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One place for Sound issue resolvment (2/24/11)

I am starting this thread as I work through the sound issue. I will be doing trouble shooting and tracking of testing here as I do my root cause analysis. Do to my work schedule I will need help from the community on ruling out the cause and getting down to the bottom of the sound issue.
So step 1 is to try and narrow down the cause. I have some ideas but need some testing first.
So here is what we know.
1. Sound is fine at stock
2. DHD roms don't have any audio with out custom kernel
3. Sound quality is bad on DHD roms with custom kernels to enable audio.
What I need to know to start.
1. Is sound ok on stock rom with custom kernel (2 confirmed audio fine on custom kernel with stock rom)
2. If using stock kernel on DHD rom is all audio gone or just for phone calls(still need to know this)
Start of testing
Again due to my time limits as of right now I am gonna have to rely on the community for my testing.(I do apologize).
I'm downloading Android revolution to look at whats in the zip after that I will be posting some more things to test. I have some ideas as to what the problem is. Unfortunatly lunch is over for me so back to work. Check back I will be updating again in a couple of hours.
If any one is willing to help please look into testing those 2 things.
I am pouring through the kernel source in the little bit of free time I have.
I will be handling this like I would an issue at work so some my be monotonous but thats how I work. So bear with me and we'll get this issue sorted out.
Also if some one would like to create a public google docs to allow people to post rom, kernel, and state of sound with that setup that to would be great. Hopefully work will slow down soon so I can devote more time. Also anybody else currently looking into sound fix can post ideas, info and test here to help keep the forums from getting cluttered from the same type of post, but thats up to you.

I'll flash the kernel over my stock rom and let you know. Stand by

# 1 is true, I used Bumble-Bee's kernel on attn1's stock rooted rom and the sound was perfect. Zero distortion in calls or audio playback through headphones. I am using some high end equipment to listen, so I would hear distortion if it was there. No idea on # 2, however.

razor_blade said:
# 1 is true, I used Bumble-Bee's kernel on attn1's stock rooted rom and the sound was perfect. Zero distortion in calls or audio playback through headphones. I am using some high end equipment to listen, so I would hear distortion if it was there. No idea on # 2, however.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok if thats true then we should be able to rule out kernel. That means its something in the rom. Ok lets get a few more test in and rule that out before I move on to the next idea.

chrisryn said:
razor_blade said:
# 1 is true, I used Bumble-Bee's kernel on attn1's stock rooted rom and the sound was perfect. Zero distortion in calls or audio playback through headphones. I am using some high end equipment to listen, so I would hear distortion if it was there. No idea on # 2, however.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok if thats true then we should be able to rule out kernel. That means its something in the rom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've heard it may be the lib files being out of date on DHD ROM's. I can't vouch for it, but it does seam reasonable.

chrisryn said:
razor_blade said:
# 1 is true, I used Bumble-Bee's kernel on attn1's stock rooted rom and the sound was perfect. Zero distortion in calls or audio playback through headphones. I am using some high end equipment to listen, so I would hear distortion if it was there. No idea on # 2, however.[/QUOTE
Ok if thats true then we should be able to rule out kernel. That means its something in the rom. Ok lets get a few more test in and rule that out before I move on to the next idea.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Before making this statement, can we get someone else to verify please?
Verification from one person is good, two (or more) is better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

cursordroid said:
chrisryn said:
Before making this statement, can we get someone else to verify please?
Verification from one person is good, two (or more) is better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
exactly thats why I stated lets get a few more test before we rule that out in post # 4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Interesting.
Stock Kernel Audio fine
Stock ROM with Apache14's Buzz Sense 1.30 Overclocked to 1.2 GHZ Audio sounds the same as Stock kernel and audio.

I rooted using attn1 hack but flashed the Revolution HD ROM .14 first. Sound seemed a little iffy, but not too bad. I then flashed Revolution HD ROM .15 Mike just released and the sound seems pretty good when I call my voicemail.

gunnyman said:
Interesting.
Stock Kernel Audio fine
Stock ROM with Apache14's Buzz Sense 1.30 Overclocked to 1.2 GHZ Audio sounds the same as Stock kernel and audio.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Confirming what I said. Same exact setup.

The sound issues are not in the kernel. They're in the csv files. We're looking at it. But they aren't compatible with DHD roms. They kill the mic.

jasonyump said:
The sound issues are not in the kernel. They're in the csv files. We're looking at it. But they aren't compatible with DHD roms. They kill the mic.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
are we sure there in the cvs and which ones are you speaking of.

So when sound "breaks", do the Dolby Mobile and SRS effects become unselectable on the HTC music player? Does selecting them do nothing to the audio? Or do they work just fine? Are those functions built in as simply an audio enhancement or something deeper?
Sent from my Inspire 4G.

chrisryn said:
are we sure there in the cvs and which ones are you speaking of.
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Click to collapse
Yes I'm sure.

There is no difference in the AIC3254_reg.csv files, there is a differnce in AIC3254_REG_DualMic.csv plus stock has an additional files AIC3254_REG_Dualmic_MCLK.csv and AIV3254_REG_XD.csv
Ok for a test some one do this on a DHD rom with sound issues
Download this zip and push the three files there to system/etc
DL link http://www.mediafire.com/?p1oiiqo26c5z37j
Be sure to backup the AIC3254_REG_DualMic.csv before pushing so you can revert back by removing the three files and pushing your backup back.
See if that fixes.
Again sorry for not being able to test myself atm.

Using CM7 RC1 DHD with attn1's kernel installed, after installing your files I hear no noticeable differences in sound quality.

skroll82 said:
Using CM7 RC1 DHD with attn1's kernel installed, after installing your files I hear no noticeable differences in sound quality.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think these fixes are for Sense based ROM's, right?

cursordroid said:
I think these fixes are for Sense based ROM's, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are correct I haven't downloaded cm7 to check file differences there.
Edit: I have found some more difference related to sound. I will attach to this post. There is a directory called soundimage in system/etc that needs to be replaced and all other files moved to system/etc as before. This is for DHD sense roms. Might work on cm7 not sure at this time.

I would have to think that the audio quality issue has to do with AMR-HR and AMR-FR codecs, no?

ROM: HTC Inspire 4G 2.0.15
Replaced files on my phone with files from the sound.zip file. Definitely sure that the original was deleted before pushing the replacements.
No noticeable difference in audio quality through phone speaker, or Mic when I leave myself a voicemail.

HTC Inspire 4G Bluetooth Audio Skip

Okay so this is a weird issue. When using the stock ROM for my Inpsire 4G (or any variation of sense ROMs) I get this occasional audio skip on my car's bluetooth audio. The phone is connected to both the phone and the media features of my Pioneer AVIC-X930BT the audio sounds absolutely fine then all of a sudden theres a drop in the audio for about half a second and the music has to catch up. Its not really a skip more of a lag. This issue does NOT exist with completely different ROMs such as CM7. In CM7 I have no issues whatsover. What could be causing this and how can I fix it? I absolutely LOVE Sense ROMs and have tried the latest Android Revolution HD (almost fixes it) and RCMixHD 1.5 and all have the same issue. Its not my SD card because as I said it works fine in CM7 however I do not like the look of CM7 and the "sense like" widgets are not to my liking. Thanks so much and I realllly hope there is a fix for it. Perhaps a custom kernel would do it? Or a different radio? Thanks.
P.S. Yes I know it works for some of you with no issue...but sadly I've been having this problem for a while and it's been bothering me a LOT.

GRIM1337 said:
Okay so this is a weird issue. When using the stock ROM for my Inpsire 4G (or any variation of sense ROMs) I get this occasional audio skip on my car's bluetooth audio. The phone is connected to both the phone and the media features of my Pioneer AVIC-X930BT the audio sounds absolutely fine then all of a sudden theres a drop in the audio for about half a second and the music has to catch up. Its not really a skip more of a lag. This issue does NOT exist with completely different ROMs such as CM7. In CM7 I have no issues whatsover. What could be causing this and how can I fix it? I absolutely LOVE Sense ROMs and have tried the latest Android Revolution HD (almost fixes it) and RCMixHD 1.5 and all have the same issue. Its not my SD card because as I said it works fine in CM7 however I do not like the look of CM7 and the "sense like" widgets are not to my liking. Thanks so much and I realllly hope there is a fix for it. Perhaps a custom kernel would do it? Or a different radio? Thanks.
P.S. Yes I know it works for some of you with no issue...but sadly I've been having this problem for a while and it's been bothering me a LOT.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The main issue is the BT stack that is used with the roms. CM7 uses a different one if I remember right. So not alot you can do unless you want to rebuild the rom yourself

[Q] Android Revolution HD 3.6.8 Bluetooth A2DP problem

Just flashed AR HD w/ no-sense for the first time last night, coming from MIUI and so far it's pretty good. I used Cyanogen for quite a while, then MIUI.us, which hasn't been able to get the code for Bluetooth A2DP yet. The "other" MIUI rom fortunately does have A2DP working, but since AR HD is the most popular ROM I'd thought I'd give it a try even though I'm not a fan of Sense.
Major dealbreaker is that I can't connect it to my car's Bluetooth stereo. I had no problems with stock, CM, or the "other" MIUI rom, but with this, I just can't connect to it.
Tried searching around, but couldn't find anything from anyone else having this problem, so I find it strange...
Any assistance would be appreciated, thanks!

CoolJunkie said:
Just flashed AR HD w/ no-sense for the first time last night, coming from MIUI and so far it's pretty good. I used Cyanogen for quite a while, then MIUI.us, which hasn't been able to get the code for Bluetooth A2DP yet. The "other" MIUI rom fortunately does have A2DP working, but since AR HD is the most popular ROM I'd thought I'd give it a try even though I'm not a fan of Sense.
Major dealbreaker is that I can't connect it to my car's Bluetooth stereo. I had no problems with stock, CM, or the "other" MIUI rom, but with this, I just can't connect to it.
Tried searching around, but couldn't find anything from anyone else having this problem, so I find it strange...
Any assistance would be appreciated, thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im running 3.6.7 and it quite happily connects to my built it Bluetooh in the car. Although this is for incoming phone calls and not A2DP so I dont know whether this makes any difference.
I ordered a Bluetooh Music receiver from Amazon last week to connect to my home cinema system and I was hoping to use my phone to wirelessly transmit music, now you have me worried! I will report back when it arrives and I have tested it.
Hoping to find it on the doormat when I get home from work today

Hi,
Bluetooth is notoriously poor with sense roms.
Cm7 has a very good bluetooth stack.
Hence you can work games controllers with it. And presumably your car equipment.
On sense roms, though, it can barely work my hands free ear piece.
So, if you use a lot of bluetooth, you are better off on cm7.

Thanks for your response! I've switched back to miui for now, but in searches for a2dp issues with ar HD, I couldn't find anyone having a similar problem...strange...
Sent from my TripNMiUI Pyramid using xda premium

now you found one
I have revolution hd 6.0.3 and it still doesnt work... tryed it with mercedes benz inbuilt BT ... Phoning worked music not ... trying with Sony Erricson MW600 ... not working ... pairing ok , mw600 is selectable in the sense music app ... but no sound ... still playng out of the inbuild speaker of the phone

I have the same problem with Android Revolution HD 6.0.3. Can anyone help please?

Inspire Audio Fix MIUI/BootManager

For those with problems getting audio with the latest MIUI and CM7 ROM, or even with them using BootManager (like me), you may try flashing this audiofix. Flashing this zip will fix audio to the INSPIRE 4G without downgrading to LC 8.1 kernel or without installing the Tiamat or TalonACE kernels (nothing wrong with them, I find them great). Tested with MIUI (last build tested 2.4.6).
For Boot Manager, I've tested it with BlackICE 1.50, CM7.2, MIUI 2.4.6).
DOWNLOAD LINK:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/60526289/inspire-gb-audiofix.zip
This is "almost" the same inspiremod but with two additional files:
AIC3254_REG_DualMic_MCLK.csv and CodecDSPID_MCLK.txt.
NOTE: installing this in another ROMs may break sound (mic included) specially ICS. I'm not responsible for anything that may happen.
If you have any audio problems just delete the referenced files from /system/etc/.
MAKE A BACKUP FIRST

Thanks for this!
I have a canadian Telus Desire HD which is hardware identical with the Inspire 4G.
I'm running Lord Clockan's Ice Cold Sandwitch and in the main thread he had this posted for the Inspire 4G users.
I couldn't see too much of a difference with the patch or without it.
What happens on your phone if you don't install it?
Thanks again!

On LordC's rom this patch may break the mic, users may not here you, but I am not sure, I know twisted had issues in his builds when using the AIC file.
On the other hand you may not get any difference in LC's rom because the files are already in the ROM, I use his build and don't use inspiremod patch because of this.
Sent from my Inspire 4G using Tapatalk 2

So how does the ROM differentiate between phones?
Is it based on the cell phone provider?
Having the dual mic active is quite useful, isn't it?
The Moto Milestone I had before was quite good at noise cancellation with the 2 mics.
The 2 mics be used to record videos with stereo sound perhaps?
I'm trying your patch on my DHD, I'm curious what it will do.
Thanks

I tried your fix on RD-MIUI 2.4.13 and didn't notice any difference. The only problem I'm having is low speaker volumes (I'm comparing it to the sounds from a sense rom).
On a side note, how do I know if the dual mics are working?
Edit: I forgot what the edit was going to be. When I remember I'll come back.
2nd edit: just flash from recovery as you would any rom without wiping anything?
Sent from a dream.

RD-MIUI is based on LordClock ICS so you may not need it. But I think I have something you can flash for low volume... Let me check something here...
Edit: here is something I found weeks ago for low volume, but haven't tried it. There is a file called "Low_mic_volume_fix.zip" give it a try, but backup first.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=22203796&postcount=14623
Sent from my Inspire 4G using Tapatalk 2

If you don't mind, I'll link you where I might have explained it better.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=25560461
Edit: For example, hearing the ringtones, stuff on youtube, etc.
Sent from a dream.

Teichopsia said:
I tried your fix on RD-MIUI 2.4.13 and didn't notice any difference. The only problem I'm having is low speaker volumes (I'm comparing it to the sounds from a sense rom).
On a side note, how do I know if the dual mics are working?
Edit: I forgot what the edit was going to be. When I remember I'll come back.
2nd edit: just flash from recovery as you would any rom without wiping anything?
Sent from a dream.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do we know if dual mics are working? Is it activating a Mic near the camera/speaker area, or a second in the normal area?
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk 2

wrenhal said:
How do we know if dual mics are working? Is it activating a Mic near the camera/speaker area, or a second in the normal area?
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't own the inspire anymore, but I think you could activate the dual mic with: snd3254 -dpsmode 0
Better way is to grab the file 30dualmic from inspiremod (original) and put in /system/etc/init.d/
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

[Q] Nexus 5 Car Bluetooth Audio Streaming Quality

Hi, bought a Nexus 5 a few days ago, which is now running AOKP on stock kernel . Coming from a One M7 that was running Cyanogenmod 10.2.
I've noticed over the past couple days that the quality of the audio streaming via bluetooth to my car's stereo is comparatively much worse than my old One. In particular, I often get these very stringent, distorted high frequencies, especially when the music grows more complex. I don't recall any of this strange artifacting with my One. Could it have something to do with the better audio hardware of the One (superior DAC, amping, etc)? I don't know how much of an effect those would have on bluetooth streaming, though. Could it be the ROM I'm using has unoptimized bluetooth? Has anyone else noticed this?
I'm using the Google Music app if that helps anyone. Thanks in advance for the help.

The DAC and amplifier in the phone are not involved in the Bluetooth streaming process. Bluetooth is a digital signal so the digital-to-analog conversion is handled at the receiver end. The M7 does support Apt-X, which could have explained the quality difference assuming your car stereo also supports it (unlikely). You did say you were running Cyanogenmod though, and Apt-X is proprietary and thus I do not think it is supported in CM.
There could be an issue with the ROM. I know that CM11 is having some bluetooth audio issues, so AOKP may be as well. I would say a good first step would be to try stock and see if that resolves the problem.
Lastly, are you using the streaming functionality of Play Music? They did at one point change the streaming options so that it defaults to "Normal" quality instead of high. If you go to Play Music -> Settings -> Mobile Network Stream Quality, make sure High is selected.

Thanks for the tips. I tried adjusting the quality like you suggested, but I actually didn't notice any difference. I'm going to assume for now that this is a ROM issue and try stock when I get home.

I went through the arduous process of flashing a stock rom back onto the phone and tested the audio; there was no difference. I paired my old M7 to the car and played the same songs in comparison, and there was no question that it sounded much better. I think it bears repeating that the M7 is running 4.3.x, would that make a difference?
The issue comes up with upper treble frequencies, where it begins to sound very compressed and distorted, much like white noise. To eliminate all doubt, I played some CD's with the same songs, and they sounded crisp and fine.
Any additional help with this would be greatly appreciated. Streaming bluetooth audio in the car is very important to me and the inability to do so at a level of quality I would consider acceptable makes me rather inclined to return the phone. Is this a potential fix upcoming in 4.4.3? Thanks in advance.

I can confirm similar issues. My setup isn't going to win an high-fidelity awards, but I'm using a BT to FM converter. I do notice some clipping at high frequencies. For comparison, my N4 didn't have the clipping issue my N5 has, but the N5 sounds significantly brighter than the N4. The N4 was always a bit muddy on BT.
It could be an issue where the gain is too high by default. I'm not sure about AOKP but CM has the DSP manager built in, and you can adjust output for BT. Maybe play around with those settings?

I'll flash CM11 and see what results I get, thanks for the heads up.

I have the exact same issue. Will be following. I've found that the issue doesn't occur on anything CM based, probably because they use CAF drivers not AOSP. I'm currently running PA with Franco.
I have found a fix for 4.3 but I don't think it applies to kitkat.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-4/general/android-4-3-bluetooth-audio-quality-fix-t2386032
Sent from my Paranoid, ARTified and Francoed Nexus 5 via XDA Premium

hi everyone. i have a fiat bravo,and it only supports incoming and outgoing calls,what i ld like to do is , listen to pandora or youtube thru that connection. Because some of applications such as sygic etc transfers the sound to the car stereo,but youtube and etc doesnt. is there any solutions for that?

burakthepascal said:
hi everyone. i have a fiat bravo,and it only supports incoming and outgoing calls,what i ld like to do is , listen to pandora or youtube thru that connection. Because some of applications such as sygic etc transfers the sound to the car stereo,but youtube and etc doesnt. is there any solutions for that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a bit OT for this topic, but in short, unless your car supports A2DP you can't listen to music over that connection.
Sent from my Paranoid, ARTified and Francoed Nexus 5 via XDA Premium

abra5umente said:
I have the exact same issue. Will be following. I've found that the issue doesn't occur on anything CM based, probably because they use CAF drivers not AOSP. I'm currently running PA with Franco.
I have found a fix for 4.3 but I don't think it applies to kitkat.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-4/general/android-4-3-bluetooth-audio-quality-fix-t2386032
Sent from my Paranoid, ARTified and Francoed Nexus 5 via XDA Premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting how you state that you don't perceive any issues with CM-based roms. I flashed 4.4.2 AOKP onto my M7 (which is coming from CM10.2) to test what the audio sounds like on it with KK, and I can confirm that the audio has the same issues the Nexus 5 has. With all the variables removed and with two different devices running the same ROM, I come to the conclusion that this is a software issue. I'm going to flash the latest CM onto the M7 later today to see if that resolves anything.
To say the least, this is frustrating, but good to see that there was a fix identified for 4.3. Hopefully that will trickle over to 4.4 soon enough.

Aftershok said:
Interesting how you state that you don't perceive any issues with CM-based roms. I flashed 4.4.2 AOKP onto my M7 (which is coming from CM10.2) to test what the audio sounds like on it with KK, and I can confirm that the audio has the same issues the Nexus 5 has. With all the variables removed and with two different devices running the same ROM, I come to the conclusion that this is a software issue. I'm going to flash the latest CM onto the M7 later today to see if that resolves anything.
To say the least, this is frustrating, but good to see that there was a fix identified for 4.3. Hopefully that will trickle over to 4.4 soon enough.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had a look in that folder and it has stuff to do with A2DP in there, so that's helpful. Might have a look now. I'll report back here with my findings.
Sent from my Paranoid, ARTified and Francoed Nexus 5 via XDA Premium
---------- Post added at 11:06 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:05 PM ----------
In fact, if you're flashing CM, can you have a look at that folder and screen shot it for me so I can see if the files are the same?
Sent from my Paranoid, ARTified and Francoed Nexus 5 via XDA Premium

abra5umente said:
I had a look in that folder and it has stuff to do with A2DP in there, so that's helpful. Might have a look now. I'll report back here with my findings.
Sent from my Paranoid, ARTified and Francoed Nexus 5 via XDA Premium
---------- Post added at 11:06 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:05 PM ----------
In fact, if you're flashing CM, can you have a look at that folder and screen shot it for me so I can see if the files are the same?
Sent from my Paranoid, ARTified and Francoed Nexus 5 via XDA Premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your help. Can you be more specific as to which folder you're referring to? I'm fairly green when it comes to the nuts and bolts of this stuff, but I think I can handle a screenshot.

Aftershok said:
Thanks for your help. Can you be more specific as to which folder you're referring to? I'm fairly green when it comes to the nuts and bolts of this stuff, but I think I can handle a screenshot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you go to system/lib/hw there should be a lot of files in there which tell the hardware how to work with the software. There should be one in there which is called audio.a2dp.default.so
To do this, you'll need a root browser or something which allows you to view root files.

abra5umente said:
If you go to system/lib/hw there should be a lot of files in there which tell the hardware how to work with the software. There should be one in there which is called audio.a2dp.default.so
To do this, you'll need a root browser or something which allows you to view root files.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does this help? I've attached two screenshots. I can't open the file itself.

Aftershok said:
Does this help? I've attached two screenshots. I can't open the file itself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, you can't open them in Android.
I wonder if they're the same files, seeing as CM uses CAF not AOSP drivers...

abra5umente said:
Yeah, you can't open them in Android.
I wonder if they're the same files, seeing as CM uses CAF not AOSP drivers...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wanted to confirm that I don't perceive a huge difference with the CM rom, if at all. The signal has a hard time keeping the highs clean and sounds very strident at times.

Did you have the DSP Manager (in CM) set up on the One?
I have both the One and N5... I immediately noticed a difference in A2DP quality with DSP Manager on/off.

Wanted to come in here and also state that the bluetooth audio for the Nexus 5 can be improved quite a bit. I actually miss the audio quality of my iphone 4 with both the audio out via headphone jack as well as the bluetooth audio out.
Running purity rom + elemental x kernel

Is bluetooth the only way to play music in the car through your phone.
USB won't work? I tried it in my car and it didn't work but when I googled it some people say different radios might work.