Should You Use Loudness Equalization for Footsteps in Warzone?
The Short Answer
Yes — for most Warzone players, Loudness Equalization is worth using, and it costs nothing to try. It is a built-in Windows audio feature that compresses your game’s dynamic range: quiet sounds like enemy footsteps get pushed louder, while very loud sounds like your own gunshots and explosions get capped. Since footsteps are one of the most quiet, most important sounds in Warzone, that compression works directly in your favour. The one real trade-off is that it can flatten directional audio cues for some players, so the right approach is to enable it, test it in a few real matches, and keep it only if your directional awareness still feels sharp.
Why Footsteps Are So Hard to Hear
In Warzone, footstep audio sits mostly in the upper-mid and high frequencies — the scuff of a boot, the crunch of gravel, gear rattling. Those sounds are deliberately mixed much quieter than gunfire, vehicles, and killstreaks. That creates a huge dynamic range problem: you set your volume so gunshots don’t hurt your ears, which leaves footsteps buried at a level your headphones barely reproduce. This is exactly the problem dynamic range compression was designed to solve, and it is why a free Windows setting can genuinely help more than an expensive headset upgrade. For the full settings picture, see our guide to best audio settings for warzone.
What Loudness Equalization Actually Does
Loudness Equalization is a compressor. It narrows the gap between the quietest and loudest sounds in the game:
- Quiet sounds (footsteps, distant reloads, doors) are boosted toward a more audible level.
- Loud sounds (your own gunfire, nearby explosions) are pulled down and capped.
The result is a flatter, more even soundscape. You hear more of the small details without turning the whole game up. Nothing in the game’s files or settings changes — Windows processes the final audio output, which means it works with any headset and any audio mix you choose in-game.
How to Turn On Loudness Equalization in Windows
- Press the Windows key, type Settings, and open it.
- Go to System, then Sound.
- Scroll down and click More sound settings (this opens the classic Sound panel).
- On the Playback tab, double-click the headset or speakers you play with.
- Open the Enhancements tab.
- Tick Loudness Equalization.
- Click Apply, then OK, and launch Warzone.
A few notes: the Enhancements tab depends on your audio driver, so if it is missing, update your audio driver first. On some systems the same option appears under the device settings inside Settings > System > Sound when you select your output device. And if you switch between a headset and speakers, you must enable it separately for each output device — Windows applies enhancements per device, not globally.
Pairing It With the Right Warzone Audio Mix
Loudness Equalization does the compressing, but your in-game mix decides what there is to compress. Keep it simple:
- Use the headphone-focused audio mix if you play on headphones. Mixes designed for living-room speakers spread the sound differently and can push the upper-mid frequencies — where footsteps live — further back.
- Keep effects volume prominent. Footsteps are effects audio. Music and dialogue add atmosphere but compete for your attention in a fight; turning them down relative to effects makes the sounds that keep you alive easier to pick out.
- Don’t chase bass. Heavy bass emphasis feels powerful, but footsteps are not bass sounds. A boomy mix adds mud exactly where you need clarity.
These choices stack with compression rather than replacing it: the mix gets the balance roughly right, and Loudness Equalization squeezes the volume gap on top. Our wider settings walkthrough on how to hear footsteps better in warzone covers the rest of the in-game options.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Trying It
Two mistakes ruin most players’ tests of this feature. The first is judging it in the pre-game lobby or the firing range, where there is no real gunfire to compress and nothing meaningful to compare — dynamic range compression only shows its value in the chaos of an actual fight. The second is turning your master volume up at the same time as enabling it, then crediting Loudness Equalization for what is simply louder audio overall. Change one thing at a time: enable the feature, leave every other setting exactly where it was, and let real matches make the comparison for you.
The One Real Trade-Off: Directional Cues
Compression has a cost. Directional audio works partly through volume differences — a sound on your left is louder in your left ear, and rapid changes in loudness help you judge distance. By making quiet sounds louder and loud sounds quieter, Loudness Equalization can flatten some of those cues for some players. A flanking enemy may be easier to hear but slightly harder to place.
This is not universal. It depends on your headset, your hearing, and how aggressively your driver applies the effect. That is precisely why the honest advice is: don’t take anyone’s word for it, including ours. Test it yourself.
How to Test It Properly
- Enable Loudness Equalization and play two or three full matches in your usual mode.
- Pay attention to two separate things: how early you hear footsteps, and how accurately you can point to where they are coming from.
- Disable it and play the same number of matches again.
- Keep whichever setup gives you the better combination of early warning and accurate direction — not just the louder one.
| Loudness Equalization On | Loudness Equalization Off | |
|---|---|---|
| Footstep audibility | Noticeably earlier and clearer | Buried under gunfire and ambient noise |
| Gunshots and explosions | Capped, easier on the ears | Full volume, can mask everything else |
| Directional accuracy | Can feel flattened for some players | Most natural and precise |
| Cost | Free, built into Windows | — |
FAQ
Is Loudness Equalization cheating?
No. It is a standard Windows accessibility and audio feature, available to every player on PC, and it does not modify the game in any way. It works exactly like the volume processing built into many headsets.
Does Loudness Equalization work on console?
The Windows setting itself is PC-only. Console players are limited to the in-game audio mix options, which is one reason the headphone mix choice matters even more there.
Why don’t I have an Enhancements tab?
It depends on your audio driver. Updating your motherboard or headset audio drivers usually restores it. Some third-party audio software also hides the tab while it manages enhancements itself — check that software for an equivalent loudness or “normalization” option.
Conclusion
Loudness Equalization is one of the few genuinely free wins in gaming audio. It targets exactly Warzone’s biggest audio problem — footsteps that are too quiet relative to everything else — by compressing the dynamic range so quiet sounds become audible without deafening gunshots. Turn it on using the steps above, pair it with a headphone mix, and judge it over a few matches with your own ears. If your directional awareness stays sharp, keep it. If sounds feel clear but hard to place, switch it off — now you know, instead of guessing.
