1790 replies to this topic

[toxie]

*ping*

 

i doubt that nobody actually found any issue with the new builds, cause i already found one myself  

so please post new issues here and test like crazy!

[Sir Cheddar]

I got an Stern Grand Prix last week. Will test volume level >24 tomorrow.

[toxie]

Cool! Especially when you hit the car at higher volumes, the sound crackles.

[Drybonz]

I just picked up the unofficial 2.4 VPM and have started testing.  I started with Centaur.  Did notice much drop in volume level, but wow!  The reverb/echo in the voice never seemed to be present before... sounds very good now.

 

Going to check lotr and a couple zaccaria tables next.

 

*edit*  I tested Seawitch, since it was mentioned in the LE dev thread... I no longer get the garbled sound right when the table starts up.  All sounds seem fine, but I'm not sure they are all there.  DJRobx posted a video that had some simulated wave sounds on the table, but I don't hear those at all.

 

LOTR... this crashed immediately for me... it did run fine for me in the past.  "Visual Pinball has stopped working" much like Seawitch in the test versions from the LE thread.

 

Magic Castle... I restarted this several times and did not get the garbled sounds that used to happen.  Seems to be fixed!

 

Gorgar... sounds much better!  Sound is more up front and I notice some reverb/echo in the voice and heartbeat that I did not hear before.  Voice sounds more realistic and less tinny/in-a-boxy.

 

Twighlight Zone... better!  I used to hear a bit of mild static-y sound with the voice that I don't hear now.

 

Black Hole... very good!  I am still hearing a very occasional crackle, but not even sure that wasn't present in the original table.  Overall, much less crackle and noise.

 

In addition... all of these tables I have tested so far, some opening multiple times, I have not lost sound in VPM  In the past I would lose sound after starting a few tables without restarting VPX.  

 

*edit*  Sopranos... unlike LOTR, no crash... I didn't really play this table enough prior to this to comment specifically, but sound seems fine.  Volume is good.

 

Overall... very nice improvements, some that are subtle, but do not go unrecognized.  The reverb, especially in the older tables does a lot to create a realistic sound.  Centaur sounds great to me (a favorite table).

 

Toxie, everything you have been working on with the sounds is really paying off.  Thanks.

Edited by Drybonz, 18 October 2016 - 09:13 PM.

[toxie]

Thanks a lot for testing! And cool that you like it!

 

As for the single issue with LOTR: There is still some ancient bug in the AT91 core. Did you try to run it multiple time? For me it runs after the first crash.

[Drybonz]

Let me try again... it never did crash for me in the past, but who knows...

 

*edit*  Yeah, I just opened it and started it five times in a row with no crash... so looks like it should be good to go.

Edited by Drybonz, 18 October 2016 - 09:37 PM.

[toxie]

Its a very weird crash, thats also why we could not track it down so far. For me, for example, it only happens ONCE per machine, and then only again after i reboot my PC.

[Drybonz]

I jumped the gun, I think, because I had not seen it before, and because it happened on the first startup when I was testing new stuff, so I apologize for the confusion there.

 

I think the sound progress is great and I hope the test results are useful somehow.

[toxie]

Absolutely. I just need enough people/ears on as many setups as possible.

 

After all i started this revamp because of these mysterious noise/crackling problems that only happened on some PC setups and when using certain output sample rates. So i want to avoid introducing new problems.

But at least i found a lot of reasons why that happened previously and (hopefully) fixed these with that release.

[Sir Cheddar]

Tested higher volume levels on GP. I tried VP Nascar on high levels first so I can compare.

 

Well, I tried. I can't really tell if it has the same crackling or not.

Volume level 7: My normal setting. Loud enough to hear it from the next room.

Volume level 25: Painfully loud. May be loud enough to wake the neighbors. I think I hear some crackling when the ball is in the bumper area, I'm positive I hear clipping.

Volume level 32: Pain. Sounds like that amplifier gets more than it can handle. Maybe there is some crackling between the clipping but it's hard to tell. Some static/popping sounds in attract mode.

 

I guess I better go back to 7.

[toxie]

Awesome! Thanks so much for also verifying this!

The crackling/clipping in the bumpers matches the emulation then. Apparently this was not really tested by Stern, simply as the output is so loud then, i guess.

[Thalamus]

' To use the Rom for Sound
' remove line 117 --> ' Set MotorCallback = GetRef("TrackSounds")
' change the 0 for 1 in the line 124 --> .Games(cGameName).Settings.Value("sound") = 1

 

Change this on LOTR and the crackle is bad.

[toxie]

Which volume do you use on that machine?

And i hope you used the newest build from the first post?

[Thalamus]

I should be up2date with the build.

 

Was on volume 29 - deleted all attached sound and played rom only. And concluded that it is fixed around volume 20 - higher and you start to get bad crackles when Gandalf shouts jackpot. It seemed to me that it was mostly Gandalf that was the problem going even higher than 20.

 

Very nice job guys !!!

 

Will be awesome as soon as the attached samples are tuned down.

[toxie]

LOTR cranks up the volume during the multiballs, thats why in general you need a rather 'low' volume in comparison to other machines, otherwise you get exactly the effect you describe.  :/

Real machines are just way too loud in real life, so they seemed to have never tested these high volume settings completely.

[BorgDog]

Maybe everyone just needs to crank up their amps so the VPM volumes can be set at a more reasonable level.  

[Thalamus]

Amp and cab parts are on their way ...

[DJRobX]

DJRobx posted a video that had some simulated wave sounds on the table, but I don't hear those at all.

 

 

The video I posted was of a real SeaWitch.   Someone noticed that the new build makes a "funny noise" at ball launch.   I checked it out and the old build does too, the odd noise just sounds different.    It's trying to make a sound like waves are crashing, but instead we just get a quick little noise.   That's actually good news - since neither build emulates it correctly, that means it's not something Toxie broke with his updates.   

 

While looking at that I'd also have to agree with others, the sound quality of stuff coming out of the new build is MUCH better.   I'm a sound quality guy so I really appreciate the efforts Toxie is putting in on this!    I saw the amount of code that changed too, it's a huge undertaking.  

[Drybonz]

That was me... the noise at startup was the first sound being distorted or garbled... happened on a number of tables, but seems to be fixed with the new VPM.  The wave sound I don't seem to hear at all... even in an incomplete state.  But I agree... like I said above there are some great changes and improvements in the sound code.

[FrankT]

Cool! Especially when you hit the car at higher volumes, the sound crackles.

 

I always get that problem with Medieval Madness and, to a lesser extent, Cirqus Voltaire.