Bass shakers silent in SimHub
Last updated · SimHub 9.11.22
Silent bass shakers are nearly always one of six things: the wrong audio output device selected in SimHub, Exclusive Mode letting another application seize the device, audio Enhancements mangling the signal, Voicemeeter or another virtual audio device holding exclusive access, a sample rate that is not 16-bit/48000 Hz, or effects that have been added but never enabled. If they are working but far too weak, the cause is different — SimHub's four gain stages multiply, so four settings at 50% produce about 6% output rather than 50%.
Work down this in order. The first four are Windows settings in the same dialog and take about two minutes together.
1. The wrong output device
SimHub sends shaker audio to a device you nominate, and that device is not necessarily the one Windows calls default. If you have added a USB sound card, changed headphones, or plugged in a monitor with speakers, Windows may have reshuffled things underneath you.
Open ShakeIt Bass Shakers, confirm the selected output is the interface your amplifier is connected to, and use SimHub's test function to confirm sound is leaving. If test produces nothing, nothing else on this page will help until it does.
A shaker output device should not be your default device. SimHub's guidance is a dedicated audio interface, separate from game audio. Sharing causes conflicts and also means every effect is audible as sound through your speakers.
2. Exclusive Mode
The single most common software cause. Press Win+R, run mmsys.cpl, find your shaker output device, open Properties → Advanced.
- Untick Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device.
- Untick Give exclusive mode applications priority beneath it.
With exclusive mode available, any application can seize the device and lock SimHub out. The symptom is usually intermittent rather than constant, which makes it hard to attribute — it works, then a game or a chat application starts and it stops.
3. Sample rate and bit depth
In the same Advanced tab, set the default format to 16 bit, 48000 Hz.
Mismatched sample rates produce silence, distortion or intermittent output depending on what else is using the device. 48kHz is what SimHub expects and what most audio interfaces run at natively; leaving it at 44.1kHz or a high-resolution setting introduces resampling that does the effects no good even when it works.
4. Audio enhancements
Still in the device properties, on the Enhancements tab — disable all of them.
Loudness equalisation, bass boost, virtual surround and room correction are all designed to make music and films sound better on small speakers. Applied to a signal SimHub has carefully synthesised at a specific frequency and amplitude, they do the opposite: loudness equalisation in particular will actively compress the dynamics that make effects distinguishable.
Bass boost is the most tempting and the most harmful. If shakers feel weak, fix the gain, not the EQ.
5. Voicemeeter and virtual audio devices
Voicemeeter is a very common cause of intermittently silent shakers. Voicemeeter, VB-Cable and similar virtual audio drivers take exclusive access to hardware outputs as part of how they work. If one is installed, it is a prime suspect — and because the conflict depends on what else is running, the symptom comes and goes.
To test, close the virtual mixer entirely — not just its window, but its engine and any tray process — and see whether shakers return. If they do, either route SimHub's output through the mixer deliberately, or keep the shaker interface out of the mixer's control.
Streaming and voice-chat software that installs its own audio drivers can do the same thing.
6. The effects are added but not enabled
Effects have their own on/off state, separate from being present in the list. It is entirely possible to build a full profile and have every effect switched off — the configuration looks complete because it is complete, it just is not running.
Check each effect's toggle, and check the profile itself is enabled. Also confirm you are looking at the profile that is actually active: profiles are remembered per game, so a profile you configured while a different game was selected will not be the one in use.
Working, but far too weak
A different problem with a different cause. SimHub's four gain stages multiply:
Effect gain at one output = effect gain × effect per channel gain × channel gain × general gain
| All four set to | Actual output |
|---|---|
| 100% | 100% |
| 75% | about 32% |
| 50% | about 6% |
| 25% | about 0.4% |
Set general gain and effect-per-channel gain to 100 and tune with the other two. If you have a custom channel map, check its per-channel gains specifically — a custom map introduces a multiplier that mono and stereo modes leave at 100%, so switching to one can quieten everything for no visible reason.
The hardware answer, if gains are all high: many transducers do nothing below a certain drive level. That is what minimum force is for — it lifts weak signals up to where the hardware responds, which is not the same as adding gain.
Stops until you press "Test now"
This one is a known open issue, not your configuration. There is an acknowledged problem where ShakeIt Bass Shakers output stops until the Test now button is pressed. If that matches your symptom exactly, stop rebuilding your setup — check the issue tracker for its current status instead.
It is worth being precise about the symptom before concluding this is you: the distinguishing feature is that pressing Test now restores normal operation, rather than merely producing a test tone.
If none of that is it
Separate SimHub from the chain. Play music through the shaker output device — anything with strong bass.
- The shakers move — amplifier, wiring and transducers are all fine. The problem is in SimHub or in Windows' handling of it, so go back through the list above.
- Nothing happens — the problem is below SimHub. Check the amplifier is powered and not muted, check the gain on the amp itself, and check the connections. Amplifier gain set to zero is a common and very embarrassing cause.
Also worth checking: some amplifiers have a protection mode that engages silently on a fault and stays engaged until power-cycled.
Common questions
Why are my SimHub bass shakers silent?
Most often the wrong output device is selected, or Exclusive Mode has let another application seize the device. Check both first, then audio Enhancements, then the sample rate, which should be 16-bit 48000 Hz. Those four are all in the same Windows dialog and take a couple of minutes together.
Why do my shakers work sometimes and not others?
Intermittent silence points at exclusive access. Either Exclusive Mode is enabled and something else is claiming the device, or Voicemeeter or a similar virtual audio driver is holding it. Both depend on what else is running, which is why the fault comes and goes.
Does Voicemeeter break SimHub bass shakers?
It can. Voicemeeter and similar virtual audio drivers take exclusive access to hardware outputs by design. If you have one installed, close it entirely — engine and tray process, not just the window — and see whether the shakers return.
What sample rate should I use for bass shakers?
16 bit, 48000 Hz. Set it in mmsys.cpl under the device's Properties, on the Advanced tab. Other rates cause silence, distortion or intermittent output depending on what else is using the device.
My shakers work but are far too weak.
SimHub's four gain stages multiply rather than add — four settings at 50% produce about 6% output. Set general gain and effect-per-channel gain to 100 and tune with effect gain and channel gain only. If gains are already high, use minimum force, which lifts weak signals to where the hardware actually responds.
My shakers stop until I press Test now.
That is a known open issue with ShakeIt Bass Shakers output, not a fault in your configuration. Check the issue tracker for its current status rather than rebuilding your setup.
Should I use bass boost to make shakers stronger?
No. Disable all audio enhancements. Loudness equalisation and bass boost compress exactly the dynamics that make one effect distinguishable from another. If the output is weak, fix the gain chain or use minimum force.
Sources
Related guides
SimHub is developed independently by Wotever and is not affiliated with oesimracing. This page was checked against SimHub 9.11.22 on 4 August 2026; where the interface has moved on since, the version stamp tells you how far. More on what SimHub is and what it costs.