sound issues on sbcg4ap 3, 4, and 5

[bbirley1]

my episodes 3, 4, 5 of strong bad's game have an issue with the sound that occurs more often with each episode. for some reason, all the sounds' pitches will plummet, making it impossible to understand. its like what you hear in movies when they talk while in slow motion. is this happening anywhere else, or am i just unlucky?

[Will]

This doesn't appear to be a common problem so it is likely something on your system. What operating system are you running?

[help]

I have been having the same sound error with sb 105, but only after getting the key from strong sad. Also if I leave the game running my sound remains slowed down in other programs. I am running windows xp.

[iamtt]

This is happening for me too, on Battle of the Bands.

If there is another thread about this issue with some solution, I can't find it with the search option - so please post a link!

I'll try updating DirectX again.


(By the way, thanks for the support you give on this forum, and for the awesome games!)

[Will]

My first suggestion would be to update your sound card drivers and your DirectX. Also, make sure no programs are running in the background. What are your system specs?

[iamtt]

I am downloading a driver for SoundMax Integrated Digital Audio now.
DirectX is definitely current, just tried to update again and it can't find anything new.

I am using Windows XP SP3, Pentium 4 3ghz, 512mb RAM.

The problem happens in Battle of the Bands at any point where sound is played. The sound slows down, and correspondingly drops pitch. It seems to be at least 3x times slower and lower - so bad that it is not just funny, but literally impossible to understand. So, not Barry White, but whale song.


It happened tonight, and I tried quitting and running the game again. The splash screen loads. Upon clicking on 'launch game' there was a fatal error. "DLL encountered an error and closed".

Here is the error info:
AppName: homestar103.exe AppVer: 2008.10.8.13668 ModName: d3d9.dll ModVer: 5.3.2600.5512 Offset: 000616eb


d3dp.dll seems to be something to do with DirectX. Is there anything I can do with dxdiag? I have already turned down hardware acceleration to standard in case that would help, it did not.


Thanks for the support,
iamtt

[Will]

Bah! I was all about to tell you to turn down your hardware acceleration till I got to your last line. Did the new driver do anything?

[iamtt]

DirectX updated a bit more today. Will test Battle of the Bands later to see if the problem persists. Thanks for the support!

[Chfan]

I seem to be having the same problems, usually whenever I use an item. What should I do?

[iamtt]

I seem to be having the same problems, usually whenever I use an item. What should I do?

Just to add a note of support, this happens to me most often when using an item as well.

I posted my system spec above, Chfan - sound board, processor speed, RAM, and the OS - if you can post yours there might be similarities that help with diagnosing the problem.

[Will]

Well Ch,first I would try and do the various things iamtt tried. Update your directX, audio drivers, and try fiddling with your audio's hardware acceleration. If you need help with any of these, let me know.

[Chfan]

I'm running Windows XP SP3, Pentium 4 2.66GHz, 512 MB RAM.

The game hasn't crashed and I usually don't run programs in the background. I'm not sure how to find what audio drivers I'm running or how to update them. The problem isn't as severe as whenever a sound is played, but usually when I use an item this happens.

If it's any help, this problem has occurred in TES IV: Oblivion as well, so I assume the problem's on my end.

[Will]

So to find out more about your sound card and drivers, open up your Start menu and go to Run. Type in dxdiag into the window and it will bring up a program that analyzes your system for you. There should be a Sound tab. On that tab you can find all of your device and driver information, as well as a way to fiddle with the hardware acceleration, which may be a culprit.

[Chfan]

I'm running a SoundMAX Digital Audio card. I went to their website, but they had no links as to updating my drivers. Where should I go to do this?

[Will]

Hmm, looks like you will have to go through the PC manufacturer website. What type of computer do you have? HP Pavillion, Dell Vostro, etc

[Chfan]

A Dell Dimension DIM4600, I think...

[Will]

Hmm, weird. Ok, here are the drivers they have listed (http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/driverslist.aspx?os=WW1&osl=EN&catid=3&impid=-1&servicetag=&SystemID=DIM_P4_4600&hidos=WW1&hidlang=en&TabIndex=) but none of them seem to be SoundMax. Honestly, I'm not sure.

If you don't mind spending the money, it may not be a bad idea to just go out and buy a new sound card. You can get a pretty solid one for $30 bucks these days, and can probably get a cheap one for as low as $10.

[Chfan]

That's strange...but wow, thirty dollars? My dad didn't want to buy one simply because he thought they cost way too much, but I guess I can just buy a new one if they run that low. I'll get back with a report after I get a new one.