# Dual Monitor Sound



## Zaspera (Oct 15, 2011)

I just got my 2nd monitor in. I am hoping to use 2 monitors with 1 being HDMI and 1 being DVI on my 6970 (soon to be 590). So sound will come to monitor #1 from the HDMI cord so if I'm playing World of Warcraft on monitor 1, that's what I'll hear. Sound is coming from the 2nd DVI monitor from a 3.5mm green cord (no idea what it's called). So I have itunes running on monitor #2. Will it play the itunes music while monitor #1 is playing WoW sounds? This is how I want it to be but I don't know if that's how it will work. A little advice/knowledge would help me a lot. Thanks.


----------



## digibucc (Oct 15, 2011)

windows sound doesn't work like that. you have ONE output at a time. hdmi or stereo 3.6mm , you can choose. some programs can use a specific device (wow may, itunes may as well) but anything that doesn't let you specify (most things) will all go out the one device you have as default.


----------



## mlee49 (Oct 15, 2011)

Yeah I'm not sure if you'll be able to enable multiple audio devices. I only know of enabling one at a time, which disables the others.


----------



## Zaspera (Oct 15, 2011)

What's my easiest way to fix it? Get a sound card? or will that not even fix it since you said windows sound?


----------



## digibucc (Oct 15, 2011)

Zaspera said:


> What's my easiest way to fix it? Get a sound card? or will that not even fix it since you said windows sound?



yeah it's windows. another sound card will just be another thing to choose from, and windows only defaults to one.  last time i looked there wasn't any good software to manage this, but that'd be the only way to go that i can figure.

this is a good google search for it

vac was as far as i got before. it doesn't work with win 7 x64 though, so i was screwed
pulseAudio is new


----------



## m4gicfour (Oct 15, 2011)

Zaspera said:


> I just got my 2nd monitor in. I am hoping to use 2 monitors with 1 being HDMI and 1 being DVI on my 6970 (soon to be 590). So sound will come to monitor #1 from the HDMI cord so if I'm playing World of Warcraft on monitor 1, that's what I'll hear. Sound is coming from the 2nd DVI monitor from a 3.5mm green cord (no idea what it's called). So I have itunes running on monitor #2. Will it play the itunes music while monitor #1 is playing WoW sounds? This is how I want it to be but I don't know if that's how it will work. A little advice/knowledge would help me a lot. Thanks.



The only best way to do that is if one of the programs can pick which output to use. Look in iTunes's options, and in WOW, but I have a suspicion that they may not have the ability. If one or the other has the option, it'll probably be iTunes (don't use it myself but media players do have the option as often as not). If that's the case, you'd set HDMI as default in windows' control panel and then go into the options for iTunes and set the output device to (Realtek HD Audio, or VIA HD audio, or Speakers or whatever your motherboard calls it).

After a quick check online, it doesn't look like iTunes has the option. Check in WOW's options. this program may work as a last resort. **I have not used this program, and do not endorse it. It was found in a forum post on apple's discussion boards in response to a user who was trying to do the same thing you are.



mlee49 said:


> Yeah I'm not sure if you'll be able to enable multiple audio devices. I only know of enabling one at a time, which disables the others.



Setting one as default absolutely DOES NOT disable anything. 

It's as simple as this: Any program which does not specify it's output goes only to the default. Programs with the ability to specify which output device they use can either be left to follow windows default or choose any other output.

For example: You may wish to play WOW on your speakers via HDMI and run (for example) ventrilo for voice chat on the onboard sound (the 3.5mm phone jack you speak of the second monitor using) via a headset. That works because WOW will play on the default device and Ventrilo has the ability to choose which device it outputs to.


----------

