Windows 7 Sound Issues

[ketchup_chips]

posted on February 7th, 2011, 4:37 pm

Last edited by ketchup_chips on February 7th, 2011, 4:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.

This problem seems to be exclusive to FO - I already tested with iTunes and Windows Media Center.

In Windows 7, there are separate sound sliders for each audio device on your computer, one for headphones and one for speakers, maybe one for the mic as well. There's also a little slider for each application. Now let's say I start itunes with no headphones plugged in. Itunes' slider will go under Speakers. But as soon as I plug in my headphones, itunes starts to play through my headphones. Now the volume slider for itunes appears under both Headphones and Speakers. Windows media center does things a bit differently. It only appears under the "default" output. If you plug in your headphones then it shows up there, but otherwise it goes under speakers.

What I just described is the normal behavior for other programs on my computer. FOps is different though. It "sticks" under whatever output is the primary one when Fops is launched. So let's say you have no headphones plugged in, you start FOps, and then you decide you want to go on TS, so you plug in your headphones. FOps will continue to play out the speakers. Scenario two... headphones are plugged in while FOps is started. If I unplug my headphones, FOps doesn't show up at all in the mixer anymore. (Before it showed up under Headphones.) So FOps doesn't play out of speakers. If I plug my headphones back in, FOps once again shows up under "Headphones", but now I can't hear it at all, no matter what I do, unless I quit and relaunch FOps.

This can all get a little annoying when I'm already in FOps and decide to go on TS, since I have to restart FO. It seems like the problem is that A2 was not designed for Windows 7. So is this something that can ever be fixed?

I also just tried Doom 3 and it switched between headphones and speakers perfectly. I doubt ID (makers of Doom) have updated the game since the launch of Windows 7, since it still does not support widescreen. 

I am running Windows 7 Ultimate x64.

posted on February 7th, 2011, 4:45 pm

maybe this is a bug from the recent switch to fmod sound engine. I'll test this when i get home. I dont remeber having this issue though, i'm on 7 ult too.

Incidentally my lappy is widescreen too and doom3 works. Low fps of course, doom3 is pushing my hardware lol.

posted on February 7th, 2011, 6:27 pm

Yup, I get the same thing - as far as I understood it, it was a bug with the FMod engine 

posted on February 7th, 2011, 8:39 pm

Yup, I get the same thing - as far as I understood it, it was a bug with the FMod engine 

i cant replicate it.

the reason for this is that my headphones jack doesnt count the headphones as a new audio output device, it just hijacks the speaker hardware. so my speakers and headphones cannot receive sound at the same time i presume. as far as windoze is concerned there is only 1 audio device, which it names "speakers" regardless of whether headphones are plugged in or not. so its not really switching audio devices lol.

you are on vista right? if so then its obviously not a 7 exclusive issue.

posted on February 8th, 2011, 7:19 pm

the reason for this is that my headphones jack doesnt count the headphones as a new audio output device, it just hijacks the speaker hardware.

you are on vista right? if so then its obviously not a 7 exclusive issue.

vista and 7 share many of the same features, so this makes sense.

I am using a macbook which has the mic and headphone in the same jack so you can plug either one in there. Is your comp the same way Dom?

posted on February 8th, 2011, 7:46 pm

Yes, my laptop has the same type of jack . However, I will hear FO playing when it is minimized even when not having my headphones plugged in 

posted on February 8th, 2011, 8:14 pm

so how would u guys get both your headphones and mic plugged in at the same time if they use 1 hole?

my headset (the fatality one) has 1 jack for headphone feature and 1 for microphone.

posted on February 8th, 2011, 8:25 pm

Hm, wait a sec *looks down*.. so does mine  Oh well, memory is going to crap 

posted on February 10th, 2011, 11:12 pm

so how would u guys get both your headphones and mic plugged in at the same time if they use 1 hole?

I just use ipod headphones, my laptop has a webcam and mic built in. It's standard for laptops these days.

Hm so if it's a bug with the sound engine I doubt it's being fixed anytime soon. fmod has an email on their website though... it's support@fmod.org. If the devs don't want to email them maybe I will.

posted on February 10th, 2011, 11:16 pm

my laptop has a built in mic too, thing is they are rubbish for making replays. thats why i use my headset mic for replays.

posted on February 11th, 2011, 4:06 am

I have a similar problem with mine which happens with some other progams, although I'm not sure why. So here's a possible work around. Go into the control panel, Control Panel->Hardware and Sounds->Sound. On the Playback tab select a device which isn't your default playback device and then make it the default. Then, pick the device you want sound on and make it the default. That seems to collect all sound outputs on that device. It's not the fastest method, but see it might work. This might be a little more inconvienent for you since your speakers and headphones are treated as seperate devices (mine are treated as one), so you'll have to set the default back to the "proper" one when you're all done.

posted on February 11th, 2011, 1:33 pm

the next patch will have options to override the system's default audio device for such purposes

posted on February 14th, 2011, 10:50 pm

Thanks, DOCa!  I wasn't having this problem before, but I just bought a USB headset and plugging/unplugging it while flops is running causes me to lose game sound altogether.  My laptop is already a bit confused about sound (it thinks headphones are permanently plugged in and refuses to play off the built-in speakers)

A little fix for this would be great.