Windows Audio

[Fuzz]

OK, so this is a major piss-off since Vista, as XP handled this perfectly, then MS went and screwed it all up.


I have 2 output devices I'd like to use. One is my desktop speakers, the other a SPDIF out to my stereo. In XP you could just play back on everything, and it was all in sync. Perfect. In Win 7 this changed, you could only pick one output device. I got around this by enabling stereo mix, then selecting SPDIF as the output, and having the stereo mix play back on that on the speakers. Manky, and came with about 0.5 second audio delay. Kind of annoying, but I'd turn my computer speakers down if I was using my stereo anyway.


So with Windows 10 I can do exactly the same, but if I select SPDIF as the main out, it won't play back on the speakers through stereo mix. If i set the speakers as the main, it does play audio on the SPDIF out, BUT only 2 channels, so I don't get 5.1 out if I do it that way, which is obviously wrong. So currently I have to change output devices every time I want to switch.


Does anyone know how to make this work? Stupid MS, always breaking stuff that used to work.

[Raekwon]

I know windows 10 has a feature now to choose a source for every program but I think one of the easiest ways right now might be software like https://www.vb-audio.com/Cable/

Windows 10 has definitely messed with sound

[Fuzz]

I ended up having to use their Voicemeter product.


https://www.vb-audio.com/Voicemeeter/index.htm


Strangely my centre channel wasn't working so I had to hunt for Realtek drivers. Took some work but finally found a recent enough one that made the centre channel active. Still not working with Voicemeter in the preferred, WDM mode, but that could be because it is a pretty old chipset. Oh well, sound still seems in sync.


That took way to much work.

[Raekwon]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

I ended up having to use their Voicemeter product.


https://www.vb-audio.com/Voicemeeter/index.htm


Strangely my centre channel wasn't working so I had to hunt for Realtek drivers. Took some work but finally found a recent enough one that made the centre channel active. Still not working with Voicemeter in the preferred, WDM mode, but that could be because it is a pretty old chipset. Oh well, sound still seems in sync.


That took way to much work.

I am using a laptop for movies with a 5.1 receiver but my TV us HDR and my receiver isn't so I was running video through HDMI and audio to the receiver with USB-C to HDMI adapter and it worked great except it had to recognize the receiver as a monitor. Tried swapping to a newer 7.1 receiver and couldn't get anything to work properly so I switched back and couldn't get the original 5.1 receiver to work the same as before. It used to be so damn easy.

[Fuzz]

Ya, I run HDMI to my projector, and SPDIF to my receiver. I even browsed for sound cards this morning but they are ell expensive, and very few have non optical SPDIF anymore, and I sure as #### don't feel like fishing an optical cable through my ceiling...Fortunately it appears to be working now.


I agree, this shouldn't be so complicated.

[GoinAllTheWay]

Ya...sound is one thing that really hasn't been all that streamlined it seems. It's been a source of frustration more than a few times for me.

[Fuzz]

Voicemeter ended up popping an crackling on me after an hour or so. I have upgraded to Voicemeter pro(Banana) and that worked for tonight...we will see. It allowed me to set a virtual out as a primary, then my SPDIF and speakers as 2/3. Apparently the primary is the important one.


If anyone is reading this thinking it looks like Greek, well most of it was to me too, 4 days ago. I wish I didn't have to know this.

[calumniate]

Have you looked at DACs at all? Not sure if they would offer you a solution, but they act as an independent sound card and some of them have multiple options for out. May give you some options to daisy chain some stuff!

Or maybe..

Micca OriGen G2 High Resolution USB DAC and Preamplifier - 24-Bit/192kHz PCM https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01N14SY65/..._n9K.DbNHE0BGS

[Fuzz]

Well ya, spending more money usually solves problems. But I hate spending money. Voicemeter Banana has been stable using a virtual out, I think it is all behaving properly. If Microsoft spent half as much time getting the basics right as they do integrating ads into the OS we wouldn't have these problems.