Windows system volume only controls left channel

The volume in question is the main system:



If your keyboard has volume controls then this is what it controls. No driver is required and the issue is present regardless of whether the keyboard is used to control the volume or any other method. So this is a red herring I believe - it is just the easiest way to control the top level system (non-application) volume.

The problem is that the main system volume starts only controlling the left channel. The right channel remains always at a fixed value e.g. 100%. The only known fix is to reinstall the drivers and reboot, but the error state can reoccur based on an unknown trigger. It is an issue within the Xonar drivers (which the Unified drivers are based upon).

x1ife said:

Do you happen to play any of the recent Battlefield series of games or have a GeForce graphics card? Do you have an AsRock motherboard by chance?

I do not play Battlefield. (But I do game. Cyberpunk 2077 and The Outer Wilds VR have been my poison lately.)
My motherboard is an Asus P8P67LE.

I DO have a GeForce GPU. It's a GTX 1070, installed five years ago.

I do not have a Logitech keyboard but DO have a Logitech mouse.

Having tried solving this problem last year (successfully, thanks to fireberd!), I am keenly aware that this thread right here is pretty close to the only place on the entire Internet where this particularly bizarre problem is being discussed. It is QUITE the necro, but there are not many better options (except, perhaps, a brand-new thread).

If you're using a software for a keyboard like the popular Logitech line of keyboards, it may cause driver conflics. That's what I was trying to elude to.

It seems to be some kind of "combat" between two drivers.

x1ife said:

The volume in question is the main system:



If your keyboard has volume controls then this is what it controls. No driver is required and the issue is present regardless of whether the keyboard is used to control the volume or any other method. So this is a red herring I believe - it is just the easiest way to control the top level system (non-application) volume.

The problem is that the main system volume starts only controlling the left channel. The right channel remains always at a fixed value e.g. 100%. The only known fix is to reinstall the drivers and reboot, but the error state can reoccur based on an unknown trigger. It is an issue within the Xonar drivers (which the Unified drivers are based upon).

- - - Updated - - -

It could also be BS Nvidia's driver audio crap. When you install their driver, ONLY install the driver, no fluff, and no audio for their HDMI. Speaking of, turn off HDMI audio in the control panel, and/or play with that option.



Wait? My GPU is a Sound Card? - Probing Paul #51 - YouTube

BCSWowbagger said:

My motherboard is an Asus P8P67LE.

I have an LGA 1155 motherboard too (Asrock Z68, 32GB DDR3 2200Mhz, i7 3770k at 4.5Ghz) too. Good effort playing Cyberpunk on an 11 year old system, but unfortunate that we can't officially upgrade to Windows 11!

Maybe the bug only occurs on this chipset/similar. I believe this issue is the same one: Changing Volume Only Affects Left Speaker - Windows 10 Forums (sevenforums.com) (same chipset in the HT Omega Striker 7.1).