Page 1 of 1

[227g FMOD] EFX not present

Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2010 7:49 pm
by GreatEmerald
On my quest to find out why the hell EAX/EFX won't work on my computer, I've found a very strange bug in 227g. It turns out that when OpenAL is set to the sound device, EAX/EFX is played just fine; however, when FMOD is set instead, there is no EAX/EFX at all.
Now this is where the interesting stuff begins. I've checked my logs, and this is what I get with FMOD:
Log: Bound to FMODAudioDrv.dll
Log: FMOD device found 0:PrimarySoundDriver
Log: FMOD device found 1:SpeakersCreativeSBXFi
Log: FMODOutput Enum 0, Device Enum 0, Speaker Enum 4, OutputRate Enum 6
Init: Game engine initialized
This is what I get with OpenAL:
Log: Bound to ALAudio.dll
Log: ALDEVICES found 0:GenericSoftware
Log: ALDEVICES found 1:SBXFiAudioCF00
Log: FMOD device found 0:PrimarySoundDriver
Log: FMOD device found 1:SpeakersCreativeSBXFi
Log: 43887543.0ms Loading: Package ALAudio
Log: Checking package ALAudio
DevAudio: rate 48000
Init: Selected ALDevice is: 0
Warning: Failed, trying (again) default device
Log: We are using OpenAL device: SB X-Fi Audio [CF00]
Warning: EFX Extensions found
Log: Check for EFX Version - OK
Init: OpenAL Audio subsystem initialized.
Init: Game engine initialized
So I suspect that FMOD uses the first device on the list, regardless if it's the one to be used or not, and thus reverts to software rendering without EFX. Am I right about that? And are there any possible fixes?

Also, I seem to have the exact same problem in Unreal Engine 2 games with ALAudio... Anyone have any suggestions about that?

Also, for convenience, this is my CoDdy test map:
http://www.mediafire.com/?5zzmjhm3mkt
Here, the room where you spawn (and the light is) uses an EAX/EFX effect, while the second room uses the old "reverb" settings.

And another test map with different EAX/EFX effects (corridors use the default effect - none):
http://www.mediafire.com/?1kyiyzyidyj

Re: [227g FMOD] EFX not present

Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2010 8:09 pm
by Smirftsch
its written down in the release notes I think, but to repeat it here- fmod is "only" capable of playing "old original" reverb model. There is no EFX extension in FMOD which can be compared with OpenAL which offers >100 ambients (at least not in the version we use here, no idea what the newer versions provide, simply no time yet to check). Then again OpenAL can't play exactly the original reverb but has EFX.
I personally prefer OpenAL and it makes it also more easy for mappers to find a fitting sound for a zone.
But in the end its the choice if you like "classic" or new with the advantages OpenAL offers.

Re: [227g FMOD] EFX not present

Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2010 8:44 pm
by GreatEmerald
Hmm, you're right, I can hear the original reverb in dig. However, it won't work (at least like in OpenAL) when I set it up myself - see the first map from the last post.

Also, why the difference between OAL and FMOD?

Re: [227g FMOD] EFX not present

Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2010 9:00 pm
by Smirftsch
just technical limitations. Its close to impossible to recreate the original reverb with OpenAL and FMOD is not capable of playing EFX (since EFX is creative stuff only as far as I know).
Maybe newer FMOD versions provide something similar. But honestly don't know.

Re: [227g FMOD] EFX not present

Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2010 10:38 pm
by GreatEmerald
From what I've read on Wikipedia and its sources, EFX was created just because they wanted it to be open source, so it's no longer Creative only. Creative themselves also declared all EAX obsolete, too.
I haven't found any info that would prove that FMOD does or doesn't support EFX, that's pretty odd.

Re: [227g FMOD] EFX not present

Posted: Sun Mar 28, 2010 10:01 am
by Smirftsch
the only implementation of EFX I know is in OpenAL so far.

Re: [227g FMOD] EFX not present

Posted: Sun Mar 28, 2010 1:44 pm
by GreatEmerald
Yeap, but FMOD uses OpenAL, right? Or is it the other way round?

Re: [227g FMOD] EFX not present

Posted: Sun Mar 28, 2010 2:35 pm
by Smirftsch
OpenAL uses FMOD for music output, but EFX are soundoutput.

Re: [227g FMOD] EFX not present

Posted: Sun Mar 28, 2010 3:22 pm
by GreatEmerald
Oh, I see. OK then.