Music playback is "off", sounds as if HRTF is always active?

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XxMiltenXx
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Music playback is "off", sounds as if HRTF is always active?

Post by XxMiltenXx »

Hi,

I noticed in newer version of GZDoom, that the music using external files (e.g. flac etc.) sounds off. While comparing the ingame music to the music played with Winamp I noticed, that ingame the stereo sound is much more "squashed" and the bass sounds weaker too, so my assumption is that HRTF is always applied to it. Even turning HRTF on or off doesn't seem to make a difference to me.
After some investigation I noticed that this issue isn't related with the GZDoom version but with the OpenAL32.dll that comes with it. This issue is present with the DLLs that come with GZDoom 4.0.0 (OpenAL32.dll from 12.10.2018) until the recent DLLs that come with 4.4.2 (OpenAL32 from 24.01.2020). Any older OpenAL32.dll (e.g. from GZDoom 3.7.0 with OpenAL32.dll from 02.09.2017) works correctly.

Here you can download an example on how it sounds with OpenAL32 from 24.01.2020, from 02.09.2017 and the original music file:
https://we.tl/t-krCYQxF1Xi
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Chris
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Re: Music playback is "off", sounds as if HRTF is always act

Post by Chris »

Did you perhaps mislabel the files in the archive? To me, it sounds like d_dm2ttl.ogg and 24_01_2020_OAL.mp3 are pretty much identical, whereas 20_09_2017_OAL.mp3 does sound like it has HRTF applied.

Regarding turning HRTF off, the option doesn't take effect immediately, you need to activate the Restart Sound option after toggling it (or restart GZDoom). If you did that and it still sounds like HRTF is on, check that you didn't forget forcing HRTF on in alsoft.ini, either in the same folder as gzdoom.exe or in the %AppData% folder (if you never used alsoft-config.exe or never made an alsoft.ini file, this won't be a problem).

It might actually be a good idea to display the current sound status somewhere in the menus, to show the user what's currently active instead of giving the impression that the current state of the options is what's being used.
XxMiltenXx
Posts: 219
Joined: Wed Jan 08, 2014 8:40 am
Graphics Processor: nVidia with Vulkan support
Location: Germany

Re: Music playback is "off", sounds as if HRTF is always act

Post by XxMiltenXx »

Yeah, sorry, I had it swapped at first. I've renamed them appropriately, uploaded the files again and updated the link above, so it should be correct now if you download again.

I don't recall ever making an alsoft-config.ini, but i will check once i am back on my PC.

A status info does sound like a good idea.
XxMiltenXx
Posts: 219
Joined: Wed Jan 08, 2014 8:40 am
Graphics Processor: nVidia with Vulkan support
Location: Germany

Re: Music playback is "off", sounds as if HRTF is always act

Post by XxMiltenXx »

Ok, found the issue. I had indeed an alsoft.ini in my AppData folder and there HRTF was enabled and that is why it was always applied.
So this is not a bug then, sorry about that.

But wouldn't it be better if the GZDoom setting for HRTF would overwrite that config? It's a little confusing if you aren't aware of that ini and that the OpenAL32.dll will load it.
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Rachael
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Re: Music playback is "off", sounds as if HRTF is always act

Post by Rachael »

OpenGL doesn't work that way, your GPU control panel settings always override the application, and I guess OpenAL carried on that tradition since it's basically a 1-dimensional copy of OpenGL.

Except - OpenAL is pretty much all but abandoned now, and what we have and use is OpenAL-Soft which is essentially a different project but it was designed with compatibility with OpenAL in mind.

Still - it's designed as a system-wide system, and it's designed to work as a system within your system, rather than a system within an application. It was designed so that you could override all applications on a system-wide basis. It wasn't meant this way to be user-unfriendly - rather it is GZDoom that should make it clear that the library can override the settings. (The same is true with some OpenGL-specific goodies as well, like VSync and multisampling, among other things - your display driver can override those, and that should probably be said somewhere in the menu as well)
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