Windows 10 volume keeps resetting to 100% and nothing seems to fix it

Question

I just built my first PC < 1 month ago and I keep having audio issues--specifically with Warzone--and I'm not quite sure what's causing it or how to fix it.

My computer seems to have 2 different master volume settings: Warzone @ 100, and the rest of the computer @ whatever I set it to. So if Warzone is the active window and I set my volume to 30 it will stay at 30. When I click out of Warzone to any other application, my computer will adjust the master volume to whatever I had set it to before (i.e. if before launching Warzone my master volume was at 35, and my volume while Warzone is activated is 30, when I click out of Warzone my computer's volume will automatically adjust itself back to 35). Then, when I click back into Warzone, my mater volume jumps up to 100 and I need to crank it back down to stop my ears from bleeding. And I mean that my computer's master volume jumps to 100, so everything from Discord to little Windows chimes are deafening me now. This only started a couple weeks ago when I updated the Realtek audio driver so I believe it has to do with that--and Googling around it seems like this a pretty common bug--but I haven't been able to find any solutions that actually resolve my issue. Can anyone please help?????

Possibly relevant information:

• Motherboard: ASUS TUF GAMING B550M-PLUS
• Audio Driver: Realtek Audio Driver, version 6.0.8971.1
  • Audio driver installed via ASUS Armory Crate (something the mobo automatically installed as a UI for controlling things)
• This seems to only happen with Warzone. I've tried other games and full screen applications (e.g. YouTube) but the volume doesn't automatically change for those
• I'm plugged into the 3.5mm jack on my computer. I have 2 (one on the mobo, one on the case) and the problem persists regardless of which one I use
• My Realtek(R) Audio hardware IDs under Device Manger are:
  • HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_10EC&DEV_0B00&SUBSYS_10438797&REV_1000
  • HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_10EC&DEV_0B00&SUBSYS_10438797

Things I have tried:

1. Sound Control Panel
   1. Disabled both "Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device" and "Enable audio enhancements" in the Advanced tab of my sound control panel for both Realtek(R) Audio and Realtek Digital Output Properties
   2. Neither Realtek(R) Audio nor Realtek Digital Output Properties have an "Enhancements" tab so I couldn't turn those off
   3. Changed "Communications" to "Do nothing"
2. Device Manager
   1. Clicked "Update driver" for Realtek(R) Audio under both "Sound, video and game controllers" and "Audio inputs and outputs"
      1. Both said that the audio driver was already up-to-date
   2. Uninstalled the Realtek(R) Audio driver, then restarted my computer to have Windows automatically install it
      1. Windows doesn't automatically install it for whatever reason
      2. It only gets installed when I do it through the Armory Crate
   3. Uninstalled the Realtek(R) Audio driver, then manually installed the Realtek(R) Audio driver from the website
      1. https://www.realtek.com/en/component/zoo/category/pc-audio-codecs-high-definition-audio-codecs-software
      2. 64bits Vista, Windows7, Windows8, Windows8.1, Windows10 Driver only (Executable file)..
      3. The install doesn't work and I get a window that says " install realtek hd audio driver failure error code -0001"
      4. I followed this webpage but don't have "Microsoft UAA" as a device, and at the end the driver install just froze: https://www.howto-connect.com/fix-install-realtek-hd-audio-driver-failure-error-code-0001-windows-10/
3. Reverted my audio driver back to "High Definition Audio Device" (the other compatible driver on my computer)
   1. I don't hear anything through my headphones when I use this driver
   2. I don't get audio back through my headphones until I install the Realtek(R) Audio driver through the Armory Crate
4. Windows Sound Settings
   1. Under "Advanced sound options", reduced all my app volumes below 100
5. Reinstalled Windows 10
6. Reinstalled Warzone

Answer 1

It`s because of Armoury Crate update. Open Armoury Crate and go to scenario profiles, check your cs:go scenario, in the right top corner click custom config and uncheck the sound option. Unfortunately, that sound option is applying the settings to the master sound and not only to cs:go. Mine was set at 100% and it was overwriting my windows settings every time I was entering CS:go

Answer 2

Have you tried messing with the option of exclusive mode under the sound settings within windows? I dont have much to offer but when i had tidal and messed with exclusive mode, the volume would jump around like that sometimes. Perhaps there could be something related to what youre trying to solve.

Answer 3

I have never heard about this. I assume, that WZ dont make a difference between the sound of the .exe and the actual ingamesound. For example, when you start another game (like SAO: Fatal bullet), you might get the effect, that in Titlescreen, the sounds are loud, but entering the menue helps. This is, because there are 2 different soundsettings. At first, the volumesettings from defaultconfigs get loaded, then the ingamesettings.

I guess, that WZ has something like that too, but instead of holding the ingamesettings, it is bugged out and loads the default configurations of your system.. which is your default output and your default volume (which is 100).

If i am wrong - please correct me.