Azahar emulates the 3DS audio subsystem and routes sound through your host operating system. The audio settings let you pick an output backend that works well with your sound hardware, control volume, fine-tune synchronisation behaviour, and configure microphone input for games that use it. Open Emulation → Configure → Audio to access these options.Documentation Index
Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/azahar-emu/azahar/llms.txt
Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
Audio emulation mode
The Emulation dropdown controls how accurately the 3DS’s Digital Signal Processor (DSP) firmware is emulated.HLE (fast)
HLE (fast)
High-Level Emulation reimplements the DSP’s audio pipeline in software. It is fast and works for the vast majority of games. Use this unless you experience audio problems that only disappear with LLE.
LLE (accurate)
LLE (accurate)
Low-Level Emulation runs the actual 3DS DSP firmware. Audio behaviour matches real hardware more closely, but requires you to have the DSP firmware dumped from a real console. LLE uses noticeably more CPU.
LLE multi-core
LLE multi-core
Same as LLE but runs the DSP on a dedicated CPU thread. This reduces the performance impact on the main emulation thread.
Output
Output type
The Output Type dropdown selects the audio backend Azahar uses to send audio to your operating system. Azahar includes the following sinks, each built from a separate backend library:Cubeb (recommended)
Cubeb (recommended)
Cross-platform audio backend that delegates to the best native API on each OS (WASAPI on Windows, PulseAudio/PipeWire on Linux, CoreAudio on macOS). Cubeb provides low latency and reliable device enumeration. This is the recommended default for most users.
SDL2
SDL2
Uses the SDL2 library’s audio subsystem. SDL2 is widely supported and a good fallback if Cubeb does not work on your system.
OpenAL
OpenAL
Uses the OpenAL API. This backend is available on platforms where an OpenAL implementation is installed. It is generally higher latency than Cubeb but works on a broad range of hardware.
Null
Null
Discards all audio output. Use this when you want to run Azahar without any sound, or for testing purposes.
Output device
After selecting an output type, the Output Device dropdown lists the audio output devices available through that backend. Select the specific speakers, headphones, or virtual device you want Azahar to use.Volume
The Volume slider controls Azahar’s output level from 0% to 100%. You can also select Use global volume to apply a single shared volume setting across all games, or Set volume to override it on a per-game basis.Synchronisation options
Enable audio stretching
Enable audio stretching
Time-stretches audio playback to match the current emulation speed. When emulation runs slower than full speed, audio pitch is preserved but playback is slowed to stay in sync. This prevents audio stutter at the cost of slightly increased audio latency. Recommended for most users.
Enable realtime audio
Enable realtime audio
Plays audio at full speed regardless of emulation framerate. Audio continues at normal pitch and rate even when the emulated game runs below 100% speed. This avoids slowdown in audio but can cause the audio to desync from on-screen events when emulation is struggling.
Simulate headphones plugged in
Simulate headphones plugged in
Reports to the emulated 3DS that headphones are connected. Some games change their audio output mode (for example, switching from speakers to a stereo mix) when they detect headphones. Enable this if a game’s audio sounds incorrect or muffled.
Audio stretching and realtime audio address the same problem from different angles. You should enable one or the other, not both. Audio stretching is generally the better choice for games with dynamic framerates.
Microphone input
Some 3DS games use the built-in microphone—for example, to detect blowing or voice input. The Microphone section lets you route a real audio input device into the emulator.| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Input Type | Selects the source for microphone data (e.g., real device, static noise, silence) |
| Input Device | Chooses the specific audio input device when a real device input type is selected |
If a game’s microphone-dependent feature is not working, check that your operating system has granted Azahar permission to access the microphone, and that the correct input device is selected.