Audio Channel oddness

[MissaFX]

On some games I have noticed that the audio seems to go in and out of stereo during Mjpeg sequences.  Or more so not totally in and out of stereo, but like the right channel sometimes has its own data and sometimes it is a bastardised version of the left channel.  Either that, or could there have been a short in the recording equipment or editing gear and nobody ever caught it, on multiple games?

Sample movie (Team Innocent):
Team_innocent_opening.Wmv - Only 50 megs

Start watching at 2:11

The part at 2:47 makes me think it might have been a short

At 3:17 it goes into true 2 channel stereo, but holds it for a lot longer

At 3:30 though with the sound of an engine the right channel looses most of its fidelity again.

I have noticed oddity this on the PC-FX console as well as Magic Engine FX.  I first noticed it playing games on the console because I have everything routed through a Stereo and then was utterly shocked when the same problem occured, at the same places on an emulator.  This makes me think it has to be something in the music itself on the disc.

Thoughts?  Ideas?

[Kitsunexus]

Shit encoding?  ¯\(º_o)/¯

[MissaFX]

Shit encoding?  ¯\(º_o)/¯

I have given that a lot of thought and I don't think the audio format is to blame.  For this to be the case I think it would have to be a variable bitrate file and I am pretty sure it is a CBR file.  It would also have to be a SERIOUSLY variable format with very little bandwith to start with.  I have also considered that the audio could be in some kind of broken up format which allows segments of audio to have a higher bitrate than the surrounding segments to save room, but it seems to random for this to be the case.

[Kitsunexus]

Are your 3-D spatializers turned off? I know both my stereo and my computer have these, and when they're on, the don't spatialize ANYTHING, they just fuck up the sound.

My TV has one as well, it can't be turned off.

[MissaFX]

Are your 3-D spatializers turned off? I know both my stereo and my computer have these, and when they're on, the don't spatialize ANYTHING, they just fuck up the sound.

My TV has one as well, it can't be turned off.

Yes, I have no effects on (the PC).  My home stereo stuff is mostly from the 80's and early 90's (I like buttons and knobs, not a screen and 5 buttons), I have no effect processors running other than an external EQ.

[Kitsunexus]

You're saying it's just the cutscenes, right? Is there anyway to extract them, so you can listen to them OUT of the context of the game engine? Maybe the game just can't handle streaming audio that well.

http://forums.magicengine.com/en/viewtopic.php?t=664 < According to that you CAN extract them, but where you get the tool I have no idea.


Another extremely stupid theory is that the weird audio is in there for some sort of artistic purpose.

[Mednafen]

http://home.highway.ne.jp/soltin/gametool.html

http://home.highway.ne.jp/soltin/ci_op.lzh
http://home.highway.ne.jp/soltin/mixply09.lzh