Accessing Audio Settings
Alternatively, audio options are also available in the DSP section of the configuration.DSP Emulation
The Digital Signal Processor (DSP) handles all audio processing in GameCube and Wii games. Dolphin offers two emulation modes:- HLE (Recommended)
- LLE
High Level Emulation
- Fast and efficient
- Low CPU usage
- Compatible with most games
- Recommended for regular gameplay
- Minor audio inaccuracies in some games
HLE is recommended for most users as it provides good audio quality with minimal performance impact.
LLE Sub-modes
When using LLE emulation:- LLE Recompiler: Faster LLE mode using dynamic recompilation (recommended)
- LLE Interpreter: Slower but more accurate, useful for debugging
The LLE sub-mode is selected automatically based on Enable DSP JIT in Advanced settings. Enable for Recompiler, disable for Interpreter.
When to Use LLE
Use LLE emulation for:- Games with audio glitches in HLE mode
- Games that require accurate DSP timing
- Music games (Guitar Hero, Rock Band, etc.)
- Games with advanced audio effects
- Homebrew applications that directly program the DSP
Audio Backend
The audio backend controls how audio is output to your system:- Cubeb
- WASAPI (Windows)
- PulseAudio (Linux)
- ALSA (Linux)
- OpenAL
- OpenSLES (Android)
- No Audio Output
Cross-platform audio library (recommended).
- Works on all platforms
- Low latency
- Good compatibility
- Default choice for most users
Recommended Backends by Platform
- Windows: Cubeb or WASAPI (Exclusive Mode)
- Linux: Cubeb or PulseAudio
- macOS: Cubeb
- Android: OpenSLES
Audio Settings
Volume
Adjust the master audio volume (0% - 100%).This affects only the emulated audio output, not your system volume.
Audio Latency
Control the audio buffer size to balance latency and stability:- Lower values (10-30ms): Less audio delay but may cause crackling
- Higher values (50-100ms): More stable but increased audio lag
- Default: 20ms
- Low Latency
- Stability
Use 10-20ms for rhythm games and competitive play where audio sync is critical.
Stretching
Audio Stretch (Time Stretching)
Adjust audio playback speed to maintain pitch when emulation speed varies:- Enabled: Audio maintains correct pitch even when emulation slows down
- Disabled: Audio pitch changes with emulation speed
Enable this option to prevent audio distortion when emulation speed drops below 100%.
DPL2 Decoder
Dolby Pro Logic II decoding for surround sound:Enable DPL2 Decoder
Convert stereo game audio to 5.1 surround sound:- Requires 5.1 speaker setup or headphones with virtual surround
- Adds spatial audio effects
- Slight performance cost
DPL2 Quality
If DPL2 is enabled, select quality level:- Lowest: Fastest processing
- Low: Good performance
- Medium: Balanced
- High: Better quality
- Highest: Best quality, higher CPU usage
DPL2 decoder quality setting is located at
Config.MAIN_DPL2_QUALITY in the configuration system.Advanced Audio Options
DSP Settings
Access advanced DSP options in Options > Configuration > Advanced tab:DSP Thread
Run DSP emulation on a separate CPU thread:- Enabled: Better performance on multi-core CPUs
- Disabled: More accurate timing
- Recommended: Enabled for HLE, disabled for LLE
Enable DSP JIT
Use just-in-time compilation for LLE DSP:- Enabled: LLE Recompiler mode (faster)
- Disabled: LLE Interpreter mode (slower, more accurate)
Audio Dumps
Dump Audio
Record game audio to a file:- Saves to
Dump/Audio/folder - Creates WAV files
- Useful for soundtrack extraction
Dump Audio Silent
Dump audio without playing it:- No audio output during dump
- Useful for background recording
Dump DSP µCode
Export DSP microcode for analysis:- Creates binary dumps of DSP programs
- For developers and debugging
WASAPI Device Selection (Windows)
If using WASAPI backend on Windows:WASAPI exclusive mode provides the lowest latency but takes exclusive control of the audio device. Other applications cannot play sound while Dolphin is running.
Wiimote Speaker
Control Wiimote speaker emulation:Enable Wiimote Speaker Data
Emulate the Wii Remote’s built-in speaker:- Plays sound effects through the Wiimote
- Enable for full game experience
- Disable to reduce processing overhead
Audio Troubleshooting
Crackling or Popping
If you experience audio crackling:Audio Desync
If audio drifts out of sync with video:- Disable Audio Stretch
- Check that V-Sync is properly configured
- Verify emulation speed is stable at 100%
- Try enabling DSP Thread
No Audio
Incorrect Audio in Specific Games
If a game has missing or glitched audio:- Switch to LLE DSP emulation
- Enable DSP JIT for better performance
- Check the Dolphin Wiki for game-specific audio requirements
Per-Game Audio Settings
Override audio settings for specific games:Performance Impact
DSP Emulation Performance
| Mode | CPU Impact | Accuracy |
|---|---|---|
| HLE | Very Low | Good |
| LLE Recompiler | Medium | Excellent |
| LLE Interpreter | High | Perfect |
Audio Backend Performance
- Cubeb: Low impact, recommended
- WASAPI: Very low latency, exclusive mode
- PulseAudio: Low impact on Linux
- ALSA: Lowest latency on Linux
- OpenAL: Low to medium impact
For best performance while maintaining good audio quality, use HLE DSP with Cubeb backend and 20ms latency.