Unreal Engine video games refuse to recognize 5.1 setup

[UTF16]

I’m trying to make my 5.1 setup work with certain video games, like "Dead by Daylight".

I’m using Realtek video card with 2.80 version drivers. DTS interactive/DTS live are fully functional and work absolutely fine. My Logitech 5.1 audio system works as intended.

All games, even very old ones, output 5.1 sound without any problems. With the exception of certain Unreal Engine 5 games, like "Dead by Daylight", "Evil Dead" and some others.

Those games have 5.1 sound capabilities. I can force 5.1 sound through analog output (digital cables work as well). 5.1 sound is also fully functional through cloud gaming services, like "Geforce Now". Each of those workarounds have their own problems.

I think those games are asking Windows about its audio setup and Windows gives them wrong information, thus entire audio is encoded as a simple stereo wave. I was trying to modify XAudio2 files in Windows folder, but it doesn’t work.

Maybe someone has a clue about what piece of system information those games are trying to get.

 

[Ferather]

Should work as normal based on the UE5 documentation: Audio Files in Unreal Engine | Unreal Engine 5.1 Documentation
I have read Dead by Daylight has a past history of audio issues, but I guess you unticked headphones?

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In terms of side or rear for 5.1, side should be converted to rear if side is not present in 5.1 mode, and visa versa.
Weirdly the analogue standard on my S1220A and other chips I have had is front-rear, no side.

I also believe the standard for DTS Interactive and DDL 5.1 is also front-rear, but I could be wrong.
Currently I am setup with as 7.1 -side, as 5.1 with virtual side (ch 7-8). Registry data.

Either way, even if the conversion does not take place, you should hear centre.

If you use analogue, and set 7.1 and untick side, then press side, you should hear it between front-rear.

 

[UTF16]

Should work as normal based on the UE5 documentation: Audio Files in Unreal Engine | Unreal Engine 5.1 Documentation
I have read Dead by Daylight has a past history of audio issues, but I guess you unticked headphones?

----

In terms of side or rear for 5.1, side should be converted to rear if side is not present in 5.1 mode, and visa versa.
Weirdly the analogue standard on my S1220A and other chips I have had is front-rear, no side.

I also believe the standard for DTS Interactive and DDL 5.1 is also front-rear, but I could be wrong.
Currently I am setup with as 7.1 -side, as 5.1 with virtual side (ch 7-8). Registry data.

Either way, even if the conversion does not take place, you should hear centre.

If you use analogue, and set 7.1 and untick side, then press side, you should hear it between front-rear.

I tried both. Ticking/unticking headphones does nothing. 5.1 audio works fine with analog audio cables.

When I say "5.1 audio doesn’t work", I mean, I can’t hear anything from speakers + audio recording software (I use OBS) captures only 2 channels.

Another Unreal Engine game Vampire The Mascarade: Bloodhunt has a setting called "Home cinema". Same problem. No 5.1 audio through SPDIF interface, 5.1 audio with analog cables works like charm (it’s a free game, by the way).

 

[Ferather]

Well it is possible to read the SPDIF transmitter, which is still stereo. DTS-DDL are sent in a 2 channel PCM stream as compressed 5.1.

 

[UTF16]

My Logitech audio system shows that DTS-DDL decoding takes place either way. It has a special LED that show the decoding process. All system sounds are compressed 5.1 when DTS-DDL is enabled.

When inside those problematic games, I can switch on and off virtual cables on the fly. Enabling the virtual cable, the game outputs in 5.1. Disabling the cable, it outputs as stereo. Restarting the game is not necessary.

If it were a problem related to 7.1 format, I would assume center channel should still be present. But it’s not the case. The center channel (character speech channel) is split between left and right.

I actually don’t know if it’s a problem related to Unreal Engine 5. It’s the only common denominator of those games I can think of. I’ve played all sorts of different games and had never had any issues with 5.1 sound through SPDIF:

All Resident Evil games

All Street fighter games

Detroit: Become human

The Medium (it’s actually an Unreal Engine 4 game)

etc.

Edit: just tested "The Sinking City", a game I actually played on "Windows 7" when it was released. It no longer has 5.1 audio on Windows 10 without virtual cables.

On Windows 7, I had to manually edit XAudio2 files so that all games can actually run in 5.1 mode.

This method no longer works in Windows 10

 

[umeng2002]

I have this issue with a good number of UE games when trying to use DTS or Dolby plug-ins for the MS Spatial Sound system over spdif. When activated, the Spatial Sound system should report 7.1 to programs that use Xaudio, and the game should then output a 5.1 or 7.1 speaker bed to the Spatial Audio system for the DTS or Dolby plug-ins to render to headphone HRTF virtual surround.

My gripe with UE is that there is no simple ini commands or in-game menu settings to force 5.1 or 7.1 output in a lot of UE games.

 

[Ferather]

Windows 10-11 work around is to passthrough virtual speakers to SPDIF. In some cases the game will read the PCM portion of the final format (DTS-Dolby).
DTS-Dolby use a [2 channel 16b 48k] PCM stream to contain the compressed audio data, if an app reads this it will set 2 channels.

A correctly programmed game will read the format used in the audio engine (6 x 24b 48k) opposed to final out.


How to Redirect 5.1, 7.1 to SPDIF [DTS-Dolby] - All Apps

 

[umeng2002]

This is why I keep my Sound Blaster AE-5. If a UE game doesn't set a surround sound configuration when I use DTS Sound Unbound or Dolby Access, I just use the AE-5 surround speaker output, and then use the AE-5's HRTF function from that for my headphones.

Games that use the MS Spatial Sound API have no issues. Again it's just that some Xaudio games that have issues, namely a lot of UE games.

There use to be an explicit option in Windows to tell a program that there are virtual surround speakers, but that option was removed in Windows 11 because it SHOULD be automatically applied... but issues persist.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

EDIT FOR SOLUTION:

OK, I figured it out for anyone using a game that will not recognize the MS Spatial Audio surround speaker beds.

Use the Virtual Audio Cable and set it up to use up to 6 or 8 channels. Then turn on Spatial Audio on your spdif output device and configure it how you want as you will about to loose control panel control of it in the next step.

Now make the Virtual Audio Cable "Speakers" the default playback device and set it up to 7.1 or 5.1 surround sound.

Now the key is to go into the Recording devices and make "Line 1" Virtual Audio Cable the default recording device. Open it's properties and set it to 8 or 6 channels in the advanced tab. And most importantly, check the "Listen to this device" option and set the playback through your spdif output device that you enabled Spatial Sound on.

Now ALL windows audio whether it's mere stereo or surround will be HRTF virtualized by DTS Headphone X or Dolby Headphone or Windows Sonic depending on what you set for the spdif Spatial Sound option.

The particular game that was giving me issues was Robocop Rogue City. The game does output true 7.1 with this above method into the DTS Headphone X via Sound Unbound. Again, setting up DTS Headphone X with Sound Unbound on my spdif output via the "right" way never kicked Robocop into surround sound output even though it is an Xaudio2 game.

 

[Ferather]

Yes its the new permanent solution, I take it you don't have an encoder on SPDIF for true 5.1 output? You mention spatial which is for stereo output.
I will say though, the Z906 stereo upmixer (I think DTS Neo:6) is roughly 80-95% accurate compared to actual true surround.

 

[umeng2002]

Right. I only use stereo out to my headphone DAC; but I use the HRTF from the DTS Headphone X in the DTS Sound Unbound app... or Dolby Headphone HRTF from the Dolby Access app. Although the DTS HRTF sounds much better to me. I have no need for an encoder since I only use my headphones; although the AE-5 Plus has those encoders.

MS Spatial Audio is supposed to present 7.1 virtual speakers to "legacy" programs that don't use Spatial Sound API, but it just doesn't work for some games; hence the solution in the previous post.

I use the apps solution instead of other software solutions because those two accept MS Spatial Sound for games to get true 3-D surround sound and not just mimic a 7.1 speaker bed. And frankly, they sound better than Creative's HRTF in the SBX Studio suite. The CMSS-3D Headphone HRTF sounded better back in the X-Fi days.

 

[nicegirl05]

Right. I only use stereo out to my headphone DAC; but I use the HRTF from the DTS Headphone X in the DTS Sound Unbound app... or Dolby Headphone HRTF from the Dolby Access app. Although the DTS HRTF sounds much better to me. I have no need for an encoder since I only use my headphones; although the AE-5 Plus has those encoders.

MS Spatial Audio is supposed to present 7.1 virtual speakers to "legacy" programs that don't use Spatial Sound API, but it just doesn't work for some games; hence the solution in the previous post.

I use the apps solution instead of other software solutions because those two accept MS Spatial Sound for games to get true 3-D surround sound and not just mimic a 7.1 speaker bed. And frankly, they sound better than Creative's HRTF in the SBX Studio suite. The CMSS-3D Headphone HRTF sounded better back in the X-Fi days.

i had this same problem its due to those games useing object baced surround sound not 5.1 use fxsound a virtual soundcard set it to 5.1 hook your device and have fun iv found this also works if your useing any apo drivers which is how i got 5.1 out of my laptop

 

[xpe]

i had this same problem its due to those games useing object baced surround sound not 5.1 use fxsound a virtual soundcard set it to 5.1 hook your device and have fun iv found this also works if your useing any apo drivers which is how i got 5.1 out of my laptop

I was wondering why Unreal Engine games were not outputting anything other than Stereo to the Optical connection with my receiver, I have windows setup with the dolby digital driver so it always forces the ac3 signal to the receiver but for some reason Unreal Engine doesn't recognize this and outputs Stereo, but now just having FXSound open, UE recognizes and outputs surround sound. Thank you for the suggestion.