NBA 2K16 News Post

NBA 2K: Let's Talk About Some NBA 2K Audio Issues

03:54 PM - July 11, 2015 by ChaseB

A common refrain echoed when people talk about sports games is a desire for "better atmosphere" in them. It’s sometimes hard to parse what "better atmosphere" means because it could be something generic like better visuals or audio, or it could just be something like making the regular season feel different from the playoffs.

When it comes to NBA 2K, this talk crops up a lot year to year on Operation Sports, which is not surprising because it's a mega-popular game. But with NBA 2K, the complaints also seem to get way more specific and a bit more off the beaten path. Now you could look at that as a positive for NBA 2K as people have to "reach" to find these problems. But another way to look at it is that some of these things have been legacy issues for so long that people are more attuned to identifying and talking about them.

In short, not many people question the natural-sounding commentary (sans it being repetitive like with every sports game), lively varied PA announcer and the signature style that many of the arenas already possess. It’s more these other underlying things like crowd reactions, how all the audio elements are mixing together, how the rim sounds, or just where random noises are coming from in the game that get attention.

So after the jump, we'll show off a couple of these complaints and talk about why they have some merit.

Read More: Let's Talk About Some NBA 2K Audio Issues

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Member Comments

# 1 Steve_OS @ 07/11/15 04:50 PM

I can dig it.

# 2 knich @ 07/11/15 04:53 PM

I would like them to fix the PA audio. It is horrible as it is very difficult to hear even if I turn down all the other audio.

# 3 jyoung @ 07/11/15 05:04 PM

For me, the biggest audio annoyance in 2K15 is that the crowd only gets loud in the last two minutes of games.

You can have a close game the entire way, but the crowd doesn't really react much until the clock hits 2:00, and then all of sudden the noise level magically goes up and people in the stands start going crazy.

One of the things that NBA Live does way better than NBA 2K right now is crowd noise. Live's audience members maintain a much more natural ebb and flow throughout all four quarters.

# 4 23 @ 07/11/15 05:14 PM

Oh yes, this is LONG overdue!!! I have to leave shortly but Ill be back with a vengance.

In the meantime, go ahead and load up a blu ray on your tv with just the tv sounds...

Then turn on your surround sound system and tell me if there is a difference in the immersion of the movie.

That's the difference between having correct sounds or not. Immersion

# 5 ochosynco @ 07/11/15 05:14 PM

Why can't the commentary be updated mid-season? There are so many changes in the NBA throughout the year that an update with more conversation seems not only necessary but common sense. Did anyone else find it strange to hear Steve Kerr commenting on the Golden State Warriors only to see him standing on the sideline as well?

# 6 24ct @ 07/11/15 05:16 PM

The rim and net sounds pretty bad too. Like I don't know what 2k it was but these haven't changed for a LONG time. I've never heard a dunk sound the way they do in this game. Especially at the park and stuff. Not to mention it's ALWAYS the same exact sound. No variation whatsoever.

Crowd noise is terrible. Nobody doing anything different. I do remember the old 2ks having random ppl in the crowd actually shouting random things. They need to bring this back.

# 7 23 @ 07/11/15 05:17 PM

Guys if possible post examples

# 8 m1ke_nyc @ 07/11/15 05:41 PM

Sometimes throughout the game there's this noise that kinda just pops in. Like something is trying to break through my speakers. I'm gonna try to get some audio of it tonight. Only does this during 2K no other game does it. And does it on all TVs and speakers/soundbars in my house.

# 9 redsox4evur @ 07/11/15 05:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ochosynco


	Why can't the commentary be updated mid-season? There are so many changes in the NBA throughout the year that an update with more conversation seems not only necessary but common sense. Did anyone else find it strange to hear Steve Kerr commenting on the Golden State Warriors only to see him standing on the sideline as well?

They can't do this because they have to get these guys to come in and record all of this commentary. And this could take weeks or months and these guys have regular games to be working during that time. Also they have to travel from game to game and spend time with their families. So there isn't time for them to come in and record new lines every 6 months or whatever. Also I don't know if this is even something that they can patch in. And the Steve Kerr thing happened because of when he was hired so late in the development cycle.

# 10 TreyIM2 @ 07/11/15 06:12 PM

This stuff is not my issue with the sounds. Proper crowd reactions, responses and swells to what's happening on the court is still not right nor consistent. Big plays by the home teams barely get a reaction sometimes.

# 11 DolfanDave @ 07/11/15 07:31 PM

My biggest problem has been the center channel has no audio coming from it and it started after an update 2k14 and havent been back since. Until that is fixed all other problems will be magnified. I am surprised this hasnt been a major discussion to fix. i can only assume most people dont have 5.1 or higher.

# 12 Blippity @ 07/11/15 08:39 PM

New comer here, but a lurker for about a year!

Every year I seem to complain mostly about the sound, mainly the crowds.

But firstly, I feel for digital Doris. Every half time/post game interview, I have to turn down the crowd volume from 60 to about 5-10 because I cannot hear her or the players. It's annoying how it's not just once or twice, but EVERY single time. I hear those weird sounds when Doris talks too. I had to pause the game the first time thinking "What's that high pitched sound?" thinking it was coming from home. Nope, it went when it paused it.

My main issue is the crowd is useless. There is no natural flow to their reactions and it's annoying. My top 3 actual NBA game moments featuring crowds are:

1) Mavs vs Spurs, when Vince Carter nails a 3pt dagger over Manu Ginobli to tie the conference series 2-2 in 2014. Dead silence in anticipation for in-bound pass and the eruption (and goosebumps!) as the shot goes in.

2) Same year, different series as Damian Lillard does the same over the Rockets in Game 6 (I think).

3) I think it was game 5 in the Spurs win over the Heat. About 2nd or 3rd quarter, the Spurs were behind about 45-52 or something, when they go on a huge run through Leonard and Ginobli. Every bucket saw the crowd grow stronger and more excited as they cut down the lead and overtook the Heat. Each bucket past the Heats score, until a time-out was called, elevated the players and the crowd went nuts.

I am yet to experience anything exciting as these plays in 2k. Even when home teams are shooting FTs, there is still a roar not a hush. I often have the crowd volume low as I find it irritating.

# 13 suh90beast @ 07/11/15 08:51 PM

Yea 2k lacks excitment in clutch moments. There should be some build up to the last shot

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

# 14 23 @ 07/12/15 12:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThaLiveKing


	2K has a lot of work to do with their crowd, It's one part of the game that is so stale. The amount of money they put into their game and can't even get the sound right is embarrassing. Rim sounds in 2K don't bother me as much as Live does, but they both could use some tweaking. After a big shot or a big dunk, the announcers get hyped with the 'Oooooooooooohhhh what a play" and the crowd is no where to be heard. The crowd should react to every steal, every block, every basket, but they don't. Even with the introduction, it's just one tone and that's it. Usually when the PA Announcer calls the last player, the franchise player, they usually get the loudest ovation, things like this matter. I wish they would get it right

Man I agree the crowd is not only partly involved but don't give us the proper responses at the right time. Sometimes you go on a run or hit a big shot or even 2 in a row and they not only go dead but they sit down instead of stand up.

Imagine Reggie Miller hitting those 3s in the playoffs vs the Knicks and the arena went dead silent. It just doesnt happen.

Another thing that REALLY needs work is what used to get on my nerves in NBA2K5 when you dunked the ball. Sometimes it would go down like you finger rolled it.

This was fixed a couple of years ago when they decided to make the ball go through the rim with more force on dunks... Well shooting long 3's, its pretty much the same at times. It feels like an Al Jefferson finger roll.

What you get is the ball softly going in, and the sound is really weak, you NEVER hear the net rip...kinda like you do here around 13 seconds

With the rim being pulled down, and the net snapping or swishing hard, that would do wonders for the sound of this game in that area. Its been ignored/left as is for years although some have made mention of it.

All of the improvements in the game and keeping this the same makes it stick out even more and more.

Here is a regular normal swish that could easily stand for a regular jumper which sounds more like paper right now than this

# 15 WishListGOD 1 OF 2 @ 07/12/15 02:11 AM

THE problem is that nothing the crowd does makes sense in context to what happens on the court EXAMPLE: while they sometimes respond to late game situations they ONLY respond actively during these situations as if thats the only thing they came for, the crowd is NOT DYNAMIC.

SOLUTION/hope. The game MUST introduce a new system of how sounds are orderd and presented for crowds, no longer "CANNED" moments that sometimes work or don't (4th quarter crowds must react). Build a NEW sound library of authentic basketball sounds, dunks, rebound grabs, players falling/landing, rim flex/all directions, ball hitting the rim/backboard, nba crowds ect. This is not a hard as you might think as there aren't a lot of different sounds that the game of basketball makes just sound intensity. ONCE these things are done they can be put in the game and paired as they were.

CROWDS/robots. Crowds simply don't respond to basketball they ARE BLIND and it disconnects the player with there lack of emotion, a system that recognizes situations on the court and applys the correct sounds would be ideal, LIKE a valuable player coming in from injury the crowd reacts and cheers them in during the regular season but, during the playoffs they respond even louder and if that player gets a rebound/point you'll know why their cheering extra loud. Same for momentum, if our team gets a steal in lets say the 8th minute of the 1st quarter the crowd shouldn't explode in cheering as if your in crunch time but still get loud enough and cheer that its a pick me up for the player and team. BUT if we were on a scoring run, or facing rivals, in the playoffs/elimination, in that same time the crowd should erupt, and as the game gets closer to the end of regulation the system recognizes that and the crowd gets louder and more active movements with each scored basket especially if its a close game/back in fourth. Booing opposing players/teams, chanting player names(rare) booing ref calls, jumping up and down after a game winner/crazy sequence of plays (grabing a rebound for every missed shot on the same possession by same player or different players on same team) these things and MUCH more should make the crowd appear as real as ever before.

SOUNDS NEED TO BE DYNAMIC. Aside from money players PLAY FOR FANS!! End of story. Some of the most memorable moments in nba HISTORY happened because of players seeking attention from the fans. Their just as much part of the history of basketball as the Celtic, Laker dynastys without them there would be no game. 2k needs to realize this and simulate them with the same accuracy as they simulate the rest of there game no longer a after thought. ITS TIME TO STEP IT UP.

Wish i could post examples but ps4 suxs as a computer.

# 16 asu666 @ 07/12/15 02:12 AM

Steve Kerr talking about how he is coaching too.

# 17 iNolaNightmare @ 07/12/15 03:28 PM

That video of the audio mod was amazing. The other game does a much better job of rim and net sounds. Please fix, 2k.

# 18 lilteapot @ 07/12/15 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TreyIM2


	This stuff is not my issue with the sounds. Proper crowd reactions, responses and swells to what's happening on the court is still not right nor consistent. Big plays by the home teams barely get a reaction sometimes.

This more than anything. Stuff like game winners need to have better reactions.

# 19 The 24th Letter @ 07/12/15 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WISports


	One rim sound that I love, but doesn't happen all that often, is when a guy hits a straight away jumper (usually a 3), and the ball grazes the back of the rim just right and makes that thump noise. I've never heard that in a 2K game.

Only on OS could I find someone who can appreciate this...

I was trying to explain this to my boy and he looked at me like I was crazy, lol

Completely agree with the thread...an overhaul is WAAAAY overdue on this

# 20 GuwopGeezus @ 07/12/15 07:45 PM

Also, the rims sound a little different in each arena (as I believe was mentioned in the article). MSG and Dallas come to mind as a couple that are really distinct. This is probably asking way too much right now but I'd like to get to the point where they capture rim sounds for different shot/dunk makes and misses in each arena. Or at least enough arenas where there is more variety

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