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Speakers, headphones, and other audio devices may produce an overall poor sound quality if there are issues with Shadow's configuration or your internet connection.

 

Optimize Shadow's Settings

Tweaking some of the settings in your Shadow launcher may help resolve static, popping, or cracking sounds.

  1. Shut down Shadow.

    • From Windows: Click the Start Menu in Shadow, then click the Power Power_icon.png icon > Shut down.

    • From the Shadow launcher: Click Help Help_icon.png, then Shut Down Shadow at the bottom.

  2. Open Shadow's Settings from the launcher.

  3. Increase or decrease Bandwidth Allocation 5-10Mb/s. Toggle between Automatic and Manual.

  4. Set Optimize Streaming to Prefer Reliability.

  5. (Optional) If you are running Shadow on older or low-performance hardware, enable Low-End Configuration Optimization.

  6. Start your Shadow and test out the audio.

 

Evaluate Your Network Connection

If you still hear audio static, popping, or cracking, try different audio output devices, such as headphones, speakers, and so on.

Use the Shadow Control Panel to monitor your connection. Open the Shadow Control Panel, then click the Stats tab. If your ping or packet loss seems to "spike" when audio issues occur, you may need to troubleshoot your network connection. 

See how to Improve Your Internet Connection in our article, Quick Tips to Reduce Latency.

 

Power-cycle Your Router

Give your network a refresh by power-cycling your router. A quick power-cycle requires you to turn your router off and on, potentially reducing ping and packet loss which may cause audio static, popping, or cracking.

 

Update Shadow's Graphics Drivers

In case the NVIDIA HD Audio driver is corrupted, missing,or simply out-of-date, you may need to reinstall or update your NVIDIA graphics drivers on Shadow.

While on Shadow, visit NVIDIA's Driver Downloads website, or see how to update NVIDIA drivers for Shadow.

 

 

If you still need help troubleshooting audio static, popping, or cracking sounds, feel free to contact a Support Hero and include a screenshot of your Control Panel stats in your message.