Guitar hero optimal settings

[roxas596]

Hi, I've been messing around with PCSX 2 v1.0.0 for a couple days and I have a few problems with the guitar hero games: (I know they'll never be perfect, but I'd like to get as close as possible)

All:

-Laggy gameplay
-sudden speedups
-unreliable hammer-ons/pull offs (don't know if it's a ghosting issue or something)

Guitar Hero 2:

-Most stable out of all of them, but still has the issues described above

Guitar Hero 5:

-Black bars in background, but not on fretboard (I have no idea what's causing this)
-Random venues in career mode (might be a cheat I accidentally used, but I don't think so)
-Problems described above, but slower than guitar hero 2

Guitar Hero: Metallica

-Basically unplayable, the song doesn't play, only silence

System Specs:

Code:

------------------
System Information
------------------
Time of this report: 3/10/2013, 18:50:41
       Machine name: PC
   Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (6.1, Build 7601) Service Pack 1 (7601.win7sp1_gdr.130104-1431)
           Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: System manufacturer
       System Model: System Product Name
               BIOS: BIOS Date: 02/15/12 19:33:49 Ver: 32.01
          Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3570K CPU @ 3.40GHz (4 CPUs), ~3.4GHz
             Memory: 16384MB RAM
Available OS Memory: 16352MB RAM
          Page File: 4553MB used, 28146MB available
        Windows Dir: C:\Windows
    DirectX Version: DirectX 11
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
   User DPI Setting: Using System DPI
System DPI Setting: 96 DPI (100 percent)
    DWM DPI Scaling: Disabled
     DxDiag Version: 6.01.7601.17514 32bit Unicode

------------
DxDiag Notes
------------
      Display Tab 1: No problems found.
        Sound Tab 1: No problems found.
        Sound Tab 2: No problems found.
        Sound Tab 3: No problems found.
          Input Tab: No problems found.

--------------------
DirectX Debug Levels
--------------------
Direct3D:    0/4 (retail)
DirectDraw:  0/4 (retail)
DirectInput: 0/5 (retail)
DirectMusic: 0/5 (retail)
DirectPlay:  0/9 (retail)
DirectSound: 0/5 (retail)
DirectShow:  0/6 (retail)

---------------
Display Devices
---------------
          Card name: AMD Radeon HD 7900 Series
       Manufacturer: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
          Chip type: ATI display adapter (0x679A)
           DAC type: Internal DAC(400MHz)
         Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_679A&SUBSYS_201C1787&REV_00
     Display Memory: 2766 MB
   Dedicated Memory: 3039 MB
      Shared Memory: 3823 MB
       Current Mode: 1920 x 1080 (32 bit) (60Hz)
       Monitor Name: Generic PnP Monitor
      Monitor Model: E2350
         Monitor Id: GSM5790
        Native Mode: 1920 x 1080(p) (60.000Hz)
        Output Type: DVI
        Driver Name: aticfx64.dll,aticfx64.dll,aticfx64.dll,aticfx32,aticfx32,aticfx32,atiumd64.dll,atidxx64.dll,atidxx64.dll,atiumdag,atidxx32,atidxx32,atiumdva,atiumd6a.cap,atitmm64.dll
Driver File Version: 8.17.0010.1114 (English)
     Driver Version: 8.921.0.0
        DDI Version: 11
       Driver Model: WDDM 1.1
  Driver Attributes: Final Retail
   Driver Date/Size: 12/2/2011 20:22:10, 933888 bytes
        WHQL Logo'd: n/a
    WHQL Date Stamp: n/a
  Device Identifier: {D7B71EE2-24DA-11CF-6D70-1600BEC2C535}
          Vendor ID: 0x1002
          Device ID: 0x679A
          SubSys ID: 0x201C1787
        Revision ID: 0x0000
Driver Strong Name: oem2.inf:ATI.Mfg.NTamd64.6.1:ati2mtag_R575:8.921.0.0:pci\ven_1002&dev_679a
     Rank Of Driver: 00E62001
        Video Accel: ModeMPEG2_A ModeMPEG2_C
   Deinterlace Caps: {6E8329FF-B642-418B-BCF0-BCB6591E255F}: Format(In/Out)=(YUY2,YUY2) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,1) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
                     {335AA36E-7884-43A4-9C91-7F87FAF3E37E}: Format(In/Out)=(YUY2,YUY2) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_BOBVerticalStretch
                     {5A54A0C9-C7EC-4BD9-8EDE-F3C75DC4393B}: Format(In/Out)=(YUY2,YUY2) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY
                     {6E8329FF-B642-418B-BCF0-BCB6591E255F}: Format(In/Out)=(UYVY,UYVY) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,1) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
                     {335AA36E-7884-43A4-9C91-7F87FAF3E37E}: Format(In/Out)=(UYVY,UYVY) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_BOBVerticalStretch
                     {5A54A0C9-C7EC-4BD9-8EDE-F3C75DC4393B}: Format(In/Out)=(UYVY,UYVY) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY
                     {5A54A0C9-C7EC-4BD9-8EDE-F3C75DC4393B}: Format(In/Out)=(YV12,0x32315659) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=
                     {3C5323C1-6FB7-44F5-9081-056BF2EE449D}: Format(In/Out)=(NV12,0x3231564e) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,2) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
                     {552C0DAD-CCBC-420B-83C8-74943CF9F1A6}: Format(In/Out)=(NV12,0x3231564e) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,2) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
                     {6E8329FF-B642-418B-BCF0-BCB6591E255F}: Format(In/Out)=(NV12,0x3231564e) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,1) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
                     {335AA36E-7884-43A4-9C91-7F87FAF3E37E}: Format(In/Out)=(NV12,0x3231564e) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_BOBVerticalStretch
                     {5A54A0C9-C7EC-4BD9-8EDE-F3C75DC4393B}: Format(In/Out)=(NV12,0x3231564e) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY
                     {5A54A0C9-C7EC-4BD9-8EDE-F3C75DC4393B}: Format(In/Out)=(IMC1,UNKNOWN) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=
                     {5A54A0C9-C7EC-4BD9-8EDE-F3C75DC4393B}: Format(In/Out)=(IMC2,UNKNOWN) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=
                     {5A54A0C9-C7EC-4BD9-8EDE-F3C75DC4393B}: Format(In/Out)=(IMC3,UNKNOWN) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=
                     {5A54A0C9-C7EC-4BD9-8EDE-F3C75DC4393B}: Format(In/Out)=(IMC4,UNKNOWN) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=
                     {5A54A0C9-C7EC-4BD9-8EDE-F3C75DC4393B}: Format(In/Out)=(S340,UNKNOWN) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=
                     {5A54A0C9-C7EC-4BD9-8EDE-F3C75DC4393B}: Format(In/Out)=(S342,UNKNOWN) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=
       D3D9 Overlay: Not Supported
            DXVA-HD: Not Supported
       DDraw Status: Enabled
         D3D Status: Enabled
         AGP Status: Enabled

-------------
Sound Devices
-------------
            Description: Headphones (High Definition Audio Device)
Default Sound Playback: Yes
Default Voice Playback: Yes
            Hardware ID: HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_10EC&DEV_0892&SUBSYS_10438436&REV_1003
        Manufacturer ID: 1
             Product ID: 65535
                   Type: WDM
            Driver Name: HdAudio.sys
         Driver Version: 6.01.7601.17514 (English)
      Driver Attributes: Final Retail
            WHQL Logo'd: n/a
          Date and Size: 11/20/2010 20:23:47, 350208 bytes
            Other Files:
        Driver Provider: Microsoft
         HW Accel Level: Basic
              Cap Flags: 0x0
    Min/Max Sample Rate: 0, 0
Static/Strm HW Mix Bufs: 0, 0
Static/Strm HW 3D Bufs: 0, 0
              HW Memory: 0
       Voice Management: No
EAX(tm) 2.0 Listen/Src: No, No
   I3DL2(tm) Listen/Src: No, No
Sensaura(tm) ZoomFX(tm): No

            Description: Digital Audio (S/PDIF) (High Definition Audio Device)
Default Sound Playback: No
Default Voice Playback: No
            Hardware ID: HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_10EC&DEV_0892&SUBSYS_10438436&REV_1003
        Manufacturer ID: 1
             Product ID: 65535
                   Type: WDM
            Driver Name: HdAudio.sys
         Driver Version: 6.01.7601.17514 (English)
      Driver Attributes: Final Retail
            WHQL Logo'd: n/a
          Date and Size: 11/20/2010 20:23:47, 350208 bytes
            Other Files:
        Driver Provider: Microsoft
         HW Accel Level: Basic
              Cap Flags: 0x0
    Min/Max Sample Rate: 0, 0
Static/Strm HW Mix Bufs: 0, 0
Static/Strm HW 3D Bufs: 0, 0
              HW Memory: 0
       Voice Management: No
EAX(tm) 2.0 Listen/Src: No, No
   I3DL2(tm) Listen/Src: No, No
Sensaura(tm) ZoomFX(tm): No

            Description: Digital Audio (S/PDIF) (High Definition Audio Device)
Default Sound Playback: No
Default Voice Playback: No
            Hardware ID: HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_10EC&DEV_0892&SUBSYS_10438436&REV_1003
        Manufacturer ID: 1
             Product ID: 65535
                   Type: WDM
            Driver Name: HdAudio.sys
         Driver Version: 6.01.7601.17514 (English)
      Driver Attributes: Final Retail
            WHQL Logo'd: n/a
          Date and Size: 11/20/2010 20:23:47, 350208 bytes
            Other Files:
        Driver Provider: Microsoft
         HW Accel Level: Basic
              Cap Flags: 0x0
    Min/Max Sample Rate: 0, 0
Static/Strm HW Mix Bufs: 0, 0
Static/Strm HW 3D Bufs: 0, 0
              HW Memory: 0
       Voice Management: No
EAX(tm) 2.0 Listen/Src: No, No
   I3DL2(tm) Listen/Src: No, No
Sensaura(tm) ZoomFX(tm): No

Here's some screenshots of the settings I've had the best luck with:

[jesalvein]

Start by disabling speedhacks.
Maxing out ee timing & vu cycle stealing wont help at all

[lionelmessi]

first disable or reduce speedhacks if not work then reply

[refraction]

also disable shadeboost and the hw hacks on gsdx. and change the renderer to DirectX11 (if you can't, update your gpu drivers)

actually, just return everthing to default, you've obviously just ticked every box you can find! I bet you enabled every gamefix too.

[billyash]

Yes, finnaly this bug discussed,
This bugs have bugging me for long time, try use async audio .
That make music stable but caused frame skipped

[billyash]

Yes, finnaly this bug discussed,
This bugs have bugging me for long time, try use async audio .
That make music stable but caused frame skipped

[roxas596]

also disable shadeboost and the hw hacks on gsdx. and change the renderer to DirectX11 (if you can't, update your gpu drivers)

actually, just return everthing to default, you've obviously just ticked every box you can find! I bet you enabled every gamefix too.

Hey, thanks for assuming!

No, actually, I went through pretty much every thread I could find on the subject:
http://forums.pcsx2.net/Thread-Guitar-He...lem--31834

1. Tick Native in GSdx

2. Enable speed hacks including MTVU

3. Play around with Allow 8-bit textures option in GSdx and see which one gives you more FPS

4. Go to Config -> Emulation Settings, at EE/IOP tab, change Clamp mode to None, the same goes for VU tab.

http://forums.pcsx2.net/Thread-Guitar-Hero-2

http://forums.ngemu.com/showthread.php?t=101821

http://forums.pcsx2.net/Thread-PCSX2-1-0...-slow-down

Maybe that info is pretty deprecated now but it did seem to help a bit....

I set the clamping to 0 because it seemed to help make the game's speed more stable; i allowed stealing VU cycles because that's the only way the games will run above 10fps, and I allowed EE cycle rate because they, again, made the speed more stable. Believe me when I say I played around will ALL of the settings for hours until I found some that were relatively playable. If I set it to the default settings, every game is pretty much unplayable as it slows to a crawl.

EDIT:Actually setting the GPU driver to DirectX11 made it quite a bit better. thank you but that audio is still slightly off, and the hammer-on/pull-off thing is still an issue. Should I use the DirectX 11 Software or hardware driver by the way? Or does it make a difference?

I'll try what you guys said though, and I'll report back if it works...thank you for trying to help I'm still trying to get rid of the black bars on gh5 too...does anyone know what might be causing it?

[refraction]

EDIT:Actually setting the GPU driver to DirectX11 made it quite a bit better. thank you but that audio is still slightly off, and the hammer-on/pull-off thing is still an issue. Should I use the DirectX 11 Software or hardware driver by the way? Or does it make a difference?

Software mode will probably just make things much slower, so id avoid that if you can.

There are 2 things which affect the audio.

1. Using the EE Cycle Rate Speedhack tends to cause audio sync issues.
2. Check the latency slider in SPU2-X when you have XAudio2 selected as the output mode, see how low you can get it before it starts sounding crackly and messy.