Sound effects in video games often include pops and crackles.
Sound effects in video games often include pops and crackles.
Hello, I’m reaching out for assistance with a persistent issue that’s been bothering me since late 2014. It appears across various PC configurations and games, and despite being tech-savvy, I’m running out of ideas. This problem has lingered for years, and I’m even considering offering rewards to anyone who can help. The issue: in certain titles like iRacing and Assetto Corsa (+Competizione), random sound crackles or pops occur. My guess is it happens when audio files loop or suddenly stop. It’s not the game’s engine noise—more like a loose audio connection or some internal malfunction. Although it could stem from a bug, I found limited discussion online (only a few people mentioned it) and was able to resolve it with basic fixes. Here’s what I tried:
- Changed audio output to onboard sound
- Disabled onboard audio
- Set output to my own audio interface
- Turned off LAN module
- Tested multiple USB ports for the interface
- Updated drivers and reinstalled software
- Verified BIOS, Windows versions, and installed games on both SSD and HDD
- Used different headphones (Sennheiser Momentum)
- Disabled energy-saving features and audio enhancements
- Adjusted volume settings
- Switched audio formats and modes
- Cleared game files and reinstalled
- Updated to Windows 10 with fresh install
I’ve also recorded a video showing the problem, which you can watch at high quality with good headphones for clarity. Sometimes the sound comes from different sides—left, right, or center. The fixes didn’t always work perfectly, but they helped reduce the issue.
Please let me know if any of these steps helped, or if you have more details to share. I’m open to suggestions and would appreciate your support.
It seems the sounds you're hearing are similar to fire crackling, improper connection of a 3,5mm connector, or skipping during playback in a video. I tested it with an old Logitech G35 and encountered the same problem. Meanwhile, here are two videos of the same game featuring the same car without any audio crackles.