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Audio Playback: Silent failure on both .m4a (AAC VBR) and .mp3 (CBR 192kbps) #564

@vincedev456

Description

@vincedev456

Describe the issue

Hi @CosmicScale

I am experiencing an issue where certain audio files fail to produce any sound output on the system. The files are recognized by the software, but playback is completely silent. No errors are thrown.

Initially, I thought the issue was related to the container or Variable Bitrate (VBR), so I converted the files to a standard Constant Bitrate MP3. Both formats failed silently.

Here is the technical metadata for both scenarios to help isolate the missing decoder or restriction:

Scenario A: Original Commercial Digital Download (Failed)

Container: .m4a

Codec: AAC

Bitrate: VBR (~260kbps - 290kbps)

Sample Rate: 44.1kHz

Scenario B: Converted File (Failed)

Container: .mp3

Codec: MPEG Audio

Bitrate: CBR 192kbps

Sample Rate: 44.1kHz

Extracted Sample Data:

Plaintext
[Original .m4a]
Filename: Track_04.m4a
Size: 7.14 MB
Length: 00:03:27
Bitrate: 266kbps (VBR)

[Converted .mp3]
Filename: Track_04.mp3
Size: 4.84 MB
Length: 00:03:27
Bitrate: 192kbps (CBR)
Hypothesis / Questions:

Since standard CBR MP3s are also failing, I suspect this isn't a bitrate fluctuation issue, but rather a strict format or sample rate requirement.

Is there a hard requirement for 48.000 Hz sample rates due to hardware constraints (e.g., SPU2)?

Does the current audio engine support decoding compressed formats like .mp3 and .m4a, or should I be providing raw/uncompressed audio like 16-bit PCM (WAV) or ADX?

Let me know the exact target specs the engine expects, and I can test it on my end!

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