Audio popping issue

[minopoki]

Does anyone know if the JP playerbase has the audio stutter issue? We can beg and seethe in our English forum echo chamber all we want - if the JP playerbase hasn't reported the problem, it will remain unknown to the devs.

I have linked in the first post of the following thread some posts from the Japanese forums reporting this issue:
https://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/threads/451573

Japanese players seem to be complaining much less than we are though.

But I think that considering how big the English speaking community is in this game, I assume SE have some concern for our issues, and that ours demands will reach them eventually, although the language barrier is probably indeed an problem in this case.

[Lagunow]

I have linked in the first post of the following thread some posts from the Japanese forums reporting this issue:
https://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/threads/451573

Japanese players seem to be complaining much less than we are though.

But I think that considering how big the English speaking community is in this game, I assume SE have some concern for our issues, and that ours demands will reach them eventually, although the language barrier is probably indeed an problem in this case.

There's a single thread and 70% of the replies are by the same person. I do not understand japanese, but it seems the JP community is largely unaffected, which is worrying given SE's track record of poor communication with the western playerbase.

[minopoki]

There's a single thread and 70% of the replies are by the same person. I do not understand japanese, but it seems the JP community is largely unaffected, which is worrying given SE's track record of poor communication with the western playerbase.

There isn't only one.
From my limited Japanese knowledge, I could find at about 6 threads that seemed to me were reporting specifically the audio stuttering issue, and I linked all of them in the other thread.

This one is the only one I have found from after 6.01.
https://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/...85%A5%E3%82%8B

Title translates to: "Even after Patch 6.01, sound noise is happening"
The first part translates to:
"Since Endwalker early access, it has been happening, and it was said that was gonna be fixed in 6.01, but…
With no change, noise or crackling/clipping are happening."

パッチ6.01以降もサウンドにノイズが入る
暁月アーリーから発生していて、6.01で修正されたという話でしたが
変わらずノイズ・音割れが発生しています。

[Maeklos]

One other thing to consider, too, is that a far, far larger percentage of the Japanese player base play on consoles. PC gaming isn't as prevalent in Japan as it is in the Americas and EU.

[Hiromaniac]

Didn't read through all 36 pages, but throwing in my voice that I'm also having this issue. I have also tried all suggestions short of complete reinstall of the game. At first it was in most combat and especially when a large number of enemies were present. After 6.01 now I'm getting the stuttering moving around or even just standing idle. No associated performance issues outside audio stuttering and slowing.

[minopoki]

Does anyone know if the JP playerbase has the audio stutter issue? We can beg and seethe in our English forum echo chamber all we want - if the JP playerbase hasn't reported the problem, it will remain unknown to the devs.

Okay, I have done it!
I tried posting a thread in Japanese in the Lodestone Japanese Forums describing what we have been suffering, and what are our requests.
It's poorly poorly poorly written, but I think it's understandable.

Here's the link, I might translate it to English later, if you guys want.
https://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/...の音割れをひどく受けています

I hope we see some action now.

[DrGirlfriend]

When Endwalker released, I experienced audio stuttering, lagging, popping for the first time. It would happen during the occasional large FATE.

After patch 6.01, the Asphodel raid fight #4 was unplayable with sound on. It sounded as if things were echoing and looping over each other, while slowed down and lagging. It was horrendous.

Estate housing music is fine, but upon entering my inn room, audio lagging, stuttering, etc. ensued.

Really disappointed that the patch not only failed to fix this issue, but appears to have made it worse.

I have tried changing all my sound settings, changing equaliser settings, changing audio output device (wired speaker, headset, etc), I have tried changing listening position. Even with only "voice" on in the Asphodel #4 raid fight, the audio issue persisted.

I really hope they can resolve this. Playing the game without sound for seemingly random encounters and instances is so disheartening.

Sound in Radz-At-Han? Estate? Ashpodel #1? Perfect, beautiful, no issues.

My apartment? Asphodel #4? Whoa buddy! This is what the game would sound like on dial-up and underwater. Oof. It is so random.

[Resheph]

I have had my first play session without audio popping and stuttering since installing the game last week and I'm sharing what I did in hopes it helps someone else. What I was experiencing was only present after fully logging in but otherwise CONSTANT popping and stuttering which sounded just like the example in the first post of this thread, (but without end) and it would get worse even if I just targeted the door in my inn room.

The suggestion by SE to reduce sample rates and such on sound devices did NOT work, but it got me into googling for ideas on how to optimize my PC's sound. The below is cobbled from a few different guides on audio optimization. I hope it helps some others out and that the fix wasn't temporary on my end.

1. I'm currently playing in DX9 mode. Not sure if that matters but I wasn't about to log out and wait in the queue to test once I got it working tonight. I will test DX11 mode tomorrow. (It also works in DX9 so this is probably unnecessary)

2. Set processor scheduling to "Background services"

• In Control Panel select "System"
• Go to "Advanced system settings" and then the "Advanced" tab
• Click on "Settings.." under Performance to bring up the "Performance Options" window.
• Go to the "Advanced" tab and set processor scheduling as "Background Services"
• Click "Apply" then "OK"

3. High-Performance CUSTOM Power Plan (I was in Power Save settings prior to this)

• Open Control Panel and search for ‘Power Options'
• In the menu on the left, select ‘Create a power plan’.
• Select ‘High Performance’
• Give your plan a name: For example, ‘Audio Workstation’.
• Select ‘Never’ for both ‘Turn off the display’ and ‘Put the computer to sleep’
• Select ‘Create’
• You will now be on the Power Options page where your NEW custom power plan will be selected.
• Select 'Change Plan Settings' for your NEW custom power plan
• Open ‘Advanced power settings
• Expand ‘USB settings’
• Disable ‘USB Selective suspend’

4. While running FFXIV, change priority to high in Task Manager.

• Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to start Task Manager.
• Go to the Details tab, right-click the desired process, and choose Set priority and select any value that you want.
• When the confirmation dialog appears, select Change priority.

This also came with the added bonus of fixing what my FC homies were referring to as "taco bell drive through mic" on my end. Go figure.

FWIW I am running a nearly 12 year old Gateway FX 6860 with Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 CPU, 8gb RAM, and upgraded to SDD + Refurbished: MSI Radeon RX 570. (So I should be able to run DX11).

Good luck folks. SE needs to put out some better guidance on fixing this issue than what they have provided so far. Reducing sample rates does nothing.

[minopoki]

I have had my first play session without audio popping and stuttering since installing the game last week and I'm sharing what I did in hopes it helps someone else. What I was experiencing was only present after fully logging in but otherwise CONSTANT popping and stuttering which sounded just like the example in the first post of this thread, (but without end) and it would get worse even if I just targeted the door in my inn room.

The suggestion by SE to reduce sample rates and such on sound devices did NOT work, but it got me into googling for ideas on how to optimize my PC's sound. The below is cobbled from a few different guides on audio optimization. I hope it helps some others out and that the fix wasn't temporary on my end.

Just tried that on DX11, didn't change a thing for me...
About to try DX9, then I'll update this.

EDIT:
Just tried DX9, and it seems better, but not solved completely. I could fight some FATEs, and not problem at all, but faced some stuttering when entering an inn.
The thing is usually this problem tend to worse the more time I play, so it doesn't look very promising in my case, I don't think I feel safe to continue MSQ and watch voiced cutscenes when there's still risk to the voices to be cut...
But thanks to the suggestion, Resheph.

Maybe if we combine this fix with other fixes previously suggested, we might me able to get it even better, but in the end, this is still an issue for SE to fix.


EDIT AGAIN:
Just as I wrote the above edit and went back to the game, the problem became bad again...

[Maeklos]

/snip

I wanted to say that this helped, and it might for those who are having issues with older hardware. But it seems that most of the people having an issue are running AMD FX-series cpu's, which is something interfering with the fancy new sound engine designed for the "Immerse Spatial Audio" doodad that they want you to buy.