[viperman69]

Hi Everyone, 
 
I am new to this forum. I am looking for an answer to a question I have. I was wondering if you can hook up 2 usb sound cards to a PC and have an audio program see both of them to be able to output a separate set of channels to one sound card and another set of channels to another sound card ? 
 
I have searched and searched and found nothing, perhaps I am searching the wrong thing ? 
 
Any help with this would be great. 
 
Thanks, 
Randy

 

[billybob_jcv]

No, not in Windows. Windows forces you to select a single playback device. What are you really trying to do?

 

[viperman69]

Output about 14 channels of audio.

 

[billybob_jcv]

OK, but why? Is this some sort of industrial application? You have software running of the PC that is going to create 14 separate channels of audio? Something like this might be done in a theater, but they would be using specialized HW that is processing the encoded multichannel digital stream, like this: http://qsc.com/products/Digital_Signal_Processors/DCP_Series/DCP_300/

 

[viperman69]

Not industrial. Just want to be able to take 2 5.1 or 7.1 external sound cards and hook them up to a PC and have a program like audacity read them. 

 

[viperman69]

Maybe that is not possible. 
 
I will probably just have to go with something like the PreSonus FP10. 

 

[billybob_jcv]

Good luck!

I think the Presonus will be seen by windows as a single playback device. Whether that actually allows you to output 14 separate channels from Audacity, I don't know. I'm concerned there might be a difference between Audacity *tracks* that are the input to a mix, and output *channels* on the Presonus. I've never done that sort of stuff.

The guys over at https://www.gearslutz.com/ would probably be your best bet for more info.