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    Please do not post a support request without first reading and following the advice in https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/3/read-this-first

    Spyro 2 and 3 Audio Issue with PSX Emulator

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    spyroaudio problemspsx
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    • mituM
      mitu Global Moderator
      last edited by mitu

      I gave it a try on my PI3B with Spyro 2 and I don't get any sound "popping". Used the same BIOS (scph1001), but this doesn't seem to make a difference. Is the sound problem always present or does it appear on/after certain parts of the game - I only played around the 1st level for about 20 min ? I've used a .bin/.cue (redump validated).

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      • F
        FrenchAussie @mitu
        last edited by

        @mitu it happens all the time during gameplay. every time i start running around a lot and the scene is changing fast that's when its more likely to 'pop'. And yeah only with those two games. Just tried Ape's Escape and everything was fine with that game too

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        • pjftP
          pjft
          last edited by

          So, I'm trying it out, played for a few minutes after the intro and I get no meaningful popping as well. I lost audio halfway through the intro, interestingly. But skipping the intro I got audio back.

          I'm on lr-pcsx-rearmed r22, it seems, under RetroArch 1.7.1?

          Potentially relevant:
          Quick Menu > Options:

          • Vibration: disabled
          • Sound: Reverb: enabled (default, I think)
          • Sound: Interpolation: off (default, I think)

          Settings > Audio:

          • Volume (dB): 0.0
          • Mixer: 0.0
          • Audio Sync: On
          • Latency: 64ms
          • Resampler Quality: Lower
          • Dynamic Audio Rate Control: 0.005
          • Audio Max Timing Skew: 0.05
          • Output Rate: 44100

          Settings > Driver:

          • Audio driver: alsathread
          • Audio resampler driver: sinc

          Alternatively, if you have a spare SD card around, I'd start from a fresh image and see if it works well. It might be something with a recent RetroArch or emulator update?

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          • F
            FrenchAussie @pjft
            last edited by

            @pjft Thank you so much! I have found the problem thanks to you! Sound: Interpolation was set on 'simple'. I'm not sure if this is the default version of 1.7.5 or whether I clicked it by accident but either way its now set to 'off'. I'm so thankful! I've been at it for 3 days!

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            • pjftP
              pjft
              last edited by

              @FrenchAussie glad to hear that worked.

              A question, while we're at it -- does your sound cut off in the intro (when the "bad guy" shows up complaining that they brought a dragon over or something - I'm not familiar with the lore here :) ) in the USA rom?

              Thanks.

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              • F
                FrenchAussie @pjft
                last edited by

                @pjft yes it does. from what i've been reading on the forums, it seems like everyone with USA rom versions has this issue. Not sure about the EU version i only tested the gameplay with it.

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                • pjftP
                  pjft
                  last edited by

                  @FrenchAussie Thanks - good to know. I won't worry about it then.

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                  • H
                    hhromic @FrenchAussie
                    last edited by hhromic

                    @FrenchAussie said in Spyro 2 and 3 Audio Issue with PSX Emulator:

                    @pjft Thank you so much! I have found the problem thanks to you! Sound: Interpolation was set on 'simple'. I'm not sure if this is the default version of 1.7.5 or whether I clicked it by accident but either way its now set to 'off'. I'm so thankful! I've been at it for 3 days!

                    According to the libretro docs the default is set to simple for the lr-pcsx-rearmed core (is not a general RA option):

                    Sound: Interpolation [pcsx_rearmed_spu_interpolation] (simple|gaussian|cubic|off)
                    Modify sound interpolation.

                    I'm curious if the sound quality suffers noticeable when disabling the interpolation? Do you notice any perceptible (audible) difference?

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                    • F
                      FrenchAussie @hhromic
                      last edited by

                      @hhromic a little but its nothing major. when spyro jumps, there's a slightly higher pitch in sound but this is nothing compared to the 'pop' sound i was getting. spyro 2 definitely cannot have enhanced graphics as it messes up with a few things. overall, a very sensitive game to modification.

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                      • H
                        hhromic
                        last edited by hhromic

                        Update

                        A pull-request (PR) has been submitted to the upstream pcsx_rearmed core that improves the gaussian audio interpolation algorithm. If/when this PR gets merged, maybe you can give another try to Spyro 2/3 and see if the sounds doesn't crack anymore and the sound quality improves thanks to the interpolation. Hopefully gaussian interpolation is not so taxing to the RPI.

                        Ref: https://github.com/libretro/pcsx_rearmed/pull/218

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