diff --git a/Common/Data/Collections/FixedSizeQueue.h b/Common/Data/Collections/FixedSizeQueue.h
index 68c96e829c..27b267d6de 100644
--- a/Common/Data/Collections/FixedSizeQueue.h
+++ b/Common/Data/Collections/FixedSizeQueue.h
@@ -161,6 +161,43 @@ public:
 		p.DoMarker("FixedSizeQueue");
 	}
 
+	// Compact serialization: stores only the live [head_, head_+count_) region
+	// instead of the whole fixed storage. NOT format-compatible with DoState();
+	// callers must gate on their own section version.
+	void DoStateCompact(PointerWrap &p) {
+		int size = N;
+		Do(p, size);
+		if (size != N) {
+			ERROR_LOG(Log::Common, "Savestate failure: Incompatible queue size.");
+			p.SetError(p.ERROR_FAILURE);
+			return;
+		}
+		Do(p, count_);
+		if (count_ < 0 || count_ > N) {
+			ERROR_LOG(Log::Common, "Savestate failure: Bad compact queue count.");
+			p.SetError(p.ERROR_FAILURE);
+			return;
+		}
+		if (p.mode == PointerWrap::MODE_READ) {
+			// Restore linearized: live data starts at the front of storage.
+			head_ = 0;
+			tail_ = count_ == N ? 0 : count_;
+			DoArray<T>(p, storage_, count_);
+		} else {
+			if (head_ + count_ <= N) {
+				DoArray<T>(p, storage_ + head_, count_);
+			} else {
+				// Live region wraps; write the two pieces in pop order. Raw
+				// bytes only (POD DoArray has no per-call header), so the
+				// single linear read above consumes them identically.
+				const int firstPart = N - head_;
+				DoArray<T>(p, storage_ + head_, firstPart);
+				DoArray<T>(p, storage_, count_ - firstPart);
+			}
+		}
+		p.DoMarker("FixedSizeQueue");
+	}
+
 private:
 	T *storage_;
 	int head_;
diff --git a/Core/HLE/sceAudio.cpp b/Core/HLE/sceAudio.cpp
index abf3b8e7fb..072b430872 100644
--- a/Core/HLE/sceAudio.cpp
+++ b/Core/HLE/sceAudio.cpp
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ AudioChannel g_audioChans[PSP_AUDIO_CHANNEL_MAX + 1];
 
 void AudioChannel::DoState(PointerWrap &p)
 {
-	auto s = p.Section("AudioChannel", 1, 2);
+	auto s = p.Section("AudioChannel", 1, 3);
 	if (!s)
 		return;
 
@@ -59,7 +59,15 @@ void AudioChannel::DoState(PointerWrap &p)
 		Do(p, defaultRoutingMode);
 		Do(p, defaultRoutingVolMode);
 	}
-	chanSampleQueues[index].DoState(p);
+	if (s >= 3) {
+		// v3: compact queue form — only the live samples, not the whole 512KB
+		// fixed storage per channel. Cuts ~4.6MB of dead bytes from every
+		// savestate. Old savestates (s < 3) still load through the
+		// full-storage path below.
+		chanSampleQueues[index].DoStateCompact(p);
+	} else {
+		chanSampleQueues[index].DoState(p);
+	}
 }
 
 void AudioChannel::reset()