01892: calspeed: Refreshspeed causes horrible screetching in some games [Calspeed used for example].

ID	Category [?]	Severity [?]	Reproducibility	Date Submitted	Last Update
01892	Sound	Major	Always	Jun 10, 2008, 03:25	Jul 24, 2008, 06:52

Tester	john_iv	View Status	Public	Platform	MAME (Self-compiled)
Assigned To	aaron	Resolution	Fixed	OS	Windows XP/Vista 64-bit
Status [?]	Resolved			Driver	midway/seattle.cpp
Version	0.125u4	Fixed in Version	0.126u2	Build	Normal
		Fixed in Git Commit		Github Pull Request #

Summary	01892: calspeed: Refreshspeed causes horrible screetching in some games [Calspeed used for example].
Description	I have noticed for a while that refreshspeed in combination with another switch [perhaps?] can cause terrible static/screeching sound output in games that utilise it [calspeed, pacman, dkong] fullscreen or windowed. But couldn't find the right combo to repro it. I was able to repro it w/ a baseline 32bit Mame.exe and running calspeed using the attached ini's settings. I also thought this may have been a MameUI multisession issue but the baseline produces it too straight out of the box. I can hear it sometimes when pacman or dkong are the second games played in MameUI or in a multi-session Mame.exe 'start new game' if that's any hint to the fix.
Steps To Reproduce	Use the enclosed ini, launch 'mame.exe calspeed' 1. Hit F11 to bring up OSD. 2. Let the demo mode play. 3. Sometimes the horrible sound will exhibit immediately as the cars come down the California valley, sometimes it takes till the flyover for the start of the demo race.
Additional Information	This doesn't appear to be x86 specific as I have repro'ed it in x64 as well. Note: This isn't a case of the system too slow to handle it/stuttering. Game was cranking at 99% which is what it should be using refreshspeed on a Core2Duo at 3.5Ghz 64bit Vista. 60Hz LCD + Triple buffering, thus the need for refreshspeed.
Github Commit

Flags
Regression Version
Affected Sets / Systems	calspeed

Attached Files	mame.ini (4,514 bytes) Jun 10, 2008, 03:25 [Show Content]
Attached Files	pacmanodd.mp3 (475,347 bytes) Jun 12, 2008, 14:00

No.01271 Tafoid Administrator Jun 12, 2008, 13:59 edited on: Jun 12, 2008, 14:01	I can confirm the odd, overdriven and high-pitched output on pacman with your provided .INI file (less the controller file reference) when I start with "MAME pacman". Sometimes it happens on the first reload - other times it takes several tries. I've attached an MP3 of the recorded output from card. MAME itself seems to output the correct sounds to -wavwrite and doesn't pick up the distortion. Is someone else could test and record calspeed the same way as I did, please do!
No.01458 john_iv Senior Tester Jun 30, 2008, 19:25	Mace will exhibit this too as a greater than 60Hz game being forced down.
No.01692 john_iv Senior Tester Jul 18, 2008, 17:30	Haven't heard this happening in .126.1 so far. Will continue monitoring.
No.01693 Canim Senior Tester Jul 18, 2008, 20:41 edited on: Jul 18, 2008, 20:43	It still happens but it's far more better now. Fps shows now 99% as it should. I'm using a 64bit build under Vista64. You have to play a few seconds to hear it, then it pops up for a few secs and disappears. It' s happening for all seattle games. Ah it only happens when the fps drops below 99% but not immediately.
No.01694 Haze Senior Tester Jul 18, 2008, 21:03	don't the seattle games modify the refreshrate during bootup.. could it be related?
No.01695 Canim Senior Tester Jul 18, 2008, 22:00	You're right, I see for 2 sec a 100% then a 99% with -rs on. No -rs gives me a 100% without any sound probs.
No.01759 john_iv Senior Tester Jul 23, 2008, 17:22	Yes, interestingly now that my main box can do calspeed at and above full tilt I hear it much less.. but that wouldn't explain why it does this in pacman or dkong. Wonder if there's some multisession symptoms mixed in.
No.01762 john_iv Senior Tester Jul 24, 2008, 03:37 edited on: Jul 24, 2008, 03:38	Ok, more info for Aaron. Indeed the screeching kicks off in calspeed for example if you dip below the 99% full tilt. I actually had that happen while I was watching it and something else go on in the background of my system, it dropped briefly to 75% and the screeching started. I then quit and tried to play the game again in MameUI64. Screeching continued from the start. I quit, then played pacman, screeching continued from coin up and start. So once the screeching starts it affects any other game > 60Hz if run back to back in MameUI or from the start new game menu.