Mass Effect 2 Message Board  

Greetings Commanders,

Need some help here. Will make this extremely short and will like to say I DID A LOT OF TESTING - so please, PLEASE do not say anything about hardware or 'reinstall drivers or check speaker cable.'

There's an issue with Mass Effect 2 and The Saboteur (I noticed this recently). With specifically EA only games (just the 2 mentioned..not Spore..or Sims 3...or NFS ...or anything else)

For some reason...my amazing headphones keep clicking on the different mini-speakers inside of them....I have no idea why. Only other EA title giving me this issue is The Saboteur....It is a low click as soon as the in-game menu is shown....and you can hear a slight popping....which cuts/clips any in-game voice...

Parenthesis vowels do not play.

As so: S (o) ...(y)ou...(a)re C(o)mmander Sh(e)p(a)rd?.

Seems to be related to SOFTWARE exclusively. Happens with nothing else. FYI My THX desktop 8.1 speakers play it without a hitch ---which is extremely weird.

I tried setting game settings to all low...trying other pair of headphones...using STEREO HEADPHONES setting in the Windows Audio....virtually everything...

Help ...someone...anyone.

Try other headphones, or check them on another PC. Maybe your earphone cable has been damaged, it can happen if you curl the cable a lot or sometimes if its thick even couple times, I have to change my headphones at least once in couple of months because of that.

[Edited by IcemanJ, 1/25/2010 1:25:55 PM]

Thanks for replying Iceman...I suppose it's something but like I said, I already know it's not my headphones because I said it is only on SOME* titles. It's SELECTIVE. I don't thing wire damage does that. And I already tried other headphones same deal.

You said you tried setting the game settings to low, does this include audio volume? If not try turning down the audio sliders in game.

Clipping for me almost always is a volume slider turned up too loud.

You can also try turning down the windows bass settings.

[Edited by Saucermote, 1/25/2010 1:36:29 PM]

I used the deductive reasoning method I technically have used (As have you probably all) in many chemical experiments in life. We use unknowns with structures and properties (in this case my specific problem) and we use tests to verify the identity (in this case cause) of what is happening it to form a solution (answer). I managed to replicate the problem on the very THX speakers that were working so gloriously every time.

Interestingly enough, the solution is very complex. It involves driver testing and finally turning a tab up and down, and launching the game 5 times for the headset, then the speakers.

First off you replace your drivers with the latest one....

Interestingly enough...I had these.

Then you make sure the wire is not bad...nothing else is interfering (no other source) and finally make sure the HEADSET software (if any) is not running - to eliminate faulty software.

Link

Link


I managed to go under windows Audio properties and change the HARDWARE ACCELERATION slider to all the settings...weirdly enough - this accomplished NOTHING (with bitrate sampling set to BEST).

Then when I installed new drivers ---still nothing. Same jerking sound...

Finally I tested the speakers and found a combination of hardware acceleration and sampling that replicated it (Standard & Good).

When I did this, Apparently something happened...within the system (no freaking idea) that triggered the headset to work properly.

Now when the headset is changed from No Acceleration (From previous testing) to BEST

and Sampling to BEST

It works. Make sure you kept the same speaker layout...very important. Now both sources work. The real trick is in the driver and realizing that it needed to be replicated for the PC to "fix" the other one. As mysterious as it is, that is the solution.....guess we can chalk it down to slightly faulty. programming on the drivers .