USB Razer Kraken 7.1 FIX (and being able to use them)

[Kirzan]

This might work for other Razer products as well (3.5 or USB). You can use your Kraken 7.1, WITH Synapse. Here's how:

1) CTRL ALT DEL
2) Task Manager
3) Find the process named "Kraken APO Helper" (or krakenhelper.exe).
4) Right Click > End Task.
5) Enjoy playing the game with your headset.

EDIT: krakenhelper.exe is set to launch at Windows startup. If you need it back, you can reboot Windows and it will come right back up like magic.

This is what worked for me when everything else failed. Simple logic, really. Reports of USB Headsets actually working. Pointed towards drivers or software. Killed all Razer processes and it worked. Identified the specific process and it was this "APO Helper".

[Eizoe]

What does the APO helper do and how would we re-launch it? replug it back in?
I just don't like the term "Kill it." and I'm worried it will screw up the headset programming or something.
Also I don't see APO. I have Kraken Chroma and all I see with Kraken in it is "Kraken71ChromaHelper". Same thing?

[Kirzan]

I edited the term "Kill it" out just for you, buddy! If you don't feel safe about something, don't do it. I don't own a Chroma and I haven't tried to make Tales of Zestiria work with a Chroma either.

What I can tell you though, is that shutting down a background process will not break your headset. I can also tell you that Razer "helper" software is known to cause weird issues with various applications and games. Like recording and streaming software, for instance. I just can't seem to find any information whatsoever as to what it actually does. Because, well, sound works, surround works, synapse works...

My sound works A-OK, my headset didn't catch fire, and the thing launches itself with Windows anyway, unless you disable it. So you're not really doing any permanent damage of any kind here.

[Eizoe]

Originally posted by Kirzan:

I edited the term "Kill it" out just for you, buddy! If you don't feel safe about something, don't do it. I don't own a Chroma and I haven't tried to make Tales of Zestiria work with a Chroma either.

What I can tell you though, is that shutting down a background process will not break your headset. I can also tell you that Razer "helper" software is known to cause weird issues with various applications and games. Like recording and streaming software, for instance. I just can't seem to find any information whatsoever as to what it actually does. Because, well, sound works, surround works, synapse works...

My sound works A-OK, my headset didn't catch fire, and the thing launches itself with Windows anyway, unless you disable it. So you're not really doing any permanent damage of any kind here.

Alright thanks dude! :D

EDIT: Just loaded up and it works perfectly fine! Much appreciated! :D (The volume to loud at startup though xD)

[vnk]

Thanks, It's working here now so far.

[cheeze740]

For me killing razerhelper makes my headphones stop putting out sound on any program. Program won't start manually if i try to restart it and just have to restart the whole comp to get sound back -.-

[Kirzan]

Originally posted by cheeze740:

For me killing razerhelper makes my headphones stop putting out sound on any program. Program won't start manually if i try to restart it and just have to restart the whole comp to get sound back -.-

OS?

[Tsuyochie]

Hey Kirzan,
have the same Problem as cheeze740, when i kill the process of the APO the Sound stops completely. Hope you can help me :D.

Razer Kraken USB, Windows 10 64x, Razer Synapse 1.18 (German Vesion :D).
PS: If you have killed the process try Windows+R "shutdown -l" to logout. Then login and the process should be started

[Kirzan]

Originally posted by Tsuyochie ツヨ知恵:

Hey Kirzan,
have the same Problem as cheeze740, when i kill the process of the APO the Sound stops completely. Hope you can help me :D.

Razer Kraken USB, Windows 10 64x, Razer Synapse 1.18 (German Vesion :D).
PS: If you have killed the process try Windows+R "shutdown -l" to logout. Then login and the process should be started

That's odd. Have you tried ending other razer processes? Or maybe trying it without Synapse? I'll assume you have the USB Kraken Stereo otherwise we'd have the exact same setup and then I'd be really mystified.

I don't have one, so I can't actually test it myself. Like I said, my guess is that it's software related since it's very possible for other USB headsets to achieve this.

- Try shutting down other Razer processes one by one, always testing if you still have sound AND launching the game every time.

- Also keep a lookout for any "sound enhancement" software like what causes surround emulation. I know Razer (through Synapse) are really fond of their "razer surround" feature for their stereo headphones.

- If all else fails, look at what's launched at startup in your task manager. I don't have it in my "7.1 driver suite", but I read (when looking at what the APO actually does), that "Razer Launcher" or something was also causing similar issues to mine (like sound desync when recording).

I'm sorry I can't directly help you. All I can do is convince you to tinker around a bit. You probably know this, but there's no harm in shutting down processes or disabling startup applications as long as you remember how to reverse what you've done. I'm very, very, very confident that it's related to razer and/or other surround software, though!

[Tsuyochie]

Originally posted by Kirzan:

Originally posted by Tsuyochie ツヨ知恵:

Hey Kirzan,
have the same Problem as cheeze740, when i kill the process of the APO the Sound stops completely. Hope you can help me :D.

Razer Kraken USB, Windows 10 64x, Razer Synapse 1.18 (German Vesion :D).
PS: If you have killed the process try Windows+R "shutdown -l" to logout. Then login and the process should be started

That's odd. Have you tried ending other razer processes? Or maybe trying it without Synapse? I'll assume you have the USB Kraken Stereo otherwise we'd have the exact same setup and then I'd be really mystified.

I don't have one, so I can't actually test it myself. Like I said, my guess is that it's software related since it's very possible for other USB headsets to achieve this.

- Try shutting down other Razer processes one by one, always testing if you still have sound AND launching the game every time.

- Also keep a lookout for any "sound enhancement" software like what causes surround emulation. I know Razer (through Synapse) are really fond of their "razer surround" feature for their stereo headphones.

- If all else fails, look at what's launched at startup in your task manager. I don't have it in my "7.1 driver suite", but I read (when looking at what the APO actually does), that "Razer Launcher" or something was also causing similar issues to mine (like sound desync when recording).

I'm sorry I can't directly help you. All I can do is convince you to tinker around a bit. You probably know this, but there's no harm in shutting down processes or disabling startup applications as long as you remember how to reverse what you've done. I'm very, very, very confident that it's related to razer and/or other surround software, though!

Thanks,
I`ve tried every singel razer process and every singel .dll in File Manager (by rename File), but even when i get the game so far that it doesn`t crash, the driver of the Kraken has been completely disabled (no sound).
The only sollution to play the Game with sound is to uninstall "Razer Surround Sound" and Synapse so the Kraken have to use his std. Stereo driver. (Careful Surroundsetting ingame is not working and will disable the sound of dialogs).
I think we have to wait till an surround sound update from Bandai or Razer.
Till then i have to play without Synapse.

[Kaldaien]

I have a proper fix for these, I believe. I'm not entirely familiar with those headsets. I have a full-blown 7.1 A/V reciever, so I can just trick the game into thinking I have a 5.1 setup and it goes smoothly. With zero distortion at 192 kHz / 24-bit too!

7.1 Audio is FIXED

Took a long time to get this sorted out, but I have a fix for 7.1 channel audio and distortion for audio bitrates != 44 kHz. We have Bink to thanks for this stupidity, I could have been done with this long ago if it weren't for that stupid middleware.

This is rather unprofessional of me, but for now I'm just going to point you guys to a .zip file that you can extract into your ToZ directory. It's pre-configured to piggyback the fix DLL (dsound.dll) off my render stats / memory manager originally developed for Batman Arkham Knight. I had to do it this way because of some DLL load order issues, the only DLL that's loaded early enough to fix all sound issues is actually d3d9.dll.

Grab tzfix.zip from here:

https://github.com/Kaldaien/BMF/releases/tag/bmf_016test0

To turn the OSD that the Batman Fix DLL adds off (assuming you have RivaTuner or MSI Afterburner installed), press Ctrl + Shift + O.



See my post in the Tales of Zestiria Tweak thread for more information.

[Tsuyochie]

Thanks to you!
i`ve copy the files from the tzfix.zip into my Tales of Zestiria folder, killed the APO Helper Process and then i had to restart the "GameScannerService" Process in Task Manager (by killing the Process, it restart after get killed). and voila ingame sound without crahses.

Thank you very much. Kaldaien and Kirzan

[Kirzan]

Originally posted by Tsuyochie ツヨ知恵:

Thanks to you!
i`ve copy the files from the tzfix.zip into my Tales of Zestiria folder, killed the APO Helper Process and then i had to restart the "GameScannerService" Process in Task Manager (by killing the Process, it restart after get killed). and voila ingame sound without crahses.

Thank you very much. Kaldaien and Kirzan

Hey that's awesome! Really glad you got it to work. On boot crashes, for something so dumb, are the worst.

[Hov]

Youre a beautiful human, thank you.

[BitJager]

thanx man you save my life :D

[vraua.]

I ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ LOVE YOU MAN