SPU2ghz Releases

[GiGaHeRz]

Latest Stable Version: (none yet!)
Latest Beta Version: Public Beta 1.6!
Latest Experimental Version: Public Beta 1.7! [LATEST!]

Rant:
It has been more than 4 years since I started this plugin. Back then pcsx2 didn't have any sound plugin except for spu2null. I remember getting into the pcsx2 IRC channel (#pcsx2 on efnet) and asking for help to make a sound plugin. One of the pcsx2 developers kindly gave me some documents and wished me luck, and I promised I would do my best.

After some days, or weeks, I had enough registers implemented that the bios would start to play sounds. It was a revolution. First sounds ever to come from pcsx2!!

Too bad the sounds were completely wrong, as I had misunderstood the ADPCM algorithm. I kept working on it after that, but not regularly at all: I can spend a few days working on something, but once I'm stuck debugging for too long, I get bored.

After me, there were a few other attempts at doing spu2 pugins. One of them, ps2sp, was a bit more successful than mine. These attempts caught pete's attention, so he decided to hack up a spu2 plugin too.

For some time, pete's plugin has been the best choice to many, and recently Zerofrog, annoyed by the relatively bad results of our plugins, also decided to code his own.

With so much competition, it has been hard for me to get my plugin to have acceptable results, and even if I'm releasing, it still fails to compare with zero's in most games. But on the other side, my plugin has always been coded with compatibility in mind, so even if it's few, there's some games where it gives better results.

I want to make clear there's some known problems with the plugin:

• If the game runs slow, the plugin will be all loopy. This is the expected result given the way I coded it. I might improve the output system someday if I get better ideas.
• Some games seem to have "clicks" and noises while playing music, videos and speech. I'm clueless as what coudl cause it.
• Some games seem to have robotized sound. I don't know why yet, but I will look at it if I get reports of games doing it.
• Some games don't like to work with the plugin. I'm specially interested in knowing about them, so I can fix the problem(s).
• Some people seem to get problems with audio output. Make sure you are using the DSound module, and your sound card supports 48000hz output correctly.
• When the emulator crashes, there's some chances that the ASIO output plugin will not have the chance to shut itself down. In those cases it will leave the device used, and a reboot is required in order to "unlock" it.
• Savestates are broken. Specially the plugin will ignore a save if it wasn't created by itself. Blame the lack of a proper standard save format.

Note 1: As of version 1.4, fmod.dll is no longer required to use the plugin, but it is still required to use the FMOD output system.

Note 2: The plugin has its own speed limiting system. For some reason when the emu limits the FPS to 50/60, the sound plugin still runs a tiny bit too slow so if the game generally runs stable at 100% using the framelimiter, it's recommended to use the limiter on my spu2.

Note 3: If anyone is interested, the code can be downloaded from the SVN server in SourceForge.net .

[Hard core Rikki]

fmvtool could use some love too
kudos for the update. looks nice already

[Dragonheart.by]

Thanks man, I'll test it with my games.

1) Resident Evil Code: Veronica X [PAL]

PCSX2 0.9.5 SVN 265 (Framerate limiting - enabled)

Sound - Crackling, with lots of noise.
Framerate drops in FMVs to about 18 FPS (fullspeed with P.E.Op.S SPU2 and SPU2null, but the same prob with ZeroSPU2).
Game hang after selecting New Game in start menu...

2) ResidentEvil Outbreak [NTSC]

Most time I had around 50 fps so the sound was "loopy".. In some places where I got 60 FPS the sound still was crackling, and some effects are still loopy. Robotic speech in FMVs. At least it seems to be stable.

3) Resident Evil Outbreak File #2 [NTSC]
Seems that it have the same engine so problems are similar.
BitI tested it some more and found out that sound seems to be more clear + it looks like lots of effects in FMVs are missing at all.

Bugs finded by Foxik:

Shining Force EXA - noise instead sound in intro. No music in-game.

Front Mission IV - sound interleaves with noise in intro.

[Firnis]

GiGaHeRz, thanks for work!

FFX wrong sound in menu. Voice is "loopy" in some places.

Guitar Hero - Its the first SPU plugin with that i can play with normal speed. Dont know why, but others give a big down of speed. Sound is "loopy", but its better, than others for me.

Thanks again.

[Shadow Lady]

always welcoming new plugins, will try some games :P

edit: well yeah not exactly NEW plugin but still :P

KOF 2006: background music and comment voice seem to be at a very low level, (fight music and voice when sayin round 1 round 2 etc), at the same time the fight effects seemed ok and voice of the chars too, except for the loopy part :P

FFX-2: again very low sound level on FMV

FFX and FFX-2: wrong sound in the menu cursor (when moving up and down the menu and selecting some option)

Kingdom Hearts: more low volume level on FMV the fmvs even being full speed didnt sound right, seemed loopy althou it wasnt slow at all

bloody roar 4: it kept repeating "get ready, fight" after a battle had began, background music in fights seemed not existant or it just didnt sound cauze being looped and low volume level? :P in menu music was there just very low

MK Armaggedon: all good, there even was background music! lol better synchronized than Zero and P.E.Op.S for this game

basically seems low voulme lvl seems consistant in all games, plugin seems better synchronized than the other ones but it has some synchonization problems here and there, too bad my PC is too slow to enjoy it :P

pcsx 0.9.5 svn 239 (public beta) (frame limit 65fps sound in scenes being 65fps seemed to jump sometimes i guess only 60fps is ok with this plugin, P.E.Op.S is the only one fine in those situations anyways)

[kurim]

PCSX2 0.9.5 SVN 265 (Framerate limiting - enabled)

Atelier Iris Eternal Mana (runs at 60fps):
Music - makes abnormal screatching sound
Voice - makes loop
info - works fine with ZeroSPU

Atelier Iris 2 Azoth Of Destiny (runs at 60fps):
Music - ok
Voice - makes loop (She said: After, output: Aaaaaaaaaaafffffffff....)
Sound - in fight szens make the same like Voice
info - works fine with ZeroSPU

Disgaea 2 Cursed.Memories (runs at 60fps):
Music - loopy due limitig to 60fps
Voice - ok left some words out due limiting frames (btw put AA to 4x)
Sound - ok

but anyway thank you for a new greate alternativ audio plugin

btw... i think now my system is quite overspeced for those games ^^

[GiGaHeRz]

Oh ppl I forgot to say the sound plugin has its own speed limiting system. For some reason when the emu limits the FPS to 50/60, the sound plugin still runs a tiny bit too slow so if the game generally runs stable at 100% using the framelimiter, it's recommended to use the limiter on my spu2. I need to add config options for it, but it's in the .ini for now (set it to 1 to enable the limiting).

Gonna add this to the first post too...

[Dragonheart.by]

Final Fantasy XII
Sound in intro is too quite. Loopy speech in FMVs (Like "the dddddddddddd..." instead "the death of the lord..." in intro)
Sounds of steps are wrong.

[kurim]

Originally Posted by GiGaHeRz

Oh ppl I forgot to say the sound plugin has its own speed limiting system. For some reason when the emu limits the FPS to 50/60, the sound plugin still runs a tiny bit too slow so if the game generally runs stable at 100% using the framelimiter, it's recommended to use the limiter on my spu2. I need to add config options for it, there's too many "hidden" settings in the .ini.

Gonna add this to the first post too...

rofl...

ok i think i should set it to 1 right?

SPU2Ghz.ini
Speed_Limit_Mode=1

//edit... hm not good...

[HavocS]

SBLive! 5.1, pcsx2 0.9.5 beta, zerogs 0.97
FFX has no sound with ASIO. FMOD works. Some menu effects seem to be a bit odd, low buffer size results with crackling sound (just as expected if buffer's too low), higher buffer size makes lots of sound lag.
Weird stuff: there is absolutely no sound if I use load state, no matter what options I choose. Loading using the game's storage system works well though.
I didn't notice any speed limiting if I turned off the emu's limiter.

edit: ASIO works (well, stupid me, I didn't write any driver name in the ini first), but it's slower and the pitch of the sound is lowered too by one-two semitones or something around that.

[GiGaHeRz]

That's another known issue, savestates are mostly broken, specially the plugin won't load any save if it wasn't created by itself. And even if it does, there are some things it won't load properly.

[Dragonheart.by]

BTW in-game music in Shining Force EXA is REALLY quite. Jast like music in FFXII.

[SunnyDrake]

man in times of pcsx2 9.1/9.2 your spu2ghz where really best, i hope you will continue develope

[snon]

nice work dude.
acctually, it works fine with instant saves.

[vilkazz]

Great work man! Ar tonelico finally has normal voice instead of robotic one
Edit: Thou the game still freezes on videos, which seem to be because of spu.

[cyclonmaster]

Thanks for this plugin. Hopefully it'll improve more

[Chrono Archangel]

Stickied thread.

[GiGaHeRz]

Public Beta 1.1 attached to first post. Changes:
[*] Increased the volume shift for the AutoDMA'd audio by 2 (makes the FMVs louder).
[+] Experimental implementation of "core reset" handling.
[+] Added a setting to the config dialog to enable/disable the limiter.
[+] Added a setting to the config dialog to enable/disable all console prints at once.
[+] Uncommented the AutoDMA transfer message prints as they can now be toggled from the config dialog.
[+] Added "Public Release" build option that automatically creates the release package.

[Dragonheart.by]

Great, thanks!

btw, why now I see only how many time passed after any reply instead time of it's creation?

[Shadow Lady]

the limiter seems to do some weird jumps in fps ranging between 54-62 fps, sound doesnt seem smooth with it either