sound to light not working with sony vaio widows 8.1 Topic is solved

[jan1kow]

Discovered STEREO MIX REALTEK high definition audio drivers are not available in the sound/recording properties of windows 8.1 except for microphone. Have made the setting to show disabled devices etc. in sound/recording panel etc but there is nothing there. With the sound 2 light plugin open the audio source should have 3 options but there is one missing which is STEREO MIX REALTEK high definition audio, so no sound is being picked up to trigger the lighting. Have installed the latest realtek drivers but they also do not support windows 8.1 and makes no difference to the sound card drivers. Have also tried a virtual sound card tool but this also is not working.
http://www.virtualaudiostreaming.net/
This makes the Digiplay plug in useless under windows 8.1 because of the realtek dirvers not supporting windows 8.1.
Any suggestions
jon

[remco_k]

jan1kow e-mailed me about the same question, here's my anser to that e-mail:

I'm afraid I havent got a really good answer.
Missing Stereo-mix recording is indeed a problem in Windows 8, and was sometimes also in Windows 7.
Various things -might- work:

- For some audio drivers, the stereo-mix option only comes available when there is an audio cable connected to the line-out or headphones output.
- Even more rarely, but I've seen them: For some audio drivers, the stereo-mix option only comes available when there is an audio cable connected to the line-in of mic-in(!) input.
- As a last resort you could buy an USB audio device and use that, assuming that will show you an stereo-mix option. (if it doesn't then use the USB audio device as a recording device, connect your onboard laption audio line-out to the USB audio device line-in and then you don't need a stereo-mix option, but you need the line-in option then.

This might help too:
If the "Stereo Mix" type device did not show up in the "Sound" window when right-clicking and selecting Show Disabled Devices, it may indicate that you have Integrated Sound, and recording streaming, etc. is not supported. In that case (on a Desktop PC), installing a sound card into an available slot should solve the problem.
Sometimes downloading and installing your sound card manufacturer's latest drivers can add additional sources like What-U-Hear, Stereo Mix, etc.
Stereo Mix is available if the other devices (Microphone, Rear input) are enabled and set as default devices.
In order to enable and make the Stereo Mix available, you would have to right click on Stereo Mix and select ‘Set as Default Device’.
(quote from: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/wind ... 3eb6c1c93a)

Some usefull links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inD5b5R8qes
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/wind ... 3eb6c1c93a

If you find a solution, please let me know as I'm thinking to put a little faq about this on my website.

[remco_k]

Later on I received an e-mail from jan1kow:

Your freestyler plug in does not work with windows 8.1 as the Realtek drivers do not support STEREO MIX recording.

This was my anser:

I would like to point out that the absence of a stereo-mix option, is not the fault of Sound 2 Light. Its because of Windows 8.1 or the Realtek hardware/driver. e-Mail them.

Yesterday I e-mailed you several options, one of which should help you out if it really needs to. (that might be the one were you need to buy a new USB audio device).

Not all FreeStyler users use, or need, the Stereo-mix option, because they use their computer solely for light control, not for audio playout. They use the line-in of their audio device, and let Sound 2 Light respond to that.

[jan1kow]

Remco,
Thank you for your reply.
I appreciate the problem is caused because of Windows 8.1 or the Realtek hardware/driver and not caused by the Sound 2 Light freestyler plug in.
I would like to clarify/mention that I use sound 2 light plug in conjunction with manual midi controllers override and need to have the audio through stereo mix to do this. I have also selected the option to show disabled devices etc. From searching the www it appears that the Realtek Stereo Mix drivers are intentionally missing to prevent copyright as users are recording radio and TV on their computers through the Stereo Mix on their sound cards. Therefor it is unlikely Microsoft/Realtec would make an update to the drivers to reinstall stereo mix. I also removed windows 8.1 digital driver signature settings which allowed me to install an older sound card driver (AC97 audio driver) with Stereo Mix "line in" function. However after successful instalation the older version audio driver device stated that it was not working successfully and also displayed an error code. Because of this problem I was hoping you would be able to come up with an alternative way to allow the Sound 2 Light to pick up the sound directly from an new audio source or sound card working in windows 8.1. Unfortunately for some reason the microphone option does not trigger my scanner lights even although the volume level meters on Sound 2 Light are showing good VA and gain levels? The scanner lights pan and tilt etc. very slightly compared to stereo mix.
I will try the external USB audio sound card option with a line input and let you know how this works.
Thank you for your help.
Jan

[remco_k]

Using a built in microphone as source can work, but might be working pretty worse, because of bad frequency characteristics of such built in mics.

Another option you can try is using a virtual sound card:
http://www.virtualaudiostreaming.net/
This application creates a virtual audio device in Windows. How it should work:
You can play you audio to that virtual device. Using its config you can 'forward' that audio to your realtek audio output.
Now you can start Sound 2 Light, and configure the virtual audio device as input device, which should then be the 'stereo-mix' replacement.

I didn't have time to test this setup, I you do, please let me know how it works out for you.
If it doesn't work, there are more virtual audio device drivers, such as VAC: http://software.muzychenko.net/eng/vac.htm

[jan1kow]

Remco
Thanks for explaining why the internal microphone source was working sluggishly/very poorly.
I already tried several virtual sound cards etc. (virtual audio cable and virtual audio streaming) without success? Howeve I received my USB external sound card with a line input which I will try tonight and let you know if this solves the problem. Really appreciate your help on this as there is virtually nobody out there knows much about this stuff.
My Chauvet intimidator LED100 scanners have their own built in sound to light but I need DMX to do the following task for my show which is simple in theory. viz....
I want to have my scanners working on sound to light with option of same scanners in strobe mode for approx. 10 second durations occasionally as and when needed or appropriate to the music. Then simply finishing at end of song with white circle spotlights pointing stationery into middle of dance floor.
I was making the manual dmx override of your Sound 2 Light plug in through freestyler by means of midi controllers from my piano keyboard which manually activated strobe and white spotlights also with appropriate pan/tilt configuration shining in middle of dance floor after music ended all from same led 100 scanners.
(I was able to do this with windows 7 but not now on my new sony vaio laptop with pre-installed in 8.1)
jon
uk

[jan1kow]

Remco
just tested plug in external USB audio device with "line in" option the device as a STEREO MIX USB MULTI CHANNEL AUDIO DEVICE and is working properly but the device is showing as "currently unavailable" under the sound/recording properties.
Please also note that my new external USB "Stereo mix" device IS showing along with default wave device in your sound 2 light audio sources configeration options. But the levels are constantly showing in the S2L volume metres even when no music is playing. I suspect this is due to feedback and various background internal laptop noises etc. Is there a possibility of creating another path for S2L to recieve sound to work around this?
jon

[jan1kow]

Remco
Went back to shop (again) where I bought this new sony vaio laptop with windows 8.1.
It turns out on another laptop by manufacturers HP also using preinstalled windows 8.1 have the stereo mix in the sound card recording options and they are enabled.
My first suspect blaming windows 8.1 was incorrect as it is sony hardware causing the fault of lack of recording stereo mix even although there is nothing about this on sony support web page. .
Shop is allowing me to replace laptop tomorrow to a HP which has the STEROE MIX enabled.
I should them be able to use S2L as with my previous windows 7 laptop.

jon

[jan1kow]

After lots of investigation I tried a powered 4 way usb hub and it looks like it has solved the problem.
I also used power opion of HIGH PERFORMANCE MODE and it seems to be a bit more stable but still cutting out but less ofen.
So why it was loosing connecivity is strange?
I decided to try a powered usb hub and this seems to have solved the problem.
So why is my new laptop providing less usb power than my old laptop?
It migh just be how things are. Maybe all laptops vary slightly in usb power
A technician told me that usb ports provides UP TO 500mA and widows would keep disconnecting the usb port if the DMX interface was needing more power than allowed from the motherboard/usb ports.
I am using a uDMX cheap chinese interface. It works good but it may or may not be possible it needs a fraction more power than other interfaces. Other USB to DMX interface could also have same power demand problem for HP ENVY 4 usb port laptops??

[jan1kow]

It apears the usb /dmx interface is being affected in some laptops and not others. So when I bought a new laptop and was experiencing problems I blamed windows 8.1/new laptop as old laptop window 7 never caused same problem. I had alredy disabled "usb selective suspend",
A powewed usb hub solved the problem but the support post below explains a possible solution to the usb interface problem loosing conectivity.
I am intending to replace usb interface with a dmxking to avoid extra cables for powered stable usb supply
Thanks
Jan
subject-Enttec Open locking up fix.
viewtopic.php?f=10&t=332