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WASAPI is still allowing the Windows volume control to work

post #1 of 12
10/29/10 at 5:46pm
Thread Starter 

Hi!

 

So I've decided to try WASAPI. As expected, the driver equalizer doesn't work anymore, and neither do other sounds like system sounds. But the Windows volume control still works, is this expected?

 

I'm using Windows 7 x64 Professional, player is foobar2000.

 

Thanks!

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post #2 of 12
10/29/10 at 6:15pm

I think so, i'm using vista, and the volume control works.

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post #3 of 12
10/29/10 at 7:04pm

None of the volume controls working here. Being output through optical out on the motherboard.

 

Win7x64 Professional, I might add.

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post #4 of 12
10/29/10 at 7:19pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by azncookiecutter View Post

None of the volume controls working here. Being output through optical out on the motherboard.

 

Win7x64 Professional, I might add.



Oh but using optical is a different story, I guess...

 

I'm using the analog front out.

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post #5 of 12
10/29/10 at 7:28pm

im using usb the windows volume not working..only the foobar volume that works

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post #6 of 12
10/29/10 at 7:41pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by winzzz View Post

im using usb the windows volume not working..only the foobar volume that works



USB is very much like digital out, I think... Digital output is probably the reason why yours and azncookiecutter volumes doesn't work.

 

But I thought the analog out should be affected too, that's weird.

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post #7 of 12
10/29/10 at 8:33pm

If I use wasapi, I can control the volume through foobar and through the STX control panel, but if I use ASIO I can only control the volume through foobar or the volume control on the back of my monitors. And this is using the RCA outs on the STX. 

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post #8 of 12
10/29/10 at 9:18pm

I am using Windows 7 64 bit. Windows volume is not working for my USB audio, but working for PCI soundcard output. Maybe, depending on hardware implementation?


Edited by echosf - 10/30/10 at 9:02am
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post #9 of 12
10/29/10 at 11:59pm

I think when you choose to use WASAPI with Foobar, it enters the "Exclusive Mode" and takes over the sound device you assigned to use in WASAPI mode. In exclusive mode, the device can only be controlled by one program at a time, in this case Foobar. If you want to use the sound device with everything under Windows (other programs, system sounds, etc.) and have use of its built in volume control panel, you have to take it out of WASAPI and make sure the device is chosen in Windows/Control Panel/Sound as the default device and configured properly.

When using my uDac for instance in Foobar to listen to music only, I choose (WASAPI :Speakers - Nuforce uDAC) under Foobars Output/Device menu. When I want to listen to music with Foobar (but sacrificing bypassing Windows kernal) and still hear other system sounds or say a games sounds, I choose (DS:Speakers - Nuforce uDAC) in Foobar. The DS means DirectSound, that is what the Windows kernal process sound system uses, and it will allow you to use Windows built in volume mixer. In DS mode, the sound device can be shared by more than one program at a time.

 I hope I didn't confuse you all more than help you. Good luck.


Edited by Dojomoto - 10/30/10 at 12:01am
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post #10 of 12
5/31/11 at 9:01pm

When I use ASIO with my soundcard (Xonar DX) the Windows mixer doesn't do anything but when I use WASAPI/ASIO with my uDAC-2 (and WASAPI with my sound card) it still works...I thought it was supposed to bypass it completely?


Edited by Squa7ch - 5/31/11 at 9:02pm
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post #11 of 12
6/1/11 at 3:09pm

Vitor, WASAPI offers an exlusive mode and also bypasses any software mixing, format conversions or software volume controls like the volume sliders for each application in the Windows Mixer.

 

Whether the sound device's volume control works depends on your sound hardware (and drivers). If it supports a 'hardware' volume control then the you can control it through the master control in the Windows Mixer. Since this volume control is a capability of your sound device it works regardless of the audio API you chose (DS, KS, WASPI, ASIO ...).

 

Short answer: Simply set the master volume to 100%.


Edited by xnor - 6/1/11 at 3:16pm
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post #12 of 12
6/1/11 at 3:48pm

 

http://thewelltemperedcomputer.com/index.html

 

WASAPI

WASAPI is Microsoft’s own ASIO, it talks straight to the soundcard if set to exclusive mode.

As it is exclusive mode, no other application can use the sound card.
No more system sounds at full blast over the stereo!

 

As WASAPI in exclusive mode talks straight to the driver of the audio device, the stream send to this device must match the capabilities of this device in terms of bit depth, sample rate, number of channels and audio format (PCM most of the time) otherwise it is silence.

The program using WASAPI can do this by configuring the audio device to match the source.
In this case we have bit perfect playback.
This allows for automatic sample rate switching as well.

 

The developer can also choose to adept the source to the capabilities of the audio device. 
If the source is mono and the audio device 2 channel, the developer might decide to send the same signal to both channels.
If the sample rate of the source is not supported by the hardware e.g. 192 kHz source with a 96 kHz audio device, the program using WASAPI has to do the SRC (Sample Rate Conversion).
Check if the SRC implemented by this program is an improvement compared with the SRC provided by Windows because writing a good SRC is not trivial.

 

Obvious using WASAPI in exclusive mode doesn’t guarantee bit perfect playback.
It is up to the developer of the media player using WASAPI to see to it that the playback is bit perfect.
Bit perfect playback is impossible by design if de properties of the audio file e.g. sample rate are not supported by the hardware.

More...

 

In my perception WASAPI delivers slight improvement in sound quality. Just a little more transparency.

The downside is that is can be a hassle to get it configured right.

If you don’t hear a difference you probably better stick to DS (Windows default) for a trouble free performance.

 

 

 
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