Strange popping, crackling sound when sound fx play.

8bitninja

So, I've just noticed when playing my game (Get the Honey) that when the bee is bouncing fast between the blocks that there is a strange popping, crackling sound. This wasn't an issue when I first released the game. Does anyone know if GS changed something recently that could be causing this and if there's a work-around? I'm not sure if its happening on Android but definitely on iOS, both on iPhone and iPad.
Thanks!

Socks

@8bitninja said:

The way audio is handled has recently changed (v1.0.0 onwards I think).

Although as far as I understand it this only applies to importing audio - that is to say you would need to reimport your audio for it to be effected by the new audio handling system.

Previously GameSalad would strip the right channel from a stereo audio source, building a mono signal from the left channel only.

Now a stereo audio source remains stereo, with the left and right making it through the importing process intact (expect for a little harmonic distortion, with I suspect it from the compression used).

There also seems to be a difference in levels between the old system and the new one, with the new system often being up to 2+dB louder, maybe the popping/crackling is your audio clipping (do you have other audio playing at the same time ?).

8bitninja

@Socks said:

Yes, there is multiple fx on that condition and music playing. I'll try reimporting my sounds and lowering the dB's if necessary.

Thanks, Socks!

Socks

@8bitninja said:

@Socks said:

Yes, there is multiple fx on that condition and music playing. I'll try reimporting my sounds and lowering the dB's if necessary.

Thanks, Socks!

Reimporting will likely make the sounds - if anything - louder !!

8bitninja

@Socks said:
Reimporting will likely make the sounds - if anything - louder !!

Nooooo!!! Too late. Hopefully I can just lower the vol on each one manually.

Socks

@8bitninja said:
Nooooo!!! Too late. Hopefully I can just lower the vol on each one manually.

Yes, if the sounds themselves aren't clipping before you import them then GameSalad isn't going to clip them . . . so you can simply lower them in GameSalad.

8bitninja

@Socks,

When I turn the vol lower (As low as 0.1) the popping/crackling sound remains but, It too is lower. which says to me that it's not a distortion issue. I've tried saving the sound again and changing its name but nothing fixes that crackling sound. I've lowered all the other sound FX and music but that popping/crackling sound still remains. It only happens when the bee (the ball) bounces between two blocks rapidly with the condition to play sound on impact with the blocks. So, I think it has something to do with the sound cutting itself instead of layering over itself. I don't know . If you have any ideas, I'd love to hear them.

Thanks!

Socks

@8bitninja said:
When I turn the vol lower (As low as 0.1)

I'm not sure what that means - you'd really need to be specific . . . you are turning the volume down on your phone ? On your Mac ? On the specific sound with GameSalad ?

@8bitninja said:
which says to me that it's not a distortion issue.

I dont know how your project is set up or how you are testing these things or whether you've recently (post v1.0.0) republished . . . etc . . etc, so these are just guesses on my part, but you could still have distortion issues even after attenuating the volume on a device or in Creator if the distortion/clipping is in the original files.

And even if there is no distortion/clipping in the original files, then you can still experience distortion depending on a various other factors.

@8bitninja said:
I've tried saving the sound again and changing its name but nothing fixes that crackling sound. I've lowered all the other sound FX and music but that popping/crackling sound still remains. It only happens when the bee (the ball) bounces between two blocks rapidly with the condition to play sound on impact with the blocks. So, I think it has something to do with the sound cutting itself instead of layering over itself. I don't know . If you have any ideas, I'd love to hear them.

Could you upload a stripped down project with just the bounce sound the actor and two blocks it bounces between ?

If you don't want to do that can you share some details about the sound (especially it's length [in samples if possible] and peak level) and the speed at which it bounced between the blocks ?

8bitninja

@Socks said:

I'm not sure what that means - you'd really need to be specific . . . you are turning the volume down on your phone ? On your Mac ? On the specific sound with GameSalad ?

When turning the vol down in the (play sound behavior) in GS creator the clipping sound continues but it's vol is also lowered.

@Socks said:

Could you upload a stripped down project with just the bounce sound the actor and two blocks it bounces between ?

Here is a demo of the issue I'm experiencing. The clipping happens when testing with an Adhoc build on iOS devices.

Thanks, Socks! - I appreciate your patience with me.

8bitninja

I updated the demo to include multiple sounds.

Socks

If you don't include the other audio that happens while the bounce noise is happening I can't make any comment as to clipping due to volume.

But one thing that might be worth tidying up is the trimming of your audio files, there is a sizeable empty/silent area before the sound actually starts, which will mean your sounds will never really be in sync, they will always feel a little loose, as the sound actually happens after the sound is triggered.

The tail of the sound could also be trimmed - as it currently is - and when the bouncing gets really fast (I only tested it for a couple of minutes it might get even faster) - you have 6 stereo audio files playing at the same time, that's 12 audio channels, and that's just for the bounce noise.

The top (purple) audio is a recording of your rapid bouncing, the blue audio is your original bounce audio file spaced out to show where it plays with reference to your rapid bouncing . . . as the first original bounce audio file is still playing (and before it finishes) we see another 5 original bounce audio files start up - this 6 layer deep audio will continue as long as the bounce stays at that speed.

This image also illustrates the latency introduced by not trimming the silence off the start of your audio file - you can see that untrimmed start actually pushes the sound more than one whole bounce out of sync. That's to say if you were to go straight into a rapid bounce - for example - then the sound wouldn't start until just after the second bounce.

8bitninja

@Socks said:
If you don't include the other audio that happens while the bounce noise is happening I can't make any comment as to clipping due to volume.

The clipping happens in the demo I included without any other audio playing. It only happens while testing an Adhoc on an iOS device (It does not happen in preview)

8bitninja

The clipping starts around 7sec.

Thunder_Child

Some of my sounds are stopping completely after first run. This is no good for the thunder. Can I pull them out of the project and just inport them again?

8bitninja

@Thunder_Child said:

Absolutely, please do.

Thunder_Child

That unfortunately did not do the trick...I can say it keeps any cracking at the end of a sound from from occuring but sounds play only a few times and then wont play again during game play.

Question...for anyone...can playing say....aboit 30-40 quick sound clips in about 15 seconds cause problems? These soinds clips arent even a .10 of a second long. Beeps basically.

Socks

@Thunder_Child said:
Question...for anyone...can playing say....aboit 30-40 quick sound clips in about 15 seconds cause problems?

That would depend on a whole number of factors.

@Thunder_Child said:
These soinds clips arent even a .10 of a second long. Beeps basically.

The sounds are far longer than 1/10th of a second.

Thunder_Child

Yea I guess this is true....they are just very very short.

8bitninja

I sort of found a work-around. still clips a little every now and then but way better then before. In the demo it's the button 5 A,B,C with the work-around applied.