Best audio settings for Halo Infinite Season 1

Liam Mackay
Master Chief with AR in Halo Infinite

Sound is extremely important in competitive FPS games, so here are the best audio settings for Halo Infinite Season 1, including how to fix the bug that mutes all sound from behind.

Halo Infinite’s multiplayer launched almost a month early, offering the classic sci-fi FPS experience to casual and competitive fans alike.

But no matter the mode, you always want to be playing your best. Using the best controller, FOV, and PC settings are important, but audio is equally necessary. Hearing every aspect of the game will grant more spatial awareness, vastly improving your reaction times.

Here are the best audio settings for Halo Infinite, as well as how to fix the issue that mutes all sounds behind you.

Best Halo Infinite audio settings

master chief in halo infinite

Volume

  • Main: 9
  • Voice: 7
  • Music: 4
  • Sound Effects: 10
  • Environmental Effects: 4
  • Hit Detection Effects: 10
  • Inactive Mute: Off

Most of the volume options are down to personal choice, but you always want to make sure that Sound Effects and Hit Detection Effects are turned all the way up.

It can be quite difficult to hear enemy footsteps and notice you’re getting shot, so you want to increase your chances of hearing these things as much as possible.

Hardware

Dynamic Range: Dynamic Mode

You should ensure Dynamic Range is set to Dynamic Mode, as it will make it so that “loud sounds are loud and quiet sounds are quiet,” making the audio sounds more natural and less flat.

Subtitles

  • Visibility: On
  • Display: All
  • Size: Medium
  • Background Opacity: 0.7
  • Highlight: Speaker

If you want to use subtitles while playing Halo Infinite, we recommend using the settings above.

Spartans in Halo Infinite multiplayer

Communication

  • Voice Chat Input Device: Your microphone/headset
  • Voice Chat Mode: Push-to-Talk
  • Fireteam & Lobby Chat: On
  • Match Chat: On
  • Incoming Voice Chat Volume: 9
  • Spartan Chatter: On

Push-to-Talk is the best option for playing Halo Infinite, as you can choose when you want to be heard. But you should set it to Open Mic if you want to have full, open communication with your team.

We also recommend having Spartan Chatter on, as you’ll be able to hear what in-game characters call out, giving you a little bit more awareness.

How to fix Halo Infinite audio issues

Master Chief helmet in Halo Infinite

Halo Infinite players have complained that the footstep and hit indication audio are next to useless, with it almost impossible to hear anything behind you. Top streamer Dr Disrespect has already said there needs to be more indication that you’re getting shot, but it appears a bug is making things worse.

There’s currently an issue in Halo Infinite where using the wrong headphone settings will mute all sounds coming from behind you. But luckily, Reddit user rhylte appears to have discovered a temporary fix.

Halo Infinite expects your headphones to be set to Stereo, but Windows can default your headphones to Surround 7.1. Using 7.1 will mute all sounds behind you when playing Halo Infinite, so thanks to rhylte, here’s how to fix it.

How to select Stereo audio for Halo Infinite

Here’s how to switch your audio to Stereo:

  1. Right click the Sound Icon on your taskbar
  2. Click on ‘Sounds’
  3. Select the ‘Playback’ tab
  4. Select your device and hit ‘Configure’
  5. Under ‘Choose your configuration’ and ‘Audio Channels,’ click on ‘Stereo’

How to fix Stereo audio missing bug

However, not everyone will have Stereo listed as an option, so rhylte provided a fix for this too:

  1. Open ‘Device Manager’
  2. Expand ‘Sound, video and game controllers’ 
  3. Right click your output device and click ‘Update driver’
  4. Click ‘Browse my computer for drivers’
  5. Click ‘Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer’
  6. Select ‘USB Audio Device’ and click ‘Next’
  7. Restart your computer
  8. Go to ‘Sound control panel’ by right-clicking the sound icon on your taskbar, clicking on ‘sound,’ and then the ‘Playback’ tab
  9. Select your output device, and click ‘Configure’
  10. Select the ‘Stereo’ option and then click ‘Next’ to finish the configuration

How to roll back audio drivers

rhylte said that if you can roll back your drivers if updating the drivers brought any unexpected issues. To do this, you need to:

  1. Open ‘Device Manager’
  2. Expand ‘Sound, video and game controllers’ 
  3. Double-click on your output device
  4. Select the ‘Driver’ tab
  5. Either:
    • Click ‘Roll Back Driver’
    • Click ‘Update Driver’ and select “the driver appropriate for your device (made by the manufacturer)”
  6. If this doesn’t work, you can uninstall and reinstall the device

You should now be able to hear everything behind you in Halo Infinite, making a huge difference to the audio and your own performance!


For more Halo Infinite, you can check out how its Ranked system works, including all of the ranks, modes, and rules.

Image Credit: 343 Industries

About The Author

Liam is CharlieIntel's Editor who focuses on Call of Duty but also plays lots of fantasy RPGs or anything else in his massive gaming backlog. After graduating in Journalism from Edinburgh Napier University, Liam freelanced in games journalism before joining CharlieIntel in November 2020. You can contact Liam at [email protected].