Audio distorted in Windows 7, Vista and Windows 2008 server virtual machines on VMware Workstation (2012007)

 

Symptoms:

  • When attempting to play audio in your virtual machine it is distorted.
  • Audio in your virtual machine is not clear.
  • There are skips, jumps, pops, hisses, or crackles in the audio in your virtual machine.

 

Cause:

Starting with version 8, the VMware Workstation comes with new HD Audio device compatible with the RealTek ALC888 7.1 Channel High Definition Audio Codec. On occasion, it is possible that the sound output in stereo is distorted due to the advanced speaker properties are incorrectly configured.

 

Resolution:

To resolve this issue, adjust the speaker configuration on your virtual machine.

To adjust the speaker configuration on your virtual machine:

  1. Go to Start > Control Panel and select Hardware and Sound.
  2. Click Sound.
  3. Select  Speakers, then click Properties.
  4. Go to the Advanced tab.
  5. Select 24 bit, 44100 Hz (Studio Quality) or higher, using the dropdown menu.
  6. Click Apply, then click OK.
  7. Restart your virtual machine. 

The audio output should now sound better.