Audio not working or cutting in and out on pc

[jabrunn]

Since purchasing a new gaming laptop the sound has stopped working in my saved game. It will often come back as I'm playing and then cut out again. Sometimes I get nothing but static and have to close the game. All sound and video drivers are fully up to date and I am running a fully up to date version of Windows 11 Home. My system specs are as follows:
core i9 13900HX
64GB Ram
Geforce RTX 4060 w/8GB Vram

I've tried multiple "fixes" online including running Steam in offline mode, running the game as administrator, Disabling motion blur and making sure all drivers are up to date. I am also running the game from a Western Digital Black SN850X M.2 SSD. The sound works as soon as I open the game up until the point where my saved game is loaded. Then it's gone. Sometimes it comes back. Sometimes it doesn't. I'm wondering if I could potentially have a corrupt save game file? I know this game hasn't been out very long but any help with this issue would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Langkard]

Since you're using an SSD, which is the usual cause, we can rule that out. There are several other possible causes. And a corrupt save file would suck, so try some other things first.

The usual first thing is have Steam validate the game files. After that, and this may be the one, make sure your audio drivers are up-to-date. Then check your Windows audio settings. Then the re-check the sound settings in Starfield. Those cover the most common audio problems per the web.

[drommels]

No, don't think it is a problem with the save file. I looked on Reddit and you're not alone. Only saw one person who kinda fixed it by playing offline, but you tried that too.

I know you probably did a google search for your problem with Starfield in the Query. But did you do a search without Starfield? Or maybe mods can help out? Not much help here, I know, but gl! (free bump).

[ZombieHunter]

I suggest lowering the audio sample rate to 44100 or 48000 if that works. Audio cutting in and out is an indication that your driver or hardware cannot maintain the desired sample rate without artifacting. Also some cards / drivers have certain issues with certain codecs. I use to have weird static at the tail end of sounds in RDR 2. Rockstar said it was due to the codec. The codec was later updated and the problem was resolved.

A really good test is to hammer the sound buffer with a lot of quick sounds. So grab a machine gun and fire as fast as possible. If the sounds cut out, lower the sample rate. If you have NMS you will notice that the ship's weapons often fire too fast for the audio to keep up and they start to cut out. Same issue.

The higher the sample rate, the greater the range, less latency, and crisper audio. However, it can be too high for the hardware and/or software and you get artifacting. The lower the sample rate, the less the range, more latency, less clarity, but better sound performance and no artifacting. Find the 'sweet spot' between these two extremes for your hardware.

[Federacion]

I can confirm. Lowering audio6sample rate works. Thanks

[kanYeWest]

how do I lower the audio sample rate ?

[Inviktor]

I have a static sound problem a few mins after I start playing, and I have not been able to fix it. I need to exit and restart the game every 5 mins, which makes it unplayable. At this poing I have no idea how to fix it so I will be asking for a refund.

[Vlad 254]

Trying Different Audio Formats
Sometimes the issue might be because of the unintentional change in the audio format. You can change the audio format back to what it originally was, very easily. But, sometimes there might be multiple audio formats available for you. In that case, you should try every audio format until your sound starts working again.

These are the steps for changing your audio formats

1. Right click the sound icon on your task bar (right bottom)
Select
(for Windows 10) Sound / Playback devices
(for Windows 11) Sound settings

2. Now select your audio device (which should be default). It should have a green tick beside it
Select Properties / Advanced tab

3. Now, select a format from the drop down list in section Default Format. Select any one you want. Recommend is 16 bit, 44100Hz CD Quality (I use 24 bit 48,000HZ Studio Quality)

4. Click Apply then select Ok
As said go through several settings checking each time whether the audio is working or not.

OR

1. Right click the sound icon on your task bar (right bottom)

2. Choose "Open Sound Settings"

3. Top right hand side choose "Sound Control Panel"

4. Rich click on your device and choose "Properties"

5. Select the "Advanced" tab and then select a format from the drop down list in section Default Format. Select any one you want. Recommend is 16 bit, 44100Hz CD Quality (I use 24 bit 48,000HZ Studio Quality)

Disable Enhancements
Disabling the enhancements for your audio device also solves the issue that you are having. It is a Microsoft’s recommended solution as well.

1. Repeat Steps 1 - 4 (same as above)

5. Select Enhancements tab

6. Check the option that says Disable all enhancements

[Vlad 254]

Originally posted by dvlw:

how do I lower the audio sample rate ?

Go to Start -> Control Panel -> Sound
- Select the output speakers being used and click Properties
- Under the advanced tab, change the sample rate

[squidek4]

Try manually setting the swap file (pagefile.sys) to 4096 MB

[alamoscouts]

same here; game is a trainwreck