Sound/Audio crackles/is distorted only in SL

Hi, I'm trying here for some help, maybe someone here can help me, or at least point me in the right direction.

I am using SL version 1.19.0(5), the newest version as of this posting date. For the past version or so, my sound has been horribly crackly.

I have run two different anti virus scans (avg free, and trend micro's house call) scanned for spyware, done a clean install of SL (I deleted everything to do with SL, then got the current DL from the site)
I have made sure none of my audio or video codecs are broken--I reinstalled several video/audio programs, then when this didn't work, I grabbed the k-lite codec pack, and did that, still the audio is cracking.

I've looked through the forums here, and seen some posts with either the same or a similar issue, but with no resolutions. I've looked through JIRA as well, but there's nothing.

I've even checked to make certain it's not a hardware issue. I opened both speakers and my subwoofer to check for failed hardware. All is well.

My soundcard is integrated, a Soundmax.

All other applications using audio (winamp, other video games, videos) work fine.

It's only in SL, and it seems to get worse sometimes over longer periods. Other times, it's right off the bat.

Yes, I have also updated my drivers for the sound card, but there's only one driver, as the card is integrated.

Help? Buy new hardware?

No one has any ideas?

Same problem here, I have tried different clients, 3 in all, and all of them have a lot of crackling, popping and general static. It must be server side.

Started about a week ago.

What are your specs, and what are the things you've done to try and fix this problem?

I think if we can get as much detail as possible on the problem and its varieties, we can be a step closer to getting it fixed.

Anyone else who's read this thread and has the same problem, please post your specs, and steps, even if they're the same or similar to another. Thanks!

I'm also getting this, at least with audio streams in world.

Has been fine since april 06 when I joined, so no problem on my part.

*steeples fingers* must be second life

Been paying a bit more attention to SL's behavior while this issue crops up, and one of the times it does is during a memory leak. As in while SL gluts itself on my 512mb RAM, the sound starts to suffer, until SL freezes and then crashes.

Other times, the sound will just seem to give up right from login.

A relog will fix the issue, irritatingly enough.

Another *possible* reason for a problem like this (allthough it's just blind guessing according to the symptoms named):

I have a raid HD in my computer that, for whatever reasons, makes my sound output crackle when it's running on a high load. Especially when it's badly fragmented, meaning the headers have to move around a lot. Id did so for years and works otherwise perfect. Since it's also my fastest hd it is the one I am running SL on as well.

SL of course does a lot of actions that spread data all over your hd instead of keeping it in in one block, downloading stuff, saving it, deleting it, downloading other stuff instead...

If you also have other important things like your virtual memory files on the same harddrive, expect your headers to do a LOT of moving while running SL.

I learned that I could keep that crackling to a minimum by simply keeping the hd as defragmented as possible (which also makes the stuff load faster, off course, since there's less "empty" movement for the headers to load one file - that effect alone makes it worthwile.).

I can only praise http://www.kessels.com/ - JKDefrag - a nice small, FREE but powerfull defragmentation tool you can even run in the background while doing other stuff unlike several other Defragmenters I tried before (including the horribly slow one included in windows).

Oh, and PS: This is most likely not your problem here, but give it a try if nothing else works. I'm pretty sure that *my* crackling has something to do with my PCs individual layout somehow. Also it's allways been there, not just since SL s running on it.

Been watching more. When I mute sound from winthin SL, the performance improves drastically, things load much faster. This will prop up SL for me, and let me stay inworld for a while longer, versus trying to battle SL with sound. (I need to run SL at minimum detail, this is another tactic that helps)

Thanks, I will try the defrag option, I balk at letting the PC go unused for so long

edit: used the aforementioned de frag tool, SL is still having issues. I am certain at this point that the issue is not with me but with Second Life itself.