Weird bullet impact / flyby sound Options

[rodzandz]

How come when an enemy shoots at you and the bullets impact around you or fly past you, there is a weird "snapping / popping" sound (instead of a buzzing or ricochet sound)?

What is that? Is it normal? It sounds like those novelty miniature firecrackers.

I've uploaded a sample to show you guys what I mean:

http://www.supload.com/listen?s=M9T9at

Right after they say "three target that man" you can hear the strange sound several times mixed with the normal enemy gunfire.
I can't figure out what the hell it's supposed to be, but it sure as heck doesn't sound right to me.

How can I fix this?

[Rellikki]

As far as I know, it's done in purpose. BIS said that the bullets would make that noise when they fly towards you. I dunno what is that about but it's not a bug or an issue. All on purpose. So you're all fine.

[D@V£]

It's a supersonic crack, happens with any weapon that has a muzzle velocity greater than 343ms, hence why you never hear the shot that gets you until it's too late.

Essentially it's the same thing as a sonic boom, but on a smaller scale.

[rodzandz]

What??
That's strange. I've heard bullets flyby overhead (in real life) before, and it sounds nothing like that.

This is actually much more close to it:

http://www.supload.com/listen?s=srTgGx

[D@V£]

That's a hollywood myth. Some sound guy's probably come up with that sound late at night in a soundlab somewhere, it's featured in a few fancy movies and now everyone thinks that the noise bullets make. I think subsonic rounds make a sound similar to that, but supersonic rounds don't.

Here's a useful quote written by someone who's better at explaining this than me.

The Supersonic Crack

Any projectile moving through the air at a velocity greater than the speed of sound (332 to 340 m/s or 1,089 to 1,114 fps in dry, 18 C or 65 degree F air, depending on who one listens to) will create a supersonic crack. Temperature, humidity and atmospheric pressure variations play a role in raising or lowering the speed of sound by a small percentage. In a firearm which lacks a substantial muzzle report (being fired over an open field) the sound resembles the loud tearing of a bed sheet.

Two sounds are actually created, one from the front of the bullet, and one from the rear. Near trees and buildings the sound waves come back as a distinct crack or pop each time the speeding bullet passes some object with a vertical, reflective surface. Once the muzzle report has been diminished the supersonic boom becomes dominant. Curiously, the sounds will now appear to come from the target area, rather than the rifleman's position. Sound moves through our atmosphere at a relatively fixed rate. A sound wave will typically strike one ear a bit before the other.

The human brain is capable of detecting the difference in time between sound impacting one ear and then the other in an increment of as little as one/six-millionth of a second. With time and practice we soon learn to use this ability to pinpoint the source of a sound very accurately. Because a suppressed muzzle report is relatively quiet, the uninitiated will automatically home in on the loudest sound, which in this case is a sonic boom reflecting from the target area. The intense, sharp sound of the bullet's passage will seem much louder than the muzzle report to someone close to the flight path. Indeed, a rapidly moving .308 bullet will sound louder than a .22 LR pistol, to someone who is positioned a few feet from its flight path.

Smaller diameter bullets make less noise than larger diameter bullets. Supersonic is supersonic. A bullet traveling 366 m/s or 1,200 fps will make about the same noise as one traveling 1220 m/s or 4,000 fps. Projectiles that are .308 inch in diameter will be somewhat louder than .223 bullets. There is no technology which can remove the sound of a supersonic projectile, no matter what claims are made to the contrary.

[rodzandz]

Hmm.. Very interesting.

The hollywood bullet flyby sound is not myth though.
As I said before, I've actually heard bullets flyby overhead (from an AK47 no less) and it actually sounded like the hollywood'esque sfx.
But I never heard anything resembling this supersonic crack.

Good to know anyway. Thanks for the info.

[JdB]

Both are possible. It depends on how far away the bullet passes by, how long it has been in the air (sound can be deflected or absorbed, round losing speed etc) etc.

[Wittmann]

It does depend on the size of the round and its speed.
I've had some .22 and large cal rounds go by relatively close whilst hunting and they sure do make a sharp crack as they move thtough the air.

I have also had some 9mm come uncomfortably close (Ricochets mind, not aimed at me thankgod but a bullet is a bullet) and they had more of a soft, zipping sound than a louder crack I had associated with the faster moving rounds from a rifle.

[RyanRyzzo]

There's a difference in hearing when the bullets come AT you and OVER you. Have you've been fired AT? It's not enough to be fired at by a single bullet to recognize the crack. You'll need a burst to be fired at you at close proximity (1-25 metres) to properly make out and identify the cracks, whizzes and thunks.

[rodzandz]

Check this out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eD_Lo61rAw...feature=related

At 1:04 of the video, you can clearly hear a couple of real "mini sonic-booms" from enemy fire aimed towards the people filming this.

P.S. Oh, and that voice at the end giving orders... you'll find it interestingly familiar.

[Alphanumeric]

I agree with the original poster. Here's a British patrol under attack in Afghanistan. you can hear the sounds of rounds zipping past their landrovers at 5:40.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PE1rAriw-IY&NR=1

I would heartily recommend watching the entire docco.