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Winlator routes audio from Windows applications through a Linux audio backend that runs inside the container’s XEnvironment. The backend translates Windows audio API calls (DirectSound, WaveOut, etc.) into system audio output on the Android device.

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Audio backends

Two backends are available. The active backend is stored in the audioDriver field of the container config.
Advanced Linux Sound Architecture is the default audio driver (Container.DEFAULT_AUDIO_DRIVER = "alsa").ALSA runs as a dedicated ALSAServerComponent inside XEnvironment. It opens a Unix domain socket, accepts connections from Wine’s ALSA audio driver, and forwards PCM audio to Android’s audio subsystem.
// ALSAServerComponent uses multithreaded client handling
connector.setMultithreadedClients(true);
Characteristics:
  • Lower latency than PulseAudio for most games
  • Multithreaded client handling for concurrent audio streams
  • Requires the MODIFY_AUDIO_SETTINGS Android permission (granted automatically)
  • Audio capture (allowAudioPlaybackCapture=true) is enabled in the manifest
To switch the backend, open Container Settings → Audio and select either alsa or pulseaudio.

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Wine audio components

The audio driver alone is not enough — the corresponding Wine components must also be enabled:
Wine componentRequired for
directsound=1Any game using the DirectSound API (most pre-2010 games)
directmusic=1Games using DirectMusic for MIDI-based soundtracks
Both are configured in Container Settings → Wine Components. directsound is enabled by default; directmusic is disabled by default.
Even with the audio driver correctly set, audio will be silent if directsound=0 in the Wine components for a game that needs it.

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Common audio issues

Work through this checklist:
1

Verify the audio driver

Open Container Settings → Audio and confirm alsa is selected. Save and restart the container.
2

Check Wine DirectSound component

Go to Container Settings → Wine Components and make sure directsound is set to 1 (enabled).
3

Confirm Android permissions

Winlator requires the MODIFY_AUDIO_SETTINGS permission. On Android 13+ you may need to manually grant audio permissions from Android Settings → Apps → Winlator → Permissions.
4

Try PulseAudio

If ALSA still produces no output, switch to PulseAudio in Container Settings and restart.
Some degree of audio latency is expected under emulation. However, severe crackling usually has a specific cause:
  • CPU overload: The device is not keeping up with real-time audio. Lower the game’s graphics settings or switch the Box64 preset to Performance.
  • mesa_glthread interference: In rare cases, GL threading causes CPU scheduling spikes that affect audio. Try setting mesa_glthread=false in environment variables.
  • PulseAudio buffer: PulseAudio’s buffering model can cause noticeable lag. Switch to ALSA for lower latency.
DirectMusic is disabled by default. If a game relies on DirectMusic for its soundtrack (common in late-1990s/early-2000s titles):
  1. Open Container Settings → Wine Components
  2. Enable directmusic (set to 1)
  3. Restart the container
Video cutscenes often use DirectShow for both video and audio decoding. Enable the directshow Wine component and, if the video uses WMA/WMV audio, also verify that wmdecoder=1.

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