SubscribeVista Feature Focus: Volume Mixer
Posted by stuart on September 30th 2006
This is the first in a number of short posts that will highlight some of the new, cool features that are coming up in Windows Vista.
Volume Mixer
The audio stack in Vista has been drastically revamped to improve performance and quality of audio and sounds in Windows. Now I’m not going to go into the technical details about how it was improved so I’ll leave that to Larry Osterman and Steve Ball to explain.
One of the results of the rewritten stack, is that we now have a new volume mixer. The coolest feature of the new volume mixer is that it now allows the volume to be set for individual applications as can be seen in this screenshot.
When you think about it, this is such a crucial feature you wonder why it’s taken so long to be developed. Now I can listen to iTunes without being interrupted by other sounds that pop up like Messenger alerts or other Windows sounds.
Posted by stuart
Filed under Windows Vista
Tagged with audio, featurette, sounds, volume mixer, Windows Vista
12 Comments
[...] More on the volume mixer at beta @ amanzi [...]
good very good
Hello:
I’m a new Vista user with a ‘volume mixer’ problem: I can only see 2 volumes on it, the first 2 of that screenshot I see near the top here. What happened to the rest? Or… how can i get them?
Thanks for your help
XCG
The first two options appear when you have no other apps running. As you open new apps that play sounds, then you should get the additional mixers appear.
Hi, Stuart:
Thanks for your reply. Sorry i didn’t see it any sooner.
I didn’t know that, but you are right. I tried winamp and i can see it also. What i still can’t get, though (and the one i want), is the sound mixer one that appeared with XP and let people play music directly for others (e.g. music rooms) through the computer, with a much better sound quality than by doing it through a microphone. Any ideas on that?
Again, thanks for any help.
Greetings
XCG
PS: Is there a way of knowing when someone replies, without having to check the page? Like for instance, via e-mail?
Ximena,
Have you tried to right click on the Recording Devices window and selecting both “Show Disabled Devices” and “Show Disconnected Devices” to see if your sound mixer shows up?
It may not work, (as with my computer), but it’s worth a try as I have heard of others having success here. How To shown below:
http://applian.com/support-vista.php
also search for :
enable Wave Out recording in Vista
i dont have the volume mixer
Hello, Myboy:
My apologies, I meant “Stereo Mix”, not ’sound mixer’. And yes, I had already tried selecting both options and still couldn’t see either that or Wave Out, but 2 instances for Microphone (?), one for Line In, Digital Input Device and also a CD Audio one, which was disabled.
I did check the URL you suggested and followed it through also. Maybe what I need is another sound card, as the drivers for the one I have, are already up to date.
Thanks so much for your help
Ximena Cantin
is there a way to loop music with sound card to play n yahoo like we did with xp
thank you
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