%V = rand(): Yes, it's something like that

This is not so much a tutorial as it is a reference to aid audio developers or players seeking a better understanding of the limitations of the audio controls in Unreal Tournament 3.

The ingame audio settings in Unreal Tournament 3 is a bit of a mystery. Comparatively the controls don't seem to meet with each other in terms of overall volume and at times not even with themselves. In short, they don't seem to add up; and there's a reason for that. The confusion begins with the ingame controls themselves which despite how they are each represented do not relate to the overall audio volume as a whole. The problem here is the popular belief that a 10 is a 10 everywhere you go. With Unreal Tournament 3 this is not the case. Different types of audio are divided into several groups which each have their own maximum output. Each group, or audio control, is capped to a maximum level unique to that group, some are lower or much lower than others. On top of that at least one group has two different caps with vastly different maximum levels. Sounds produced from this group that are rendered with a low cap, music specifically, will only be as loud as you can bear sounds produced from the higher cap (stingers). I can't possibly begin to explain the design decisions behind this method but I have done a little research that shows the limitations for what they are in light that others can use this to more confidently adjust their audio mix to a result they want or at least understand why something isn't working how they expect.

This experiment consists of two seperate tests. Each was performed with an audio meter running in the background recording peak audio while the game was running. For each test every audio control was tested individually at the maximum volume of 10 while the remainder were set to 0. The game was allowed to run for the duration of every map included in the retail release with the exception of the game menu to prevent any menu sounds from contaminating the results.
The second test was performed in a similar fashion. The only difference being each audio control was tested individually at the minimum volume of 1 while the remainder were set to 0. Due to the nature of different recoding methods that may have been employed in the audio such as signal compression and multiple output limits set on individual sounds the results do vary. Since the purpose of this test is to determine the actual range of volume the in game audio setting represents, all results except the highest peak were discarded. The information formed below represents the output range each audio group is capable of.

Peaks per group at lowest and higest setting

The results clearly show the ingame audio settings do not adhere to a common standard. It's quite possible the decision was made to improve the audio experience by setting each value to a limited range and the settings menu is there to give us the impression we're actually changing something. It's usually only by trial and error that most people find that "perfect" balance in their audio mix and the more time we put into finding it the less time spent actually playing. So why not have someone restrict these settings to a range of what sounds good? It sounds like a great idea, if you've ever had the eq in your car stereo programmed by someone with a trained ear you know what a difference it makes but it prevents experimentation for those of us that think it could sound better.

The one thing to keep in mind if adjusting your audio mix is you're adjusting the individual range. Relating the scale of each sound group to the same ten numbers can be confusing because applying a numbered scale to several items causes us to believe each item is using the same scale. To illustrate the problem/solution refer to the chart above based off the raw data to help visualize what it is you're actually adjusting. The range for each item is based on volume settings from 1 to 10. If you were to assume each item is following the same scale it's easy to see how confusing it can be adjusting one item with the impression they are all relative.

Since I've owned UT3 I've had a hunch that something was off and nothing I did seemed to correct the problem. I've got a mix I'm satisfied with now and achieving it demanded perceiving the menu in a different way. If I'm trolling then you are free to that perception as well. The software I used to perform these tests is easily available and the methods are described above. I've supported UT3 with tutorials that to my knowledge do not even exist in the developer/private UDN much less in any public resource. I continually encourage mod developers to support this game and above all I actually play it frequently. I don't have an agenda and didn't come to add fuel to a fire. I have been told once I spin the truth in my favor and if that was a fact by now you'd believe me if I wrote a guide to unlock coded variables to shoot rainbows from your speakers if you had specific equipment. I had a hunch. I did some research. These are the findings. Take it as you please.

-zYnthetic