Winamp output not as loud as other applications

[vegeta897]

I've noticed that the output from Winamp is only peaking at around halfway on the Windows 7 volume mixer. For example, if I listen to the same radio stream in my browser vs. in winamp, winamp's is quieter.

You can see the difference here:

http://i.imgur.com/sFU9g.png

The browser volume peaks at almost the top of the bar like it should, whereas winamp only peaks at about half way.

My winamp volume is of course set to max. I can fix this problem by adjust the preamp on the EQ, but I use the EQ for other things and I don't want to have to keep loading different presets. Winamp should output at the level its supposed to without any gaining.

Any ideas are appreciated. Thanks.

[DJ Egg]

Hi

Is ReplayGain enabled in Winamp? (Winamp > Prefs > Playback > Replay Gain tab)
If yes, then the default "Adjustment for files without Replay Gain" value of -6.0 dB will make Winamp sound quieter than other apps.
You could try changing it to e.g. -4.0 or less (ie. something closer to 0, though I wouldn't personally recommend going higher than 0).

Other than that, you could try switching to WaveOut Output (Prefs > Plugins > Output),
then restart playback and increase the volume in Winamp to max,
then switch back to DirectSound Output (same Prefs screen), and restart playback again.

Also check the volume level for Winamp in Windows Volume Mixer.
Maybe it's set too low in there?

[vegeta897]

My god *smacks forehead* I could kiss you! Thank you, that replay gain was the culprit. I don't know why I didn't think to check that page in the options.

Thank you thank you thank you What a relief, I thought my audio drivers or something were to blame, I really was feeling pretty hopeless.

Really made my night, thanks.

[kevinjanet]

Thanks! The switching to wav out and back worked for me. Can't imagine why it worked but Winamp is now almost as loud as my other apps!

[MrSinatra]

in win7 and maybe 8/vista windows has an annoying feature to lower the volume when u receive a chat call. may not be related to any of this, but i always disable it as i find windows doesn't turn things back up consistently after the call.

[abrimaal]

Plugins may cause low volume output

I have installed two plugins: in_sid2.dll and in_NotSoFatso.dll that allow to play two more music formats.
It caused all audio files play very silent.
The PC is connected to an audio amplifier through analog Line Out. The amplifier volume must be set about 2x louder than before I installed these plugins. There is no problem with other applications (other media players, games, web browser etc.).
The same situation took place in my previous PC with Win Vista, where I installed many plugins at once, so I didn't know which one was responsible for the quiet audio.
After this I uninstalled Winamp and haven't used it for 8 years. That's why I conclude the issue is independent of the Windows version and hardware. Today I use Windows 10.

I moved the two .dll files and plugin.ini out of the Winamp folders and restarted the PC, but nothing changed.
In the Preferences > Output > out_wave.dll the device was set to Microsoft Sound Mapper, I changed it to Speakers and immediately the volume returned to the desired level.
Then I moved again the in_sid2 and in_nsf files to the plugins folder. At the first run Winamp crashed, but at the second try everything played as it should, it means at the proper volume. Now I have to restart the PC and see what happens.

Added: After restart the volume was correct. I also tested the Bluetooth headphones, auto-switch speakers -> headphones and vice versa worked correctly.
However Winamp crashed every time I tried to play .nsf music. The .nsf music was playing at lower volume than other files and the plugin may be responsible for unstability.