Zsnes and Sound

[riskbreaker927]

Hi folks!

I'm mostly posting this to list a solution to the problems I had with ZSNES.

So I'm running the Hardy Heron beta (Ubuntu 8.04), and I have no sound in ZSNES. Google served me well in finding fixes for pre-PulseAudio Ubuntu, but alas that's not the case in Hardy.Also, for the record, I'm running a Dell Inspiron 1501 laptop with the default onboard sound. Here's what I eventually did.

Run Zsnes as follows:zsnes -ad sdlThis will set ZSNES to use Simple Directmedia Layer output for sound (instead of ALSA as it defaults to,) and then launch ZSNES. If you get sound at this point, as I did, then that's good news. However, in my case, the sound was garbled and crackly. So after some more digging, I came across the following.

To get rid of the garbled sound, type:sudo apt-get install libsdl1.2debian-ossIt may get rid of some other packages, but they are not that necessary. Or weren't in my case. Anyway, try ZSNES again and it should work.

Please feel free to post comments and questions, or move this if this is in the wrong section. Enjoy!

[acoustibop]

Rather than libsdl1.2debian-oss, riskbreaker927, try libsdl1.2debian-all. This gives your system the option of all the SDL drivers, rather than just ALSA or OSS.

It's a good idea to try ZSNES with all the sound options - do zsnes --help to see what options there are, then set whichever works best in your ZSNES configuration (~/.zsnes/zsnesl.cfg).

[GSZX1337]

To get rid of the garbled sound in ZSNES I just got turned off the sound filters.

[itix]

Where do you do that??

[GSZX1337]

Under the souns options.

[itix]

Not on my zsnes. I have the folowing:

Disable SPC emulation,
Enable Sound,
Enable Stereo Sound
Reverse Stereo Channels
Simulate surrond sound

Sampling rate
Volume level

Interpolation and Lowpass

[acoustibop]

They're at the bottom, under Interpolation and Lowpass, itix.

[riskbreaker927]

Rather than libsdl1.2debian-oss, riskbreaker927, try libsdl1.2debian-all. This gives your system the option of all the SDL drivers, rather than just ALSA or OSS.

It's a good idea to try ZSNES with all the sound options - do zsnes --help to see what options there are, then set whichever works best in your ZSNES configuration (~/.zsnes/zsnesl.cfg).

One of the things I found on this forum suggested this, but I found that it wasn't working when I had that package installed. The -oss package removed the -all package when I installed it, but hey, it works.

As for the guy who suggested turning off the sound filters. My problem was occuring on a clean install of zsnes (i.e. apt-get install zsnes, then run zsnes.) No sound filters are enabled by default.

[acoustibop]

If you install any specific SDl package, it will remove the -all package, riskbreaker927. However, the -all package includes the -OSS driver.

[riskbreaker927]

Well it seems like the important part is, regardless of whether or not the -oss or -all package is installed, the oss driver needs to be used. How would one do that using the -all package? It seems like it defaults to something else (likely alsa).

[acoustibop]

See my earlier post, riskbreaker927:

... then set whichever works best in your ZSNES configuration (~/.zsnes/zsnesl.cfg).

If you do zsnes -? in a terminal, it'll give you a list of the sound settings you can use.

[disturbedite]

there is another possible problem here. there is a known issue of zsnes having crackling audio with some motherboards that have onboard sound chips (instead of sound cards).
it is still the best snes emulator though.

[itix]

... no they're not :S

[itix]

OSS gives no sound at all on my ACER.

[acoustibop]

Then try the other options, itix, and see what works for you. See my first post in this thread, and other people's posts, as to how to do this.

Personally, I find the sdl option is what works for me.

[itix]

Tried the other options... I highly suspect that it has something to do with my motherboard as disturbedite suggested above.
Would that possibly affect the windows version as well. What I'm trying to say is that zsnes ran fine while I still had windows...

[acoustibop]

Does sound work Ok for you other than in ZSNES, itix? If that's so, I'd suggest installing the libsdl1.2debian-all package (it'll remove libsdl1.2debian-alsa but don't worry; also is actually reinstalled as part of the libsdl1.2debian-all package) and then try the ZSNES options again.

[disturbedite]

Tried the other options... I highly suspect that it has something to do with my motherboard as disturbedite suggested above.
Would that possibly affect the windows version as well. What I'm trying to say is that zsnes ran fine while I still had windows...
i wish i could tell you, but i don't know if the onboard sound issue affects windows also or not.

[acoustibop]

At a guess, onboard sound issues probably relates to drivers, disturbedite. So no, you wouldn't necessarily get the same issues in Windows because you'd probably have a specific the the manufacturer has so kindly provided...

[itix]

I have already installed the libsdl1.2debian-all package and re-tried the different sound options. The sound works best with SDL since I can load and save on stats without lost sound, but it is still scratchy, ALSA can be scratchy to sometimes, (but it puts out this "underrun" thing) and it always fails after loading my last save state.

[acoustibop]

The 'underrun' message suggests you have a soundcard with inherently high latency, itix. Your best bet, if you have spare PCI slot in your machine, is to get a decent soundcard and disable the onboard one.

Sound latency in Ubuntu is improving all the time; my guess is that Hardy will be even better in this regard.

[itix]

I have already installed the libsdl1.2debian-all package and re-tried the different sound options. The sound works best with SDL since I can load and save on stats without lost sound, but it is still scratchy, ALSA can be scratchy to sometimes, (but it puts out this "underrun" thing) and it always fails after loading my last save state.

[acoustibop]

You've just repeated your last post, itix. As I said the problem with your sound and the "underrun" message - I presume it's "sound underrun?" - is your soundcard. Although newer versions of Ubuntu (hopefully Hardy) will improve this, your present onboard solution will always put a limit on what you can get.

This should be better in Windows, because Windows does have inherently lower latency than Linux. New Linux distributions are always improving, though.

[itix]

Ooops. I'm sorry. It must have happened when I resumed my browser.

The message is "ALSA underrun, must be more than 0ms", and I get it constantly while running games in ZSNES. I have Explained it more thoroughly here (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=730783).
I have the Hardy Beta, but it hasn't solved any sound problems with ZSNES unfortunately.

[acoustibop]

Sounds like you have a sound latency problem, itix. Linux kernels generally have higher sound latency than Windows, although Ubuntu has been getting very good in this respect - latency in Gutsy is excellent, and I'm hoping it'll get even better in Hardy.

However, your soundcard also contributes to the sound latency - some cards have very low latency, but some (even some that are good in other respects) can have very high latency, and when a high latency card is run in a Linux kernel, you can get problems. There's no real fix, except choosing a distribution where the latency is as low as possible and - mainly - using a good sound card.

What sort of soundcard are you using?

[FranMichaels]

I have already installed the libsdl1.2debian-all package and re-tried the different sound options. The sound works best with SDL since I can load and save on stats without lost sound, but it is still scratchy, ALSA can be scratchy to sometimes, (but it puts out this "underrun" thing) and it always fails after loading my last save state.

Did you try setting the sample rate to 48000hz in zsnes?
Also, is your zsnes compiled with libao support (I'm guessing it is since you mentioned setting it to SDL...)

[itix]

That would be one of the few parts of my computer that I am unsure of as of today, acoustibop. Thank ou anyway for trying. I can't give ou a "thank you" since that would be misleading, so simply; Thank You.

To FranMichaels. You just solved it, Thank You! I have no idea how or why that solved the problem but it did :D

[itix]

I change my mind. It did not at all solve anythig. Some component of compiz crashed and the sound worked, but now that I have restarted the computer, everyting is back to "normal". Why is this?

[acoustibop]

Always disable Compiz when playing games, itix. Right click on your desktop, click Change Desktop Background , go to the Visual Effects tab and select None,

[FranMichaels]

Hmm. The sound should work even with compiz on. At least it did for me (and I have onboard sound on a laptop so nothing fantastic...)

Does
zsnes --h | grep ad
Return a line like this -ad <> Select Audio Driver :
I just want to be certain your zsnes has libao support, because the sound problems you have sound (haha no pun intended!) like the issues I had before enabling libao support.)

What is the video out for zsnes? OpenGL (O something in the list) or just DR. Try switching between the two.

Also, does the sound start to get messed up as you play? If so, does pressing escape twice (in zsnes, going to menu and going back) make it sound normal?

if so, does your home folder have a .asoundrc or .asoundrc.asoundconf
you can try renaming those to .bak or moving them to trash (so you can just drag n' drop them back in if nothing helps here.)

Then run zsnes.

If still no improvement
open a terminal and type
asoundconf list

From there it will list your available soundcards

then type the name of the card (the list probably has one anyway, and remember it is case sensitive)

asoundconf set-default-card YourSoundcard

*Replace YourSoundcard with the name of your soundcard from asoundconf list.

Try zsnes again. If it still doesn't work, I'm totally stumped... If you want I can help you build zsnes from the dev's subversion repository. ZSNES "1.52" runs well enough (though I don't know if it would help this sound problem, I use it as default I just can't help but run bleeding edge versions of certain emulators ;)

:KS

[iris-n]

Seems like a stupid remark, but what made my sound good was turning down the zsnes volume from 100% to ~60%
This after changing the sampling rate to 48 Khz, so i could use alsa.
To note, i use one of this so-cursed onboard crappy sound cards.

[itix]

Will that affect my settings?? I don't want them to get lost.

[itix]

The code returned itix@itix-laptop:~$ zsnes --h | grep ad
0 = None 1 = Keyboard/Gamepad
-ad <> Select Audio Driver :
-zm # Auto load specified movie slot on startup [0..9]
-zs # Auto load specified save state slot on startup [0..99]

(which is what I guess you wanted)

...and for some strange reason ALSA has given up on me completely now too.

The sound I used when compiz chrashed and which now seams to be my only sound is SDL. When I prevously COULD use ALSA, it scratched most the time to be perfectly honest.

[acoustibop]

Reboot, itix. Do don't usually have to in Linux, but when things like this happens, it's a good idea at least to restart X and sometimes to reboot.

[FranMichaels]

Will that affect my settings?? I don't want them to get lost.

if you back up those 2 files, you can restore the settings drag and drop. Aren't your current settings problematic?

[itix]

No... compiz settings :p

[Cresho]

hi!

I spent tons of hours getting zsnes and gxmame running. All I did to get these two running in hardy heron was to install libsdl1.2debian-all and run "zsnes -ad sdl" in the terminal. I have no problems.

[itix]

Yes... SDL works for me too as long as compiz is turned off, but there has to be some restore point for compiz or something because it takes too long to restore all settings to compiz manually.

[acoustibop]

See my previous post in this thread (http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=4610009&postcount=29), itix. I'm not that bothered with Compiz, but IMO if you disable Compiz this way, and re-enable it by re-selecting the setting (probably Extra) that you had before, it should restore the same settings that you had.

[riskbreaker927]

acoustibop, in my experience, using the appearance options menu does get rid of your compiz settings. My method of getting rid of compiz when necessary is metacity --replace and then to bring it back compiz --replace

[itix]

Thank you. Works like a charm.
You see, acoustibop; I have CCSM which allow me to configure compiz individually to my liking. If i choose none in appearance settings, I have to go to CCSM and reset all my changes but the cool terminal codes I got from riskbreaker I don't have to do that.

Off to my other thread and mark it as solved.

[doorknob60]

Thanks, FranMichaels! Setting it to 48000 was the only way I could even get sound to come out of it after over an hour of Googling and messing with settings :D

[divadotrebla]

hi!

I spent tons of hours getting zsnes and gxmame running. All I did to get these two running in hardy heron was to install libsdl1.2debian-all and run "zsnes -ad sdl" in the terminal. I have no problems.

This works here too.

Thanks all the people who is responding in this post.

[Cameigons]

This works here too.

Thanks all the people who is responding in this post.


Here too. Although it took a reboot to kick in =]
Thanks everyone.

[monroetransfer]

I ran sudo aptitude install libsdl1.2debian-oss, changed the audio sample rate to 48000 Hz and then ran the emulator with zsnes -ad sdl and the alsa error "underrun at least 0ms" (or something like that) ceased. The sound now plays perfectly. I'm on linux mint 6 fluxbox community ce, which is loosely based on intrepid. So if you're running intrepid, this might be useful info.

[Woojoo//.deb]

there was a similar thread a while ago in which self compiling was the solution. that time i made a build for the same reason for my laptop as and it worked just fine ^^ zsnes_1.51b-0_i386.deb (http://bamn.de/downloads/zsnes_1.51b-0_i386.deb)
this is my build you can try to download and install the .deb it should work but didnt rebuild in months!! so be warned!! its on your own risk to use that build. but i dont think it breaks anything but just in case this is not an offical build.


Edit: this is a link to the old thread with similar problems link (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1069941) the .deb got only normal alsa oss support stuff and will not work if you use Pulseaudio as audio server

[hellocatfood]

Running this code worked best for me
zsnes -ad sdl

[Wolf-Jakob Gratz]

To get rid of the garbled sound, type:sudo apt-get install libsdl1.2debian-ossIt may get rid of some other packages, but they are not that necessary. Or weren't in my case. Anyway, try ZSNES again and it should work.

This worked for me, thanks

[tristan8276]

I had the same problem, and found that using sudo zsnes -s -ad oss worked well for me.