Author Topic: Sound Problems in Windows 7  (Read 4219 times)

ArtVandelay

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Sound Problems in Windows 7
« on: 2015-12-30 16:54:24 »
Good day everybody.
I'd like to ask for advice in this matter.

System: Windows 7, FF7 Steam version with FF7 Game Converter V0.11 applied (I copied the game over to C:\Games in the process) and also the latest Reunion mod applied (Retranslation, 60FPS Battles, faster enemy death and various game fixes).

Problem:
Initially I had 2 problems. Number one was that if I set the game to headphones it would play the music of the game in my headphones and throw out sound effects over my speakers.
I solved that issue by running FF7config (the application with the Chocobo icon) and RunFFVIIConfig in my installation folder both as an administrator and it works now.

Problem 2 is still not resolved. The sound cuts out during various cutscenes and aftermaths of said cutscenes. Examples I've encountered so far:
1. Mako Reactor 1: When fleeing from the scene the sound goes mute and I can't hear the explosion and lightning stuff. In the following scene where Avalanche sets up a bomb for their escape path and everybody jumps out and flames come out of the door, there's no sound either. Sound/Music picks up in the next screen where Cloud meets Aerith for the first time.
2. Airbuster fight: After beating the Airbuster and meeting president Shinra for the first time, the sound cuts out when the cutscene plays where Cloud falls down the bridge into Aerith flower bed.
3. Pillar fight: When Avalance fails to save Sector 5 and Barret finds a rope to swing out of harms way and President Shinra watches while listening to some classic music, the sound cuts out as well during the cutscene.

Now I've read a bit about this and it doesn't seem to be an uncommon problem with Windows 7 users trying to play FF7. Apparently Windows 7 doesn't have a MIDI channel or something and turns off all sounds instead during these cutscenes.
I haven't found a clear solution though so far.
Someone said you had to install a FF7music mod, so that the game wouldn't use the MIDI channel anymore and that would fix the problem.
Now I checked out the music mod and it isn't supported anymore because the author said that Aali's driver would do more of the same as his mod just better.

So I googled Aali's Driver and apparently it is already used in Reunion, so I don't understand why my sound still does not work properly.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I already made myself unpopular in the Reunion thread, I hope this time I found the right place to ask my questions xD

Covarr

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Re: Sound Problems in Windows 7
« Reply #1 on: 2015-12-30 17:15:51 »
The latest version of Aali's driver does in fact fix this problem, last I checked. Reunion does not include Aali's Driver, as far as I'm aware. It DOES, however, require it.

Game Converter 0.11 should include the latest Aali's Driver, so I'm not really sure why this is happening. Is the music being played the MIDI music that originally shipped with the 1998 version, or the playstation quality music shipped with the steam version? It's possible Aali's driver is not running the streaming music like it's supposed to, which would cause this.

ArtVandelay

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Re: Sound Problems in Windows 7
« Reply #2 on: 2015-12-30 17:20:14 »
Is the music being played the MIDI music that originally shipped with the 1998 version, or the playstation quality music shipped with the steam version?

I can't really say for sure. I haven't played either version in a long long while so I couldn't really tell the difference between the 2 soundtracks.

Edit: After opening the ff7_opengl.cfg I found a line that read like this:

# plugin used to play music, VGMstream requires a set of looping .ogg files in the music/vgmstream folder.
# If no music plugin is loaded the game will play MIDI as usual but FF7Music will NOT work.
#music_plugin = plugins/vgmstream_music.fgp

I removed the hashtag from the last line, reloaded a save game before the Mako 1 explosion and finally I had sound in that cutscene but my button configuration got changed for some reason (I use the FF7+ exe for 60 fps battles). However when I entered the scene where Cloud meets Aerith I had an error warning printed over the screen for a second that said something of not being able to read the music files or something.

Have I just somehow messed up my installation and should reinstall?
If so where do I find my savegames? I don't want to lose progress.
I'd have to uninstall the whole game by just deleting its folder because the modded FF7 doesn't show up on my control panel for uninstallation, only the Steam version does.
« Last Edit: 2015-12-30 17:48:05 by ArtVandelay »

Covarr

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Re: Sound Problems in Windows 7
« Reply #3 on: 2015-12-30 17:42:40 »
This video has both versions of the battle and fanfare themes. If your game sounds like what's labeled as PSF, Aali's driver is doing its job. If it sounds like what's labeled as MIDI, then it's not.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0HaodffHbY

ArtVandelay

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Re: Sound Problems in Windows 7
« Reply #4 on: 2015-12-30 17:54:12 »
It definitely plays the PSX version of the music.

DLPB_

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Re: Sound Problems in Windows 7
« Reply #5 on: 2015-12-30 18:08:39 »
As of R04 Reunion doesn't require Aali's driver, but most people will need it regardless to have a decent game.

ArtVandelay

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Re: Sound Problems in Windows 7
« Reply #6 on: 2015-12-30 20:19:18 »
Alright guys, thanks a lot for trying to help me, but after I deleted the Games/FF7 folder, applied the registry cleaner posted somewhere, re-applied the Game Converter, re-applied The Reunion and restarted the game, Everything went well and I have both sound and music ingame as well as in cutscenes.

I probably messed something up during installation.
Sorry for wasting your time but I'm not a modder but just a consumer who enjoys your guys' work immensely.
Thanks a lot to everyone making mods for the game, first and foremost the translation people and thanks for keeping up this forum giving people a place to discuss the game and the work they're doing for it.

I grew up on playing the version localized for Germany and that version was a piece of shit.
Thanks to you guys, dialogues actually make sense now and it feels like playing a completely new game.

Happy New Year's Eve in advance everybody, I got an evil capitalistic company to stop.

Bye, bye comrades!