How to avoid VOIP call volume loss after launching a PC game
17Scenario: you are having a VOIP voice conversation with another party in Windows using a headset with microphone, and then you launch a PC game, and then all of a sudden the transmit and/or receive volume of the VOIP conversation becomes drastically reduced - you are having problems hearing the other party and/or the other party is having problems hearing you - the volume has become too low; maybe the conversation even cuts out completely. This video will show you a method to fix (or at least avoid) this issue.
You need to first open up the SOUND properties in Windows Control Panel - there are many different methods to open Control Panel:
In Windows 10 this can be done by pressing the WINDOWS button and then clicking the gear cog icon to open Settings. Under Settings, select SYSTEM. Under System, select SOUND. Under Sound, scroll to the bottom and select SOUND CONTROL PANEL.
Alternatively, in Windows 8, 8.1 and 10 this can be done by pressing the WINDOWS button and then typing 'control panel' - this should give you a clickable link to open Control Panel. Once Control Panel is open, in the upper-right corner, if the text CATEGORY is displayed, then you will want to click on this and select SMALL ICONS from the pull-down menu - your available Control Panel selections should increase - select SOUND from amongst these selections.
In the Sound Control Panel, at the top select the PLAYBACK tab. Under the Playback tab, select the device that is outputting audio (indicated by a green check mark icon). Once this output device is highlighted, select PROPERTIES. In the new window, click on the ADVANCED tab. Uncheck the two Exclusive Mode options - Give exclusive mode applications priority / Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device. Once both of these options have been unchecked, click on APPLY followed by OK.
Now, again in the Sound Control Panel, click on the RECORDING tab. Under the Recording tab, select the active input device (indicated by a green check mark icon). Once this input device is highlighted, select PROPERTIES. In the new window, it is recommended that under the LEVELS tab, that all volume level sliders be slid to the right (maximum), including the boost level. Now click on the ADVANCED tab. Uncheck the two Exclusive Mode options - Give exclusive mode applications priority / Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device. Once both of these options have been unchecked, click on APPLY followed by OK.
Finally, still under the Sound Control Panel, click on the COMMUNICATIONS tab. Under 'When Windows detects communication activity', select DO NOTHING. To apply changes, click on APPLY followed by OK.
Once all of these modifications to the sound settings have been applied, it is recommended that you reboot your PC. Once Windows has rebooted, again establish (call) your VOIP voice conversation with the other party, followed by launching your game and see if the problem persists. I noted this issue during Google Hangouts web conversations while launching the Ubisoft / UPlay game The Crew.