Sound is the second most important source of information in Counter-Strike 2. You can accurately calculate the enemy’s position if you hear their actions or footsteps. But sometimes, footsteps are too quiet. Today CS.MONEY Blog tells you how to make the sound of footsteps louder in CS2.
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Choose correct in-game equalizer
If you want to make the sound of footsteps louder in CS2, here’s the simplest solution: change your equalizer preset in the CS2 Audio settings. To do this, go to the game settings, select Audio, find Equalizer Profile (third line from the top), and in the drop-down menu set Crisp.
This useful CS2 audio setting enhances the mid and high frequency bands, which helps you hear footsteps better in CS2. Using a pre-made EQ Profile is easier and it really helps to determine the direction of the sound. And it also reduces sound muffling! This is exactly what you need to hear sounds better in CS2.
Enable Loudness Equalization
Another and more advanced option to make sounds louder in CS2 is to enable loudness equalization in Windows settings. But still, it’s a controversial option because loudness equalization makes loud sounds quieter and quiet sounds louder, which might mess with your ears for a while before you get used to it. It’s not easy to adapt to the new sound, can even take a couple of days, but it can help you hear footsteps better in CS2. However, quiet footstep sounds will actually become louder, and the setting itself is very easy to enable.
Here’s how you do it:
- Go to Sound Settings either through the Panel or click RMB on the sound icon in the bottom right corner.
- Open Sounds > Sound Control Panel > Playback
- Choose your speaker and be sure CS2 uses the same device
- Click Properties, open Enhancements
- Check Loudness Equalization
- Click Apply and OK
- Well done!
Note that if third-party equalizers are used, it is better to change the setting and adjust the frequencies directly in your special software. This makes it much easier to hear footsteps in CS2.
Use better hardware (headsets, earplugs)
It’s time to move from software to hardware solutions. Good headphones with large speakers will produce deeper and clearer sound, so it could be much easier to determine footsteps and directions of other sounds. Headphones don’t have to be over-ear, also: even good earplugs most of the time can provide decent sound quality and help you hear footsteps better in the CS2.
Also, we’ve prepared a big guide on how to choose the best gaming headset just for you. Be sure to check it out. If the headphones are of poor quality, no amount of tweaking of the equalizer will save the crappy sound.
Remove background noise
Last but not least, background noise. Even with the correct equalizer settings and good headsets, you may not hear footsteps if your neighbors are loudly arguing about their recent vacation or your roommate is snoring like it’s their last-ever nap. Eliminating background noise can be tricky, but it’s a good idea to start by at least keeping your windows and doors closed. Headphones with good sound isolating would do good.
Another noise reduction tool is simply adjusting the volume of voice chat in CS2. Teammates should be audible, but not too loud. Their voices should not drown out the sound of the game. Sometimes, it’s better for you to just mute them at all: both for your mental health and the sake of the match. Here’s our universal advice: it’s better to let your teammates be hardly heard than not to hear enemy’s footsteps in CS2.
In CS2, sound of movement can give away a lot of information about the enemy. Therefore, making sounds louder could be very important for players. Also, you have to get as much FPS as possible, even if you have a powerful PC. Luckily, we also have a guide with the best graphics settings for CS2. Check it out now!
