Surround sound channels reversed

[Master_Frag]

It appears that if you're playing the game with a 5.1 setup, that the sound that should be on the front channels, get pushed to the rear channels, with the rear audio coming from the front.

I'm on 0.9, but this exists in 0.8. Running Windows 10, Build 14342. However this issue also exists on 10586, 10240, Windows 8, and Windows 7. I suspect it also exists in Vista, but I can't test that with no system avaliable to do so.

[Amazinite]

Anyone else experience something like this?
The sound system is getting some changed in the next update (v0.9.5), so that might help. Not 100% sure though.

[Master_Frag]

Originally posted by Derpy Horse:

Anyone else experience something like this?
The sound system is getting some changed in the next update (v0.9.5), so that might help. Not 100% sure though.

When the update drops, I'll be sure to update this thread with the results on my setup.

It's highly probable that 95% people who play Endless Sky simply don't have a surround setup, Especially since more people are using headphones and headsets than speakers these days, and the PC surround market has kinda gone up in smoke. but it's still a weird problem for those that do have a surround setup.

If there's any information or tests that would help with figuring this out, I'm willing to do what I can to help with it.

[warp_core]

I don't use a surround setup but I do use headphones and I have noticed that the game doesn't switch audio output with everything else if it was started while the headphones were plugged in and they are later unplugged or vice versa. This definitely occured in 0.9.4 but I'm not sure if I've tested it with 0.9.5 compiled from GitHub. I'll also report back if it persists through the 0.9.5 release.

[Master_Frag]

After spending a bit of time in the 0.9.5 beta, the audio behaviour is unchanged for me.

It'd be awesome if someone else with a surround setup would report in here though, even if everything works fine.

[Sinsling]

My laptop and headphones are both surround sound built, but I don't think I would pick up on a problem like this on either one.

Would the issue actually be your system attempting to force surround sound through some sort of driver algorithm used to differentiate foreground/background noise on a game without native surround sound? Or does ES have surround sound programmed in?

[Sinsling]

Now that I think about it, it could be because sound orients itself from a static direction in the game. Someone would have to provide a point that rotates with the player to provide correct directional sounds for surround sound setups.

[Master_Frag]

It is not my sound hardware, I run a Sound Blaster Z as my sound card, and 99% of the time, all enhancements are disabled, save for an equalizer. I don't use virtual surround in any way.

If it were a driver issue, I wouldn't have been able to reproduce this on other systems, in particular, a Core2 system with a Sound Blaster X-Fi in it, and my laptop outputting 5.1 to my home theater reciever through HDMI. None using the manufacturer's virtual surround algorithm.

Running in stereo mode fixes all audio output issues.

I do agree that it's likely due to the way things orient themselves in the game, typically, I'd expect that things from the botttom half of the screen would project to the rear channels, and the top project to the front channels, at least in games such as this, however, it seems most effects get routed to the rear, regardless of orientation or position, with the front channels emitting what sounds almost like what games produce for a sort of "fake surround" surround image, being relatively soft, slightly delayed audio compared to the rear channels.

[evilspoons]

This is *still* a problem, in March 2024. I'm running 0.10.6 on Windows 11. I have realtek sound set to 5.1 channels, and the game plays its only audio out my rear left and rear right channels.

[Amazinite]

I know it's been a minute, but someone with a surround sound system of their own to test with and the know-how on how to fix this submitted a fix that we just merged. The next update coming end of May will have the audio coming out of the front channels now.

[Master_Frag]

Originally posted by Amazinite:

I know it's been a minute, but someone with a surround sound system of their own to test with and the know-how on how to fix this submitted a fix that we just merged. The next update coming end of May will have the audio coming out of the front channels now.

Awesome, I don't use surround speakers anymore, at least on PC, and I've switched to Linux since, but it's good to know that this issue is fixed, it made playing with a surround setup awful.