New steam audio bug. 1768
needs more information
JackCracker004
Open vrchat and go anywhere.
World audio seems fine.
Voices are bugged, they sound perfectly fine sometimes and then out of nowhere voices sound really loud/close or sound like they are coming from the wrong direction.
Maybe a spatial audio bug?
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hdorriker
It almost seems like it's rotating the direction for "front" away from the player viewball's "front". Anyway, I haven't heard correctly spatialized audio even once since the update. It also gets dramatically more incorrect when you scale below 1m or above 2m to the point where it's next to impossible to hear someone directly in front of you, but I suspect this is just because this change of scale is amplifying whatever has already gone wrong.
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_tau_
hdorriker: Is it possible to record a video of your experience to verify you are not encountering a bug? Steam Audio has indeed changed how spatialization works, and due to the limits of an averaged HRTF model not everyone will see the benefits. That is, gauging direction of an audio source may not be perfect for everyone, and this is not something we can directly change. That said, it should not be "impossible to hear" anyone at any range or avatar scale.
hdorriker
It looks like the updates made yesterday (as of last night) actually fixed the issues I was having earlier this week and spatialization has returned.
phyrebird
_tau_ : I'm still encountering the issue where audio seems to be coming from the opposite side of me than it should be. For example, someone on my right suddenly seems to be coming in my left ear. I've talked to a few people who have a similar problem. Interestingly, it does
not
seem to show up when recording VRC via OBS, though I'll continue to see if I can't figure out a way to record it. I'd be happy to provide logs or perform other tests to try and track down why this is happening. Cheers._
_tau_
phyrebird:
> Interestingly, it does not seem to show up when recording VRC via OBS
This would indicate it is not a VRC problem. Perhaps it is a hardware issue? Are your headphones wired incorrectly? There is a long standing issue where the Index speakers will sometimes swap L/R for example.
phyrebird
_tau_ : I don't think it's a hardware issue? Headset is a BSB2e, using the BSB audio headset. As far as I can tell the world audio is fine. It's only voices in vrchat as far as I've been able to test. The voices will swap back and forth between directions within anywhere from a couple seconds to 30-40 seconds. This has only been occurring since the swap to Steam Audio. Perhaps a weird interaction in Steam Audio itself? I'm not sure how to go around testing, confirming, or fixing that though, and my google-fu has not resulted in any others in similar circumstances.
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_tau_
phyrebird: Voices and directional world audio go through the same codepath. If you record the issue in OBS in stereo mode, and then play it back _on your BSB2 speakers while in VR_, does it still happen? It's just really hard to tell what you mean by "voices will swap back and forth" without any recording of it.
phyrebird
_tau_ To close the loop on this, I have figured out what's going on. The USB controller I was using has issues with high bitrate audio for some reason, and would swap channels because of this. It was not apparent that world audio was also switching, as the world audio was less strongly directional than voice audio. Had to swap out the controller for another one. Hope this helps someone else who runs into the same problem as I did!
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_tau_
We have adjusted several things about how people directly to the left or right sound, especially when close up, in 2025.4.2p1 which just released. Please let us know here if this has helped address your feedback!
hdorriker
_tau_ This update seemed to restore spatialization on my end compared to where it was earlier this week.
Vaelyna
_tau_ Had to give a few days of testing to make sure, but for me it does sound a lot better now. No longer feels like one of my ears is muffled. Thank you!
Ravioli_
similar experience. for me, the audio breaks when im really small and near to someone. it becomes heavily directional, like coming out only in my right or left ear, even when they're almost in front of me
JackCracker004
StormRel
Any updates so far?
Still need more info?
Vaelyna
I'm on an Index headset.
Also happening to me. When I'm looking at someone ahead of me it sounds okayish, a definitely more muffled compared to the audio before the update.
However, if I am hearing people from the left or right to me it's almost overwhelmingly loud in one ear compared to the other. Sure yeah it gives spatial sound but now it sounds like people off to my sides are talking right into my ears.
The best way to explain it is before the update audio sounded like people were standing off to my side. Now it just sounds like being in a discord call but only in one ear. It feels like the ear that is not facing the person is clogged with cotton. I've had people be 10+ feet away from me sounding like they might as well be right next to my ear whereas someone 5 or less feet away from in front of me is half the volume of them (even though when both in front of me theyre the same volume)
Seeing as I'm easily over-stimulated by audio (the earmuff update was a godsend for public lobbies) this audio update has made it kinda unplayable cause now I'm bombarded by voices of people off to the side of me
Kizzy
Vaelyna I feel exactly the same way, overwhelmingly louder in one ear compared to the other, voices don't sound like they're coming where they should be.
JackCracker004
Vaelyna
I think this is ths same spaital audio bug that I am experiencing.
StormRel
Vaelyna: Can you provide video + logs?
sɪʀ sǫᴜɪsʜʏ
im having similar issue but I have no voice audio at all everything else works fine ive checked everything on my end and double checked everything from drivers to visual studios to make sure everything i have is up to date and vrchat is the only app having issues for me I hear everything but voices and people are able to hear me but without hearing people the game is unplayable.
LeafarOz
Same issue. Every sound work except voices. I see their name light up but hear nothing.
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_tau_
Voice audio not working at all is tracked here: https://feedback.vrchat.com/bug-reports/p/cant-hear-other-peoples-voices
Please leave this canny specifically for the issue described here.
StormRel
marked this post as
needs more information
Can you provide more information?
Do you have any logs or video of this happening?
Is it specific worlds? Can you provide links to them?
We are unable to reproduce this on our end.
JackCracker004
StormRel
Any worlds.
I've tried in at least 7-8 worlds.
It seems to mainly affect me when I first join worlds then it clears up for a bit and comes back randomly.
JackCracker004
StormRel
I could try and get a video but those are kinda unreliable on my quest.
JackCracker004
StormRel
Forgot to mention earlier I'm on quest 3s.
StormRel
JackCracker004: Are you able to grab logs off of your device?
Patroll
Patroll
I reproduced this video that fairly matches this ticket but for the Drone in Furry Hideout. Drone + Audio From Camera = audio direction from user and audio loudness/proximity from drone
Patroll
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_tau_
The "Audio From Camera" setting and Drone FPV mode issues are already under investigation, but seem unrelated to this task. Please open a new canny if your symptoms don't match what OP is describing.
StormRel
marked this post as
tracked
KaiRikkor
i can second this...
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