mp3's skipping during playback
 

Hi,

So here's my problem: I want to play my mp3's located on my local windows NTFS partition. I added appropriate repositories, and download codecs listed here (ubuntuguide.org).
I then open my System/Preferences/Multimedia Systems Selector, and note that my system is using ESD as default output. Ok, fine, sound already works (default system sounds anyways).
I then load Applications/Sound & Video/Rythmnbox Music Player. I import my mp3's, no problem, and click play. 3-5 secs later system FREEZES, and I have to killall esd.

So fine, I install XMMS (although the default skin is SO small, any idea where I can get one I can actually read?), XMMS plays well with ESD... only I get skips that often fast-forward 30-60 secs through a song, at random times, accompanined by a screeching noise during the skip.
So I install amarok, which BTW I instantly fell in love with, and I get the same skipping problems. Hmmm, well I tried changing to ALSA (crashes amarok randomly, but sounds fine up till them), OSS (amarok only skips a sec or two, but still very annoying), ARTS (don't think I have it configured properly, never works). I've tried changing its nice value to -20, although with around 500 MB RAM available and a 2.8 Ghz processor I don't think this is the problem.
I'm thinking "Maybe this is a problem with the way the mp3's are decoded", so I try using different engines besides gstreamer, like xine. I think the gstreamer produces the skipping most of the time, whereas xine just crashes most of the time.

Does anyone have a clue as to what's going on? What info do you guys need to help me fix this problem?

Tried XMMS? This should work....

XMMS looks horrible at 1280x800 BTW
 

Yep. I even increased the buffer size from 3000 milliseconds to 10000 milliseconds (highest it would go).

• XMMS using OSS results: Skipped from 1:4* to 2:3*, and at other random times. Not at the same spot each time either on subsequent tries.
  
• XMMS using ALSA results: Plays 3 seconds of song, then no sound output. Doesn't appear that either ALSA or XMMS froze, as no processor time is being used, and I can safely close XMMS. Just no sound is no longer played. Second try: Stopped at 32 seconds. I tried switching songs, then hitting play again. XMMS locks up and then starts consuming processor time (60-80% before I killed it).
  
• XMMS using eSound Output (ESD?) results: Froze for some unknown reason, thought it was ESD like other times (ESD would eat processor with Rhythmnbox Music Player, and I'd have to kill it). XMMS won't even start now :( Stable linux, huh :o well, at least it didn't give me a blue screen of death. Anyways, I guess I'll have to reboot, as I tried killall xmms and it STILL doesn't want to start.
  
  [EDIT] - After reboot, I decided to try XMMS with eSound Output just for kicks again. And It's working!! no skips, even while browsing online/whatever. Now, I want to get amaroK working. Does anyone know if eSound Output is the same as ESD? Because Amarok doesn't haev a eSound output option... :(

Anyways, I'm done messing with XMMS, I'd really like amarok to work. I'm currently using the Xine engine with it, and outputting to OSS... It works fine sitting still, but during normal surfing/typing/what-have-you it will "hiccup"... very annoying. I think it's also running at -20 Nice, that's what I last set it to. Anyways, hope you guys can really help me out here, music is THE main thing for me and determines whether I use linux full-time or not :(

Success!
 

Yes, I now have amarok working!

Still don't know quite what the problem was, after seeing how XMMS played nice with ESD after reboot, I decided to try Amarok, using the Xine engine and ESD output. Works great! The only things I changed beyond this is I am running my laptop off of it's battery, and I don't see how that could affect ESD in the slightest.

Wtf?!
 

Ok, here's the deal:

When I got amarok working, I was at work running on a different wireless network, and on battery. I didn't get a single skip or screwup the entire time there. I shut it down, come back to my dorm room, hook it up to power/my wireless interent, and amarok/XMMS crashes after 5-30 secs of playing a song, and I have to killall esd in order just to use my desktop.

I mean, this locks the WHOLE desktop up, I have to 'Ctrl-Alt-F1' and kill it from there. WTF? I'm going to try disabling wireless, unplugging it (after it charges up a little), but seriously, what's so horrible tempermental about ESD?! Does anyone have problems with ESD, or am I the only one?

Success!

I ended up loading Knoppix, and checking what it had for sound settings. It had <Settings> / <Sound and Multimedia> / <Sound System> - <Enable the Sound System> COMPLETELY DISABLED. Although this seems counter-intuitive, this actually allows me to play my MP3's, DVD's, .AVI's without worrying about the sound system crashing/freezing up. I'm using OSS outputs for everything, BTW, as that's what Knoppix was using. Anyways, consider this thread closed I guess.