How do I open WIndows Mixer?

  • Thread starter Thread starter randwill
  • Start date Start date
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randwill

I am trying to record some old vinyl records using a USB turntable and
software called Cakewalk Pyro. It works okay but some records top out too
loud. Supposedly I can adjust the recording volume using Windows Mixer.
When I click on "Open Windows Mixer" from within Pyro I get the message:
"There is a problem with your sound hardware. To install mixer devices go to
Control Panels, click Printers and Other Hardware and click Add Hardware."
Since I'm not trying to add any new hardware, only open Windows Mixer, I
don't know what to do. Any suggestions?
 
randwill said:
I am trying to record some old vinyl records using a USB turntable and
software called Cakewalk Pyro. It works okay but some records top out too
loud. Supposedly I can adjust the recording volume using Windows Mixer.
When I click on "Open Windows Mixer" from within Pyro I get the message:
"There is a problem with your sound hardware. To install mixer devices go
to Control Panels, click Printers and Other Hardware and click Add
Hardware." Since I'm not trying to add any new hardware, only open Windows
Mixer, I don't know what to do. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

The mixer is tied to the hardware drivers. You should follow the steps, as
your audio hardware may not be properly installed.

Usually the executable for the Windows Mixer, which is a set of volume
controls, is "sndvol32". It's also called Volume Control, and if you make
a shortcut of the command "sndvol32 /r" (note the space before the /) it
will come up in recording mode, as opposed to the default playback mode.

HTH
-pk

HTH
 
?
The mixer is tied to the hardware drivers. You should follow the steps,
as your audio hardware may not be properly installed.

Usually the executable for the Windows Mixer, which is a set of volume
controls, is "sndvol32". It's also called Volume Control, and if you
make a shortcut of the command "sndvol32 /r" (note the space before the
/) it will come up in recording mode, as opposed to the default playback
mode.

HTH
-pk

HTH
Click to expand...

I clicked Add Hardware. The Hardware Update Wizard shows a yellow question
mark next to Multimedia Audio Controller. It searched and found no
software. What next?
 
randwill said:
?


I clicked Add Hardware. The Hardware Update Wizard shows a yellow question
mark next to Multimedia Audio Controller. It searched and found no
software. What next?
Click to expand...

Well, that does explain why the mixer doesn't open. For that particular
error to appear, it's most likely that the chipset driver, which runs below
the soundcard driver itself, is either not installed or is corrupt.

You need to install those drivers, but exactly how you do that depends on
your PC, specifically the motherboard in use. If you have a premade system,
like a Dell or HP or whatever, go to their support site. If your system
was built otherwise, determine the motherboard make and model and revision
(this is silk-screened on the board, so you can just open the case and look)
and go to the board maker's site and download the drivers and install them.

You may have a driver CD that came with your system, which will make the
task easier, too.

HTH
-pk
 
Patrick Keenan said:
Well, that does explain why the mixer doesn't open. For that particular
error to appear, it's most likely that the chipset driver, which runs
below the soundcard driver itself, is either not installed or is corrupt.

You need to install those drivers, but exactly how you do that depends on
your PC, specifically the motherboard in use. If you have a premade
system, like a Dell or HP or whatever, go to their support site. If
your system was built otherwise, determine the motherboard make and model
and revision (this is silk-screened on the board, so you can just open the
case and look) and go to the board maker's site and download the drivers
and install them.

You may have a driver CD that came with your system, which will make the
task easier, too.

HTH
-pk
Click to expand...

How do I identify what the needed "chipset driver" is? Downloads for my
motherboard are here:

http://www.soyo.com/content/Technical Support Downloads/155/&c=27&p=154&l=English

Two of the listed drivers have the word "audio" in them, but I don't know
which one or if either is what I need to install to correct my problem.

Thanks for the help.
 
I installed the C-MEDIA Audio Driver for Win 98SE/ME/2000/XP ver:039 as this
is a newer version of a driver I also found on the disc that came with the
motherboard. When I run Hardware Update Wizard there is no longer a
Multimedia Audio Controller with a yellow question mark next to it.

But I still can't control the volume when recording in Pyro.

Pyro's instructions, that appear in a "Recording Help" window, tell me:
To view the Recording Controls:

1.. Click the Options menu and select Properties.
2.. The Properties dialog appears
1.. In the Adjust Volume For section of the Properties dialog, select the
Recording radio button.
2.. In the Show the Following Volume Controls section, the Line-in and
Microphone options should be checked. If they are not, check them.
3.. Click OK.
4.. The Recording Controls now appear in the Windows Mixer.
5.. Check the input you want to use, either Line In or Microphone
--- end of Pyro instruction quote ---

The trouble must be that I don't have a "Line In" in that box. I have only;
MIDI Synth,
"What U Hear", S/PDIF-In, CD Digital, Analog Mix (Line/CD/Aux/TAD/PC),
Microphone and Wave. I checked them all to make all the Volume faders
available but when I record in Pyro, moving the faders on any of these has
no effect on the volume.

So Pyro needs a "Line In" Volume Controller and I don't have one. How do I
get one?
 
randwill said:
I installed the C-MEDIA Audio Driver for Win 98SE/ME/2000/XP ver:039
as this is a newer version of a driver I also found on the disc that
came with the motherboard. When I run Hardware Update Wizard there
is no longer a Multimedia Audio Controller with a yellow question
mark next to it.
But I still can't control the volume when recording in Pyro.

Pyro's instructions, that appear in a "Recording Help" window, tell
me: To view the Recording Controls:

1.. Click the Options menu and select Properties.
2.. The Properties dialog appears
1.. In the Adjust Volume For section of the Properties dialog,
select the Recording radio button.
2.. In the Show the Following Volume Controls section, the Line-in
and Microphone options should be checked. If they are not, check them.
3.. Click OK.
4.. The Recording Controls now appear in the Windows Mixer.
5.. Check the input you want to use, either Line In or Microphone
--- end of Pyro instruction quote ---

The trouble must be that I don't have a "Line In" in that box. I have
only; MIDI Synth,
"What U Hear", S/PDIF-In, CD Digital, Analog Mix (Line/CD/Aux/TAD/PC),
Microphone and Wave. I checked them all to make all the Volume faders
available but when I record in Pyro, moving the faders on any of
these has no effect on the volume.

So Pyro needs a "Line In" Volume Controller and I don't have one. How
do I get one?
Click to expand...

"What U Hear" should work. If not...

1. Open the volule comtrol applet
2. Options
3. Properties
4. Tick "Recording"
5. In the window titled "Show the following sound contreols" tick "Line-in"
6. OK


--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico
 
randwill said:
I installed the C-MEDIA Audio Driver for Win 98SE/ME/2000/XP ver:039 as
this is a newer version of a driver I also found on the disc that came
with the motherboard. When I run Hardware Update Wizard there is no
longer a Multimedia Audio Controller with a yellow question mark next to
it.
Click to expand...

Well, the soundcard is installed properly now.

But I still can't control the volume when recording in Pyro.

Pyro's instructions, that appear in a "Recording Help" window, tell me:
To view the Recording Controls:

1.. Click the Options menu and select Properties.
2.. The Properties dialog appears
1.. In the Adjust Volume For section of the Properties dialog, select the
Recording radio button.
2.. In the Show the Following Volume Controls section, the Line-in and
Microphone options should be checked. If they are not, check them.
3.. Click OK.
4.. The Recording Controls now appear in the Windows Mixer.
5.. Check the input you want to use, either Line In or Microphone
--- end of Pyro instruction quote ---

The trouble must be that I don't have a "Line In" in that box. I have
only; MIDI Synth,
"What U Hear", S/PDIF-In, CD Digital, Analog Mix (Line/CD/Aux/TAD/PC),
Microphone and Wave. I checked them all to make all the Volume faders
available but when I record in Pyro, moving the faders on any of these has
no effect on the volume.

So Pyro needs a "Line In" Volume Controller and I don't have one. How do I
get one?
Click to expand...

I'd check with the Cakewalk and turntable support, but also, some other
things.

Be sure that the drivers for the USB turntable are installed properly and
that if necessary it is set as the sound input source in Control Panel. It
may come with a volume control applet and that may be what you should be
adjusting - that would explain why none of the other volume controls affect
it.

Try downloading Audacity and recording there, and seeing how it responds to
volume changes with the various applets. It has its own mixer section,
which is more sophisticated than Window's. Audacity also has some vinyl
restoration plugins available, IIRC.

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

HTH
-pk
 
dadiOH said:
"What U Hear" should work. If not...

1. Open the volule comtrol applet
2. Options
3. Properties
4. Tick "Recording"
5. In the window titled "Show the following sound contreols" tick
"Line-in"
6. OK
Click to expand...


But I don't have a "Line In" to tick in that box, just the ones I listed.

If I open the Creative Volume Control, the sound card's software, I see a
"Record" fader there. It has a drop down menu that contains the same list -
MIDI Synth, "What U Hear", S/PDIF-In, CD Digital, Analog Mix
(Line/CD/Aux/TAD/PC), Microphone and Wave - that I see in the Windows
Recording Control > Properties > Show the following volume controls box.
Have the choices that Windows is suppose to offer, including the needed
"Line In", in that box been displaced by these choices that correspond with
the sound cards volume control software?
 
randwill said:
But I don't have a "Line In" to tick in that box, just the ones I
listed.
If I open the Creative Volume Control, the sound card's software, I
see a "Record" fader there. It has a drop down menu that contains the
same list - MIDI Synth, "What U Hear", S/PDIF-In, CD Digital, Analog
Mix (Line/CD/Aux/TAD/PC), Microphone and Wave - that I see in the
Windows Recording Control > Properties > Show the following volume
controls box. Have the choices that Windows is suppose to offer,
including the needed "Line In", in that box been displaced by these
choices that correspond with the sound cards volume control software?
Click to expand...

What the Windows program shows you is what is available via your sound card
and that varies card to card. Your "Creative Volume Control" shows you the
exact same thing and is, in fact, the same thing...make a change with one
program and it will also be displayed by the other program.

As I said before, use "What U Hear". You do NOT need a channel specifically
named "Line in". The "Analog Mix" seems like it should work too.

--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico
 
Patrick Keenan said:
I'd check with the Cakewalk and turntable support, but also, some other
things.

Be sure that the drivers for the USB turntable are installed properly and
that if necessary it is set as the sound input source in Control Panel.
It may come with a volume control applet and that may be what you should
be adjusting - that would explain why none of the other volume controls
affect it.

Try downloading Audacity and recording there, and seeing how it responds
to volume changes with the various applets. It has its own mixer
section, which is more sophisticated than Window's. Audacity also has
some vinyl restoration plugins available, IIRC.

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

HTH
-pk
Click to expand...

The turntable came with Cakewalk Pyro and I followed the setup instructions
to the letter including the necessary changes in Sounds and Audio Devices
Properties. There are no drivers needed for the turntable.

After some experimenting I've decided that the volume can't be controlled
when using the turntable's USB connection and connecting to the computer's
USB input.

The turntable also has an RCA output cable coming from it. I plugged the red
and whites into a Y adapter mini-plug and stuck that into the sound card's
input. With the turntable now going straight into the sound card the volume
CAN be controlled with Windows Mixer.

I thought the whole point of the device was that it was a *USB turntable*,
but if you can't use Windows Mixer when it's hooked up that way, what the
heck?!
 
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