Author Topic: How do I stop the sound from echoing in Mame? (Read 12887 times)

Timstuff · « **on:** April 25, 2005, 01:00:46 am »

I've got Mame running on my new PC that I built. Everything seems to be running very smoothly, except for one problem: the sound in games is always either on a delay, or it repeats itself and sounds messed up. My PC has a 2GHz processor and 512 MB of DDR ram, and as I said before, from a gameplay aspect, all the games run fine. But also, they all are on some kind of audio delay and/or repeating audio. Does anyone know what the problem is, and how I can fix it? Could it have something to do with the fact that I'm using Win 98 for my new PC's OS instead of XP, or does that not make any difference? I just wanna get the audio running the way it's supposed to.

elvis · « **Reply #1 on:** April 25, 2005, 02:42:46 am »

If you are getting delayed sound, then simply change your audio delay settings within MAME.

If you are getting repeating or choppy sounds, your PC is too slow. MAME does not change the speed/pitch at which audio is played. What happens is if your PC is out of sync (ie: too slow) for the sound output, MAME stops the current audio stream and starts the particular sound again to try and sync it with the video. The end result is choppy or repeating sound.

You'll find this probably only happens on newer emulated hardware. On a 2GHz machine, almost all 3D games will have this problem, as will your more CPU intensive STV games. Care to list the games in particular that are giving you the audio troubles?

If you do desire to play emulated 3D games, I'd suggest switching to ZiNc instead.

Timstuff · « **Reply #2 on:** April 25, 2005, 09:38:29 am »

I get dekayed audio with everything, including really old stuff like Galaxian. I get choppy/echoing audio on Mortal Kombat 2, Golden Tee Golf, and pretty much everything with more than 5 colors. I think I got choppy sound with galaxian once as well.

Timstuff · « **Reply #3 on:** April 25, 2005, 10:09:25 am »

I tried running Mortal Kombat 2 in the oldest version of Mame I could find (version .69) instead of the sound immidiately being choppy and echoey, I got the same symptoms I got while trying to play Metal Slug with Mame32 version .81. The sound starts out clean, but on a delay, and then after about a minute or two of play it starts sounding garbly.

Although this would be a very bizzare solution to my problem, I wonder if my problems might have to do with my hard drive. It's the same hardrive I used on my slow-as-molassis 600mhz pentium 4, and I haven't re-formatted it yet. I think it's possible that my computer somehow thinks it's still a pentium 3. I think I should try reformatting the HDD and reinstalling windows and mame.

Timstuff · « **Reply #4 on:** April 25, 2005, 10:54:05 am »

Also, mortal Kombat 3 seems to run alot slower in the newest version of Mame. And if I turn on auto frameskip, it becomes unplayably slow. But with version .69, it runs silky smooth, even when autoskip is turned on. I'm thinking I'm just gonna try reformatting the hard drive and see if that does anything.

Buddabing · « **Reply #5 on:** April 25, 2005, 02:19:10 pm »

Quote from: Timstuff on April 25, 2005, 09:38:29 am

I get dekayed audio with everything, including really old stuff like Galaxian. I get choppy/echoing audio on Mortal Kombat 2, Golden Tee Golf, and pretty much everything with more than 5 colors. I think I got choppy sound with galaxian once as well.

Make sure the following parameters are set to their default values:
autoframeskip
frameskip
matchrefresh
waitvsync
throttle

I ran into this problem yesterday. I had my settings changed for movie making, which caused problems when actually trying to play a game on a slow machine.

Timstuff · « **Reply #6 on:** April 25, 2005, 02:35:36 pm »

I think that the problem lies with version .95 of mame. I reformatted my HD and tested ver.95 it with Mortal Kombat 2. It ran pretty slow, and when when autoskip is turned on it basically becomes a slideshow. The audio is all messed of too, as would be expected. However, in ver.69 of mame, Mortal Kombat 2 is perfectly playable in both draw every frame mode and autoskip mode, and the audio all works fine. Well, Mame is after all, a "work in progress" piece of software. Hopefully in the next version they can adress this.

JCKnife · « **Reply #7 on:** April 25, 2005, 02:40:27 pm »

If anything the next version will get slower, not faster. I'm not griping, it just tends to be the case.

Sounds like your problem lies in transferring your OS into a new system without reformatting / reinstalling.

Timstuff · « **Reply #8 on:** April 25, 2005, 04:04:23 pm »

Well, it's already been reformatted. It sounds like what I need is some way make the newest version of Mame run at an acceptable speed. Many people said to me that 2GHz would be more than adiquet for running Mame at a good speed, so my best guess is that the newer versions are less compatable with Win98. I guess I'll eventually have to plunk down some extra cash for Windows XP if I want Mame to run nicely. I built this PC with the intention of putting it in a cab, so I guess I can't go cheap if I want it to be worth the investment.

elvis · « **Reply #9 on:** April 25, 2005, 05:27:03 pm »

IMHO anything written by Microsoft is not an "investment" but a loss.

As my fortune cookie said this morning when I logged in: "Linux: because software problems shouldn't cost money."

Timstuff · « **Reply #10 on:** April 25, 2005, 08:00:54 pm »

lol, in my perfect world I'd never have to buy a Microsoft product again. But until I obtain mastry of the universe, I think I'm gonna have to shell out $80 for windows XP.

Not to downplay Linux... I'm actually quite proud that there's an emerging alternative to Microsoft's Windows monopoly. But the sad facts for me are, the majority of software that I use is designed soley for Windows, and until Linux can find some way to be compatable with Windows programs, Microsoft kinda has me tied down.

rgecko · « **Reply #11 on:** April 26, 2005, 12:56:05 pm »

you could always try wine on linux... helps with running some windows apps...and it has a big support base for it. http://www.winehq.com/

whatisk · « **Reply #12 on:** April 27, 2005, 08:29:52 pm »

I was having sound problems with Mamewah/Mame, but not with Mame32 (both 0.95). I'm running a P4 2.4 with 512MB RAM and onboard sound and video.

I compared the ini files for the 2 and made sure that the settings in mame.ini matching the settings in the mame32 ini file.

After doing that, sound is fine.

If running the games in Mame32 sound ok then that may fix it...

Timstuff · « **Reply #13 on:** April 27, 2005, 09:56:15 pm »

Mame32 sounded choppy as well. But I've definately identified the problem and know how to fix it. My mom's laptop is a P4 with 1.5GHz, and it has windows XP. I tried running Mortal Kombat 2 and 3 (the ultimate test to see if a PC can handle mame nicely), and they were perfectly playable at nice framerates with no sound problems at all. My PC's CPU is an AMD Athelon XP Mobile 2600 with 2GHz, but I'm using Windows 98. That would explain perfectly why version .69 of Mame ran MK2 and 3 at playable speeds, but .95 didn't. Also, I heard that windows 98 is actually limited to how much CPU power and RAM that it can utilized, since it was never designed to be used with Pentium 4s or equivelent.

So in short, the solution is to buy windows XP. And maybe a bigger hard drive while I'm at it.

dphirschler · « **Reply #14 on:** April 28, 2005, 04:50:15 pm »

Not sure this helps, but my MAME computer with an old SB ISA card never has done this and it's a 300MHz computer. On the other hand, my 2.6GHz laptop has the echoy sound problem with the same version of MAME. I always thought it was related to emulated SB sound cards (SB compatible) verses real SB sound cards. What sound cards do you people have?

Darryl

Timstuff · « **Reply #15 on:** April 28, 2005, 06:35:02 pm »

My soundcard is intigrated with my Epox motherboard. It's Realtek ALC655, so no, it's not official Soundblaster. But I think that the problem is definately from not having Windows XP on there.

Texasmame · « **Reply #16 on:** February 10, 2007, 12:26:06 am »

leapinlew · « **Reply #17 on:** February 10, 2007, 02:14:23 am »

I would try a different soundcard - disable the onboard and pop in a different one. I'd be curious to know if the jump to XP made the difference.

Perhaps XP uses newer drivers for the sound card. Have you updated the drivers? People have been using Windows 98 and playing mame just fine. It's not like we could only start using Mame once windows XP came out.

Space Fractal · « **Reply #18 on:** February 10, 2007, 06:00:15 am »

sound like it a sound driver issue. Update the sounddriver, or get a real pci soundcard.

leapinlew · « **Reply #19 on:** February 10, 2007, 12:20:11 pm »

Quote from: Space Fractal / Denmark on February 10, 2007, 06:00:15 am

sound like it a sound driver issue. Update the sounddriver, or get a real pci soundcard.

Thats what I was thinking Fractal.

leapinlew · « **Reply #20 on:** February 10, 2007, 12:23:11 pm »

LoL! Damnit Texasmame! I just noticed I'm replying to a thread thats 2 years old.

Space Fractal · « **Reply #21 on:** February 10, 2007, 05:20:37 pm »

, good see!! That happens sometimes (includning my self).

Im even diddent notice that date too. ooops.

But even this day, this soundcard problem can still exits this day today....

I ask in Forum/Website Discussion board to get old threads automatic locked if not used in some month (and yes, better to create a new thread). I asume, that must exists a plugin to handle that?

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=63072.0

headkaze · « **Reply #22 on:** February 10, 2007, 07:31:45 pm »

I had the audio issue in Mame32 recently, I found using the -d3d instead of -dd switch fixed it.

Texasmame · « **Reply #23 on:** February 11, 2007, 02:00:44 pm »

Are you talking an additional command line command or just clicking on "use Direct3D" in the 32 interface?

headkaze · « **Reply #24 on:** February 11, 2007, 06:38:17 pm »

Quote from: Texasmame on February 11, 2007, 02:00:44 pm

Are you talking an additional command line command or just clicking on "use Direct3D" in the 32 interface?

Essentially the same thing.


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