Audio glitch about every 10-15 seconds

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What steps will reproduce the problem?

Pick any game that your very familiar with in regards to the music.

What is the expected output? What do you see instead?

There is a "stutter" or "glitch" in the audio every 10-15 seconds.

Maybe its a Sound/Sync or Hz issue? (I know I sound stupid, but I'm only a 
tester!)

What version are you using? On GameCube or Wii?

4.1.8 on Wii

Are you using the official build (from the downloads page or auto-update)?

Yes

Please provide any additional information below.

This issue is similiar to the FCEU audio glitch. Just happens less often. 
But still happens.

Original issue reported on code.google.com by nintygaming on 22 Apr 2010 at 11:29

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I have noticed this too. I hear a "stutter" about every 5 - 10 seconds in the 
audio.

I have been hearing it in FCEU-GX for quite awhile, but have only recently 
heard it
in SNES9x-GX when the core was upgraded to Snes9x1.52. 

Original comment by Nark...@aol.com on 26 Apr 2010 at 12:54

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You get used to it after a while, but you gotta admit, the sound emulation is a 
lot
better than what it used to be (as far as accuracy is concerned). As far as 
fixing
it, it'll likely be a very difficult task.

Original comment by nintendonerd1889@gmail.com on 26 Apr 2010 at 2:41

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Yea the Mario games have accurate sound, and games like Secret of Evermore has 
full 
sound. Anyway, lets hope this gets fixed too. Its probably something simple, 
yet 
hard to find.

Original comment by nintygaming on 29 Apr 2010 at 2:01

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It may have to do with the sound buffer settings, either changing them to 
higher or
lower value. We may see a fix in the next version (4.1.9 or 4.2.0...?)

Original comment by nintendonerd1889@gmail.com on 30 Apr 2010 at 4:25

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It's because it's hard to have perfect sound AND video synchronization. 
Emulation on
consoles is generally synced with Video Interrupt (VSYNC) which is approx. 1/50 
or
1/60s. In the mean time, audio is played through DMA at a given samplerate (32 
or
48khz). Both frequencies are however not *exactly* 60 frames/sec or 32000 
samples/sec
on the Wii/Gamecube so desync happen after a while. The result in that case is 
that
the previous audio DMA is played again, leading to sound lag once in a while.

A solution would be to synchronize emulation with audio DMA instead of Video
Interrupt but you will get similar frame skipping once in a while, though it's
generally less noticeable than sound skipping.

I've hard time figuring a perfect solution in Genesis Plus, it's not simple but 
the
general idea is to have the output samplerate every frame (number of samples 
output
per frames) match the exact framerate (I measured that on PAL60/NTSC, VSYNC 
occurs
approx. every 16715 us which is approx. 802.32 samples per frames at 48kHz so 
you ned
to ouput either 800 or 808 samples per frame to approximate this value)

Original comment by ekeeke31@gmail.com on 30 Apr 2010 at 7:58

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ekeeke- I know there's no perfect solution, but personally I have never noticed 
the 
frame skipping in the Genesis Plus emulator (everything feels completely smooth 
to 
me). I do however notice the audio skipping in this and the FCEU emulators, so 
I 
would say that the frame skipping is the better solution overall.

Original comment by hyla...@gmail.com on 15 May 2010 at 3:03

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If ekeeke31 can fix this, then hopefully he will be interested in fixing the 
same 
problem in FCEU. Its been asked many times by many different people for the 
same 
problem in FCEU to be fixed, but the fix is always rejected. Lets hope that 
doesnt 
happen at least with SNES9xgx

Original comment by nintygaming on 16 May 2010 at 2:06

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I also don't notice this problem in Genesis Plus, unlike Snes9xGX and 
FCEUltraGX. So,
I think ekeeke solution works pretty good.

I guess the official Virtua Console emulators don't have this issue too.

This is a problem that I really hope to get some attention, since it's the only 
thing
detracting this great emulator. 

Original comment by thiagoalvesdealmeida@gmail.com on 17 May 2010 at 12:52

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Now that 4.1.9 has been released, can anyone else confirm if the sound glitch 
has
been fixed?

Original comment by nintendonerd1889@gmail.com on 20 May 2010 at 2:02

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I didn't touch the sound, so it shouldn't be.

Original comment by dborth@gmail.com on 20 May 2010 at 4:19

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Oh...I was wondering why I say "video/audio changes" in the release notes...Is 
this
something that is much more complex? 

Original comment by nintendonerd1889@gmail.com on 20 May 2010 at 5:30

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Those changes were unrelated. I have absolutely no intention of looking at 
these 
types of audio glitches as I truly have no knowledge of how to fix them.

Original comment by dborth@gmail.com on 20 May 2010 at 5:57

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I also noticed this stutter too. The new audio engine is lovely and is vastly 
improved 
on the old core, but this timing issue is very off putting.

Original comment by tmo...@gmail.com on 28 May 2010 at 4:17

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i think the problem is less important in 4.1.9.

But i still prefer to play with 4.1.5 version. no glitch sound and no scrolling 
problem.

i cant see any diferrence with a real snes hardware with version 4.1.5 with any 
games i tried.

thanks for theses wonderful emulators.

Original comment by renejr...@gmail.com on 30 May 2010 at 1:20

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I've also gone back to 4.1.5 as the sound issues only started with the new core 
update from 4.1.6 and onwards. I just tried 4.2.0 and while the screen 
stuttering has gone the sound stutter is still there, every 5 seconds or so. 
Unfortunately for me it makes the new sound engine redundant. I hope you can 
find what is causing this. But thanks for a marvellous emulator anyway.

Original comment by tmo...@gmail.com on 26 Jun 2010 at 11:43

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Well you shouldn't blame the new superior sound core (as it kicks the crap out 
of the old one), but maybe it's a buffer issue (or maybe someone could try 
setting the frequency from 32000Hz to 31950Hz to get less lag)? It's a 
mind-boggling issue, that's for sure. If I had software that would actually let 
me MAKE changes, and not give me compiling errors/exit codes, I would 
experiment with these settings, but since I don't have anything like that, I 
can't. Any suggestions? I recall BSNES having a similar issue and if you change 
the frequency value to around 31900/31950 or so, most sound skipping issues go 
away. 

Original comment by nintendonerd1889@gmail.com on 27 Jun 2010 at 11:53

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here, give these a try and give me feedback: 
http://www.mediafire.com/?1yrjzwjjk2m

Original comment by dborth@gmail.com on 28 Jun 2010 at 1:06

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@dborth, here are the results of my test; I tested some games where I noticed 
them the most: Chrono Trigger Music Library (since the songs have OSD, you can 
time how often the crackling happens), Animaniacs and Megaman X2. Note: Using 
headphones makes it much easier to distinguish when the crackling occurs. 

31900Hz - More crackling present; most noticeable in this build; occurs randomly

31950Hz - Not as noticeable; they may be absent. Tested CT Music Library for 
timing, but I don't want to say that it's completely gone; one thing's for 
sure, it definitely occurs less frequently (maybe every 45 seconds? If it does, 
it certainly doesn't sound as loud) 

31977Hz - Occurs every 25-30 seconds (again, not as frequently like the 
official build, where it happened every 10 seconds or so. To make sure it 
wasn't a false positive, I waited for it to happen three times in Chrono 
Trigger, and counted each time it happened in seconds).

32000Hz - Exactly the same as the official 4.2.0 build; prominent crackling 
occurs every 10-15 seconds. 

Overall conclusion: 31950Hz gave me the best overall results (the issue mostly 
gone), but I'd like other people to confirm it as well, to make sure I'm not 
hearing it incorrectly. Use headphones if possible (it's easier to hear it). 
Has anyone else been able to test these builds? 

Hope this information helps towards getting this issue resolved! For now, I'll 
keep testing the test build set at 31950Hz, to make sure it really sounded the 
best.

Original comment by nintendonerd1889@gmail.com on 28 Jun 2010 at 6:29

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Do you want builds at other freq eg: 31940 or 31960? Or I could probably throw 
in a temporary setting so you can change it yourself to try to find the best #?

Original comment by dborth@gmail.com on 28 Jun 2010 at 6:42

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Hmm...you know, I think having a changeable option like that would be quite 
advantageous for narrowing this issue down. :) The more frequency builds 
available, the better, IMHO. 

Original comment by nintendonerd1889@gmail.com on 28 Jun 2010 at 7:10

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here's a build that lets you change the freq under Video settings - 
http://www.mediafire.com/?zt5jrnmmdqg

before trying to find the perfect freq, be sure to try with extreme values 
first to be sure that changing the value is actually doing something. I think 
it should though...

Original comment by dborth@gmail.com on 28 Jun 2010 at 8:28

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Okay, I'll give this a shot and get back with you ASAP!

Original comment by nintendonerd1889@gmail.com on 28 Jun 2010 at 8:42

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Here are some more testing results. 

31900: a lot of crackling

31910: a lot of crackling

31920: Somewhat less crackling

31930: a little less crackling

31940: a little less crackling

31950: very hard to detect, but present (every 60s or so...?)

31955: I didn't notice any crackling/skipping at all (played a song
for two minutes straight just to make sure)

31960: (same results as above)

31970: crackling every 35-40s

32000: Same as 4.2.0 (every 10s)

32010:Same as 4.2.0 (every 10s)

32020: Same as 4.2.0 (every 10s)

Anything past 32000Hz or below 31950Hz creates more crackling. Just to make 
sure I tested 32100 to make sure. The best frequency seems to be an odd number; 
31955Hz. Why? I don't know, but it sounds the best from what I can tell. 
However, I might need someone else's confirmation in addition to what I said 
about the 31950-31955Hz range. 

I did experience some lockups/freezing, but that's to be expected with beta 
release; no biggie. I think the sound issue has been fixed at last...I think..? 
 Please try 31955Hz. 

Original comment by nintendonerd1889@gmail.com on 28 Jun 2010 at 11:25

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ok, here's two fresh builds. one at 31955 and one at 32000. If you get lockups 
on the 31955 one please try the 32000 one to see if it occurs there. if not, 
the lockup is due to this change. http://www.mediafire.com/?5nn2odkoyqh

Original comment by dborth@gmail.com on 29 Jun 2010 at 12:57

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I can still hear it in those two builds. 

32000 sounds the same as usual. 

31955 has a strange "delay?(like some sound a bit more exaggerated/dip more 
than usual, " in some notes here and there, and a small crackle every 5-10 
seconds. =/ 

Original comment by Nark...@aol.com on 29 Jun 2010 at 4:32

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Okay, I tried 31955 again with more games, and I must say it sounds like 1000x 
better than the official build! 

My comment above pertained to a game I tested that had a very long solo note 
being played in the intro(where you can clearly hear the error). I can still 
hear that little, small, faint crackle every 5-10 seconds in that game. But I 
can't really hear it in anything else.

Original comment by Nark...@aol.com on 29 Jun 2010 at 4:12

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I also could not hear anything with the 31955 build. The games I tried sounded 
perfect (DKC2, FF3 and Illusion of Gaia.) I tried these with TV speakers and 
headphones and I can honestly say that 31955hz is probably the magic number.

Original comment by muceda9...@gmail.com on 29 Jun 2010 at 5:06

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Wow this work you guys are doing is AMAZING. 

NOW lets do the same thing to FCEU GX and FINALLY make the sound PERFECT, once 
and for ALL!

Thanks for your work guys!

Original comment by nintygaming on 29 Jun 2010 at 5:21

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I second this idea! ^

I forgot to mention earlier, I haven't experienced any lockups whatsoever with 
the 31955 beta from the "2 fresh builds" batch. This emulator is perfect now. I 
would definitely consider this issue fixed! =)

Original comment by Nark...@aol.com on 29 Jun 2010 at 5:46

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@Nark...@aol.co, no lockups whatsoever?  How long did you test it for? I'm 
thinking of testing it myself. Heck, I don't know why I chose 31955, aside from 
the fact that my ears didn't notice any odd crackling :D  The more people that 
test this, the better.

Original comment by nintendonerd1889@gmail.com on 29 Jun 2010 at 6:55

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I've put in about 3 hours into the 31955 release, and haven't experienced any 
lockups/freezes, or black screens when exiting. Perhaps I'm getting lucky, who 
knows. =P

I will mention I still get "something" in the sound, every 5-10 seconds, if the 
music is something like strings, or flute being played exclusively, you hear 
that "krrckkk" ever so faintly (Seiken densetsu 3 intro, Bishoujo Senshi Sailor 
Moon Another Story intro, FF6 intro).

But really, 99% of the time I don't hear it other than that. 

Original comment by Nark...@aol.com on 29 Jun 2010 at 7:09

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That's a relief! Either I was very lucky or very cursed to have found that 
specific frequency... XD  

Original comment by nintendonerd1889@gmail.com on 29 Jun 2010 at 7:58

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I've tested the 31955 release with 'Street Fighter 2: The World Warrior (U)' 
and sound cracked at the very beginning with the Capcom intro sound. Later 
occasional cracks also happened, but definitely fewer than the original release.

I'm pretty sure we are almost there. It may be useful to know the video 
settings we use in our tests. I play using the Original mode, no filters.

Keep testing! :) and thanks everyone for the great job done so far.

Original comment by dierobo...@gmail.com on 29 Jun 2010 at 8:39

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I played using filtered mode with 16:9 correction, no filters.

Original comment by muceda9...@gmail.com on 29 Jun 2010 at 8:54

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I use standard 4:3, no filters.  I'm going to try some different frequencies 
myself and hopefully find something a bit cleaner. =P 

What about video settings like fps/vsync? I can't quite tell if the sound is 
delaying in order to catch up with the video every 10 seconds, or if it's just 
smudging and is solely a sound issue. =/

Original comment by Nark...@aol.com on 29 Jun 2010 at 9:19

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I tested using Super Metroid title screen theme (IMO, the best way to hear this 
sound crack) and the problem still occurs. Maybe with a different sound option?

Original comment by thiagoalvesdealmeida@gmail.com on 29 Jun 2010 at 9:25

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I think this audio crackling is related to the latency, not the frequency - a 
build that let you change the audio latency would be good.

Original comment by thiagoalvesdealmeida@gmail.com on 29 Jun 2010 at 9:45

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This build lets you change frequency and latency. good luck.
http://www.mediafire.com/?1zwo2mn2jdm

Original comment by dborth@gmail.com on 29 Jun 2010 at 10:11

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I changed the frequency to 31900 and I hear NO CRACKS OR HICCUPS! It sounds 
perfect in everything I try. I will try out the latency now as well and see if 
we can keep the general 31955 number! 

Someone else try 31900 and tell me if I'm def or not. =)

Original comment by Nark...@aol.com on 29 Jun 2010 at 10:27

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Thanks dborth.

Nark, 31900 sounds good to me. I will test more later. But you should try the 
latency in order to keep 32000, not 31955.

Original comment by thiagoalvesdealmeida@gmail.com on 29 Jun 2010 at 11:17

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Latency tests using 31955 freq:
----------------------------------
50 - Super hiccup/stutter every 30 sec (does 2-3 hiccups in a row)
45 - Regular (4.2) hiccup every 30 sec
40 - Regular hiccup every 30 sec
35 - hiccup every 15 sec
30 - hiccup every 15 sec
20 - Much smaller stutter every 15 sec
10 - Very, very faint stutter every 15 sec (try non-busy music, you will hear 
it)
8 - Kinda droopy, crackles every 5 sec
6 - same as above
4 - same
2 - same =/

39100 freq is still sounding like the real thing to me. 

I am saying the latency does nothing for this problem. But someone else can 
perhaps prove that wrong. 

Original comment by Nark...@aol.com on 29 Jun 2010 at 11:21

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Just read post above^

I'll do some more latency tests under 32000, and be back with some results.

Original comment by Nark...@aol.com on 29 Jun 2010 at 11:22

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Been trying the new release. Latency did nothing for me but getting it all 
worse.

After playing for a while using headphones, my best result is 31890. No sound 
hiccups! Tested with Donkey Kong Country, Street Fighter II: WW, Mario World, 
Mario All-Stars, Parodius, Starfox, Super Mario Kart and WWF Royal Rumble. All 
pretty flawless, IMHO.

I'll test a bit further tomorrow, but I think this is the right frequency. I'm 
so happy this issue is getting solved, makes this awesome emulator near perfect 
:)

Original comment by dierobo...@gmail.com on 29 Jun 2010 at 11:33