A couple act maps have stuttering audio (as if the voice count is too high)

In particular The Canal in Act 10 -- there's at least one other, but I don't recall at this point.

Tested The Canal with two different sound cards and both have pretty much the same problem -- some of the sounds noticably cut in and out as if the voice count is too high (_seems_ like too many voices and the engine is having trouble deciding what should have priority).

One of the cards is a 64 max voice count soundblaster audigy 2zs (pci, old but still a decent card for headphones that don't need an amp; I like its DAC because it sounds good on cheap headphones) -- ingame sound option set to medium.

The other is a 128 max voice count soundblaster z (pcie, has a builtin amp for headphones that need it) -- ingame sound option set to high.

Most other act maps are fine. So far I haven't experienced the issue during mapping... just the Canal and some other I can't remember.

I have a Xonar DS laying around somewhere but its basically the same specs as the audigy 2zs (and the drivers for it are no better, really), so I didn't bother testing that. I swore I had a sb xifi to test, but I couldn't find it (and ended up buying that soundblaster z which is decent for my Beyerdynamic headphones when all the software's effects are disabled and properly eq'd).

Anyways, the game sounds great in 99% of the areas in the game... just thought I'd report my experience with The Canal now that I tested my new setup in it because I figured it wouldn't have the same problem as the audigy at double the voice count, but it does. /shrug

This is a frustrating bug we've been trying to replicate in the office for a while.

What skills are you using when this occurs?

i have this bug too with cyclone and many mobs in one place. I cyclone in and some crackling noise and then sound shutter, crackling, no sound.

It happens with many mobs around and someone who is talking at that moment like Einhar or two Alvas near. and it can occure with a rampage "explosion".

bring many mobs and different sounds to one spot and you can, maybe, reproduce this.

at first i thought its Creative with a shit driver problem under Windows 10 (nothing new) but after a windows update error i had to play back a full windows ssd image and now this sound bug is gone.

Windows with sound bug was 1903, the SSD image Windows is 1809 (17763.615) without the 1903 update.

i have a SoundBLasterX G1. Driver is the same (BAEP_PCDRV_L7_1_02_09.exe)

I think its a Creative problem or Microsoft changed something with 1903.

This sound bug comes with Legion, never had it befor in PoE. It was in the Akts, on Maps, in the Lab and in the Delve.

The 1903 update is waiting, when i turn of PC now, it will install. I come back tomorrow if the sound bug is back. Maybe i can record a video with it


sry bad english skills

Happens for me in canals too, and some other areas.

"

This is a frustrating bug we've been trying to replicate in the office for a while.

What skills are you using when this occurs?

You don't have to use any skills, it happens without you doing anything. It sounds like when you are on a highway in a car with one window open and it starts pulsing. Fast modulation of the intensity.

It sounds very much like your automatic gain control going haywire.

Will post example soon.

Here is the example I promised. From canals in act 10

https://streamable.com/6ldqf

Thanks for that Malice!

This is actually a separate issue to the above but I'll add this to the list of things to fix.