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WASAPI and Windows sounds

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DocLotus:
I changed my souid in MC form Default Audio Device [Direct Sound] to Realtek High Definition Audio [WASAPI].

It cured an audio echo problem I was having while changing MCTV channels but now a new problem has cropped up. As soon as MC loads all my other Windows audio dies... no YouTube sound, no C-Net video sound, no Windows dings, dongs etc. My THX software also has no effect under WASAPI but works perfectly under Direct Sound.

I have looked at Windows Sound in the Control Panel but see nothing wrong there.

How do I get Windows sound with WASAPI?

Awesome Donkey:

--- Quote from: DocLotus on August 11, 2015, 10:14:27 pm ---How do I get Windows sound with WASAPI?
--- End quote ---

http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/WASAPI

Uncheck Open device for exclusive access and that should do it. Also, you should read this article in the Wiki about what happens when you disable exclusive access: http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Exclusive_access

You might be best off sticking with DirectSound.

RoderickGI:
Or leave the audio output in MC set to Realtek High Definition Audio [WASAPI] in exclusive mode, and set the JRiver WDM driver as the default audio device in Windows.

That isn't perfect, as shown by many threads on the topic. The WDM driver has a little bit of lag that prevents very short Windows sounds from playing properly, at least on my system, because by the time MC and my receiver have responded to the sound, it is over. I rarely hear Windows dings on my HTPC, and only if there are no other sounds playing. Direct sounds allows Windows to mix sound sources in real time, but also mucks around with your sound all it likes. If you noticed an improvement in sound quality with WASAPI, you may want to try to stay with it, and use the WDM driver.

You will get sound from YouTube, C-NET and other videos, etc., all processed through MC, so you will have all the control available in MC, when you use the WDM Audio Driver.

DocLotus:
Awesome Donkey; thanks, that did the trick.


--- Quote ---Uncheck Open device for exclusive access and that should do it
--- End quote ---

I had unchecked "Open device for exclusive access" last night but it did not allow Windows sounds to be heard. This morning it does work correctly; don't know what has changed (I was a little tired last night so I might have messed up somewhere).

The links were great, I had already read the one on WASAPI but not the one on Exclusive Access. That answered a lot of questions I had about WASAPI in general.


--- Quote ---You might be best off sticking with DirectSound.
--- End quote ---

Can't go back; the reason for going to WASAPI is to resolve the massive audio echoing & stuttering I have been having over many years with MCTV channel changing. For some reason WASAPI fixes that problem for me. It seems that DirectSound does not mute the sound when doing a MCTV channel change while WASAPI does mute the sound which completely eliminates the echoing & stuttering.

 

DocLotus:

--- Quote ---When Exclusive Access is enabled, then:
When you start playback, Media Center sends an exclusive-mode stream. If another audio device is currently using the audio hardware, the request for exclusive access is rejected, and playback fails.
--- End quote ---

Not so in MC21.  My experience is as soon as MC21 (with WASAPI) is loaded it kills all other audio even if MC21 is not playing any music. MC21 (with WASAPI) totally dominates & overrides all other sound sources.



--- Quote ---While playback is active (including while paused) in Media Center, no other application on the system can use the specified audio device. Applications that attempt to play sound (such as system sounds or a web browser) will typically be automatically assigned to an alternate (perhaps disconnected) audio output on the computer, or playback will fail entirely.
--- End quote ---

That is true.


--- Quote ---As soon as playback is stopped in Media Center, the audio device again becomes available to the system for use by other applications.
--- End quote ---

False; I wish that was so but it is not in MC21.  My experience is as soon as MC21 (with WASAPI) is loaded it kills all other audio even if MC21 is not playing any music. MC21 (with WASAPI) totally dominates & overrides all other sound sources.

The WIKI for WASAPI needs updating.

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