# Settings: Audio

> Scalpel's Audio tab: the master switch, sound effects, voice callouts and volume, what each one mutes, and where tape sound is switched on instead.

Source: https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/settings-audio
Guide 11.7, Settings reference. Intermediate, 3 min read.
Checked with Scalpel 1.12.8 on 2026-10-15. By Scalpel Team.

**In short:**

The Audio tab has four controls: **Enable audio** (the master switch), **Sound effects**, **Voice callouts** and **Volume** (80% by default, in 5% steps). All three switches are on by default. Switching off Enable audio silences everything, tape sound included. Tape sound itself is switched on in the Level 2 panel's cog, not here.

Scalpel talks so you can keep your eyes on the book: "Filled", "Out, in profit", "Stopped out". Open **Settings** (`Ctrl`+`,`) and pick **Audio**.

*Screenshot: The Audio tab at its defaults: everything on, volume 80%.*

## Every option

| Option | What it does for your trading | Default | Allowed values | When to change it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Enable audio** | The master switch. Off silences callouts, sound effects and tape sound. | On | On or off | Off when you need silence, for a call or a screen recording. |
| **Sound effects** | Short sounds: order sent, fills, rejections, alerts, the settings-saved chime. Tape sound also needs this on. | On | On or off | Off if you want words only (and no tape sound). |
| **Voice callouts** | Spoken confirmations: entries, fills per preset, scale-outs, "Out, in profit" or "Out, at a loss", stop-outs, take-profits, breakeven, trailing, rejections, connection changes, SIM and LIVE switches, the risk lock, session times, the bull trap and thin bid exit warnings, and scanner alerts. | On | On or off | Off if you prefer sounds only. An event that has both a voice and a sound plays the sound instead. |
| **Volume** | How loud callouts and sound effects play. | 80% | 0% to 100%, in 5% steps | Set it against your music or news. 0% silences everything, tape sound included. |

The note reads: "Sound effects and voice can be muted independently. Master mutes both."

## How the callouts behave

- **Voice wins over sound.** When an event has both a callout and a sound effect, only the voice plays while voice is on. Turn voice off and you hear the sound instead, never both.
- **No talking over each other.** A callout that arrives while another is speaking is dropped, so two callouts never garble. The full list of what Scalpel says is in [guide 10.1](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/voice-callouts).
- **Scanner announcements** only come from scan panels that are open on a desk; mute a panel with its bell.
- **Apply plays a chime**, using the new settings, so you hear at once whether sound is on.

## Tape sound is somewhere else

Tape sound, inspired by Aggr.trade, plays the focused desk's prints as notes, buys high in the right ear and sells low in the left, so you can hear the flow while your eyes stay on the book. It has its own switch, volume and thresholds in the Level 2 panel's cog, under the tape sound settings. It plays only while **Enable audio** and **Sound effects** are both on here, but this tab's **Volume** does not set its level: the cog's volume does. See [guide 3.4](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/tape-sound).

**Tip.**

Want the tape but not the chatter? Leave **Enable audio** and **Sound effects** on, switch **Voice callouts** off, and turn tape sound on in the Level 2 cog.

## What can go wrong

- **Nothing plays.** Check **Enable audio**, then **Volume** above 0%, then your computer's own output device. Audio plays on Windows and macOS. See [No callouts or tape sound](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/fix-no-sound).
- **A callout was skipped.** Another was still speaking. That is by design.

## Questions

**How do I turn off Scalpel's voice?**

Untick Voice callouts on the Audio tab and click Apply. Sound effects keep playing, and events that have both play the sound instead.

**Why can't I hear the tape sound?**

Tape sound is switched on in the Level 2 panel's cog, and it also needs Enable audio and Sound effects on in Settings > Audio. A Volume of 0% here silences it too.

**Does Volume change the tape sound?**

No. The tape has its own volume in the Level 2 cog. Only 0% here, or switching off Enable audio or Sound effects, silences it.

**Can two callouts play at once?**

No. A new callout is dropped while one is speaking, so they never overlap.