Pureaudio install + problems (1 Viewer)

[dale77]

Hi all,

Perhaps I don't understand the whole ASIO thing very well, but anyway, here's my experience.

My aim, having heard good things from others about ASIO inpact on music listening was to improve my music experience in MP.

So, I installed ASIO4All on my realtek ALC889, MP 1.0.2 based Vista system. My theory was that ASIO4ALL would give MP direct access to the DACs in the ALC889 for best quality analog out...

Then I tried to install the purevideo 0.2.1. My first attempt was using MP config, and the plugins install tab. This failed with a permissions problem trying to access a file. Presumably because I have UAC enabled.

I then used the MP Installer from the MP group, which gets admin rights on startup, this was able to install ok.

First problem in config. I chose output device, and selected ASIO4All v2. The only option it would give me was ATI HDMI. This is real bad, because that gives me stereo to my TV speakers. Eeek! In the ASIO4All config dialog I can see another option, Realtek Digital, and that has an 8 channel output, which is (I think) the one I want. Difficult to choose though, as pureaudio sure does want to keep that HDMI. I managed to get it chosen though, with some tricking of the pureaudio UI, and sure enough it did drive some nice 5.1 channel upmixed stereo out to my speakers. But, surrounds were not playing. And, depending on who got there first in mediaportal (mp sounds or pureaudio) ASIO showed the realtek 8 channel output as "IN USE" and I get no audio at all.

Sigh. Maybe MP ASIO is not for me...

Dale

 

[Jeditrav]

I use ASIO4ALL with the BASS player, works great - no need to install Pureaudio plugin or anything else. (I'm not sure, but it looks to me like ASIO4ALL and Pureaudio are both trying to do the same thing - maybe they're interfering with each other)

 

[zanlation]

I thought that PureAudio and ASIO4ALL was only for 2 channel output (stereo). Make sure you disable all inputs and outputs in ASIO4ALL, except the output you want.

 

[dale77]

I thought that PureAudio and ASIO4ALL was only for 2 channel output (stereo). Make sure you disable all inputs and outputs in ASIO4ALL, except the output you want.

I thought ASIO4ALL was designed to remove the windows sound system from between the player and the hardware, whatever the number of channels. But you are right, playing music will 99% be stereo.

I tried using ASIO4ALL with BASS (hidden in advanced MP config) and this worked after a fashion. I was a bit confused here as with BASS upmix to 5.1 unchecked, I was still getting more than just the stereo channels out of MP. It seemed most like the channels were being replicated through the surrounds - didn't sound so good.

So, for the moment I'm back to good old garden variety BASS with 5.1 upmix checked. This mode can sound great to ordinary depending on the music...

Any suggestions for a stellar config?

 

[el Filou]

[...]and sure enough it did drive some nice 5.1 channel upmixed stereo out to my speakers. But, surrounds were not playing.

I don't understand, how do you know it was outputting 5.1 upmixed stereo if the surrounds were not playing?

And, depending on who got there first in mediaportal (mp sounds or pureaudio) ASIO showed the realtek 8 channel output as "IN USE" and I get no audio at all.

That's normal behaviour, MP UI sounds conflict with ASIO player.
ASIO4ALL expects the sound card to be free as it needs exclusive access to it. If MP UI is still playing a sound when ASIO4ALL tries to access the soundcard it will conflict, as the soundcard is still used by the Windows mixer to play the UI sound.

As far as I'm concerned I prefer good sound through ASIO4ALL and not having UI sounds (I hate them anyway ).

 

[dale77]

I don't understand, how do you know it was outputting 5.1 upmixed stereo if the surrounds were not playing?

4 speakers, L,R center, sub. No surrounds.