A complete description of the parameters, as well as instructions for setting up built-in Realtek sound cards. Setting up playback, recording, 3D sound. Windows Vista/7/8
2012-02-17T18:19
2012-02-17T18:19
Audiophile's Software
Copyright 2017, Taras Kovrijenko
Full or partial copying of the text is allowed only with the written permission of the author.
Prologue
This time I will touch on a topic that is relevant, so to speak, for beginner enthusiasts - that is, for those who have not yet acquired a discrete sound card and wants to get the most out of the integrated one.
1. Educational program
To start - brief educational program. Who doesn’t know or doesn’t fully understand what it is hardware audio codec, carefully read the relevant Wikipedia pages:
Have you read it? Great! And now it would be very nice if you read my two articles:
Well, now we can start.
2. What we have
So, I have at my disposal the Windows 7 SP1 Ultimate x64 OS (the setting described in the article is suitable for all operating systems starting with Vista), the ALC887 codec built into the motherboard (ASUS P7H55-V) (there is a datasheet), an external amplifier connected to the rear connectors and microphone (green and pink sockets, respectively). Please note that we will configure the card for withdrawal stereo sound by analog interface.
3. Software installation
First of all, you need to install the drivers. Of course, most likely the Windows OS itself has already found and installed the drivers for the sound device, however, to gain access to all the functionality, as well as for peace of mind, we will install the driver package directly from Realtek, latest version which you can download on the corresponding page of my website. By the way, the settings specified here were tested on driver version R2.67.
Download the drivers and perform a simple installation procedure (by running HD_Audio/Setup.exe), reboot the computer.
After loading the OS, a brown speaker icon should appear in the system tray:
4. Driver setup
First of all, let's go to Windows Control Panel->Hardware and Sound->Sound and, making sure that our headphones or speakers are connected to the green socket of the sound card, we disconnect all unnecessary devices, and make our connected device the default device:
At the same time, let's do the same with recording devices:
Now double-click on the tray icon. If there is no icon, look for it in hidden icons, if not there, go to Control Panel->Hardware and Sound->. One way or another, the dispatcher window should open:
Here we immediately set the speaker configuration (stereo), set our analog device as the default device (after which the corresponding button will go out), turn off surround sound if, God forbid, it’s turned on.
Using the button in the form of a yellow folder, you can configure to disable detection of front panel connectors:
Also note that the connected connectors are displayed in bright color - in our case, speakers are connected to the green output, and a microphone is connected to the pink input. There is one very important detail here: by double-clicking on the connector icon, you will see a window with a choice of the type of connected device. This is important because if you choose "headphones", then the codec will use a special additional amplifier (otherwise the sound in the headphones will be too quiet), but for connected active speakers or external amplifiers you should select "Front Speaker Output". Here you can enable the automatic pop-up of this window when you connect a device to any of the card connectors:
Using the “i” button, you can open a window with information about the driver version, DirectX, audio controller and codec version, and you can also turn on/off the display of the icon in the system tray:
Now let's turn off the effects:
The “Room Corrections” settings for the stereo configuration are not available, which is strange - in the same console from THX (which is included, for example, in the Creative X-Fi driver package) you can adjust the distance and angle of direction of the speakers relative to your location, which It can be very useful when you are not sitting directly in front of the speakers, or they are located asymmetrically relative to you. Well, okay, let it be on the conscience of the developers.
The last tab duplicates the control panel settings (however, most of the settings from the Manager are also in the control panel):
Here you can set the parameters of the system mixer - with what sampling frequency and depth Windows bit will mix all played sounds. Let's set it to 24 bit, 96 kHz. I’ll tell you why later.
Since I am constantly bombarded with questions about how to set up a microphone (which, in my opinion, should cause a minimum of confusion), I will still focus on setting up recording devices. Their settings, by the way, as well as playback devices, are located on separate tabs at the top of the window. Let's start with the stereo mixer:
Everything here is elementary. This device records everything you hear through the speakers, that is, the finished audio stream that Windows transmits to the sound card. It is reduced to the specified form (since the mixer operates with a sampling frequency of 96 kHz, then we will set the same here).
But our main recording device is, of course, the microphone:
So, set the recording volume to maximum and turn off the microphone gain (then, if necessary, you can turn it on). Also, very often people complain that they reproduce the sound picked up by the microphone; to prevent this from happening, we turn off the playback. To your taste - noise filtering, echo suppression. On the tab , again, the recording format is set:
Considering the characteristics of the sound recording path, the standard 16 bit/44.1 kHz will suffice here.
5. Setting up foobar2000
In principle, the work done is enough to ensure the highest (for this card) sound quality in any player. But for the truly paranoid, I will provide foobar2000 settings. We will need, in fact, the player itself and several plugins for it - WASAPI output support And SoX Resampler. Well, or you can download my assembly, which already has everything.
So, in the player output settings (File->Preferences->Playback->Output) select WASAPI:<наше устройство>
, set the bit depth 24 bit:
When outputting through WASAPI Exclusive, all sound card effects (if enabled) are bypassed, as well as the Windows mixer (for which we specified the sample rate).
Now let's move on to the DSP settings:
Here we add the resampler SOund eXchange and Advanced Limiter to the chain. In the resampler settings, set the frequency to 96 kHz. Now why 96 kHz? I conducted a series of experiments and this is what I found out. In front output mode, if the volume control is set to more than 90%, when playing the test tone udial(sampling frequency - 44.1 kHz) strong distortion is heard. The distortion disappears if you either lower the volume, switch to headphone mode, or resample the audio to 96 kHz.
It is difficult to judge the reasons for this phenomenon based on the available data, but you can draw conclusions and play it safe twice: output all audio at a sampling rate of 96 kHz, and do not increase the volume to more than 90%.
And a few words about the need to configure foobar2000. In principle, it is possible to output audio to the device "DS: Primary sound driver" In this case, resampling will be performed using Windows(the resampler there is not the worst), besides, all other sounds will not be turned off (as when playing through WASAPI Exclusive). Additionally, by selecting this device, Windows will output sound to the device that is set by default in the Control Panel, which can be convenient (for example, when you turn off one of the devices, the sound automatically switches to another). So the choice is yours - convenience, or confidence in quality.
6. Resurrecting 3D Audio and Hardware Mixing
And of course I haven’t forgotten about gamers. Since in Windows, starting with Vista, there is no access to hardware mixing of streams (all operations are performed by Windows, and then one single stream is output to the sound card), the developers came up with special program, analogous to Creative ALchemy, but for Realtek - 3D SoundBack. It connects to hardware resources via the OpenAL interface, emulating for the specified Windows programs emulates a DirectSound device (as in Windows XP), and then simply converts DirectSound (or DirectSound 3D) commands to OpenAL commands, resulting in true EAX 2.0 in games, as well as the ability to convert multi-channel audio to stereo with surround effects.
To launch the program, open the folder .../Program Files/Realtek/3D Sound Back Beta0.1, in file properties 3DSoundBack.exe on the tab "Compatibility" install Windows Vista SP2 compatibility mode:
Now run this file. To add an application - click Add Game, enter the name and address of the folder that contains executable file programs. For example:
After adding, do not forget to highlight the added application and click the button Enable.
Now the specified application will by default use the DirectSound emulated device and will have access to the hardware resources of the sound card:
Epilogue
Well, another grandiose article is completed. By the way, I was thinking: in a good way, this article should have been written one of the first... However, at that time I still would not have had enough knowledge to describe everything in such detail, so it may be to to the best.
If something is not clear, or you have any questions, please ask or comment. Good luck!
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Whether you decide to build a computer yourself or just USB ports, headphone output on the front panel system unit computers do not work - you will need information on how exactly the connectors on the front panel are connected to motherboard, which will be shown below.
We will talk not only about how to connect the front USB port or get the headphones and microphone connected to the front panel to work, but also how to connect the main elements of the system unit (power button and indicator, indicator work hard disk) from motherboard and do it right (that's where we'll start).
In order to connect the front USB ports(as well as a card reader if available), all you need to do is find the corresponding connectors on the motherboard (there may be several of them), which look like in the photo below and plug in the corresponding connectors coming from the front panel of the system unit. You can't go wrong: the contacts here and there correspond to each other, and the connectors are usually labeled.
Usually, there is no difference in where exactly you connect the front connector. But for some motherboards it exists: since they can be with or without USB 3.0 support (read the instructions for the motherboard or carefully read the labels).
Connecting headphone and microphone output
To connect audio connectors - headphone output on the front panel, as well as a microphone, approximately the same motherboard connector is used as for USB, only with a slightly different pin arrangement. As a signature, look for AUDIO, HD_AUDIO, AC97, the connector is usually located near the audio chip.
As in the previous case, in order not to make a mistake, it is enough to carefully read the inscriptions on what you are plugging in and where you are plugging it into. However, even if there is a mistake on your part, you most likely will not be able to connect the connectors incorrectly. (If, after connecting, the headphones or front microphone still do not work, check your playback and recording device settings in Windows.)
Additionally
Also, if you have fans on the front and rear panels of the system unit, do not forget to connect them to the corresponding SYS_FAN connectors on the motherboard (the label may be slightly different).
However, in some cases, like mine, the fans are connected differently, if you need to be able to control the rotation speed from the front panel - here the instructions from the computer case manufacturer will help you (and I will help if you write a comment describing the problem).
Very often I encountered a situation where on the front panel of the system unit there are connectors for connecting headphones and a microphone, but there is no sound there and they do not work. It seems that manufacturers of system units deliberately forget to connect these connectors, forcing the user to climb into the system unit on their own. Although, it would seem, what do they have to lose - since they made these headphone jacks to increase the competitiveness of their product, then they can connect them! But this doesn't always happen. That is, it happens that these connectors are for headphones on the front panel connected to the motherboard, and the reason is in the settings.
Naturally, after Googling and finding different solutions to the problem, I came to the following conclusions:
The most common reasons for the lack of sound in the headphones on the front panel:
However, there is a universal solution to this problem - buy a headphone extension cord with a 3.5mm jack, connect it to the back instead of using the front panel, and alternately plug speakers and headphones into it. Place the output of this extension cord somewhere behind the monitor so that you can reach it with your hand at any time.
Also, these days, bluetooth headsets already exist and are inexpensive, which allow you to completely abandon wires when using headphones. I bought myself a Sony-Ericsson MW-600 and am very pleased.
In the comments you can ask a question or describe your case, this way you will help other users.
Hello. Front panel with USB outputs and sound, is one of the most important parts of a computer for modern user. Why? Well, think for yourself, it’s not so easy to insert a flash drive into the USB port, which is located on the back side of the case, then you take the drive on the wrong side, or you simply cannot get into the port, in general, there are only inconveniences.
With sound, of course, everything is simpler, but sometimes the connected headphones do not have the same length of cord, which is so necessary for a comfortable location at the workplace. And here everything is at hand, you need to connect a flash drive, please, or maybe headphones or a microphone, no problem either. Although, what I’m telling you, you yourself probably know very well about these big and bold advantages of the front panel.
What am I getting at? The thing is that sometimes on some computers this panel only works halfway. That is, only the USB ports function, but for some reason there is no sound, this applies to both the connected headphones and the microphone. As a result, exactly those inconveniences are created that I mentioned a few sentences above.
Therefore, now we will try to find the reason why the sound does not work when connecting headphones on the front panel and we will fix it to restore the full working functionality of our panel.
Diagnosing why the sound on the front panel does not work
So, the first conclusion can be drawn immediately. If the USB works, then the panel itself is working. There is, of course, a small chance that the headset and microphone connection port burned out at once, but this happens very rarely.
Well, first of all, we connect headphones or speakers to the green connector, which is located on the back of the case and check whether there is sound there. If not, then you need to download the sound driver for your audio device and install it again (). If, on the contrary, everything is in order, we immediately move on to the next step.
Another reason why the sound on the front panel may not work is that it is not connected correctly or is not connected at all. In this case, read and follow all the recommendations that I gave in that article.
There is one more point: the connection connectors can be separated one at a time, which may affect the correctness of their connection. In this case, you will have to look for a manual for working with the motherboard and use the examples in the picture to connect it in the same order. If anything, write to me in the comments, how I can help.
So, the panel is connected, or if everything has already been connected, let's move on. First, I'll give an example for Windows XP. Go to the “Control Panel” and find the sound settings “Sound and audio devices”. Having opened them, go to the “Audio” tab, where from the list of default devices we select “HD Audio” (or Realtek AC97).
But, this choice may depend on which connector you connected to the motherboard. If it was AC 97 then you need to select the same driver, if signed HD Audio, then select the driver with this name accordingly.
If there was only one connector when connecting, then most likely it is HD Audio, so in the example I will use that one. We do the same in the lower field, selecting the main recording device and click “OK” to close the window.
In Windows 7 everything is simpler, here the driver is selected automatically, mainly Realtek HD AUDIO.
Having selected the necessary firewood, we reboot the computer and then try to enter the BIOS using the “ F2" or " DEL" By going to the tab " Advanced" select the item " Onboard Device Configuration" In the menu that opens, go to “ High Definition Audio " set the value " Enabled", And in the next line "" select " HD Audio» ( or AC97 if in Windows settings he was chosen), that is We installed the same driver in the system.
The main principle of this whole setup is that the same type is selected in Windows and in software. Well, if it is different, then you already understand that a system conflict will occur as a result of which a problem appears with no sound on the front panel.
I’ll also note that if you don’t have these items in your BIOS, this means that you don’t need to configure anything in it. In such cases, if the sound on the front panel does not work, check again whether the selected driver is suitable for your sound device and that the connectors on the motherboard are connected correctly.
Well, to summarize, I want to say that if you install the same driver in both cases, everything will work as it should. Also, sometimes this setting can disappear along with the system time due to the fact that the battery in the computer that supports them runs out when the PC is turned off. If anything, you can find out how to replace it here, with all the details and examples in the form of pictures.
The sound on the front panel does not work, how to fix it
- Please explain why I have after Windows reinstallation 7, Realtek sound card, installed sound drivers from the motherboard CD, Realtek manager installed in operating system Is there sound. But I connect the headphones to the front panel and there is no sound, before reinstalling the operating system there was sound. Georgy.
- Letter No. 2 Answer this question, I recently reset my BIOS settings to default (default) and now I have the front one doesn't work soundbar , on the network they say you need to install the Realtek manager, but I’ve never had it, so it means something else, probably BIOS settings. Anton.
- Letter No. 3 Why do I have no sound in headphones in Windows 7 when connecting them to the front panel? Realtek sound card. On one of the forums on the Internet, I was advised to go to Playback devices and just turn on the headphones, but I can’t do it, because it says High Definition Audio device Not connected and if you right-click on them, this menu will appear and as you can see, they can be Disabled, not Enabled. I also read on one site that you need to go to Start->Control Panel->Sound - in the tabs Playback or Record, select the correct device and click Default, but that doesn’t help either. Christina.
Front soundbar not working
This article, friends, is suitable for both the Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows XP operating systems, if there is a difference, I will definitely show you where.The answer to the first question. Let's deal with the front soundbar not working, firstly, in most cases, for it to work, you must have Realtek Manager installed. If you have it installed, then there should be an icon for it on the taskbar,
if it is not there, go to Start - Control Panel- Realtek dispatcher. On Windows 7
if it is missing there too, try to find it in the folder
When you launch Realtek Manager in Windows 7, click the Speakers button, then click on the yellow folder in the right top corner and a window appears Connector parameters,
we see a warning If front panel jack detection does not work properly, check this box under Disable front panel jack detection, put a tick on this item and click OK.
After these steps, the front soundbar should work.
In the operating room Windows system XP Realtek Manager looks a little different, but the essence is the same. Left-click on the button with the wrench
and in the window that appears, check the box Disable front panel jack detection and OK,
The front soundbar should work.
We can also press the button Additional settings
devices in this window and adjust everything as we need, for example, check the item - . This means that when you connect headphones to the front sound panel, the speakers connected to the motherboard at the back will immediately turn off.
On Windows 7
Now I am answering the second letter. It happens, friends, that the drivers for the sound card are installed and sound is present in the system, but the front sound panel does not work, there are usually two reasons for this.
Firstly: your front sound panel works according to the slightly outdated AC"97 standard and the cable coming from it is connected to the connector on the motherboard AAFP analog audio front panel ( designed specifically for connecting front panel audio connectors).
- Note: AC’97 is an already outdated standard audio codec, a veteran, one might say, it was developed by Intel in 1997, it is used in motherboards, as well as cases with a front-panel audio solution. And here sound subsystem, built into your motherboard, runs on a newer standard - High Definition Audio or HD Audio. This may cause the front soundbar to not work. Intel High Definition Audio is a relatively new specification for audio codecs developed by by Intel in 2004, featuring improved digital sound quality, an increased number of channels, more high frequency transmission compared to AC"97.
Reboot and go into BIOS. Go to Advanced, then Onboard Devices Configuration
and finally the option responsible for the front sound panel Front Panel Type, it can also be called like this:
Front Panel Support Type High Definition Front Panel Audio, Legacy Front Panel Audio, it is in the HD Audio position by default,
move it to position, save the changed settings and exit the BIOS. After rebooting, the front soundbar should work.
Also, if your front panel works in HD Audio, then in the BIOS you need to switch it from position to HD Audio. In any case, experiment.
Friends, if you connect the AC"97 front soundbar to the AAFP connector on the High Definition Audio specification motherboard,
Then everything will work fine for you, only in some cases, when connecting headphones to the front sound panel, in sound speakers the sound will not be muted, even if you disable the item in the Realtek manager settings Mute rear output device when connecting front headphone output device.
All this is due to the fact that front sound panel manufacturers use a simplified wiring diagram for the AC97 front panel cables and outputs.
There are two ways out here, the first is to re-solder (not so easy), the second is to buy a new case, with support for the front HD Audio sound panel, and if you purchase a new computer, check everything with the seller, do not be surprised if, when buying a new system unit in a non-specialized supermarket, You will be faced with complete ignorance of consultants on this issue.
Well, the last thing you need to check if your front sound panel does not work is whether it is connected to the motherboard using a cable; sometimes they simply forget to connect it when assembling the computer, as in this screenshot.
They forgot to connect the AC"97 front sound panel cable to the AAFP analog audio front panel connector on the motherboard.
Well, from the third letter we established to Christina new version drivers from the official website and configured the front sound panel in Realtek manager, everything is written in our article How to install a sound driver in detail.