USB Headphones and speakers running different app's sounds seperately

[mandolinick2002]

I was wondering if it were possible to split up sound effects from different app's. For example, I want to be able to have sound effects for games running on my headphones while mp3s play on the speakers. The headphones are connected via USB port and the speakers are plugged into the regular sound jack on the back og my PC. I was thinking there was maybe some sort of program I could buy (or even better, freeware) that would make this possible. Or maybe there is a trick that Windows XP lets geeky guys like me do this? Thanks for the help.


Mandolinick2002@yahoo.com

 

[RealBlackStuff]

Buy a separate MP3-player and hook that up to your stereo.

 

[mandolinick2002]

So there isn't any program at all that can do this? I have an Mp3 Minidisc player that I use all the time but I really don't feel like unhooking and rehooking it up all the time. Plus then if i get a new song on my 'puter i have to write it to a minidisc which can be sortof a pain. Anything else I can do?

Thanks,
Mandolinick2002

 

[Masque]

As far as I know, sound cards will only take one concurrent input.....one at a time. So to answer your first question, if you want to run them both through the same sound card on the same computer, I would have to say 'no'.

 

[bajan]

Originally posted by mandolinick2002
I was wondering if it were possible to split up sound effects from different app's. For example, I want to be able to have sound effects for games running on my headphones while mp3s play on the speakers. The headphones are connected via USB port and the speakers are plugged into the regular sound jack on the back og my PC. I was thinking there was maybe some sort of program I could buy (or even better, freeware) that would make this possible. Or maybe there is a trick that Windows XP lets geeky guys like me do this? Thanks for the help.


Mandolinick2002@yahoo.com

Yes you can do that. I have done it before and it works perfectly. Although, instead of using USB Headphones I used a bluetooth headset. All you have to do is go into the program's settings/options and tell it which audio device to use. For example, in Winamp, in the Output area, you choose the codec for playing MP3's and you open the properties for it. There you'll be bale to choose "Wave Mapper" or your sound card. In my case, I was able to choose either one of those as well as "Bluetooth Audio". I left it on my sound card.

In the Dialpad software, on the other hand, I set it to use the Bluetooth Audio which used my Bluetooth headset and that worked perfectly! I would imagine it'd work the same way with USB Headphones.

Give it a try and see.

 

[Masque]

I stand corrected. Thanks for the info bajan.

 

[deadzors]

Theory of virtual soundcards

My theory of how this should be possible.
Most of us know about virtual drives and some other virtual USB devices. With this same idea, i feel it should be possible to emulate soundcards in the same fashion. Which would open up multiple options for sound devices. (ie. 2 apps running with 2 different sound outputs using a different device for each, both emulated/virtual.)

This would all be done thru software, such as the virtual drives. Then the sound output from the apps would be using the virtual soundcards. These virtual soundcards would be mixed together with another application. This mixing app would then use the real audio device to play mixed audio. This may only be possible with a real 5.1 or better soundcard. The mixing software app would direct 1 apps sound thru the front sound jack(Speakers) and the other would direct the 2nd apps sound thru the rear sound jack(Headphones). Using the mixing app to adjust parameters for each application. Either mixing both to the headphones, both the the speakers, or playing 1st app thru the headphones and 2nd app thru the speakers.

Again, in theory, this should be possible but im no hardcode hack master. An application capable of this would serve many purposes. For game sounds from headphones and music from speakers/ or digital mixing with 2 programs of audio software.(ie. Reason,Fruityloops, and any other similar apps).

I'm not sure if such software does exist. If any 1 knows more about this or any relative info, email me at deadzors@gmail.com or post a reply.

TY