13 Audio Tips You NEED To Know In Escape From Tarkov! 

Imagine being heard from half a football field because you looked down a sight

Comtac 4s being absurd aside, the fact that ADSing is audible from so far away is ridiculous

Gotta give BSG credit where it's due. It's totally feasible to hear someone running from 91 meters away whilst there are gunfights going on, birds are chirping 140db and there's a gust of wind of atleast 50mph blowing continuously.

Two things: 1) thank you for doing this research and making this video! And 2) the fact that this was needed saddens me. The audio in tarkov definitely needs to be updated to be consistent between client and server sides. And headsets need a rework on the insane distance you can hear stuff at 😂

Spinning while prone in a bush making noise for others but not for you explains SO MUCH. Thank you Mr Beef.

An important detail, when crouching at minimum speed, sometimes when you slip on small rocks it doesn't make a sound on your end, but it makes a falling sound for other players. This happens a lot when I'm in a group and I hear my brothers slip from 3 inches in height as if they were 10 meters...

I recently found out that if you sprint until you are out of stamina and are breathing heavily, then ADS and hold breath it will silence your breathing in first person but not for others. It is still useful to use to shut your PMC up so you can hear better.

This is amazingly useful, thank you Gigabeef! The fact you can hear someone walking from 90m away is crazy, I wish our own PMC sounds were less loud too. You do not sound that loud to yourself when walking, even with heavy boots on gravel or glass.

I had no idea the silent ADS from blindfire had been removed! Also had no idea about other people hearing you zeroing your optics. Sir Beef dropping the knowledge bombs yet again!

Honestly, at this rate I feel they should make it so headsets don't actually increase the range you hear people at but just make it significantly easier to hear those footsteps during other loud sound effects. (Gunshots, rain, etc.)

Thank you so much for the great video and for the shout out. It means a lot coming from my favorite Tarkov content creator.

I am always amazed when you go for the really in-depth testing like in this video Awesome work, as always!! Thanks for the spreadsheet at 2:42 as well I'm sure that you'll be doing something similar for the new armor in the next patch, and I just want to say preemptively o7

I've pretty much stopped playing tarkov, maybe I'll return for arena. but I've still been watching all your videos, I think you've got such a great style and really are a huge help to people trying to figure out this wacky game. seeing as you're the analyst for the arena streams I think I'll actually tune in. just wanted to say thanks

This is something I had been waiting for in a long time - to this day I was never certain what only I could hear and what the range is others can hear me... Thumbs up

I thought this would be another "what headset is better" video, but i was pleasantly suprised! Thanks a lot! I'm 1300 hours in and i thought low speed crouching does make sound. I mostly play solo, so there was practially no way for me to realise it does not. Definitely going to use it more often now.

I've been trying to find a video covering this topic, I finally found one. Thank you for this

Thank you for this valuable information, I couldnt find a video this detailed anywhere

Hey thanks for taking the time to do all that testing! Results were eye opening ;D

It's always a good day when you upload man, love the calm vibes

This is such an amazing video, thank you. Been playing for years now, but there's been so many changes its tough to keep up. Much appreciated. If you don't mind a bit of feedback, it would be great to hear isolated examples of the audio for each test, just to get a better idea of how audible it is in game. Thanks again, mate. Absolute legend.

this audio stuff is insane, like really you can hear someone ADS from 50 meters away?!?

One more thing not including here - rock sounds, sometimes you can walk on rocks that are connected to other rocks and they wont make any noise on your end but will make jumping noise for everyone around when you go over place they merge.

This is incredibly huge! Thank you for making such an informative video that will absolutely change the way people play. Audio right now is life or death in Tarkov.

you have no idea how helpful this is and how badly i needed this. thank you!

I've been waiting for a video like this for ages, thank you

Amazing video, a lot of work went into that and I appreciate it! One thing I’ve noticed is that sometimes whenever you fall off of something that is 3 steps or less you won’t hear it but other people will. It happens to my buddies and I often and it’s something we’ve come to noticed when sneaking. Test it yourself, thanks for the video 👍🏻

Tarkov is basically unplayable to me almost exclusively because of how terrible(and extremely unrealistic) the audio is. They want a "real" feeling hardcore game, but give everyone super hearing so your only option is to sit in a corner, or get killed by someone else who's in a corner. Edit: you'll hear someone a quarter mile away scratching their ass, while the guy walking up the stairs behind you generates 0 audio.

Tysm for all the analysing you do! Very interesting to know about the walking/crouch/prone sounds in a variety of situations. One thing I'd be interested to know is if going from prone to crouch in a bush makes a louder noise than doing it in the open or if it makes a bush noise.

Another banger. Thanks for all the information you have taught me

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:00 🚶‍♂️ *Minimum Speed Crouch Movement:* - Crouch walking at minimum speed is completely silent. - Notch up movement by one or two slots increases audibility, but still relatively quiet. - Tested with top-tier and low-end headsets, yielding consistent results. 01:53 🏃 *Walking and Running Noise Levels:* - Walking at regular speed and running are among the loudest sounds in the game. - Audio range is weight-dependent, with overweight characters being more audible. - Detailed audio range comparisons provided for various weight scenarios. 02:46 🤸 *Prone Movement and Bushes:* - Prone movement is generally loud, but spinning in place is silent. - Bushes are relentless and produce consistent volume even at minimum speed crouch. - Spinning prone in bushes can be noisy, affecting stealth. 03:57 🔊 *Falling Sounds on Staircase:* - Falling sounds on the custom skeleton building staircase start after about three steps. - Falling sounds are synchronized between players. - Historical change: PMC's now make external falling sounds, unlike before. 04:27 🔊🔧 *ADS Sound Distance and Factors:* - Ergonomics and weight affect the sound distance of aiming down sights (ADS). - Weight can be influenced by using a mule, affecting the overweight threshold. - Testing with different weapons and scenarios for comprehensive insights. 05:23 🔊 *Zeroing and Scope Magnification Sounds:* - Zeroing makes no sound client-side but is audible to other players. - Same sound effect as changing scope magnification. - Distance testing results provided for both headsets. 06:06 🔇 *Blind Fire ADS Strategy:* - Blind fire to get out of ADS without being heard no longer works. - Despite no audio cue for the player, others can hear the ADS removal sound. - A cautionary note to avoid getting caught out using this strategy. 06:50 🧳🔊 *Inventory Sounds with Weapons:* - Some weapons, like the g28, produce louder inventory sounds than others. - Impact of weapon choice on audibility during inventory use. - Interesting tidbit: No weapon equipped results in silent inventory use. 07:32 😤🌬️ *Breathing and Stamina:* - Breathing sounds don't transmit through helmets with face shields. - Other players can't hear when you go out of breath due to the hold breath mechanic. - Out of breath becomes audible only after prolonged aiming down sights. Made with HARPA AI

and as always it all finishes with "head, eyes")) Awesome work. Thanks.

I have been telling people why covert movement is one of the strongest skills in the game. This video showcases how audio functions and here is what covert can do, to those noises: (Taken from tarkov wiki) Reduces noise level of footsteps on common surfaces (1.2% per level → -60% at Elite Level) Reduces noise level of footsteps on uncommon surfaces (0.6% per level → -30% at Elite Level) Increases covert movement speed (1% per level → +50% at Elite Level) Reduces noise level of weapons and equipment (1.2% per level → -60% at Elite Level) Elite level: Covert movement becomes equally quiet on all surfaces (-60% total) All of this wonderful, but the most amazing is the speed while moving slowly. How it works is by increasing the limit when you go into the lowest sound range. So if the lowest sound range is 4 dots, by leveling covert, you are increasing it to 5, 6 etc. So you are increasing your speed by being allowed to go higher on the movement speed bar, while making the lower noise. Add in the bonuses for footsteps and you are quite fast and silent. Oh and those sound level minuses? They are global from my understanding. So any sound reductions from those movement should affect normal walking, sprinting etc. Also there is some conversation taken a few years ago where it also lowers the sound of YOUR footsteps in your audio perception. But sadly I cannot confirm this since I haven't prepared any testing for this. (This seems to have been disproven in the comments, please ignore the info on this section, I am leaving it for the context) Also, this math might be wrong, but it was taken a very long time ago, but if you do 423 raids and crouch walk at least 20 meters, you should reach elite level cover movement.

Your growth has been insane man!!!

What audio settings do I need to adjust to see other people through walls like everyone else?

Your a legend Gigabeef! Appreciate the work you put in, honestly helped me alot.

really great video love your testings

Man the amount of things i would like to complain about with tarkovs sound is insane so im not even gonna begin but thank god for this video, been waiting for it.

Been waiting for this kind of video

awesome! ive been waiting for that exact video for month

Youre a legend gigabeef thank you my man!

Yesssss mate referencing that headset distance spreadsheet from the discord my guyyyyy 😍

amazing video clearly outlines limits for inexperienced players would be good to see someone develop a table

in the lore the pmcs wear shoes made of tungsten so its actually very realistic for them to be loud

I loved the point where he spoke over half of all the showcases

we need some testing on this with vaulting and snow

So realistic. I remember how many enemies we found on deployment because we heard them aim at 100ft.

amazing video as always

The ADS absolutely has to change. The fact that the player apparently has wind chimes and dangling keys attached to their guns on a windy day, makes no sense. I like it making noise to some degree, but literally just tilting your head and slightly raising your gun being audible from 50 meters away? The gun is already shouldered, so it's not like there's a ton of motion, it really is just tilting your head and raising it a little.

you should do an updated video to this now that there is snow and all we hear is crunch lol

This is insane, I never realised the sound distance was so different between headsets. That ADS sound range for Comtac 4's is just crazy, I've never even been able to run a pair.

Always count on Gigabeef!

Great video love to hear the figures. The only thing i would change is that when the actual tests are happening you block the sound with your voice while you explain the distances. Would be good to know how they sound!

This guy is more well spoken and direct than a lot of people I know with supposedly higher iq’s. You seem like a wonderful young man and I hope you get all the things you’ve ever wanted

Switching between your main scope and reddot (even not while ADS'ed) also makes a sound that is only observable by other players

Great, now i'm gonna be even MORE paranoid when I hear a random tarkov sound. Thanks gigabeef 😃👍

thanks for the awesome tips video

Great video, now redo it accounting for the snow lol

This was needed. GG's

i really got to stop running :D Superb video man!

Lmao 80meters, seems ultra realistic and tactical to me

Hearing someone ADS from 50m away is crazy 😭

Good video, thanks

Can’t wait for a good game to be made that covers this category

I thought the blind fire trick was for overhead blind fire only. Did you test it for overhead as well?

Thanks for this

since we are on this topic what irl headsets are the best for tarkov I feel like streamers seem to always hear way better than i do, now that could be because they are paying better attention than me but they still will hear it while also making their own noise and i never do, plus they also seem to basically know exactly what direction and how far away it came from with such precision that i cannot comprehend

Hearing someone walking at 70m😂 hard to hold a conversation shouting at that distance 🤦🏼‍♂️

Giga is the best beef!

Wow this is AWESOME.

u should make a vid of all examples one after another w text on what sound would be a great learning aid

5:22 Isn't rather the sound of switching the firing mode ? Love the video btw ! It's the kind of stuff you never know unless it's properly tested like you did.

great vid ty

Tarkov developers must to see this. I don't like that some sounds cannot be heard by player itself but can be heard by enemies.

but why does minimum speed crocuhwalking no sound, when i as the player who is crouch walking, can hear myself clearly?

Dang, I actually thought you could move your camera while prone in the bushes. thx for the tips xd

Even though the video is recent, would love to see you revisit this for 0.14 cause it seems a few things have changed, and vaulting is near silent?

One thing I'm wondering about is changing fire mode. It makes a click, but if you check fire mode first and then quickly change fire mode there is no click. But is that just for me? Or do others hear the click?

The only time i had the out of breath breathing noise happen to me was when i was stuck in a ton of bushes with 4 guys watching my position. I was in ads and faked playing dead but started to heavy breathe because going out of ads made a noise. The bushes got mowed that day

@gigabeef can you test getting out of ADS with shotguns using the reload key when fully loaded? It doesn't make sound on my end but I don't have anyone to test it with on their end.

Nice video it will improve my ratting

Can you test and see if what I use to un ads. Which is press alt- b to check fire rate? Doesn’t work for boltys though.

No lie, BSG learning things they didn’t know from Gigabeef too.

I haven't played in a couple of wipes - did they change the min speed crouch volume? I could have sworn that a year ago or so you were able to hear faint steps when people crouched up on you. No wonder I kept getting surprised this wipe by people sneaking up on me lol

i have one unsolved mystery: why does the heavy breathing sound play sometimes when your are prone in ADS and still have lots of stamina left? (bot, leg and arm stamina.) - i encounter this a lot when camping in prone where you barely loose arm stamina... the heavy breathing starts while still having 1/2 - 3/4 arm stamina left...

The most ridiculous thing about the Comtac 4's, is that range is increased by 15% with the Elite Perception perk.

cool thx for your time bro

It's even worse since new wipe, I will hear my own footsteps and rustling around like 5 seconds after I've done it now, bit the game itself isn't lagging just the audio.....which is a new experience in my 32 years of gaming.

Thanks for these I didn’t know a few of those myself. Does anyone know or would it be possible to test if when audibly heavy breathing after exhausting arm stam if you ads again and hold breath then back out of ads it takes away the long heavy breathing wait time on your end but does it do the same for others?

did you test the slow walking on glass. I am sure the glass sounds plays for both you and other PMC. I think its the only surface that does play audio when you are slow moving.

Since the snow. Is crouch slow still silent?

not sure if it still works or not but if you change your fire rate while in the checking fire rate animation then it doesn't make sound when you change fire rate

can you tell me if it makes sound when I check for fire mode but i quickly change fire mode so it dont make sound. does it actually silent on other player side?

I knew that comtac 4s are crazy but I never thought that like that.

One question I have regarding the min speed crouch is whether or not weight affects the sound you make? Like do you still make no sound at all if you have a lot of weight on you?

What about when ADS and using check fire to un-ADS. Would that be silent?

I believe the silence step when crouch walking at the slowest speed only applies when you’re underweight.

thanks for the video, great info; regarding tip 1, how about if you crouch slow walking and step onto glasses, does it make any sound?

Can someone correct me but, when you crouch and do a 360 extremely slowly you wont make any sound?

"32 meters audible when aiming down sight" such realism!

SNOW (I am pretty sure) will still make noise when slow crouch walk!