[Zaiketsu]

Well, hello everyone. I hope that somebody could help me with this issue. Ever since I got this computer a year ago, I've been having this issue in various games where the audio will cut out, or loop for a second or two. I even tried getting a new sound card installed, but that didn't help either. Freespace 2 is yet another game where I've gotten this issue from. I'm hoping someone can help me.

A demonstration video I recorded showcasing the problem is linked below. Sorry the screen is so small, I'm not really used to recording anything. I'll try to make it stretch to fit the screen next time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRw3TybCJ70

I also have a dxdiag file attached, too, if that might help find out what the issue is.

I think it might be my headset, but...I dunno. I was told it wasn't the problem.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Yarn]

The Logitech G930 is a USB headset, so it basically has its own sound card and bypasses the one in your computer. This means that any audio problems caused by your headset usually can't be solved by changing your sound card.

If you unplug your headset and instead use speakers or headphones connected directly to your sound card, do you still get the audio glitches?

[Zaiketsu]

Sadly, yes. Even with headphones connected directly to the sound card and my G930 unplugged and disabled, the sound still hitches and loops on occasion.

[Zaiketsu]

So...nobody has any idea what the problem could be?

[Zaiketsu]

I feel like I should give examples of games this problem also happens in. Games like Euro Truck Simulator 2 and Elite Dangerous are 100% fine. Most games on the Source Engine, as well. Skyrim and all Fallout games, from 1 to 4, including New Vegas also work. Not a single glitch my whole time playing.

Games like Shadow Warrior 1 and 2, on the other hand, constantly has the audio just cut out for seconds at a time, and looping as well. Mirror's Edge: Catalyst has the same issue. PAYDAY 2, Mount & Blade: Warband, and Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide, all suffer from the same problem.

[jr2]

Just a wild guess, but would switching to OpenAL Soft help (instead of Creative OpenAL)?  See below:

The state of audio (OpenAL) in FreeSpace 2 Open

[Zaiketsu]

Just a wild guess, but would switching to OpenAL Soft help (instead of Creative OpenAL)?  See below:

The state of audio (OpenAL) in FreeSpace 2 Open

Huh...it seems like that might actually help. I have the problem now though of the music and the briefing audio cutting out after a few seconds on each page, but after I leave the page and go back, the briefing audio starts playing again fully, with no interruptions or hitching or glitching at all. The music doesn't come back though. (Edit: Since I'm on a 64-bit system, would using the Soft_oal.dll in the Win64 folder work better and fix those problems, as opposed to the Win32 one?)

I didn't think that would do anything at all, since I've had this problem in so many other games, but I feel like I'm on the right track to getting this fixed now, hopefully.

[m!m]

How did you install the OpenAL Soft DLLs and which FSO build are you using? The bitness of the DLL must match the bitness of the executable, otherwise FSO will not start.

[Zaiketsu]

How did you install the OpenAL Soft DLLs and which FSO build are you using? The bitness of the DLL must match the bitness of the executable, otherwise FSO will not start.

I did as the instructions in the thread told me. I went into bin/Win32 and extracted just the .dll

I'm using 3.7.4 SSE2

[m!m]

That should work fine then.

However, if you have a similar issue with other applications then it's very likely that there is something wrong with your audio drivers.

[Zaiketsu]

That should work fine then.

However, if you have a similar issue with other applications then it's very likely that there is something wrong with your audio drivers.

Not sure what exactly that could be. My computer came with Realtek drivers but I uninstalled those months ago. Maybe I need to do a complete sweep, to make sure they're gone? If not...I don't know what else to do. I don't know how, if it's even possible at all, to get "different/new" audio drivers.

[Yarn]

For your audio device, are you selecting Generic Software or OpenAL Soft? To use OpenAL Soft, you must select a device that begins with "OpenAL Soft."

Note that wxLauncher does not read the DLL files in the FreeSpace 2 folder, so if you install OpenAL Soft there, you must also install it to wxLauncher's "bin" folder.

[Zaiketsu]

For your audio device, are you selecting Generic Software or OpenAL Soft? To use OpenAL Soft, you must select a device that begins with "OpenAL Soft."

Note that wxLauncher does not read the DLL files in the FreeSpace 2 folder, so if you install OpenAL Soft there, you must also install it to wxLauncher's "bin" folder.

Goddamnit, With OpenAL Soft's 32-bit dll, the audio will just cut out completely like I said before. When I use the 64-bit dll, the original issue still continues.

[Yarn]

If OpenAL Soft isn't helping, then this is all I can think of right now:

• If you've overclocked any components, return them to factory speed.
• Shut down any background programs that aren't absolutely necessary, including your antivirus.
• Ensure that all device drivers are up to date.
• Ensure that your motherboard's firmware is up to date.