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[tomha]

Im using MC19 to play audio via my USB DAC(Auralic Vega). I tried ASIO and WASAPI for playback. While Audio playback audiopath shows "direct connection" to the Audio ddevice. Volume Leveling and adaptive volume are activated.
But with both drivers(ASIO and Wasapi) the Windows 8.1 mster volume slider is functional and system sounds are heard while plaing back Audio files in MC19. There seems to be a mixing instance instead of direct output to my DAC, even audiopath states direct Output.

Any hints, how to avoid mixing system sounds to the audio Signal?
Thanks in advance
tomha

[6233638]

I have found that if the output sample rate for the device in the Sound Control Panel is set the same as the ASIO output sample rate (e.g. both are 44.1kHz) then system audio can get mixed into the ASIO playback. I don't know if it happens with all hardware, or just some, but it also happens with my DAC. (Benchmark DAC2 HGC)
WASAPI should be exclusive if you have that option enabled in Media Center (it is by default) though using an exclusive output may not disable the system volume control depending on the driver your hardware uses. Media Center has an option to set it to 100% when playback starts though.
 
One solution for ASIO is to set the system output's sample rate to the least common sample rate in your library (e.g. 88.2kHz) so that it does not match up to your music.
Another option, which I use, is to send the system audio to a separate device.
 
I have my system audio going out to my display via HDMI (it has built in speakers) and then back from the display into my DAC via an optical connection.
This way I can still hear system audio through the DAC, but it's on a separate input from USB. (ASIO)
This has the benefit of preventing conflicts when an application has exclusive control over the DAC. I found that I was unable to launch a number of games when the DAC was the default audio device and another application had exclusive control, for example.
It also has the benefit of being synced to the display. With video playback in Media Center you can set a delay to sync up the audio and video, but that's no use for system audio. When it's passed through the display like this, it gets corrected automatically.
It also gives me the option of turning up the volume on the display's speakers to hear system audio, rather than having to change the output device.

[mwillems]

Im using MC19 to play audio via my USB DAC(Auralic Vega). I tried ASIO and WASAPI for playback. While Audio playback audiopath shows "direct connection" to the Audio ddevice. Volume Leveling and adaptive volume are activated.
But with both drivers(ASIO and Wasapi) the Windows 8.1 mster volume slider is functional and system sounds are heard while plaing back Audio files in MC19. There seems to be a mixing instance instead of direct output to my DAC, even audiopath states direct Output.

Any hints, how to avoid mixing system sounds to the audio Signal?
Thanks in advance
tomha

6233638's advice is good, and will probably fix your problem.  Another easy fix (that may not work for everyone):

If you don't want to hear system sounds at all, set your windows default audio device to something other than your Auralic (something not connected to anything like the motherboard sound card).  You'll never have any mixing problems then, and if you affirmatively want sound from outside of MC, you can use loopback to bring it in selectively (i.e. only when you want it).  

[tomha]

Thanks for your replies.
I already tried setting the default output device to a not connected one but everytime i started playback it was the dac again. Then i discovered that when connecting the DAC first time, Windows recognized it as Audio Output device and installed Microsoft Audio drivers. The MS Drivers seem to use WASAPI but seem to not bypass the "Windows mixer". Another thing i recognized was,  the MS Drivers  interacting with the drivers from Auralic. The auralic drivers present two Output devices(KS and ASIO). But with both of them System Volume Control was enabled and System sounds were audible. After deactivation of the WASAPI Device, i selected the Auralic ASIO Driver and the volume was locked and system sounds were not audible any more.

Now the Audio Output seems ok.

Another thing i recognized while testing maybe a bug with downmixing 5.1 BluRay audio to 2 channels. Sometimes when playing BluRay Discs the actors voices are at a very low volume Level, nearly inaudible, while the background sound is very loud. I canīt reproduce this behaviour for sure, so i will do further testing and eventually open another thread.

Thanks again, regards tomha