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Windows 8 and multiple sound outputs?
The Wolfman
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I've got a pretty esoteric/frankenstein setup going with my sound outputs, and I'm wondering if there's a simple way for everything to play nice with one another. This is the setup:
-A pair of old PC speakers with a subwoofer, hooked into the motherboards on-board sound.
-Headphones, connected to a positively ancient Sound Blaster Audigy. The only reason this exists is because listening to music with them sounding like total shit with the on-board's total lack of bass/treble.
-A recent addition, a 15 foot HDMI cable going from the on-board video/audio to a 50'' TV on the other end of the room.
What I like to do is use the PC speakers for games and stuff, and use the headphones for music, or for when it's late and I don't want to disturb anybody. This was accomplished by having the PC speakers connected to the front audio hookups. If I want the headphones, I unplug them, if I want the speakers, I pop them in. It works well enough.
I bought the HDMI cable for a buck as an experiment. Output video files, use Steam Big Picture, and other random stuff like that where it'd be nice to be on a big screen rather than a computer monitor. And the cable was a buck, so I figured I got nothing to lose by trying. If I want to output the sound to the TV, I've gotta open the Sounds window and set the TV to be the default device.
So my ultimate question is, can Windows be set up to just output all sound to everything? The perfect best case scenario would be to have sound from the PC speakers. If I want the headphones, I just put them on and turn off the speakers. And if I want the TV, I just turn it on and switch to the input. As is, I've gotta set the default device every time, and the only reason it does that automatically for the speakers/headphones right now is by virtue of me physically unplugging the speakers.
I don't mind having to go in and change the default device. It's not a bother or anything. But y'know, laziness and all, it would be super keen if the system could just do it automatically. Or am I just asking for too much? Is any of this possible?
-A pair of old PC speakers with a subwoofer, hooked into the motherboards on-board sound.
-Headphones, connected to a positively ancient Sound Blaster Audigy. The only reason this exists is because listening to music with them sounding like total shit with the on-board's total lack of bass/treble.
-A recent addition, a 15 foot HDMI cable going from the on-board video/audio to a 50'' TV on the other end of the room.
What I like to do is use the PC speakers for games and stuff, and use the headphones for music, or for when it's late and I don't want to disturb anybody. This was accomplished by having the PC speakers connected to the front audio hookups. If I want the headphones, I unplug them, if I want the speakers, I pop them in. It works well enough.
I bought the HDMI cable for a buck as an experiment. Output video files, use Steam Big Picture, and other random stuff like that where it'd be nice to be on a big screen rather than a computer monitor. And the cable was a buck, so I figured I got nothing to lose by trying. If I want to output the sound to the TV, I've gotta open the Sounds window and set the TV to be the default device.
So my ultimate question is, can Windows be set up to just output all sound to everything? The perfect best case scenario would be to have sound from the PC speakers. If I want the headphones, I just put them on and turn off the speakers. And if I want the TV, I just turn it on and switch to the input. As is, I've gotta set the default device every time, and the only reason it does that automatically for the speakers/headphones right now is by virtue of me physically unplugging the speakers.
I don't mind having to go in and change the default device. It's not a bother or anything. But y'know, laziness and all, it would be super keen if the system could just do it automatically. Or am I just asking for too much? Is any of this possible?
"The sausage of Green Earth explodes with flavor like the cannon of culinary delight."
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Here's whatever blog post I could find with the least google effort explaining how to set it up
http://www.raymond.cc/blog/virtual-audio-cable-enables-multiple-audio-outputs-in-windows-7/
I'll look into it more, but it sounds like I can't have the general looseness and freedom I'm looking for. Oh well, changing the default device isn't a big hassle, and probably the best I'm going to get. It's the digital equivalent of plugging in a headphone jack.
Thanks!