OT - Windows and 2 sound cards

I'm wondering if this is even possible?

I have a 5.1 surround sound card and a pair of 5.1 speakers. They work
in the usual manner assigning jacks for FR-FL, BR-BL & Sub-FC speakers
as separate outputs.

Problem is I'd also like to run the sound to my older stereo which is
just stereo but much better sound quality. I can't just run two of the
outputs into the stereo as that'd not be the entire sound nor do I think
it'd be a good idea to "splice them together" to make it so.

Therefore I'm wondering if it's possible to keep the onboard sound also
enabled while using the add-on surround sound card. The idea would be
I'd run the onboard stereo out to the external amo while still being
able to use the surround sound card, each doing it's own thing so to
speak.

Possible?

On 15/02/2017 12:14 AM, pjp wrote:
Therefore I'm wondering if it's possible to keep the onboard sound also
enabled while using the add-on surround sound card. The idea would be
I'd run the onboard stereo out to the external amo while still being
able to use the surround sound card, each doing it's own thing so to
speak.

As far as I knew, Window$ always had only ONE default sound output.

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On 2/14/2017 11:14 AM, pjp wrote:


I'm wondering if this is even possible?

I have a 5.1 surround sound card and a pair of 5.1 speakers. They work
in the usual manner assigning jacks for FR-FL, BR-BL & Sub-FC speakers
as separate outputs.

Problem is I'd also like to run the sound to my older stereo which is
just stereo but much better sound quality. I can't just run two of the
outputs into the stereo as that'd not be the entire sound nor do I think
it'd be a good idea to "splice them together" to make it so.

Therefore I'm wondering if it's possible to keep the onboard sound also
enabled while using the add-on surround sound card. The idea would be
I'd run the onboard stereo out to the external amo while still being
able to use the surround sound card, each doing it's own thing so to
speak.

Possible?

It's always been possible to have more than one soundcard running under
Windows, but being able to use them simultaneously depends on the
soundcard and its drivers. There are other things to consider when doing
this, such as the inherent latency of the cards. Pro gear which presumes
multiple simultaneous outputs will keep them in sync, others not so much.

Another way to accomplish what you're trying to do is to get a card that
has both 5.1 and stereo outputs, but the mix would have to accommodate
that.

--
best regards,

Neil

Mr. Man-wai Chang wrote:
On 15/02/2017 12:14 AM, pjp wrote:
Therefore I'm wondering if it's possible to keep the onboard sound also
enabled while using the add-on surround sound card. The idea would be
I'd run the onboard stereo out to the external amo while still being
able to use the surround sound card, each doing it's own thing so to
speak.

As far as I knew, Window$ always had only ONE default sound output.


A number of Windows versions, had a bypass path to go
around the system sound mixer.

If you bypass the mixer, things like system notification
sounds probably won't go to all the speakers. Maybe the logic
of the volume controls won't make sense any more.

But if you use a media player that has a drop-down
box for selecting one of multiple output sound
cards, you can probably play different sound on
different sound cards, at the same time. It's best
of the media players are under constant development,
to handle changes from DirectSound to WaveRT or whatever
the flavor of the week subsystem happens to be.

http://forums.winamp.com/showthread.php?t=66049

https://wiki.mikejung.biz/MPC-HC_Audio_Configuration

There is also at least one "virtual audio" package for
steering outputs.

And there is ASIO. The Steinberg version supports the
equivalent of patch panels, whereas ASIO4ALL of long
ago, was a more "basic" driver. ASIO is an alternative
sound output subsystem, from whatever Windows provides.
With the patch panel idea, you can output the Left channel
using Card#1 and the Right channel using Card#2.

There are lots of ideas, but some research is required.
If you get it to work, they give you a Rocket Scientist
lapel pin to wear.

But to work well, the media player really needs to be coded
to work around the system sound mixer.

Paul

On 2/14/2017 1:52 PM, Paul wrote:
Mr. Man-wai Chang wrote:
On 15/02/2017 12:14 AM, pjp wrote:
Therefore I'm wondering if it's possible to keep the onboard sound also
enabled while using the add-on surround sound card. The idea would be
I'd run the onboard stereo out to the external amo while still being
able to use the surround sound card, each doing it's own thing so to
speak.

As far as I knew, Window$ always had only ONE default sound output.


A number of Windows versions, had a bypass path to go
around the system sound mixer.

If you bypass the mixer, things like system notification
sounds probably won't go to all the speakers. Maybe the logic
of the volume controls won't make sense any more.

I've run pro audio systems under Windows since 3.1, so I can say it's
never been an issue with that level of soundcard. Windows notification
sounds still go to the built-in speaker, if so selected. Whatever else
one can do depends on the card's drivers, and even hobby-level cards add
the option to select that card for audio output.

--
best regards,

Neil