Sound keeps cutting out in-game

jamietuley · 9 Feb 2021, 07:34

Hello all,

I've been having this problem with my arcade cab where the sound suddenly stops working during a game, then when I quit out back to the game selection in attract mode the sound is back again. Another game is launched and there is sound but sure enough after a little while it goes again. It varies on how long the sound stays around for each time - sometimes ages sometimes only short while..

Is this a problem anyone else has encountered?

Any help appreciated

Cheers

BuZz · 9 Feb 2021, 10:55

@jamietuley 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

jamietuley · 9 Feb 2021, 13:42

Hi @buzz,

Apologies if my post broke some rules - I don't come on here too much so not the most savvy..

Could you let me know where I went wrong? I followed the rules as much as I know already - was it that I wasn't specific enough... retropie version etc?

Many Thanks for your time

quicksilver · 9 Feb 2021, 13:57

@jamietuley he's looking for this specific information:

Pi Model or other hardware: (B, B+, 2 B, 3, X86 PC etc..)
Power Supply used: (If using a Pi)
RetroPie Version Used (eg 3.6, 3.8.1, 4.1 - do not write latest):
Built From: (Pre made SD Image on RetroPie website, Berryboot, or on top of existing OS etc.. - please provide the filename of any image used)
USB Devices connected:
Controller used:
Error messages received:
Verbose log (if relevant):
Guide used: (Mention if you followed a guide)
File: (File with issue - with FULL path)
Emulator: (Name of emulator - if applicable)
Attachment of config files: (PLEASE USE PASTEBIN.COM FOR LARGE LOGS)
How to replicate the problem:

jamietuley · 10 Feb 2021, 17:36

Hey @quicksilver, thankyou for the heads-up on all that.. I've acquired as much info as I could which is:

I have a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B
Running Retropie version 4.6
Official Pi power supply 5V 2.5A
Built from the pre made SD image on Retropie website
Plugged into the USB is:
ipac2 for my arcade controls
External USB Sound Card usb to 3.5mm adapter (to connect the amplifier and speakers to the pi)

Is this enough additional info do you think? Also is it worth me reposting my issue again??

Many Thanks for your help... appreciated :)

quicksilver · 10 Feb 2021, 23:29

@jamietuley no, you don't need to make a new post re-explaining the issue. Unfortunately I don't have a answer for your problem but there may be others who might. So be patient and I'm sure someone will chime in if they have an answer.

mitu · 11 Feb 2021, 04:49

@jamietuley said in Sound keeps cutting out in-game:

External USB Sound Card usb to 3.5mm adapter (to connect the amplifier and speakers to the pi)

Are you sure the power supply is enough for both the USB sound card and the controllers ? Do you get any under-voltage warnings during gameplay ?

Can you show a screenshot of the Audio settings from the RetroPie menu in Emulationstation ?

jamietuley · 11 Feb 2021, 20:36

@mitu Thanks for getting back to me...

I think the power supply should be fine? I just left the machine running (attract mode goes into demo mode through various games) for an hour and the sound was still running fine! The USB adaptor for sound is just one of these:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07MNRRT84/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I use this as it was a solution for hissing audio - found a solution on these forums, instead of running my amplifier from the Pi's audio jack it now comes out Pi's USB via the adaptor, the setup alterations I made are here:

I also don't get any voltage warnings or any warnings during gameplay.

Hope that was everything you needed?

Cheers

jamietuley · 27 Feb 2021, 14:28

@mitu apologies if my reply the other week didn't have the info you asked for? I've been trying to do more investigating today - couldn't really find where my audio settings are listed, in Emulationstation when I go into audio settings it just seems to be the small list of options on how you want your audio outputted (HDMI, audio jack etc).

I remembered that a while back when I installed the USB audio dongle I changed some settings in the terminal to change the sound priority order? Here's what they are at the moment:

Don't know if this helps or shows something I have setup wrong? Just desperate to sort this ongoing sound issue out!

Many thanks for your (or anyone else's) time... appreciate it.

mitu · 27 Feb 2021, 18:20

Do you get any low voltage warning during gameplay, when the sound stops ? Any messages in the system log when the sound stop working (dmesg | tail ) ?

jamietuley · 28 Feb 2021, 07:19

This post is deleted!

jamietuley · 28 Feb 2021, 07:21

@mitu said in Sound keeps cutting out in-game:

Any messages in the system log when the sound stop working (dmesg | tail ) ?

Sorry as a complete novice can you let me know how I would check the system log for any messages??

Many thanks

mitu · 1 Mar 2021, 18:31

You can use the dmesg command to see the system's log. Before running a game, run sudo dmesg -c to clear it, then run the game, see the audio being cut off, exit the game and run dmesg again. If something is logged during the cutoff, it should appear in the dmesg output.

jamietuley · 1 Mar 2021, 18:31

@mitu hey there, so I did what you said and waited for the audio to cut in game.. exited and did a dmesg on the system log and here it is:

Does any of that give any clues??

Many Thanks for all your time

mitu · 1 Mar 2021, 18:50

Judging by the log messages, the card disconnects during gameplay, perhaps the USB port is not getting enough power.

I would try a powered hub to connect the IPAC and the USB sound card, just to make sure they get enough power.

Did you overclock your Pi ?

jamietuley · 1 Mar 2021, 20:01

@mitu Ok just to add more novice badges to my name! - What exactly do you mean by a powered hub? I don't really know how to overclock the Pi so I doubt it... is that something you're recommending to resolve the problems I'm having?

Cheers for the help and apologies for my severe lack of knowledge!

mitu · 2 Mar 2021, 04:35

@jamietuley You don't need to overclock, I was just checking that you didn't have that enabled, overclocking usually needs more power for the GPU/CPU and that might affect the USB current output.

A powered USB hub is one that it doesn't draw power from the Pi's USB port and has its own power plug. This was your IPAC and USB soundcard will be powered separately.