Gramophone and radio problem

Tshark · 09-01-15, 08:59 AM

Thank you gentlemen. I have to say that I am thoroughly enjoying SH4. I played SH3 many years ago and thought it was okay. I really prefer the Pacific theater (flight sims and naval sims). With SH3 I just didn't have the time to learn manual targeting, but now I have more time and I am loving the complexity of the subject. I miss the old days of computer sims that came with a hefty manual (Silent Service, Red Storm Rising, Great Naval Battles), but forums like this make up for it with the personalities of fellow enthusiasts and the ability to modify/personalize the sim.

Tshark · 09-01-15, 04:04 PM

I found the solution to my problem. I had an old SBAudigy installed. I had done this a while back to avoid any "RealTek" problems with the motherboard onboard sound and to free up the CPU. While I have had no problems with other games (including some with voice communication) I decided to remove the circa 2004 board and let the 2013 motherboard do its thing. Everything works great now and I keep discovering new sounds in SH4 that I didn't know it had!

ColonelSandersLite · 09-01-15, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tshark

I had done this a while back to avoid any "RealTek" problems with the motherboard onboard sound and to free up the CPU.

I'm curious why specifically. The realtek, last I checked, was the single most common pc audio provider by a very large margin and had been for quite a while. My current PC and my previous PC both use it and I don't remember ever having a problem with it. Any game made in the past 10 years or so that did not fully support realtek audio would be seriously remiss.

Sailor Steve · 09-01-15, 08:27 PM

There is a long ongoing controversy over on-board sound vs a dedicated sound card, much as with video cards. I have had some problems with "hesitation" - the game freezing for a second or so - when somebody in-game speaks. Also, I get an occasional stutter when watching a movie or listening to music. To be fair, another player with the exact same setup told me he has no problems of that nature.

I don't know how good the RealTek system is, and maybe I'm wrong in wishing that I had a dedicated sound card, but that is where the problem, or at least the idea of a problem, comes from.

ColonelSandersLite · 09-01-15, 08:58 PM

Sounds to me like it's almost certainly a driver issue there. Have you tried updating both the motherboard and sound drivers in that order? I know that the sound is on the motherboard, but often drivers for non core parts are separate anyways.

Tshark · 09-01-15, 09:53 PM

Simulations are particularly CPU intensive compared to most other game genres. When you combine that with the complexity of graphics, internet/voice connectivity, and surround sound settings, many believe that a stand alone sound card provides better sound while taking some of the burden off of the CPU. Also poor RealTek drivers used to be the cause of many games malfunctioning (this was many years ago when Soundblaster was the defacto standard) and I think that reputation still lingers some.

In my case I had built this computer in 2013 and initially was using the Realtek onboard sound chip. I got the SBAudigy card from another computer and decided to install it to see if it made any difference. I noticed no increase in performance. However, since I did not notice any decrease in performance I just left it in. Then along comes SH4 to correct the error of my ways!

Rockin Robbins · 09-03-15, 02:22 PM

Same situation here. When I built my first computer in 2007 I installed a Turtle Beach sound card (Santa Cruz I think). The last one, which I built in 2013, I removed the Turtle Beach card because of compatibility problems with Linux and it taking up a slot I needed. I notice no degradation in performance at all and have been very happy with the on-board Realtek stuff.

09-01-15, 08:27 PM	#4
Sailor Steve Eternal Patrol Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: High in the mountains of Utah Posts: 50,369 Downloads: 745 Uploads: 249	There is a long ongoing controversy over on-board sound vs a dedicated sound card, much as with video cards. I have had some problems with "hesitation" - the game freezing for a second or so - when somebody in-game speaks. Also, I get an occasional stutter when watching a movie or listening to music. To be fair, another player with the exact same setup told me he has no problems of that nature. I don't know how good the RealTek system is, and maybe I'm wrong in wishing that I had a dedicated sound card, but that is where the problem, or at least the idea of a problem, comes from. __________________ “Never do anything you can't take back.” —Rocky Russo

09-01-15, 08:58 PM	#5
ColonelSandersLite Captain Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 481 Downloads: 74 Uploads: 3	Sounds to me like it's almost certainly a driver issue there. Have you tried updating both the motherboard and sound drivers in that order? I know that the sound is on the motherboard, but often drivers for non core parts are separate anyways. __________________ My SH4 LP

09-03-15, 02:22 PM	#7
Rockin Robbins Navy Seal Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: DeLand, FL Posts: 8,900 Downloads: 135 Uploads: 52	Same situation here. When I built my first computer in 2007 I installed a Turtle Beach sound card (Santa Cruz I think). The last one, which I built in 2013, I removed the Turtle Beach card because of compatibility problems with Linux and it taking up a slot I needed. I notice no degradation in performance at all and have been very happy with the on-board Realtek stuff. __________________ Sub Skipper's Bag of Tricks, Slightly Subnuclear Mk 14 & Cutie, Slightly Subnuclear Deck Gun, EZPlot 2.0, TMOPlot, TMOKeys, SH4CMS

09-01-15, 08:59 AM	#1
Tshark Sailor man Join Date: Aug 2015 Posts: 49 Downloads: 52 Uploads: 0	Thank you gentlemen. I have to say that I am thoroughly enjoying SH4. I played SH3 many years ago and thought it was okay. I really prefer the Pacific theater (flight sims and naval sims). With SH3 I just didn't have the time to learn manual targeting, but now I have more time and I am loving the complexity of the subject. I miss the old days of computer sims that came with a hefty manual (Silent Service, Red Storm Rising, Great Naval Battles), but forums like this make up for it with the personalities of fellow enthusiasts and the ability to modify/personalize the sim.

09-01-15, 04:04 PM	#2
Tshark Sailor man Join Date: Aug 2015 Posts: 49 Downloads: 52 Uploads: 0	I found the solution to my problem. I had an old SBAudigy installed. I had done this a while back to avoid any "RealTek" problems with the motherboard onboard sound and to free up the CPU. While I have had no problems with other games (including some with voice communication) I decided to remove the circa 2004 board and let the 2013 motherboard do its thing. Everything works great now and I keep discovering new sounds in SH4 that I didn't know it had!

09-01-15, 09:53 PM	#6
Tshark Sailor man Join Date: Aug 2015 Posts: 49 Downloads: 52 Uploads: 0	Simulations are particularly CPU intensive compared to most other game genres. When you combine that with the complexity of graphics, internet/voice connectivity, and surround sound settings, many believe that a stand alone sound card provides better sound while taking some of the burden off of the CPU. Also poor RealTek drivers used to be the cause of many games malfunctioning (this was many years ago when Soundblaster was the defacto standard) and I think that reputation still lingers some. In my case I had built this computer in 2013 and initially was using the Realtek onboard sound chip. I got the SBAudigy card from another computer and decided to install it to see if it made any difference. I noticed no increase in performance. However, since I did not notice any decrease in performance I just left it in. Then along comes SH4 to correct the error of my ways!