PC for Multichannel Music Playback - What's your Setup?

[Robert van Diggele]

Excellent guys, thanks for the confirmation.

 

[ji eff]

seemingly the biggest flaw in Audacity when working on Surround stuff.. I've never been able to get Audacity to output 5.1 on the fly, while editing or monitoring while recording MultiCh in.. Audacity seems only to be able to output/playback the stems either each one solo'd or the whole lot downmixed to 2-ch.. unless someone here knows otherwise?

One great thing about Audacity with surround, which I've mentioned on QQ before, is you can very easily reassign channels when you export the MultiCh stems.. a feature I've found mega useful for transferring old Quads to digital etc and where the channels were screwed up back in the original 70's disc/tape.

The ASIO4ALL drivers I mentioned in the post right before yours might be your ticket, Fred. I wouldn't bet my life on it, but no problem about my shirt!

Even with Cubase, it is the ONLY way I was able to "see" 8 outputs for the HDMI port. Otherwise it's plain stereo, and if one is using the native drivers (MME, Windows DirectSound or WASAPI) there's bound to be enough strain to really limit to number of tracks that can be played simultaneously without clicks and pops.

 

[skherbeck]

The ASIO4ALL drivers I mentioned in the post right before yours might be your ticket, Fred. I wouldn't bet my life on it, but no problem about my shirt!

Even with Cubase, it is the ONLY way I was able to "see" 8 outputs for the HDMI port. Otherwise it's plain stereo, and if one is using the native drivers (MME, Windows DirectSound or WASAPI) there's bound to be enough strain to really limit to number of tracks that can be played simultaneously without clicks and pops.

So if I install these new drivers, I have to change the selection in Audacity that is currently set to "MME"?

 

[ji eff]

So if I install these new drivers, I have to change the selection in Audacity that is currently set to "MME"?

Yep. And when you work with them, they take over Windows' audio; any other software running won't be able to produce sound. Of course this is only when your Music Editing program is on. They come with their own pop-up window where settings like "buffer" can be altered, but the defaults are all that's needed.

 

[ji eff]

But if you're not sure about trying this out, I could install Audacity here.. it's free right?

 

[skherbeck]

Yep. And when you work with them, they take over Windows' audio; any other software running won't be able to produce sound. They come with their own pop-up window where settings like "buffer" can be altered, but the defaults are all that's needed.

Will it impact my soundcard negatively? Do I have to change any settings in Foobar2000 after I install it? (Foobar currently plays back 5.1 audio files fine)... sorry, but this is a brand new laptop and I'm paranoid!

 

[ji eff]

Will it impact my soundcard negatively? Do I have to change any settings in Foobar2000 after I install it? (Foobar currently plays back 5.1 audio files fine)... sorry, but this is a brand new laptop and I'm paranoid!

They'll only be "on" when Audacity is.


*Since you don't wanna mess up Lappy (I understand very well, believe me!), I'll install Audacity here to see if I'm talking through my hat ^_^ Now, to switch PCs so I don't mess up Desky!

 

[fredblue]

The ASIO4ALL drivers I mentioned in the post right before yours might be your ticket, Fred. I wouldn't bet my life on it, but no problem about my shirt!

Even with Cubase, it is the ONLY way I was able to "see" 8 outputs for the HDMI port. Otherwise it's plain stereo, and if one is using the native drivers (MME, Windows DirectSound or WASAPI) there's bound to be enough strain to really limit to number of tracks that can be played simultaneously without clicks and pops.

You can lose your shirt but keep your head!
Well I'm on Mac.. so I guess I'm stuck with its Core Audio drivers? ..might be the problem/reason for no 5.1-out on the fly with Audacity, I dunno..?
I haven't tried using the MultiCh analogue outs on my MOTU interface with Audacity yet.. that might be a workaround, I'll get around to it (in time) no doubt

 

[edisonbaggins]

I use ASIO4ALL on my PC. I'm using my MB's native 5.1 analog outs. @:
Heaven knows how I got it to work and Lor' help me if it ever goes on the fritz!
But yeah, it's the only solution I came across that let me see 6 outputs in Sonar. Foobar knows whats to do more or less automagically, AFAIK. No issue playing Foobar in 5.1.
I've never tried to monitor Audacity on the fly in 5.1. AFAIK, it isn't possible, but I could be wrong. When I'm tinkering with 5.1 in Audacity, I make my best guesses as to what to do, export to 5.1 and check my work in Foobar.

 

[ji eff]

You can lose your shirt but keep your head!
Well I'm on Mac.. so I guess I'm stuck with its Core Audio drivers? ..might be the problem/reason for no 5.1-out on the fly with Audacity, I dunno..?
I haven't tried using the MultiCh analogue outs on my MOTU interface with Audacity yet.. that might be a workaround, I'll get around to it (in time) no doubt

There's a MAC version as well I believe.

If you have a MOTU with enough outputs, almost no doubt it'd work!

 

[ji eff]

Bo-o-oring... Audacity doesn't seem be recognize other drivers.. And no matter what settings I tried, I couldn't get it to output more than stereo. I'll tinker some more, but I thought I'd report back before

 

[fredblue]

There's a MAC version as well I believe.

If you have a MOTU with enough outputs, almost no doubt it'd work!

I think I tried it with another interface on my old Mac and it didn't work.. but I'm no Einstein when it comes to computers, I just struggle in the face of adversity and in the end it either works or I sling it out of the window and head down the pub, so could be indicative of nothing but my ineptitude!

 

[skherbeck]

When I'm tinkering with 5.1 in Audacity, I make my best guesses as to what to do, export to 5.1 and check my work in Foobar.

This is my method as well... guess I'll stick with it. Thanks everyone for the help!

 

[fredblue]

Bo-o-oring... Audacity doesn't seem be recognize other drivers.. And no matter what settings I tried, I couldn't get it to output more than stereo. I'll tinker some more, but I thought I'd report back before

For a freebie its amazing but I think there's some weird stuff goes on in Audacity sometimes (iirc GOS posted about some of it Audacity's "illogical ways" back when he started digitising his LPs) and there's some real oddities whereby it seems to sum stuff to Mono (I think when you hit Solo on 2 tracks or more it starts to go haywire!?) but I've only been playing around with it more recently with old Quads and Surround stuff, the kinda stuff I used to do on it years ago was quite different (including making backing tracks to sing to.. long story, another life.. we move on, blah) if you or anyone here can come up with a way to get it output 4.0/5.1 in real time I'd be over la lune wit ya! :upthumb

 

[ji eff]

For a freebie its amazing but I think there's some weird stuff goes on in Audacity sometimes (iirc GOS posted about some of it Audacity's "illogical ways" back when he started digitising his LPs) and there's some real oddities whereby it seems to sum stuff to Mono (I think when you hit Solo on 2 tracks or more it starts to go haywire!?) but I've only been playing around with it more recently with old Quads and Surround stuff, the kinda stuff I used to do on it years ago was quite different (including making backing tracks to sing to.. long story, another life.. we move on, blah) if you or anyone here can come up with a way to get it output 4.0/5.1 in real time I'd be over la lune wit ya! :upthumb

* blah was the best part.. still laughing my *** off ^_^

 

[fredblue]

This is my method as well... guess I'll stick with it. Thanks everyone for the help!

Ah, that's the way, uh-huh uh-huh
Hence I got about 4 gazillion different remixes of Station To Station 5.1 I did (all of them varying shades of shit, I've thrown in the towel now, resigned myself you really can't polish a turd.)

 

[edisonbaggins]

Ah, that's the way, uh-huh uh-huh
Hence I got about 4 gazillion different remixes of Station To Station 5.1 I did (all of them varying shades of shit, I've thrown in the towel now, resigned myself you really can't polish a turd.)

Yeah buddy, no fixing STS.
Tusk and The Resistance cleaned up real nice though, IMHO.

 

[0tto]

Works great here! Foobar2000 gives gapless playback. Tested on 2 PCs: Win7 & Win10, Ati Radeon and Nividia GeForce videocards' HDMIs.

my Nividia GeForce downsample audio through HDMI to 48/16
also have M-Audio (not HDMI) but seems it has some issues with Win10

 

[fredblue]

* blah was the best part.. still laughing my *** off ^_^

..I know how Paul Simon feels, I've had it with showbiz too (dah-ling!).. though the poor lamb does have 70 million records, 35 years and 12 grammies on me so perhaps I shouldn't be so jaded, not only did I not get the breaks.. I just kept coming up against the same.. singular.. lack of talent

 

[fredblue]

Yeah buddy, no fixing STS.
Tusk and The Resistance cleaned up real nice though, IMHO.

You sho' did boss! :worthy