Output to 2 sound cards Simultaneously

Anonymous
2010-02-08T01:06:27+00:00

I have many reasons why I would want to output to multiple sound cards simultaneously. I know I am not the only one who was this problem based on a couple quick bing searches. 

I would like to be able to output sound to multiple sound cards at the same time instead of having to switch the "default device" in the audio panel all the time I want them ALL to be the default device. I want to use my USB headset and my speakers at the same time. I know windows is capable of this because while one is playing I can "test" the other and they both play sound at the same time

As far as I know there is simply no setting for this. PLEASE HELP!

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Music, photos, and video

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Anonymous
2010-02-08T20:07:19+00:00

Hi,

Unfortunately this cannot be accomplished, as it is by-design,

Here only one device can be marked as default device, for more information follow these below steps.

  1. Click Start, type Sound in the Start Search box.
  2. Click Sound in the search results at the top of the Start menu.
  3. Click the Playback tab. Notice the check mark next to the default device.

As this is a by-design issue, there would be nothing much we can do from our end.

If you want to suggest change in the design here is the link you can refer to:  Microsoft Connect - Product Feedback and Bug Reporting | Microsoft...

https://connect.microsoft.com/dashboard/info/ 

Thanks and Regards:

I. Suuresh Kumar- Microsoft Support.

Visit our Microsoft Answers Feedback Forumand let us know what you think.

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  1. Anonymous
    2010-02-08T18:36:10+00:00

    I have many reasons why I would want to output to multiple sound cards simultaneously. I know I am not the only one who was this problem based on a couple quick bing searches. 

    I would like to be able to output sound to multiple sound cards at the same time instead of having to switch the "default device" in the audio panel all the time I want them ALL to be the default device. I want to use my USB headset and my speakers at the same time. I know windows is capable of this because while one is playing I can "test" the other and they both play sound at the same time

    As far as I know there is simply no setting for this. PLEASE HELP!

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  2. Anonymous
    2010-05-04T20:20:58+00:00

    Sorry to say this, but this reply is pretty useless. The user is asking how to do something that many of us want and your reply is, "it cannot be accomplished, as it is by-design". Well then, let me point you out that if that is the design, then it is way freaking broken and needs fixing. I/O sound dispatching can be implemented at software level. If it has not been done is because nobody has ever wanted to implement it. Perhaps it is time that Microsoft starts fixing out their broken designs and give users what they really want?

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  3. Anonymous
    2010-06-03T20:22:51+00:00

    When skype openes it playes a sound on all sound cards. Why is that possible?

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  4. Anonymous
    2010-10-14T20:14:01+00:00

    Well, maybe Skype just sends its output to *all* the sound cards except to just the default one. A solution to the problem could be if *someone* made an application that installed a "virtual" default sound card device, allowing to redirect the sound that is played on the "virtual" device to other (configurable) devices. In other words, this limitation is not "by design" -- it just hasn't been built by Microsoft.

    Something similar is done by PulseAudio (which, according to their own website, runs under Win32 -- but I have only seen it run on Linux): with it, you create  sinks and sources that can be interconnected in a number of ways; the sinks and sources are things like applications that "produce" sound streams and sound cards that "consume" sound streams. At times, configuring it exactly the way you want is not very simple -- but once you learn how to use it, it works quite well. I can watch a movie together with someone else, me with my USB headphones (= a differend sound card) and she with her analog head phones.

    Want to try it out? Type key words "ubuntu" and "livecd" in a search engine of your preference, and you can download (for free) an entire operating system installation on a single CD/DVD. You can take this for a spin without changing anything on your hard drive. Or, you can take the dive and try to install pulseaudio on Windows.

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