Fix Audio Crackling & Stuttering in Chiaki-ng
Audio crackling or stuttering in chiaki-ng is usually a network or buffer problem, not a broken app. The three common causes are Wi-Fi interference, an audio buffer set too small for your connection, and — on Linux — a missing or misconfigured PipeWire setup. Work through the fixes below in order; most people solve it in under five minutes.
Cause 1: Wi-Fi Interference (Most Common)
Remote Play audio rides on the same UDP stream as video. When packets arrive late or out of order, you hear it as popping and crackling first.
- Switch the streaming device to a 5GHz Wi-Fi band (or Wi-Fi 6) — 2.4GHz bands in apartment buildings are congested.
- Better: connect the device running chiaki-ng via Ethernet, and always wire your PS5/PS4 to the router with a cable.
- In your router settings, try a less crowded Wi-Fi channel (1, 6, or 11 on 2.4GHz; any clean channel on 5GHz).
Cause 2: Audio Buffer Too Small
Chiaki-ng lets you tune the audio buffer directly. A buffer that is too small for a jittery connection produces exactly the crackling you hear.
- Open Settings → Audio in chiaki-ng.
- Raise the audio size buffer slider — it adjusts in 10ms increments. Increase it in a few steps and test after each change.
- Trade-off to know: a larger buffer smooths out crackling but adds a small amount of audio latency. Find the lowest setting that stays clean.
Cause 3: Linux Audio Stack (PipeWire)
On Linux, chiaki-ng’s audio path — and DualSense haptics — depend on PipeWire. If your distribution still runs plain PulseAudio, audio can stutter or cut out.
- Install and enable PipeWire on your distribution (most modern distros ship it by default now). The Flatpak and AppImage builds both expect it.
- Emergency fallback: if you cannot switch to PipeWire, launch the Flatpak with
flatpak run –env=SDL_AUDIODRIVER=pulse io.github.streetpea.Chiaki4deck
This routes audio through PulseAudio — but be aware DualSense haptic feedback will stop working in this mode.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does chiaki-ng audio crackle but video looks fine?
Audio is more sensitive to packet jitter than video. Your connection is dropping or delaying audio packets while video frames still arrive on time. Fix the network first (5GHz/Ethernet), then raise the audio buffer slider in Settings → Audio in 10ms steps.
What is the best audio buffer setting in chiaki-ng?
There is no universal best value — it depends on your network jitter. Start from the default and raise it in 10ms increments until the crackling stops, then stop. Going higher than necessary only adds audio latency.
Does the Flatpak PulseAudio fallback break anything else?
Yes: running with –env=SDL_AUDIODRIVER=pulse disables DualSense haptic feedback entirely. Use it only as a temporary workaround on systems where PipeWire cannot be installed.
My microphone doesn't work in chiaki-ng on Linux. Is it related?
Often yes — both go through the same audio stack. The v1.10.0 release reworked microphone capture alongside the audio and haptics paths, so update first, then confirm PipeWire is running and the correct input device is selected in Settings → Audio.
Audio was fine yesterday and crackles today. What changed?
Check for a router reboot that moved you to a crowded Wi-Fi channel, a console firmware update, or another device saturating your network (large downloads, 4K streaming). Re-run the Wi-Fi checks above before changing chiaki-ng settings.
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