openarena bad quality sound when using OpenAL engine

[Simon Déziel]

Binary package hint: openarena

In Karmic when a game starts the sound is good for a few seconds. After that, the quality is very bad.

When I set OpenAL to off, the sound quality is always good.

lsb_release -rd
Description: Ubuntu karmic (development branch)
Release: 9.10

apt-cache policy openarena
openarena:
  Installed: 0.8.1-4
  Candidate: 0.8.1-4
  Version table:
 *** 0.8.1-4 0
        500 http://archive.ubuntu.com karmic/universe Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

ProblemType: Bug
Architecture: amd64
Date: Sun Oct 4 12:45:52 2009
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 9.10
NonfreeKernelModules: fglrx
Package: openarena 0.8.1-4
ProcEnviron:
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.31-11.38-generic
SourcePackage: openarena
Uname: Linux 2.6.31-11-generic x86_64

[Simon Déziel (sdeziel)]

@François Blondel

I've seen in https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/openarena/+bug/120568/comments/6 that you were having the same issue. Could you please confirm the bug ?

[François Blondel (francoisblondel)]

Yes, I can confirm this bug.
But : "When I set OpenAL to off, the sound quality is always good." Isn't true by me : the sound is better, that is true, but often the sound crashes, and then no sound… and then, when I want to quit openarena, it crashes, and I have to kill openarena in a TTY.
Thanks

[andrew (ar144)]

I am experiencing the same problem, in both OpenArena and FlightGear.The sound works for a few seconds, then starts to crack. Eventually the sound cuts out altogether. I haven't seen it crash FlightGear, but it has crashed OpenArena several times. I was wondering if this post has anything to do with the problem:
     http://wiki.flightgear.org/index.php?title=Linux_software_audio_mixing_with_FlightGear

[Stripe (stripe)]

I have the same problem. I try to use OpenArena with openal option "Off". In this case throw several seconds there are some small looses of sound (like 0.2 seconds silence), and throw about 20 seconds sound lost at all.

In case of openal library there is no sound, but loud scratch noise like "khrh"
I try change properties of openal librares and test it by mplayer:
mplayer -ao openal file.mp3
If i set in /etc/openal/alsoft.conf option "drivers = pulse" - to use pulseaudio - mplayer and openarena does not start. look like openal can not connect to pulseaudio. Same happens with last stable openal 1.9.563.
If "driver = alsa" mplayer work fine, but in some unrepeatable situation i hear the same scratch distortions.

So the problem is openal. This also support that different games affected by this problem.
p.s. Ununtu 9.04 was not affected.

[Stripe (stripe)]

I reinstall ALSA from source (http://www.alsa-project.org):
alsa-driver-1.0.21
alsa-lib-1.0.21a
alsa-tools-1.0.21
alsa-plugins-1.0.21
And now looks like sound works without any issues.

[François Blondel (francoisblondel)]

Ok, but I don't understand if the problem was caused by pulseaudio or by alsa…
What should be done to get it working "out of the box" ?
Do you really think the status " Fix Committed " is appropriated ?
Thanks

[Stripe (stripe)]

Well... Currently I have well-working OpenArena with OpenAL throw last version of alsa (1.0.21).
OpenAL still not working at all throw pulseaudio.
I am really not sure about "Fix Committed" status. I newer use this system before, and just want to show, that i found workaround.

[Simon Déziel (sdeziel)]

According to this https://help.launchpad.net/Bugs/Statuses "Fix Committed" is the right status for this bug. As soon as there will have a package integrate to Ubuntu (maybe Lucid) the status will need to be change to "Fix Released".

[sly (slyboots1)]

In my case was same bug by fresh install of Ubuntu 9.10 with all updates. I solved it with upgrade of Alsa. Manual how to: http://monespaceperso.org/blog-en/2009/10/29/upgrade-alsa-1-0-21-on-ubuntu-karmic-koala-9-10/

[Silvano (silvavlis)]

I can confirm the problem and that the solution (installing Alsa 1.0.21) resolves it.

[sektor (sektor-1)]

question: does this mean that this issue will not be fixed with an update for 9.10? The same problem exists for ut2004 (native install) too.

[Simon Déziel (sdeziel)]

The problem is fixed in the development version of Ubuntu (Lucid).