# Why no multi-streaming on high-end soundcards?



## doveman (Sep 18, 2013)

The main issue I have with these high-end soundcards is that they don't generally have multi-streaming. With my on-board Realtek soundchip, I can have game audio coming out the rear port and Teamspeak3 audio coming out the front port for my headphones. Or I can use the front port for gaming and TS3 audio and set my music player to play out the rear port, for some background music whilst playing or to listen to when not playing.

So it's quite frustrating to know that if I spend money on buying one of these cards, they can't do this. Of course, I could still use the Realtek to drive my headphones when gaming and use the Xonar rear output just for music but that makes it rather pointless buying it as it won't be used at all for gaming. Or I could connect my headphones to the Xonar and connect the rear Realtek output to my Hi-Fi for music but then I'm not getting any benefit from the Xonar when playing music, so that sucks as well.


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## Dent1 (Sep 18, 2013)

The demand for that is probably very low. Sound card manufacturers probably don't want to waste resources that's only beneficial to a small handful of customers.


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## doveman (Sep 18, 2013)

I'm not so sure. Certainly I know a few people who've bought a Xonar and been surprised and disappointed to find it can't do what their basic onboard soundchip can do.

Also, it's not just for gaming where it's useful to be able to have voicechat on a separate headphone channel from the gaming audio on the speakers (even the Xbox360 can do this) but also to setup things like Skype to use the front port connected to the headset, to keep this off the main speakers connected to the rear port and Skype and VOIP is rather popular.


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## remixedcat (Sep 18, 2013)

I wanna do that to send different songs to different speakers but normally you gotta use several sound cards... Jriver media center has something called zones that allow you to do that and that is what I would use....

Sucks...


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## AsRock (Sep 18, 2013)

Thing is ( the one's on my 2 systems )they can lack positional  audio output..  Sure they produce left \ right but rear and front sound the same so there is not way to tell were it's really coming from.

It's the one reason i use audio over HDMI even though only 8 channels it you can clearly tell were the sound is from.


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## joeb (Sep 18, 2013)

Dent1 said:


> The demand for that is probably very low. Sound card manufacturers probably don't want to waste resources that's only beneficial to a small handful of customers.



This, unfortunately. But i totally agree with you would love multistream capability.


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## Mussels (Sep 19, 2013)

doveman said:


> The main issue I have with these high-end soundcards is that they don't generally have multi-streaming. With my on-board Realtek soundchip, I can have game audio coming out the rear port and Teamspeak3 audio coming out the front port for my headphones. Or I can use the front port for gaming and TS3 audio and set my music player to play out the rear port, for some background music whilst playing or to listen to when not playing.
> 
> So it's quite frustrating to know that if I spend money on buying one of these cards, they can't do this. Of course, I could still use the Realtek to drive my headphones when gaming and use the Xonar rear output just for music but that makes it rather pointless buying it as it won't be used at all for gaming. Or I could connect my headphones to the Xonar and connect the rear Realtek output to my Hi-Fi for music but then I'm not getting any benefit from the Xonar when playing music, so that sucks as well.



i use my auzentech for gaming, and my realtek for teamspeak as well.


you could also use any USB headset for the comms side of things.


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## doveman (Sep 19, 2013)

Mussels said:


> i use my auzentech for gaming, and my realtek for teamspeak as well.
> 
> 
> you could also use any USB headset for the comms side of things.



Yeah but that's not much help if I want to use headphones connected to the Xonar for both game and comms audio (I obviously can't wear two headsets!) and my Hi-Fi connected to the Xonar for high-quality music playback.


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## Jetster (Sep 19, 2013)

multi-streaming most likely has patents. 

Just use multiple sound devices


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## Mussels (Sep 19, 2013)

doveman said:


> Yeah but that's not much help if I want to use headphones connected to the Xonar for both game and comms audio (I obviously can't wear two headsets!) and my Hi-Fi connected to the Xonar for high-quality music playback.



if you had a 5.1 headset you could set your sound to stereo on the soundcard, and run the voice comms to the rear speakers


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## de.das.dude (Sep 19, 2013)

how does one use multi streaming? i couldnt figure it out


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## Mussels (Sep 19, 2013)

de.das.dude said:


> how does one use multi streaming? i couldnt figure it out


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## de.das.dude (Sep 19, 2013)

i know that part. beyond that no idea. how to make the wmp play back and the headphones the game?


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## doveman (Sep 19, 2013)

Mussels said:


> if you had a 5.1 headset you could set your sound to stereo on the soundcard, and run the voice comms to the rear speakers



You've lost me there. What sort of 5.1 headset do you have in mind, USB or analog?

I presume analog as you refer to using the soundcard. If I set the soundcard to stereo and connect my analog headset to it, then I'm not getting any surround sound in-game. There's also no difference between running voice comms to the rear or front speakers if the soundcard is set to stereo as it's all mixed down to the same two speakers.


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## doveman (Sep 19, 2013)

de.das.dude said:


> i know that part. beyond that no idea. how to make the wmp play back and the headphones the game?



I don't use WMP so I can't say if it lets you do this but most media/music players allow you to specify the output, so you'd set it to the secondary output that's available when using the settings as shown in Mussels picture and make sure the Default device in Windows Sound options is set to the other device, which you have your headphones connected to and all game and other program sound will be sent to that by default.


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## Mussels (Sep 20, 2013)

doveman said:


> You've lost me there. What sort of 5.1 headset do you have in mind, USB or analog?
> 
> I presume analog as you refer to using the soundcard. If I set the soundcard to stereo and connect my analog headset to it, then I'm not getting any surround sound in-game. There's also no difference between running voice comms to the rear or front speakers if the soundcard is set to stereo as it's all mixed down to the same two speakers.



if you had an analogue headset, it has three stereo inputs for the three sets of speakers.


that means you could have three soundcards inputting stereo sound, with their own outputs and volume control. you said you cant wear two headsets at once - but you can come close.



de.das.dude said:


> i know that part. beyond that no idea. how to make the wmp play back and the headphones the game?




WMP is a piece of shit, so you cant control it. any decent media player will let you choose what soundcard is the output.


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## AsRock (Sep 20, 2013)

It's a shame more apps don't do it like Teamspeak 3, although a shame they do not give a option of left\right speaker but you could check thee ts3 forums see if a mod has been made for such option.


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## remixedcat (Sep 20, 2013)

Mussels said:


> WMP is a piece of shit, so you cant control it. any decent media player will let you choose what soundcard is the output.



Jriver does! It has that, and zones and then some. 

I have the free version and here's my audio options:


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## Mussels (Sep 20, 2013)

MPC-HC gives me a few more options than you guys have 






i do understand the OP's pain, as i use several soundcards for various outputs.


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## remixedcat (Sep 20, 2013)

Mine has some of those in the output mode pulldown in the first screenshot.


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## doveman (Sep 20, 2013)

Mussels said:


> if you had an analogue headset, it has three stereo inputs for the three sets of speakers.
> 
> that means you could have three soundcards inputting stereo sound, with their own outputs and volume control. you said you cant wear two headsets at once - but you can come close.



OK but I don't see any point in that. Might as well just use one soundcard for gaming and TS3 audio and connect that to the main input on the headset. There's no need or advantage to using two soundcards or two inputs on the headset that I can see and doing so would prevent using all three inputs as intended to give surround sound, meaning you might as well have saved your money and just bought a stereo headset.

None of this helps with the problem of not being able to use one output to my Hi-Fi for music and the other to my headset, as I can on my Realtek, due to the lack of multi-streaming on the Xonar anyway.


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## de.das.dude (Sep 20, 2013)

Mussels said:


> MPC-HC gives me a few more options than you guys have
> 
> http://img.techpowerup.org/130920/Capture148.jpg
> 
> i do understand the OP's pain, as i use several soundcards for various outputs.



i do use mpc hc too.


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## remixedcat (Sep 20, 2013)

Here's the other options:


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## Mussels (Sep 21, 2013)

doveman said:


> OK but I don't see any point in that. Might as well just use one soundcard for gaming and TS3 audio and connect that to the main input on the headset. There's no need or advantage to using two soundcards or two inputs on the headset that I can see and doing so would prevent using all three inputs as intended to give surround sound, meaning you might as well have saved your money and just bought a stereo headset.
> 
> None of this helps with the problem of not being able to use one output to my Hi-Fi for music and the other to my headset, as I can on my Realtek, due to the lack of multi-streaming on the Xonar anyway.



i've been agreeing with you, and suggesting possible workarounds. unless someone releases a product with that feature, we simply cant do it.


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