to simply turn off the loudness equalization. In the Dolby software I have, I also have this same option of disabling things, but it also has a volume leveler option which I leave off, but still I experience the annoying equalization >.<

[ZaCloud]

To access the control panel, you go to the bottom of the System->Sound and hit "More Sound Settings". This opens the classic control panel. Which settings file did you delete?

Ahh, it's different on mine; in System>Sound, it's under "Related Settings", but indeed calls it Sound Control Panel. That's just the same menu I get from right-clicking the Sound icon in the taskbar, selecting Sounds, & jumping through the hoops. (They shoulda called it that in the right-click menu instead of just "Sounds", gah! That's Microsoft for ya...)

As for deleting a file, it's just the procedure to re-configure this here Toggle Loudness Equalization program; deleting the Settings.ini file in the folder I extracted all the files to, so that double-clicking the .exe file (or the shortcut I made to it on my desktop) would have it start over & ask me which device to use it on, & which of the two enhancement settings for it to toggle.

I don't have an option to simply turn off the loudness equalization...

Considering it's a tablet-pc kinda deal, maybe the sound card just plain doesn't come with that capability. Or they just never made drivers for that particular soundcard model with that feature... :( (Or, no Windows 11 compatible versions of their drivers with that feature yet...). I HOPE that's not the case, but it's an unfortunate possibility. >_<

So we might have separate issues. I only connected mine to this thread here because of the overlapping symptoms, & the fact that you think it might've also happened on Windows 10 as well. Still, also possible that they're related after all. Guess that's part of what we're all trying to find out, in hopes we'll all end up with a good solution.

[ZaCloud]

I also discovered that if I change my laptop to tablet mode (by bending the screen back), and restart the audio (like hit pause and then play on a video) the problem is gone, and remains gone for that specific audio so long as I don't pause, even if I bend the screen forward again.

I'm not familiar with tablet-hybrid PCs, but I'll bring up something about most phones that I know of: If you rotate it horizontally or vertically (& have it set to compensate for that, or do things like fullscreen a widescreen YouTube video vs shrink it back down into Portrait (thus also navigation/comments) Mode... it will change the audio between using the "top" & "bottom" speakers (left & right in horizontal mode) in Stereo mode, so if a video uses a stereo mix & has let's say, a car driving by, then the audio will follow the direction of the car in Horizontal Mode... vs when held vertically/Portrait Mode it may use just one speaker (depending on the model, either top or bottom), or both together, but in a sort of Mono or Combined Stereo mode.

(They now have some phones with four speakers, so you can still get the Stereo mode with the phone held vertically, though not everyone has those yet. But it still DOES change which directions are considered the Left & Right audio channels, depending on phone orientation.)

So, I wonder if the Tablet Mode has anything to do with that? Maybe it anticipates being used vertically instead of horizontally or something, thus changes which speakers the audio channels are assigned to? Which could have SOME kind of effect on the audio processing or whether it checks for certain conditions, etc?

I'm not sure if that can be looked into, if it might change anything visible (to users) in any of the settings menus or not if you tip the device in different directions while in Tablet Mode or not, etc... But it could be an angle (heh) to consider in your case? 🤔 Not a solution, per se, but maybe a clue or part of one?

[MysticBrightShadow]

Thanks but unrelated. It's the same two speakers, and being in tablet mode doesn't change any visible settings.

[ZaCloud]

So it doesn't change the channel assignment of the speakers? You wouldn't be able to see it anywhere probably, but basically test it with a song or video clip that has distinctive horizontal sliding audio (Super hero flying by, jet plane or car. Or a song where part of the music shifts from one ear to the other), & seeing if, when held in Portrait alignment (with screen rotation enabled, & the video/audio playing so you can still see it properly without it being sideways to you), if the audio moves top-to-bottom, or does it still seem to be left-to-right/right-to-left? Or if it seems to play flat (with no audible "movement" in any direction?)

If the sound now seems to move top-to-bottom, despite the video/player still showing horizontal movement to you... in other words, despite the video/player changing orientation, the audio does NOT change orientation to match along with it... then yes, that would indeed mean that it's NOT switching how the audio channels work, thus this is a dead end.

But if it either DOES somehow play the audio in a way that it still seems to properly go side-to-side like it should (which can still be accomplished with certain mix tricks), OR flattens the soundscape so it comes from just one speaker or equally from both speakers, then it DID change how the audio signal is assigned. By using a special mix technique (or there actually being 2 drivers inside each speaker), or by switching the sound to either singular or dual mono (I think that'd be called).

If so, then that may at least partially explain why the audio plays by different rules in tablet mode (even if it's just preparing for the POSSIBILITY of being turned portrait/vertically). Though still, it might not end up amounting to much on our end. Would just help us understand why the change in audio behavior may've happened.