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Difference between revisions of "Troubleshooting guide/Audio problems"

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==No music==
 
==No music==
 
===WMA Source Filter music not working===
 
===WMA Source Filter music not working===
{{ii}} The Windows Media Source Filter has been removed, so games using this method have no music. Affected games include [[Test Drive 6]] and [[Ford Racing 2]].
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{{ii}} The Windows Media Source Filter has been removed, so games using this method have no music. Affected games include [[Test Drive 6]],[[Ford Racing 2]] and [[Monopoly Tycoon]].
  
 
===CD music not playing===
 
===CD music not playing===

Revision as of 01:15, 3 November 2018

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Broken sound (cracking, delays, missing music/effects, etc.)

Set sound quality to 24 bit, 48000 Hz (Windows Vista and later)
  1. Open the Start menu, type mmsys.cpl and press Enter.
  2. Open the Default Device.
  3. Go to the Advanced tab.
  4. Change the Default Format box to 24 bit, 48000 Hz (Studio Quality).
  5. Click Apply.

Game uses incorrect playback/recording device

Check that the intended sound devices are set in the game or launcher (if an option is provided). Many games rely on the operating system's default sound devices, so having that set to the intended device will avoid many problems.

Surround sound problems

Check speaker setup

Many games use the speaker configuration reported by the operating system so having it set correctly is crucial.
Configure speaker layout (Windows)[1]
  1. Open Sounds in the Control Panel (mmsys.cpl).
  2. Ensure the correct output device is the Default Device.
  3. Choose Configure for the Default Device.
  4. Choose the speaker layout that is being used.
  5. Choose Test and follow the steps to ensure the speakers are detected and positioned correctly.
  6. Adjust the speaker configuration as needed until it is correct.
  7. Choose Next and follow the steps to save your new configuration.

Test alternate speaker layout

Try a different speaker layout in the game settings (if available). For some games it may be necessary to set the operating system speaker settings to stereo output (see Check speaker setup).

3D sound problems

Can't enable 3D sound

DirectSound3D functionality has been removed. See Restoring Legacy Audio Effects (DirectSound hardware path).

No music

WMA Source Filter music not working

The Windows Media Source Filter has been removed, so games using this method have no music. Affected games include Test Drive 6,Ford Racing 2 and Monopoly Tycoon.

CD music not playing

CD-DA music (shows up as a music CD in media players)

Verify CD is in the "CD-ROM 0" drive
CD-DA music will only play in-game if the CD is in "CD-ROM 0".
  1. Open Disk Management (open the Start menu, type diskmgmt.msc, and press Enter).
  2. When Disk Management opens, ensure that the drive you are using the game CD in is listed as "CD-ROM 0".
  3. If the drive is not "CD-ROM 0", remove the disc and insert it in that drive.
Change drive ID order
If you are unable to insert your disc in "CD-ROM 0", e.g. if it is a virtual drive, do the following:
  1. In Disk Management, identify which drive is listed as "CD-ROM 0".
  2. Open Device Manager (open the Start menu, type devmgmt.msc and press Enter).
  3. Expand the DVD/CD-ROM drives entry.
  4. Right-click the drive Disk Management listed as "CD-ROM 0", choose Disable, choose Yes.
  5. Right-click the drive you want to use for the game CD, choose Disable, choose Yes.
  6. Right-click again on the drive you want to use, choose Enable.
  7. Right-click again on the other drive, choose Enable.
  8. Return to Disk Management and the drive you want to use will now be listed as "CD-ROM 0".

Non-CD-DA music (does not show up as a music CD in media players)

Many games remember the drive letter the game was installed from even if you put the disc in a different drive.
Verify drive letter is correct
  1. If you have multiple optical drives, try inserting the disc in a different drive.
  2. If possible, check the game's configuration files to see what drive letter it is expecting.
  3. Try reinstalling the game from the drive you want to use. This should make the game look to that drive letter instead.

MIDI problems

Can't change MIDI mapper

For DOS games use the DOSBox MIXER.
Windows 8 and later: For native Windows games MIDI out setter will work in some situations.[2] MIDI support has been further reduced in Windows 8.[3]
Vista and 7: For native Windows games use Putzlowitsch's Vista MIDI Mapper Control Panel on Windows Vista and 7.

Codec issues

FMV/audio codec issues

N and KN editions of Windows lack multimedia codecs required for some games; see Get Windows Media Player.

Dolby Digital Live and DTS Connect don't work (Windows 10)

Encoding APO (Audio Processing Objects) are broken.[4] A fix was released with build 10547,[5] but it still fails to completely address the issue.[6] A workaround has been included since builds 10565 and 10586,[7][8] but stopped to work for some users in 10586.3[9] (driver issue?[10]).
Build 14316 broke DTS again,[11] fixed in build 14342.[12][13]


References