2600+ Sound Issues

[+Ripdubski]

All the games I've tried have issues with the sound cutting in and out, except Berzerk.  Games play fine, and it appears like the emulator is just not playing it in favor of frame rate - or something like that.  Happens on both 2600 and 7800 games.  I'm using a 4K TV (NTSC), and Atari's cable.  The firmware is version 1.0.0.  I havent updated it because I don't have a Windows machine handy.

 

Thoughts?

 

[ABA180]

Mine have no sound issues, I've run about 40 carts in it.  What are some of the ones giving you issues?

[Slider271]

Maybe try another HDMI cable in case your supplied one has issues?
 

I’m running mostly PAL games but NTSC supplied 10-in-1, paddle games cart, Berzerk and Mr Run & Jump and they all run fine (as do the PAL games) with no sound issues. 

[Sean_1970]

Yeah I haven’t had any sound issues either. Check the rest of your kit and try swapping cables as suggested; if you’re plugged into something other than directly into your TV take that out of the equation as well.

[Glorkbot]

No sound problems on mine either, using a couple dozen or more carts and on two different TVs.

[Brad_from_the_80s]

There are a couple of instances where I've heard a faint crackle, like the audio is clipping a little bit, but very minor and otherwise no stuttering or drop-out of any kind across 2600/7800.

[+Ripdubski]

It mainly happens on the 2600 games.  Frogger is a good example.  Most of the time the frog jump sounds dont play.  Occasionally they will.

Video Pinball is another,  sometimes the bumpers will make noise, most of the time not.

Mr. Run & Jump, cuts in an out just like the others.

I dont think the game matters.

 

Some that havent given me issues:

2600 SkyJinks

7800 Ms Pac Man (except at the very beginning, sound starts about 1s late).

 

I'll try the Nintendo Switch HDMI cable since both are right next to each other.  I'll be surprised if this is the cause.

Wade

 

 

[tradyblix]

Sounds like a different issue to the one I have but I do have sound issues on Pitfall.

 

It's an Activision cart (yeah.....got a few bad ones) that was in bad shape judging by it's label, although the labels on many activision carts are in bad shape (was it their print quality ?) 

 

and it required repeated successive cleanings with isopropyl alcohol for it to even start loading half the time. That's why I gave up on dangerous "insertion techniques" (ie, trying to insert a certain way with pressure or half-way inserts, etc... don't bother with that.) 

 

If it won't load, it's almost certainly contacts with corrosion on them, maybe it's just a couple atoms thick but you need to get in there with an abrasive brush. they will then work with just a direct insert making sure it's all the way in. It's possible that the cart is also dead, there are probably a few with bad circuits but even the ones I have the MOST trouble with I eventually got working by just going at it again with the 1-up card, cleaning the whole thing out. 

 

You have to really put some elbow grease in and clean them a few times or use deoxit which is a stronger solvent I think. 

 

Currently the carts (Pitfall) is playable for me but (at least on 1.1beta) there's issues where there's a repetitive "clipping" sound which is constantly in background which makes me turn the sound down sadly 😕

Again, it might be cart, but the graphics all work so yeah... not sure if it's an emu issue or the cart on that one. 

 

 

Edited January 8 by tradyblix

[Glorkbot]

21 minutes ago, Ripdubski said:

It mainly happens on the 2600 games.  Frogger is a good example.  Most of the time the frog jump sounds dont play.  Occasionally they will.

Video Pinball is another,  sometimes the bumpers will make noise, most of the time not.

Mr. Run & Jump, cuts in an out just like the others.

I’ve got those exact same games. No sound problems on mine.

Edited January 8 by Glorkbot

[ForceInfinity]

Are you sure you don’t have a volume leveler or something like that set on you TV?   I’ve actually seen this on a Vizio TV but not on a different TV I tried with the modern VCS (not to be confused with the 2600 or 2600+)

Edited January 8 by ForceInfinity

[+bent_pin]

In addition to trying a different cable, try a different hdmi port. One change at a time, and test the same port with another device to ensure that the sound is working correctly on that port. Eliminate all other potential issues, one at a time.

 

Also, show the plate on your power supply for the 2600+. Bad sound could be a result of undercurrent. 

[ChrisKewl]

1 hour ago, Glorkbot said:

Mr. Run & Jump, cuts in an out just like the others.

I had this happen on my capture card when playing the game on Friday on stream. It sounds fine on my TV and gaming monitor.

 

Here is the vid of the sound issue. Does it sound like this @Glorkbot?

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2024148899

[Glorkbot]

9 minutes ago, ChrisKewl said:

I had this happen on my capture card when playing the game on Friday on stream. It sounds fine on my TV and gaming monitor.

 

Here is the vid of the sound issue. Does it sound like this @Glorkbot?

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2024148899

Um… I’m not the one having sound problems, and that quote you attributed to me is not something I said…it was ripdubski. No, mine doesn’t sound distorted like that.

Edited January 8 by Glorkbot

[ChrisKewl]

Just now, Glorkbot said:

Um… I’m not the one having sound problems, and that quote you attributed to me is not something I said. No, mine doesn’t sound distorted like that.

My bad, I should've tagged @Ripdubski. This sound like the issue you're having?

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2024148899

[+LS650]

Weird.  At this point I've tried a good 50-60 different games on my Plus.  No sound issues that I can discern.

[Laladien]

I’ve noticed sound issues a few times, but most notable is Journey Escape and only since I updated to the beta. The splash screen prior to starting the game sound normal, but once I get into the game it’s crackly and the music is slightly slowed.

[GcMcM]

13 hours ago, tradyblix said:

Sounds like a different issue to the one I have but I do have sound issues on Pitfall.

 

It's an Activision cart (yeah.....got a few bad ones) that was in bad shape judging by it's label, although the labels on many activision carts are in bad shape (was it their print quality ?) 

 

and it required repeated successive cleanings with isopropyl alcohol for it to even start loading half the time. That's why I gave up on dangerous "insertion techniques" (ie, trying to insert a certain way with pressure or half-way inserts, etc... don't bother with that.) 

 

If it won't load, it's almost certainly contacts with corrosion on them, maybe it's just a couple atoms thick but you need to get in there with an abrasive brush. they will then work with just a direct insert making sure it's all the way in. It's possible that the cart is also dead, there are probably a few with bad circuits but even the ones I have the MOST trouble with I eventually got working by just going at it again with the 1-up card, cleaning the whole thing out. 

 

You have to really put some elbow grease in and clean them a few times or use deoxit which is a stronger solvent I think. 

 

Currently the carts (Pitfall) is playable for me but (at least on 1.1beta) there's issues where there's a repetitive "clipping" sound which is constantly in background which makes me turn the sound down sadly 😕

Again, it might be cart, but the graphics all work so yeah... not sure if it's an emu issue or the cart on that one. 

 

 

I have the same issue with Pitfall.  My copy is also plagued with the rhythmic clipping noise in the background.  I also had to clean it to get it to load the first time.  I only used isopropyl alcohol to clean the cart contacts, so maybe I'll try something more aggressive.  I'm running 1.0 firmware.

 

Interestingly the same rhythmic clipping sound does not happen on my 2600 Junior, so I'm not optimistic more cleaning would help.

[2LTIME6100]

I have a sound problem with the background music of pressure cooker. The volume varies significantly between loud and quiet. On the original console (2600 jr PAL) you can hear it minimally but not as clearly as on the 2600+

[Dionoid]

The intro music of EPYX California Games (PAL) sounds crackly and slightly slower than it should - I'm running the beta 1.1.

Also the vertical scrolling is not as smooth as it should be; could that be caused the new PAL 50Hz support in the 1.1 firmware?

 

Running on original hardware:

 

Running on 2600+

 

Edited January 8 by Dionoid

[Glorkbot]

Those two videos you posted, @Dionoid...are they from two different TVs? That alone could affect the difference in the sound quality of the two videos.

 

I have the NTSC version of California games, and it sounds a little different. I think the music is slower? But I'm not sure.

[+bent_pin]

2 minutes ago, Glorkbot said:

are they from two different TVs? That alone could affect the difference in the sound quality of the two videos.

Naturally, they are as one system has RF output and the other has HDMI. The sound should not be that different, there is certainly an issue beyond the TVs. The software aligns sounds with frames and it sounds like 50 hertz sound on a 60 hertz display. PAL50 is supposed to be 5/6 the speed of NTSC, so there would be a slightly noticeable difference.

[Dionoid]

1 hour ago, Glorkbot said:

I have the NTSC version of California games, and it sounds a little different. I think the music is slower? But I'm not sure.

Did you compare the game on the 2600+ vs an original 2600? By recording a video of the California Games' intro screen on both systems with your smartphone, it's easier to compare the two. Most ideally of course you'd have two copies of the game, so you can run both systems at the same time 

 

The intro screen of California games is pretty "heavy", because a lot is happening on the screen and also music is playing. I think this is currently a bit too much for the 2600+'s CPU/GPU running the Stella emulator, but hopefully a firmware update will fix that with optimized settings.

Edited January 9 by Dionoid

[chad5200]

4 hours ago, Dionoid said:

Did you compare the game on the 2600+ vs an original 2600? By recording a video of the California Games' intro screen on both systems with your smartphone, it's easier to compare the two. Most ideally of course you'd have two copies of the game, so you can run both systems at the same time 

 

The intro screen of California games is pretty "heavy", because a lot is happening on the screen and also music is playing. I think this is currently a bit too much for the 2600+'s CPU/GPU running the Stella emulator, but hopefully a firmware update will fix that with optimized settings.

I can confirm that the new 2600+ and the original 2600 are playing the music at the beginning of NTSC California Games at the exact same speed.

 

Please note, even on the original 2600, there are parts where it sounds like it is skipping.  This skip or off beat timing happens on ORIGINAL hardware also.

 

Edited January 9 by chad5200

[+Ripdubski]

On 1/7/2024 at 9:17 PM, Glorkbot said:

I’ve got those exact same games. No sound problems on mine.

You on a 4K tv?

 

On 1/7/2024 at 9:23 PM, ForceInfinity said:

Are you sure you don’t have a volume leveler or something like that set on you TV?   I’ve actually seen this on a Vizio TV but not on a different TV I tried with the modern VCS (not to be confused with the 2600 or 2600+)

Yep, not an idiot.

 

On 1/7/2024 at 9:25 PM, bent_pin said:

In addition to trying a different cable, try a different hdmi port. One change at a time, and test the same port with another device to ensure that the sound is working correctly on that port. Eliminate all other potential issues, one at a time.

 

Also, show the plate on your power supply for the 2600+. Bad sound could be a result of undercurrent. 

Tried cable that works flawlessly with Nintendo Switch, same issue present.    Tried different HDMI port, same issue.

 

On 1/7/2024 at 10:38 PM, ChrisKewl said:

My bad, I should've tagged @Ripdubski. This sound like the issue you're having?

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2024148899

I skipped around a bit and didnt see what you mean, is there a minute you can point me at?

 

 

In an effort to describe it better.

Frogger:

Intro music plays at game start.  Hop forward, make a sound, hop some more, no sound.  Randomly hop sounds restart.  Die?  Maybe there will be a sound, maybe there wont.

 

Similar things happen to the other games, including Atari's new ones.  I was having pretty good luck with Berzerk but it did it a couple of times as well, but far more infrequently.  I'm convinced it has something to do with the 2600 emulator giving up sound cycles for frame cycles on 4K TV. 

 

 

FWIW, the 7800 games work much better.

Ms. Pac-Man:

Game start.  Intro music starts playing 1s after (so it misses a couple of notes).  Sound is in sync though.  Stays playing and in sync for duration of game including cut scenes.

 

What is ataris customer support contact info?

@Albert

 

[+bent_pin]

2 minutes ago, Ripdubski said:

What is ataris customer support contact info?

@Albert

@Ben from Plaion