Pi4 - 4.7.1x after recent update audio little glitch/struttering or miss some frame on some libretro core... it's fixable ?

nemo93

@nemo93 in "all" retroarch.cfg audio_driver it's setted as ALSA apparently. i need to change to alsathread or not ?

=> correct. In your all folder, edit retroarch.cfg and then change audio_driver to alsathread and see if it's running better.

After that i have need to modify all cfg for every core or not ? it's normal the #include all config it's commented out ?

=> no. After you've made the change above no need to touch other cfg.

DjDiabolik

@nemo93 said in Pi4 - 4.7.1x after recent update audio little glitch/struttering or miss some frame on some libretro core... it's fixable ?:

@nemo93 in "all" retroarch.cfg audio_driver it's setted as ALSA apparently. i need to change to alsathread or not ?

=> correct. In your all folder, edit retroarch.cfg and then change audio_driver to alsathread and see if it's running better.

After that i have need to modify all cfg for every core or not ? it's normal the #include all config it's commented out ?

=> no. After you've made the change above no need to touch other cfg.

Ok...... i thinks i need to reboot entire system to made this settings applyed.. it's right ?

Anyway right now, before I went to sleep, I was playing a little.
It seems that I have found another core where the problem with the audio seems to hesitate a little:
I was playing some gamegear games.... in almost all games I could clearly hear the audio track snap/glitch a little. apparently the emulation of the game does not seem to be affected... only the audio track.

Tomorrow i can test if i usage "alsathread" gives some positive results..

nemo93

@djdiabolik no need to reboot your system. Just launch another game to see if that makes a difference. Awaiting for your result!

dankcushions

@djdiabolik said in Pi4 - 4.7.1x after recent update audio little glitch/struttering or miss some frame on some libretro core... it's fixable ?:

@nemo93 and @nemo93

I thinks it's ok... i can provide all both files i a moment.

I have see i can't upload directly the files here........ i can use pastebin:
This is the retroarch.cfg from "all" folder:
configs/all

And this is retroarch.cfg from "gb" folder:
config/gb

both of these are non-standard - they should be much shorter on default retropie. they are too large for me to effectively check them but i can't see any settings that immediately jump out as being non-optimal.

still, unless you have specific reason to be running a non-default config, i would update both retroarch and lr-gambette, and then look in those folders again for a default retroarch.cfg.rp-distfile, and then delete retroarch.cfg in the same folder and rename retroarch.cfg.rp-dist to retroarch.cfg so it replaces it.

DjDiabolik

@nemo93
mmmmm... ok.
i'm waken up right now and i have turn on my pi4 for made some test.

after entering "alsathread" i have tryed to run same "GB" games used upper for verbose log, "CATRAP (USA).zip" (if need it's a no-intro romset).
Apparently I don't see any improvements or worsening...... but i can noticed one things:
If i open Retroarch menù (Hotkey + X.... Y on my xbox360 wired controller) i can see ALSA it's again used (if i step back from RA quick menù and open the audio setting from here).

Instead if i open only RetroArch from ES Retropie Menù and follow same way for check AUDIO i can see ALSATHREAD correctly loaded.

At this point my question it's........ i need to edit all retroarch.cfg for every single core ?

@dankcushions
I do not know I have not done anything strage to create these 2 cfg.

it's a test I can do...

From retropie-setup i made an manually update for gambatte and retroarch componets.
After that i have renamed retroarch.cfg to retroarch.test on config/all
Same things whit retroarch.cfg on config/gb
After that i have renamed both rp-dist to retroarch.cfg on all and gb folder.

Now i need to try same games.... "CATRAP (USA).zip"

But anyway to do these tests guys we can change the core used... for example whit gamegear the audio thing is much more noticeable.

dankcushions

@djdiabolik said in Pi4 - 4.7.1x after recent update audio little glitch/struttering or miss some frame on some libretro core... it's fixable ?:

@nemo93
mmmmm... ok.
i'm waken up right now and i have turn on my pi4 for made some test.

after entering "alsathread" i have tryed to run same "GB" games used upper for verbose log, "CATRAP (USA).zip" (if need it's a no-intro romset).
Apparently I don't see any improvements or worsening...... but i can noticed one things:
If i open Retroarch menù (Hotkey + X.... Y on my xbox360 wired controller) i can see ALSA it's again used (if i step back from RA quick menù and open the audio setting from here).

Instead if i open only RetroArch from ES Retropie Menù and follow same way for check AUDIO i can see ALSATHREAD correctly loaded.

At this point my question it's........ i need to edit all retroarch.cfg for every single core ?

only because you have these customized non-standard configs. on standard retropie you would only have to change audio_driver to alsathread in /all/retroarch.cfg and it would affect all cores

DjDiabolik

@dankcushions said in Pi4 - 4.7.1x after recent update audio little glitch/struttering or miss some frame on some libretro core... it's fixable ?:

@djdiabolik said in Pi4 - 4.7.1x after recent update audio little glitch/struttering or miss some frame on some libretro core... it's fixable ?:

@nemo93
mmmmm... ok.
i'm waken up right now and i have turn on my pi4 for made some test.

after entering "alsathread" i have tryed to run same "GB" games used upper for verbose log, "CATRAP (USA).zip" (if need it's a no-intro romset).
Apparently I don't see any improvements or worsening...... but i can noticed one things:
If i open Retroarch menù (Hotkey + X.... Y on my xbox360 wired controller) i can see ALSA it's again used (if i step back from RA quick menù and open the audio setting from here).

Instead if i open only RetroArch from ES Retropie Menù and follow same way for check AUDIO i can see ALSATHREAD correctly loaded.

At this point my question it's........ i need to edit all retroarch.cfg for every single core ?

only because you have these customized non-standard configs. on standard retropie you would only have to change audio_driver to alsathread in /all/retroarch.cfg and it would affect all cores

lol.. it's very strange :)

Otherwise i have made one single test whit a gamegear games:

On config/gamegear i have renamed the retroarch.cfg at .test
renamed .rp-dist to .cfg
And try to lauch some gamegear games........

Now i have the rp-dist both as default and for absurd...... I tried the same game again and the situation seems to have improved significantly.

how is it possible ?

Now try same gamegear games whit my non-standard cfg (even though I didn't create it myself...lol).

dankcushions

@djdiabolik great :)

even though I didn't create it myself

there are a number of possibilities:

you changed a setting in the retroarch menu and saved config - this will create a large config file like you've seen (and make it virtually impossible to locate any risky settings).
you deleted the files at any point - this will create a default retroarch config that is massive (like you've got) and not set up with retropie's defaults.

gb and gamegear games are pretty light for a pi4 so i don't think alsathread should make a difference, but it's still worth setting.

DjDiabolik

@dankcushions said in Pi4 - 4.7.1x after recent update audio little glitch/struttering or miss some frame on some libretro core... it's fixable ?:

@djdiabolik great :)

even though I didn't create it myself

there are a number of possibilities:

you changed a setting in the retroarch menu and saved config - this will create a large config file like you've seen (and make it virtually impossible to locate any risky settings).

you deleted the files at any point - this will create a default retroarch config that is massive (like you've got) and not set up with retropie's defaults.

gb and gamegear games are pretty light for a pi4 so i don't think alsathread should make a difference, but it's still worth setting.

the second point is possible... if i remember in the pass i have deleted the retroarch.cfg on config/all for a mess up joypad/joystick configuration.

Anyway now i i put back my previous cfg (the non-standard cfg) and i have try to play the same gamegear games used as test (it's on my favorites).
the oddity is that sometimes the problem seems to be more present and sometimes less....

last night, reading other threads here in the forum, there were also rumors of any hardware problems related to the raspberry itself or even to its power supply (although I should see lightning on the screen if the power supply is damaged... or i can see the status led on board blink or somethings similar).

You speak about GB and GAMEGEAR are pretty light....... you can suggest somethings we can test better to maybe accentuate the problem ?
on my Pi4 i have gb, gamegear, snes, nes, linx, mastersystem, megadrive.... a massive retrogame collection :)

but the strange thing is that until a few days ago I had never had these problems.....

as it is so, that you can not get to the top of a problem, it takes me the grief of giving up and setting everything aside :(

DjDiabolik

@dankcushions @nemo93 sorry for double consecutive post.

I made this mainly to thank you till now :)

For today for this afternoon and tomorrow I should be a little busy and i can come back for further tests, perhaps, next Monday :)

I think to show you the "problem" it would be the best if I could make a small video example..... you thinks it's a good idea ?
I'll try to place a camera in front of the TV in my room :)

Also because I actually hope, for now, to be able to rule out hardware damage (like at raspberry board or the power supply) and the only thing i did is update my system usually i do every one or two weeks.
Maybe it's a small problem/issue (even if in theory the same problems should also be replicable by you) that will be fixed with the next updates as they are almost daily.......

Thanks again for support in this little trouble :)

dankcushions

@djdiabolik perhaps a video would help. it does sound like it might be the nebulous tearing issue as discussed here:
https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/26819/jittery-stuttering-graphics
do these videos seem similar to what you're seeing?

if so, the fix is here: https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/27632/fixing-screen-tearing-issues-on-rpi4/15?_=1623452515918

however it has some drawbacks if you use videos on your build, or certain emulators that rely on fkms features.

DjDiabolik

@dankcushions lol by a google result i had noticed the first thread you linked.

I have watched closely the three video and for absurd i don't see any problems :)
For example i have right now rewatch the "Stutter1" video... it's only about 9 seconds but where's the issue/trouble ?

Lol... My situation looks a little different......

I have a OT question... instead a using a camera put in front of my tv. It's possible for example catch the video stream from my pi4 for example registering a video on my pendrive (how i stored all my roms) ?
or anyway it is advisable to use the camera for a do a complete catch of my entire retrogame postation :)
Meanwhile, I also tried to make a request thread in that of reddit..... an user as suggest to me to check if i have the eeprom firmware updated but i thinks yes because i thinks this is updated when you make updates from retropie-setup and you choose to update OS componets right ?

dankcushions

@djdiabolik said in Pi4 - 4.7.1x after recent update audio little glitch/struttering or miss some frame on some libretro core... it's fixable ?:

@dankcushions lol by a google result i had noticed the first thread you linked.

I have watched closely the three video and for absurd i don't see any problems :)
For example i have right now rewatch the "Stutter1" video... it's only about 9 seconds but where's the issue/trouble ?

it’s probably difficult to catch on video and street fighter probably too busy to see it, but it looks like horrible tearing and stutter and happens occasionally rather than constantly. try the fix there to see if it makes a difference?

I have a OT question... instead a using a camera put in front of my tv. It's possible for example catch the video stream from my pi4 for example registering a video on my pendrive (how i stored all my roms) ?
or anyway it is advisable to use the camera for a do a complete catch of my entire retrogame postation :)

you’re overcomplicating it. just use a phone camera/camera to record it when it happens, and upload to youtube or wherever.

Meanwhile, I also tried to make a request thread in that of reddit..... an user as suggest to me to check if i have the eeprom firmware updated but i thinks yes because i thinks this is updated when you make updates from retropie-setup and you choose to update OS componets right ?

yes.

DjDiabolik

@dankcushions and @nemo93 (i cited both only because you have already partecipad in thread).

I have right now put my Android Smartphone near my TV.... you can see (partially) my Retrogames setup whit my Pi4 (remember 4GB kit in a Labist KIT buyed from amazon).

You can see i have played the same games used as example for verbose log... it's "CATRAP (USA).zip" using current (and problably latest) version of lr-gambatte.

If you can watch entire video :) After i have set my phone near my TV you can listen, clearly the audio of games..... you can see i'm stay to solve a level and at about 3minutes and 10 seconds you can clearly listen the issue i have descripted here.
You can clearly listen a very little interruption on audio tracks... and there's append about every 3 or 4 minutes. Sometime i can listen a single and little interruption and other time two or three different interruption consecutive.

As I said at the beginning ... I had never noticed such problems before a few weeks ago issues that popped up right after the update.
This last update problably it's not the main cause of the problem...... anyway now i have set audio as "alsathread" also on both retroarch.cfg (on all and on gb folder) and on the same page how i have set alsathread i see a value setted at 64 which should be relative to the audio buffer. It's the correct value 64 ??
I have look this value for any other and for all i have set this value........ it's ok ?

And.... finally.... youtube as ended to elaborate my video example...... i can share whit you.. here we go :)

EDIT number 1
I will try to add the exact timeline when it's present the issue... otherwise at about 3:11 of video.

dankcushions

@djdiabolik
it's not a great example as gameboy has a very simple sound chip that has limited channels and so on. also we can barely see the screen and it isn't scrolling to indicate if this is a framedrop and so on. does this happen with every libretro core? can you not use a faster, scrolling game so it's more obvious?

if only GB, can you try with lr-mgba (also supports GB games)? it's a developed core. lr-gambette seems abandoned.

all that said, this doesn't seem like any of the known issues i talked about before. so disregard those.

finally:

This last update problably it's not the main cause of the problem...... anyway now i have set audio as "alsathread" also on both retroarch.cfg (on all and on gb folder) and on the same page how i have set alsathread i see a value setted at 64 which should be relative to the audio buffer. It's the correct value 64 ??

did you not reset your retroarch.cfgs as you were instructed to earlier? in which case you only need to set it once in /all/ and you don't (I think) see any audio buffer settings. please show us the files after you've done.

DjDiabolik

@dankcushions said in Pi4 - 4.7.1x after recent update audio little glitch/struttering or miss some frame on some libretro core... it's fixable ?:

@djdiabolik
it's not a great example as gameboy has a very simple sound chip that has limited channels and so on. also we can barely see the screen and it isn't scrolling to indicate if this is a framedrop and so on. does this happen with every libretro core? can you not use a faster, scrolling game so it's more obvious?

if only GB, can you try with lr-mgba (also supports GB games)? it's a developed core. lr-gambette seems abandoned.

all that said, this doesn't seem like any of the known issues i talked about before. so disregard those.

finally:

This last update problably it's not the main cause of the problem...... anyway now i have set audio as "alsathread" also on both retroarch.cfg (on all and on gb folder) and on the same page how i have set alsathread i see a value setted at 64 which should be relative to the audio buffer. It's the correct value 64 ??

did you not reset your retroarch.cfgs as you were instructed to earlier? in which case you only need to set it once in /all/ and you don't (I think) see any audio buffer settings. please show us the files after you've done.

Lol... for try to center the TV screen i need to put my phone in a higher position :). Somethings like a stand or selfie stick or similar. I don't have it or i need to call my mother to maintain my phone on your hands and register another video :)

Otherwise i can try to change.... if i remember i can change the main emulator for GB system from menù A when i launch a roms exactly ? After i have made some test i can reselect lr-gamebatte :)
I never changed the GB default system because apparently lr-gamebatte it's selected by default ?

About reset my retroarch.cfg on opt/config/all and all core i have some question to do:
How i can do it ? For example... for "all" folder i can use retroarch.cfg.rp-dist.... and for all my current system ?
There's a download for all default retroarch.cfg ? Because currently, as we have seen I have all those non-standard cfg :)

Thanks in advance.......

dankcushions

@djdiabolik

Lol... for try to center the TV screen i need to put my phone in a higher position :). Somethings like a stand or selfie stick or similar. I don't have it or i need to call my mother to maintain my phone on your hands and register another video :)

or just have a game with an attract mode (sonic 1, etc) and you can hold your own phone.

Otherwise i can try to change.... if i remember i can change the main emulator for GB system from menù A when i launch a roms exactly

https://retropie.org.uk/docs/Runcommand/#runcommand-launch-menu option 1 - select default emulator for (in your case, gb)

About reset my retroarch.cfg on opt/config/all and all core i have some question to do:

I explained how here:
https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/30747/pi4-4-7-1x-after-recent-update-audio-little-glitch-struttering-or-miss-some-frame-on-some-libretro-core-it-s-fixable/10?_=1623767907943

DjDiabolik

@dankcushions said in Pi4 - 4.7.1x after recent update audio little glitch/struttering or miss some frame on some libretro core... it's fixable ?:

I explained how here:
https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/30747/pi4-4-7-1x-after-recent-update-audio-little-glitch-struttering-or-miss-some-frame-on-some-libretro-core-it-s-fixable/10?_=1623767907943

Yes I had read this.... so i have to re-install all my system core to obtain the retroarch.cfg.rp-dist for all system ?
If i understand correctly from retropie-setup i have to reinstall retroarch and all system core for obtain the default rp-dist files ?

dankcushions

@djdiabolik you’ve only shown me configs for gb and retroarch so i only instructed how to reset for the configs for the same. i don’t know how to explain it any clearer.

DjDiabolik

@dankcushions said in Pi4 - 4.7.1x after recent update audio little glitch/struttering or miss some frame on some libretro core... it's fixable ?:

@djdiabolik you’ve only shown me configs for gb and retroarch so i only instructed how to reset for the configs for the same. i don’t know how to explain it any clearer.

Yes exactly.... but if right now i want to extend the same solution for all other my system how you suggest to do ?

Anyway if lr-gambatte it's this here:
https://github.com/libretro/gambatte-libretro

Has last commit 5 days ago..... how it's possible this is abandoned ?

EDIT
Meinwhile i have try to play CATRAP after setted lr-mgba........ whit this different core apparently i can't restore my lr-gambatte savestate. It's not multicompatible the savestate from different core ?

EDiT 2nd Part
After read some other thread/blog found by google i have problably found one things.
The savestate made by lr-gambatte it's not compatible whit the lr-mgba. At this point it could be an idea to storage/usage the savestate on 2 different paths depending on the GB core I'm going to use.
This will be another thing to do in the future in my setup.

Meinwhile whit lr-gambatte i have tryed to reset both retroarch.cfg....... i do this:

I backup the current retroarch.cfg from "all" and from "gb" folder (the current non stardard).
From retropie-setup i have re-install the both componet....retroarch and lr-gambatte from the respective sections. This made me possibility to obtain the both retroarch.cfg.rp-dist
After that i have delete the both retroarch.cfg from "all" and "gb" folder.
Rename both retroarch.cfg.rp-dist to retroarch.cfg on "all" and "gb"

At this point... i thinks for GB i have reset both configuration to default.
Using lr-gambatte try to launch same game.. catrap...... same issue whit audio it's persistent.

At this point after doing this test and checking that resetting to default the both retroarch.cfg does not lead to solutions i have reput my usually non-standard configuration.
honestly if it's not the bad configuration that's causing this little trouble whit audio it's only need to test the same games whit lr-mgba but i need to found a workaround for use/load the old savestate maded previously when i use lr-gambatte (because i have a lot of games where i have saved game progress :)).

Do you have some suggestion ?

EDIT 3rd part
The other test need to do it's try to set the "vc4-kms-v3d-pi4,noaudio" on config.txt.
But i could be wrong but i don't seem to have screen tearing issues :)