Can you make front speaker port into a seperate 'device' [Archive] - Team17 Forum

PDA

View Full Version : Can you make front speaker port into a seperate 'device'

[UFP]Ghost
15 Apr 2010, 01:58
Hey guys question time again :D.
Basically what I wish to do is be able to play games and choose where team-talk goes vs where the game and music go. In my new pc I'm using the onboard intel (the one of the x58 mobo) and I was wondering if anyone here knows of any particular way to 'fool' the computer into the thinking the front vs. back ports are two different devices? Or another way of accomplishing the same goal?
Thanks,
BoggyP

M3ntal
15 Apr 2010, 04:02
Maybe you could find software that exploits the surround channels of your sound chipset. I know of virtual DJ apps that achieve the same functionality; you plug headphones into the rear channels and speakers into the front channels and it sends the monitor track to the headphones and the live mix to the speakers.
I don't know a way of making Windows treat 1 audio device as 2 though.

bonz
15 Apr 2010, 21:40
Easiest way would be to buy a cheap USB stereo audio device (http://www.amazon.com/USB-Audio-Adapter-Microphone-Jack/dp/B000BUDHNQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1271363534&sr=8-2) and use that for the team-talk.
I once bought one of those to use on an old laptop with broken stereo jacks and it works perfectly as a plug-and-play device.
There are also USB headsets, which basically do exactly the same job, but with this solution, you can re-use your old 3.5mm stereo jack headset, so don't mind that.
Another possible yet more expensive solution would be to buy a sound card, especially if you plan to get something better than your onboard one anyway.
Then you could use the onboard one for team-talk and the new card for the speaker system.

[UFP]Ghost
16 Apr 2010, 01:01
Maybe you could find software that exploits the surround channels of your sound chipset. I know of virtual DJ apps that achieve the same functionality; you plug headphones into the rear channels and speakers into the front channels and it sends the monitor track to the headphones and the live mix to the speakers.
I don't know a way of making Windows treat 1 audio device as 2 though.
I thought about that but I'm not sure if I can use that as an all game solution since I don't know what channels something will use? maybe I can regulate that.
Easiest way would be to buy a cheap USB stereo audio device (http://www.amazon.com/USB-Audio-Adapter-Microphone-Jack/dp/B000BUDHNQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1271363534&sr=8-2) and use that for the team-talk.
I once bought one of those to use on an old laptop with broken stereo jacks and it works perfectly as a plug-and-play device.
There are also USB headsets, which basically do exactly the same job, but with this solution, you can re-use your old 3.5mm stereo jack headset, so don't mind that.
Another possible yet more expensive solution would be to buy a sound card, especially if you plan to get something better than your onboard one anyway.
Then you could use the onboard one for team-talk and the new card for the speaker system.
Ingenious. When were these created?

SupSuper
16 Apr 2010, 10:07
Some sound cards / onboard do treat front and back ports as different devices (assuming you mean front / back ports on the tower, and not front / back speakers). If you're on Vista / 7 you might see separate Speakers and Headphones outputs (usually Speakers are back and Headphones are front) and can use that. I don't think it'll work on XP though.
Easiest way would be to buy a cheap USB stereo audio device (http://www.amazon.com/USB-Audio-Adapter-Microphone-Jack/dp/B000BUDHNQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1271363534&sr=8-2) and use that for the team-talk.
I once bought one of those to use on an old laptop with broken stereo jacks and it works perfectly as a plug-and-play device.
There are also USB headsets, which basically do exactly the same job, but with this solution, you can re-use your old 3.5mm stereo jack headset, so don't mind that.
Another possible yet more expensive solution would be to buy a sound card, especially if you plan to get something better than your onboard one anyway.
Then you could use the onboard one for team-talk and the new card for the speaker system.This all depends on the software you're using though, since most programs don't let you pick the output device or simply use every available one.
You also can't split game / team-talk if it all comes from the same program.

[UFP]Ghost
16 Apr 2010, 19:08
Some sound cards / onboard do treat front and back ports as different devices (assuming you mean front / back ports on the tower, and not front / back speakers). If you're on Vista / 7 you might see separate Speakers and Headphones outputs (usually Speakers are back and Headphones are front) and can use that. I don't think it'll work on XP though.
How would I do that I have a front speaker/mic and a back speaker/mic on my tower.

SupSuper
18 Apr 2010, 14:04
Check if you have something like this and mess around with it:
http://www.sevenforums.com/attachments/sound-audio/40947d1260217342-realtek-hd-problem-headphones-work-speakers-headphones-connected.png

[UFP]Ghost
18 Apr 2010, 16:50
Same screen but headphones aren't separate.
Interesting. The front and back mic's are separate devices.....hmm
As shown....
http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/8928/audiov.png
Apparently the card supports it: "multi-streaming" but I found no way of enabling it......:( the old manager had a full on mixer which I haven't been able to locate int he new ones. It had the option to enable it in there.

bonz
18 Apr 2010, 21:22
This all depends on the software you're using though, since most programs don't let you pick the output device or simply use every available one.
You also can't split game / team-talk if it all comes from the same program.
Of course.
I was somehow assuming that by "team-talk" he meant external voice communication programs like Teamspeak or Ventrilo.
Those definitely let you choose on which device you want to have put the headphones and microphone.
Most games however mix everything into the same device, so splitting different sound sources to different channels won't help at all.

[UFP]Ghost
18 Apr 2010, 21:54
Of course.
I was somehow assuming that by "team-talk" he meant external voice communication programs like Teamspeak or Ventrilo.
Those definitely let you choose on which device you want to have put the headphones and microphone.
Most games however mix everything into the same device, so splitting different sound sources to different channels won't help at all.
I will be using external programs. But the problem is with the picture I just posted. While I *know* the card supports multiple streaming. I can't find it.....I'm going to try your way for now bonz. I'll try it now but I'm so annoyed at this pc.....the older drivers for other os's had a full on mixer. This new one has almost no options to change anything and it's for the same card.

vBulletin® v3.8.6, Copyright ©2000-2013, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.