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Hi, All!
If you’re experiencing technical difficulties with FxSound, then please run through these tips first.

  1. FxSound recently went open-source on GitHub (you can find @james’ full post here); when posting a bug report or feature request, it would be helpful to do the same through the GitHub Issues Tracker as well;

  2. Download and install the latest available update of FxSound, currently v1.1.22.0, available from fxsound.com or the Microsoft Store. The version number is shown in the Help section of FxSound’s Settings menu;

  3. Download and install the latest available updates for your computer, Windows, and sound devices;

  4. If you’re having problems with a specific device, then please first browse its manufacturer’s website for support, and see if you can find a manual and/or troubleshooting suggestions for it, driver updates, software built specifically for that device, a contact form, et cetera;

  5. Find your machine’s specs, visit its page on the manufacturer’s website, and look for relevant driver updates that haven’t been installed yet. Using an automated updating method is both easier and safer, and thus recommended. If you lack the expertise to execute this procedure properly, ignore this tip, because updating your system incorrectly can cause serious damage;

  6. If your problem is a lack of any sound output a.k.a. a no-sound-type problem, then please take a moment to check all the volume sliders in your system first before creating a new thread;

  7. In the General section of FxSound’s Settings menu, try changing the setting for automatic switching, and see if this improves anything;

  8. Try running FxSound as Administrator;

  9. In Windows Sound Settings, try disabling the problematic sound device, and then re-enabling it (done via “Don’t allow” in Windows 11);

  10. If the device is connected via Bluetooth, try completely removing, and then re-adding the problematic sound device;

  11. If the problematic device is connected via USB, try turning off power saving from the device’s Power Management tab in your Device Manager;

  12. When FxSound is installed as the only sound boosting program active during audio playback, the audio processing pipeline in Windows is: Audio application [source] → Windows audio API’s → FxSound audio driver → FxSound application audio processing → Windows audio API’s → Audio hardware driver → Speakers. But if other audio processing applications are installed, the pipeline becomes more complicated, and isolating the issues becomes difficult;

  13. FxSound only supports audio in PCM format, from output devices with 2 to 8 channels, so Mono (single-channel) devices and non-PCM formats (like Dolby Digital or DTS) are not supported. For more info regarding bit depth and sampling rates, please take a look in this thread;

  14. In Windows Sound Settings, try changing the frequency settings of your devices to find an optimal match-up (changing these settings often makes a bigger difference than you’d expect);

  15. In Windows Sound Settings, make sure FxSound is set as the Default Device;

  16. Alternatively, in Windows Sound Settings, try setting FxSound as the Default Communication Device - this actually sets FxSound as both the Default Device ànd the Default Communication Device simultaneously, but, only shows it as the Default Device. Setting FxSound as the Default Communication Device is one of the most relevant suggestions to try if you are experiencing problems with live chat apps like Discord, Skype, Zoom, MS Teams, Messenger, or WhatsApp;

  17. In Windows Sound Settings, disable all Enhancements including Loudness Equalization for all devices;

  18. In Windows Sound Settings, disable Exclusive Mode for all devices;

  19. In Windows Sound Settings, disable Hardware Acceleration for all devices supporting this option (usually found in the Advanced tab);

  20. In Windows Sound Settings, under the Communications tab, select “Do nothing” as Windows’ response to detecting communication activity;

  21. In Windows Sound Settings, if you are experiencing problems with the software, it can help to disable all the devices you don’t need, including any hidden ones (done via “Don’t allow” in Windows 11);

  22. FxSound’s UI graphics is built on an OpenGL-based framework. You can check if your graphics hardware supports OpenGL and if OpenGL is enabled with DirectX Extensions Viewer;

  23. If you are experiencing laggy/choppy audio, and if this issue is CPU-related, then downloading LatencyMon and running a scan while FxSound is alternately On and Off, can help identify the cause;

  24. Try uninstalling, and reinstalling FxSound;

  25. Try downloading the program from a different source, and installing that version instead (e.g. if you’ve downloaded from fxsound.com, try downloading from the Microsoft Store and vice versa);

  26. Since the FxSound driver can be removed with relative impunity, you could try performing a manual driver uninstall;

  27. If you’re getting the “Oops! There’s a problem with your playback device settings”-error, then please take a look here first;

  28. If FxSound worked for some time, and then suddenly stopped working, then this tip is for you. In all versions of Windows, you can restore any audio device to its default values by going into the Sound Settings, opening the device’s Properties menu, and clicking on “Restore Defaults” in the Advanced tab. Windows 10 & 11 also have an option to restore all devices to default values at once, located inside the Volume Mixer. The reset process is described in this tutorial on howtogeek.com - thanks to @Hansk for sharing this tip;

  29. There is a way to increase the priority of the FxSound process in Windows Task Manager, but please note that doing so is at your own risk;

  30. If all else has failed, you could try uninstalling with specialized full uninstaller software as a last resort option;

  31. If the problem is truly serious and persistent, you could consider the option to revert your entire computer to an earlier point in time using Windows’ built-in System Restore function as an ultimate last resort. This is not something to take lightly, and you should take the time to review if the rollbacks made to your system are worth the gains. Either way, under normal circumstances, FxSound does not create problems of this magnitude, since it only installs one relatively simple driver;

  32. You can find the 12 Bonus Presets here; you can find an even bigger pack of 59 Presets which includes all the Bonus ones here (thanks to @Dolmatov for sharing); and also some wicked Preset-voodoo - used entirely at your own risk - here (thanks to @FX.Love);

  33. I’ve compiled all the tutorials found in the FxSound Learning Center - including their video versions linked from YouTube - in a recent post here;

  34. All previous versions of the purple FxSound can be found and downloaded for free here;

  35. Last, but not list: no one is forcing you to use this free software, of course, and you’re always at liberty to switch to another audio enhancer, so here’s a list of some alternatives (thanks to @Tarek_Hasan for sharing):

I hope this will be helpful. :nerd_face: If you’re still experiencing problems after having applied the relevant suggestions in this list, then feel free to create a new thread. This is not one of those dehumanizing attempts at automating tech support; if you need assistance, just ask. If you do, please don’t forget to mention which versions of FxSound and Windows you are running, the brand and model names of the device(s) you’re having trouble with, as well as any additional audio processing applications you are using. You can also send me a private message with the blue “Message” button located at the top right of my forum profile.

Good luck, and may the Fx be with you. :headphones:

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