OpenAL Questions

[flibitijibibo]

The forum is moving at Ludicrous Speed, so I'll try to be brief:

1. EDIT: This has been resolved. Read on for solution. I'm running a 64-bit Windows machine, so OpenAL x64 will not normally recognize my Creative X-Fi card (as seen in the OpenAL SDK's Enumerate examples). Is there a way to run the game in a 32-bit mode? Alternatively, is there a config file I can edit to have it properly use the X-Fi even in 64-bit (similar to Unreal 3 games)? Quick edit: I dunno what I was thinking here. The game is always running as a 32-bit exe, it just wasn't showing up by design.

Edit: I just checked the log file and found this:

Code: (Select All)

Initializing Sound Module
--------------------------------------------------------
Initializing OpenAL
  Available OpenAL devices:
   0. Generic Software on Speakers (Creative SB X-Fi)
   1. Generic Software on Line 2 (Virtual Audio Cable)
   2. Generic Software on Line 1 (Virtual Audio Cable)
   3. Generic Software on SPDIF Out (Creative SB X-Fi)
   4. SB X-Fi Audio [CCE0](OpenAL default)
  Trying to open device 'Generic Software on Speakers (Creative SB X-Fi)'... Success!
  Number of mono sources: 32
  Streaming setup: 4 Buffers x 262144 bytes each
--------------------------------------------------------

As you can see, the X-Fi card exists in the device list, but I cannot select it from the launcher. Are there any changes I can make manually so that it loads the proper X-Fi option (as well as the voice count, if necessary)?

Solution: In "~Documents\Amnesia\main\main_settings.cfg", edit the device (Sound Device=) to the number of the X-Fi card (in my case, 4), and change the voice count (MaxChannels=)to whatever your card is capable of (in my case, 128). This will enable proper hardware acceleration!

2. I've noticed a lot of people have had issues with 5.1 audio. Would the above fix solve this issue? And if not, would a config edit solve this problem, whether one is using a Creative card or not? Working on this one now. I'm on a 2.1, so if someone wants to help, reply/PM me.

Thank you very much for your time; I'm still enjoying Amnesia very very much despite my audio nitpicking.

[bblaze]

How would I go about figuring out how many channels my sound card supports? I got an USB headset with an integrated sound chip.


Something in the device manager, maybe?

[flibitijibibo]

What are the specs/manufacturer? If would depend on its EAX (or EFX nowadays) capabilities.

X-Fi cards use EAX 5, so they can do up to 128. Audigy/Audigy 2 can do 64 voices (EAX 3 and 4), and most other cards (integrated sound) can do 32 (EAX 2), the default setting.

[tmp75]

Thanks for the tip here. Be careful though, it has unfortunately BSOD'ed with a page_fault_in_nonpaged_area (ctaud2k.sys - v2.17.0008 / Jul. 2010) for me three times when utilizing that, but only while transitioning between areas. It sounds great and seems problem free aside from that. Will test to see if reducing the number of channels helps (edit: It didn't help.) and willing to try anything else suggested; else switching back to software.

Code: (Select All)

Initializing OpenAL
  Available OpenAL devices:
   0. Generic Software on Speakers (Creative SB X-Fi)
   1. SB X-Fi Audio [0001](OpenAL default)
  Trying to open device 'SB X-Fi Audio [0001]'... Success!
  Number of mono sources: 128
  Streaming setup: 4 Buffers x 262144 bytes each

System specs:
Windows 7 Professional X64 on x2 WD RaptorX-150gb / Intel Sata RAID 0
Intel C2Q Q6600 on Asus Rampage Formula x48 w/8gb DDR2 1066 (G.Skill)
EVGA GTX 480 (GPU) BFG GTX 285 (Physx) Forceware v.258.96 (1920x1200x32@60 - Dell 2707WFP)
SB X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty - PCI-E
Corsair HX1000w PSU

@Frictional:
Awesome game so far guys, i'm not far in, but you've freaked me out a few times already! (/hides in the armoire) Feels a lot like how I remember Penumbra and BP, creeping around, cautious of everything. Playing this game with a buzz in the middle of the night, headphones on, as you guys suggested = Win! I hope this sells a ****load of copies for you.

[Mayron]

Well, i had it changed to 3. X-fi (OpenAL Default). The quality of sound was better, but i also got unexpected nasty side effects. BSOD at random loading screens. The same as tmp75 -> ctaud2k.sys - v2.17.0008 / Jul. 2010

I have X-Fi Xtreme Gamer, with latest official drivers from june and Windows 7 64bit. Maybe my OpenAL files were old or something, don't know.

As this was unsupported i've decided to just switch back to software default and screw it. I use headphones anyway, so no need for 5.1

[flibitijibibo]

I think everyone's getting the same errors from the same drivers (I must confess, I haven't gotten a BSOD yet, but everyone I've given the fix to has gotten it). Is there a Frictional developer that can explain if it's the game or OpenAL/Creative?

Mayron: What was your voicecount? You probably know this already, but just in case, the Xtreme* cards (with the exception of the first gen XtremeMusic) only run on enhanced Audigy processors, so they can only handle 64 voices.

[Mayron]

I never changed that, so it was on default, like 32 i think. No, i never set that to 128 if you're looking for possible BSOD sources

[flibitijibibo]

Alrighty, so it's likely an overall technical issue between the game and the drivers.

[tmp75]

Another interesting side effect with Hardware OpenAL enabled... the first page of daniels journals get read in super slow motion.. at first I thought this was intentional, like the mind of the player was cracking up so his reading was.. handicapped lol, but upon switching to the next page of a journal entry (switching to the next sound file) it goes back to normal speed. I should Fraps it and post it.. man it sounds freaky

[flibitijibibo]

Yeah, that actually happened to me too. It wasn't slow, but it was super deep, and I thought it was an effect of the game (was actually kind of effective o.o). This would usually mean that there's a pitch shifter on the file, which doesn't really make sense in this case.