confused about mixer devices

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jack
  • Start date Start date
J

Jack

Windows mixer offers 2 adjust volumes for the microphone:
one in Playback
and one in Recording

These are two separated settings. I understand a microphone being used in
Recording but what is that microphone shown in Playback used for?
There are more duplicate entries for both options like: Line IN or CD Player
which does not make sense to me.

Jack
 
As to playback, the MIC is probably designed for headsets where you
can use voice control for certain applications. Not recording per say but
just as a input control device.

The mixer is a dual-function applet, so the user can control what is
selected (used) and the volume for both playback and recording.
 
R. McCarty said:
As to playback, the MIC is probably designed for headsets where you
can use voice control for certain applications. Not recording per say but
just as a input control device.
Click to expand...
=============================/


Man, and all this time I've been sticking my mic in my ear hoping I'd hear
the secrets of Windows... :)
 
Windows mixer offers 2 adjust volumes for the microphone:
one in Playback
and one in Recording

These are two separated settings. I understand a microphone being used in
Recording but what is that microphone shown in Playback used for?
There are more duplicate entries for both options like: Line IN or CD Player
which does not make sense to me.

Jack
Click to expand...

I'm not sure that the names are correct <g>

I have a mixer (Santa Cruz driver) which has a Master Output having
master line inputs of Wave, Synthesiser, Aux, CD Player, Line In,
Microhone and Telephone.

These inputs are mixed by controls and produce a Stereo Mix.

There is also a Recording Control Mixer having line inputs of Aux, CD
Player, Line In, Microphone, Telephone, and Stero Mix. These inputs
are selectable, not concurrent.

Hence one can mix the microphone etc into a Stereo Mix and input that
to the Recording Control. Or one can input the Microphone (or any
other single input) directly into the Recording Control without any
mixing of other inputs.

You really need to have an app which enumerates all mixers and inputs
to see the possibilities. I have "one I built earlier" and I'll send
you a copy if you email me.

Alan Lloyd
 
So knowing that I have a follow up question.
How to mute MIC used for recording?
The only mute MIC option is shown in Playback and when I mute it I am still
able to do recording using that MIC.
Jack
 
in the recording setup you can only select a line to record from as the
default input. there is no mute, only a volume setting. the recording line
that is selected is normally what is captured by wave input devices, voice
recognition stuff and other software that uses the wavein api.

in the playback settings there is a mute for each input line. if the input
line is not muted it is passed through to the output mixer. with this you
can talk in the mic and have it come out the speakers, even if you have not
selected it for recording. use this for voiceovers or other mixing duties.

to really confuse things some sound card drivers supply a record device that
is the mixer output. this lets you mix inputs using the playback controls
and record the result of the mix.
 
So knowing that I have a follow up question.
How to mute MIC used for recording?
The only mute MIC option is shown in Playback and when I mute it I am still
able to do recording using that MIC.
Jack
Click to expand...

Since there is no recording mute, you can set the Mic recording
volume to 0 (saving the original value if you want to emulate an
unmute popping back to the original settings). Alternatively,
with certain precautions, you might be able to just change
the input selector to an unused line whose volume you can
keep at minimum, at least while your app runs.

Best regards,




Bob Masta

D A Q A R T A
Data AcQuisition And Real-Time Analysis
www.daqarta.com
Scope, Spectrum, Spectrogram, Signal Generator
Science with your sound card!
 
Since there is no recording mute, you can set the Mic recording
volume to 0 (saving the original value if you want to emulate an
unmute popping back to the original settings). Alternatively,
with certain precautions, you might be able to just change
the input selector to an unused line whose volume you can
keep at minimum, at least while your app runs.
Click to expand...

In Vista there is no input Mux. Each input is shown as it's own device and
can be used individually. Well, in theory an input device can have a mux,
but this is no longer the standard practice.
 
Back
Top