Posted: 8/16/2010 7:57 PM
Post subject: FCEUX - Crackling Sound Issue
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buddwm
Joined: 8/16/2010
Posts: 5
Hello, I am using the latest FCEUX interim build 2037 with Windows 7 64-bit, and am experiencing a crackling sound issue anytime I set the resolution of the game higher than 1024x768 and have vsync (or any video sync option like double buffering, etc) enabled. I need to set the game resolution to 1280x720 for my widescreen TV, so there is no avoiding the issue. If I turn off any sync option, the sound is fine, but I get terrible video tearing. Are there any plans to fix this issue in the near future?
Posted: 8/16/2010 9:28 PM
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Andypro
Joined: 5/24/2004
Posts: 262
I have had this issue for a very long time. Vsync definitely exacerbates the problem. What video and sound hardware do you have?
Posted: 8/17/2010 12:08 AM
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buddwm
Joined: 8/16/2010
Posts: 5
Well I've tried on 3 different systems, but all run Windows 7 64-bit: System1 Core i5 Dual Core w/Hyperthreading ATI Radeon 5850 SSD - 160GB Onboard Realtek audio System2 Quad Core, 775 socket ATI Radeon 4890 WD Raptor Drive M-Audio Revolution 7.1 System3 Intel Dual Core e5300 Onboard Geforce 9300 SSD - 40GB Onboard Realtek audio Symptom is exact same on all three systems. I've also tried various monitors at different refresh rates, but still the same issue on all of them. I've read elsewhere that FCEUX wasn't really meant for fullscreen gaming and thus this issue will probably never get fixed. Such a shame because that's the one problem that is holding this otherwise great emulator back. It doesn't suffer from the input lag issue that Nestopia and some other emulators suffer from when vsync is enabled, but then again, if they fix it then maybe it will.... ;)
Posted: 8/17/2010 12:38 AM
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Dwedit
He/Him
Joined: 3/24/2006
Posts: 692
Location: Chicago
Someone really needs to go in and put in a scanline-counting high resolution timer, so it can properly vsync without 100% CPU usage. Of course, if it's emulating the NES at the proper speed of 60.01 FPS, then it will need to skip a frame every once every 100 seconds for a monitor at 60Hz.
Posted: 8/17/2010 7:34 PM
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kuja_killer
Player (64)
Joined: 3/2/2007
Posts: 123
Location: Lake Havasu, Arizona
i've noticed the same thing a bit too myself. :( but not about fullscreen, just regular normal window emu screen. The sync method. If i have it on "none" then when i walk back and forth in any games, the screen slowly ripple's/tears or something slowly from bottom to up. :( Sound is just fine. But if i pick "Wait for vblank" that very slow ripping thing stops happening, and walking back and forth making the screen scroll will always be 100% smooth and fine ...makes CPU usage go to 100% constantly all the time though. but it then starts making sound start cracking just a tiny little bit occasionally. i dont understand :(
Posted: 8/17/2010 8:02 PM
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buddwm
Joined: 8/16/2010
Posts: 5
Hey kuja killer, if you set your resolution to 1024x768 or lower, does the sound crackle still happen? Just want to know if it's the exact same issue I see.
Posted: 8/17/2010 10:19 PM
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kuja_killer
Player (64)
Joined: 3/2/2007
Posts: 123
Location: Lake Havasu, Arizona
umm, for this monitor screen for my comp ? Im always in 800x600 all the time. I dont ever use 1024x768 or anything else.
Posted: 8/18/2010 4:18 AM
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TheAxeMan
Ambassador, Experienced player (709)
Joined: 7/17/2004
Posts: 985
Location: The FLOATING CASTLE
Is this specific to NES or should it also apply to SNES and others? I ask because ZSNES has awesome sound, even in linux. My computer is quite old now and is still able to do fine with lower resolutions under windows. I do still get some crackle though. I am trying out Linux again and the Linux version is much worse. It seems to help to up the buffer length. This can completely take out the crackle but then the sound lags. I also tried running the windows version through Wine but my computer is generally not beefy enough to handle this.
Posted: 8/18/2010 1:08 PM
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buddwm
Joined: 8/16/2010
Posts: 5
The sound issue is definately specific to FCEUX. I can run other emulators, up to PCSX2, without any sound issues (granted that my settings are correct). I've really never had an issue with ZSNES with the latest WIP patch. kuja killer, that's very odd that you get it at so low a resolution. Even the bug reports on the project site highlight that it happens at full screen resolutions higher than 1024x768. Maybe your issue is different than what I am talking about. Oh well, I don't expect this issue to get fixed since it has existed for so long. I'll just move onto Nestopia or VirtuaNES. It's so odd that we don't have a 100% emulator for the NES after all this time (some suffer from input lag issue with vsync, some can't do certain resolutions, etc). Eh, thems the breaks as they say.
Posted: 9/3/2010 4:32 AM
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erpguy14
He/Him
Joined: 6/27/2010
Posts: 3
on my old HP Pavilion 7840 PC (intel pentium celeron 766mhz with 384mb of RAM, Intel 810 graphics controller, Crystal WDM Audio), FCEUX runs okay with no crackling sounds if I lower the Sound Rate from 44khz (44100 Hz) to 22khz (22050 Hz). lowering the video resolution from 1024x768 to 800x600 did nothing to help with the sound, that I know for sure. on my other PC [custom made; 1Ghz Pentium 3, 512Mb of RAM, VIA Tech VT8361 graphics controller, SB (SoundBlaster) PCI WDM driver, WinXP SP3 Home], I haven't had much luck resolving some of the sound problems with FCEUX. just wondering, buddwm, do all your three computers use Win7? I use WinXP SP3 home edition on both of my computers. you could try changing the "latency" of your sound and video cards by using PCI Latency Tool. I use PCI Latency Tool v3.0b3 to make some changes with the latency on my custom made PC. OR you can try to adjust the sound latency from FCEUX and play around with the other sound options. btw, I'm using FCEUX SVN 2043. Find the latest FCEUX SVN build at Emucr.com.
Posted: 9/7/2010 2:42 PM
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buddwm
Joined: 8/16/2010
Posts: 5
Like I said in my first reply - all three systems run Windows 7 64-bit. I don't see how changing the PCI timings of my video card and sound card can fix this seeing as my sound card is either onboard or PCI-E - same with video card. I've already tried every sound option and buffer setting FCEUX offers, and no go. Let's be clear with one thing - this problem is FCEUX's, not my system(s) - and it has existed for quite some time in FCEUX. Anyway I've been using VirtuaNES for some time now. It doesn't suffer from input lag with Vsync enabled, and its emulation appears to be more precise/accurate than FCEUX. I would use NEStopia, but it still suffers from input lag with vsync, and the lag is great enough to affect gameplay.