Description of the problem:
When playing on a home theater setup, there is no LFE sound from cars. There is LFE from everything else in the game, but not cars. Effectively everything under 120hz(ish) is cut away from car sounds, especially the engine.
How I found the problem:
I have had the game for two weeks now, and I suddenly noticed something. The rumble I remember from Forza 3 and 4, when being idle in a V8 engine car, was simply not there. Suddenly it made sense why the menues seemed much more lifelike in sound. And i noticed that everytime a race finishes and I cross the finish line - BOOM the bass will engage on my speaker package.
What I have tested:
Setting Windows and Game to 5.1 (and 7.1)
Setting Windows to Atmos and game to 5.1 (and 7.1)
Setting Windows to stereo and game to stereo (and 5.1 and 7.1)
Rotating the camera everywhere while driving
Reving the car (and idling) in Forza Vista
Unplugging all speakers, expect the bass
Machine:
Windows 10 newest updates (07/06-2018)
Newest version of Forza 7 (07/06-2018)
Nvidia newest drivers (07/06-2018)
And I will also note, that this is not a subjective discussion about engine sounds. This is an objective observation of the sound output from the sound engine in Forza 7.
Eureka! We have another post about lack of LFE/bass effects on motor and exhaust rumble. Mate, there’s a 30+ page thread on the second page of FM7 Discussion. Check it out.
I also created a thread called “increase bass and volume on car sound”. I believe it was locked or merged perhaps.
One can only pray it has been addressed in the July update (at long last).
The bass on motor/exhaust rumble and idling gave my woofer a good workout in FM5 and 6, heck, even Horizon 3. I’ve been to a few track events and around heavily modded cars to know that they sound very loud, bass-heavy and angry in real life, especially as they do high speed drivebys. All previous FM games seem to capture that fiery and powerful car sound character but not FM7. Can’t figure out why they went with this design decision.
Instead they decided to make the rumble strips, helicopters, overhead passes/bridges and menu affects shake the room with bass. Very strange design choice for a racing game…
It baffles me why they continue to ignore this, but they have to this point, form what I can tell.
I have to keep track effects and tire effects down to 50% - sure, you don’t hear enough feedback from the tires and road, not to mention really quiet reverb effects but at least the rumble strips and helicopters don’t send my woofer into overdrive.
I don’t know what gave Turn10 the notion that everything else on a race track but the cars are the loudest, most bass-heavy elements. Pretty much a non-issue in past FM games.