Regular Popping Sound After Engine Start?

[mikeklimek 151]

I encountered something new for the first time recently:  I selected the C172 (classic) and started the session cold and dark.  All normal up to this point.  Then when I fire up the engine, I start to hear an audio 'popping' sound that occurs every 15 or 20 seconds or so.  Turn off the engine, popping disappears.

Then strangely enough, when I exit and go to the main menu, I'll hear the same pop during the menu music--but I didn't hear the popping sound in the menu music before the flight.  

Any thoughts what this could be?  Anyone encounter anything similar?

[bobcat999 8,473]

I am getting a noise like this during the loading music and when flying, particularly in areas where the computer is working hard. 

It sounds like a sparking noise or someone putting the speaker wires in and out.

I have an Audigy 5Rx.

I don't get it at any other time (i.e. in windows, playing music, or in other games).

I have tried lots to cure it but to no avail. It's driving me mad! 🙄

I have loaded the latest drivers, re-seated the sound card, and made sure nothing is by the cables, as it sounds like interference.

I am wondering if it is something on the main PCI bus.  Although my graphics card is processor end, and my sound card right at the other end, I also have 2 NVME drives (M.2), and it seems to happen during high activity in the sim or when loading stuff.  

I notice I have another audio system which I have completely disabled in device manager.  I might fire it up, load the drivers, and give it a go.  It looks like they are NVidia sound drivers - through the 1080Ti?  Can that be right?  The audio drivers seem to come with the GeForce drivers for that card.

 

Edited September 22, 2020 by bobcat999

[JughedJones 202]

I get it too.  It does seem to coincide with when there's a load being dealt with.  

[eslader 1,783]

Got a set of USB/wireless headphones to test with? See if the popping sound happens when you switch to them. 

[mikeklimek 151]

Ok, so I went into my Nvidia Control Panel/Set up Digital Audio/Open Windows Sound Settings/clicked on my speaker device/properties/Advanced Tab, then changed 'Default Format' from 24 bit, 48000 Hz (Studio Quality) to 16 bit, 48000 Hz (DVD) quality.  Then I restarted my PC.  Issue went away.

I then changed it back to 24 bit, restarted my PC, and the issue is still resolved.  So initially I thought maybe changing from 24 to 16 bit did the trick, but having switched it back to 24 with it still working, I'm thinking just restarting the PC did the trick, at least for me, for now.  Maybe I had some kind of load coming from somewhere initially?

Interestingly enough, I had the same issue with FSX back in the day.  It ended up being a cloud-distance setting that was too high on Active Sky.