[wdmaudiodev] Re: Mixer API under Vista build 5308

  • From: "Jeff Pages" <barefeet@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <wdmaudiodev@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2006 07:15:45 +1000

Our own range of Auricon and Digitorc professional sound cards and Radcap radio capture cards (see www.innescorp.com.au) all have hardware (or should I say firmware!) peak meters, and this is a major selling point for at least one of our clients.

Jeff

----- Original Message ----- From: "Larry Osterman" <Larry.Osterman@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <wdmaudiodev@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2006 11:04 PM
Subject: [wdmaudiodev] Re: Mixer API under Vista build 5308



Jeff, we've been unable to find any current audio solutions that have hardware peak meter controls (and we've looked). Do you have any suggestions?


________________________________________ From: wdmaudiodev-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx On Behalf Of Jeff Pages Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2006 3:45 AM To: wdmaudiodev@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [wdmaudiodev] Re: Mixer API under Vista build 5308

Thanks Frank. I'll compile a list of applications that we're aware of that
might require this and forward it to Richard.

There are also a couple of applications that would probably be okay with
Vista's mixer API except they expect to be able to see input and output peak
meters, which Vista currently isn't virtualising. Is this something that
could be added easily at this stage?


Jeff
 ----- Original Message -----
 From: Frank Yerrace
 To: wdmaudiodev@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
 Sent: Saturday, April 08, 2006 4:05 AM
 Subject: [wdmaudiodev] Re: Mixer API under Vista build 5308


There's good news and not-so-good news about the current Vista builds.
The good news is that we anticipated this problem when we initially designed
the new Vista audio system, and built in a mixer compatibility mode that
will cause the mixer APIs to operate much like earlier releases of Windows.
The not-so-good news is that there's no really good way for an app to invoke
this mode to get the compatible behavior.


Our team now has a high priority work item to add this "mixer
compatibility mode" to the general Windows Vista legacy operating system
compatibility modes. For those of you that aren't aware of this feature in
Windows XP, users enable compatibility mode for an application by
right-clicking on the application, clicking Properties, clicking the
Compatibility tab. If an application does not work well with the new mixer
API behavior or other Vista-specific operation, the user can specify that
the application should run in one of these compatibility modes (XP, Win2000,
Win95, etc). Of course, as with all plans, there is no guarantee that this
change will make the final product, but we're going to do everything in our
power to ensure that it does.


As our own testing continues and we receive early feedback from
communities like this, we will identify specific applications that clearly
need the mixer API to work in compatibility mode (we already have identified
some). We will pre-configure Vista to automatically run the mixer API in
compatibility mode for these specific applications.


If you know of a specific application that needs the mixer API to operate
in compatibility mode, please send email to Richard Fricks
(richfr@xxxxxxxxxxxxx). You can forward this message with a description of
the application and appropriate contact information. Richard will contact
you to gather the necessary information allowing us to pre-configure Vista
to automatically run the mixer API in compatibility mode for your
application. Furthermore, we would like to help you make future releases of
the application more Vista-ready.


 We hope this addresses this issue raised by several of you here. Thanks
again for providing such clear feedback to us.

By the way, there is a caveat regarding the mixer API behavior here. When
running in this compatibility mode, the mixer APIs will allow you to
directly control all the hardware controls reported by the audio driver.
This is NOT exactly like the Windows XP behavior. Windows XP virtualized
certain controls (like volume or mute) to make them work well with the
kernel mode mixing architecture in that OS. On Vista, the mixer API in
compatibility mode will not virtualize any capabilities of the hardware - it
will report exactly what the hardware driver reports and nothing more.


 Frank Yerrace & Larry Osterman

 Microsoft Corporation

 This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.



 -----Original Message-----
 From: wdmaudiodev-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:wdmaudiodev-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Frank Yerrace
 Sent: Saturday, March 11, 2006 11:14 AM
 To: wdmaudiodev@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
 Subject: [wdmaudiodev] Re: Mixer API under Vista build 5308

 We very much appreciate that this community is taking a good look at

 Vista and giving specific feedback like this. Thank you.

 Please give us a couple weeks to study this issue here to see if we can

 offer some alternatives for certain classes of applications like this.

 If you hear nothing more within that timeframe, please raise the issue

 again.



 Frank Yerrace

 Technical Lead

 Microsoft Corporation

 This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no

 rights.



 -----Original Message-----

 From: wdmaudiodev-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

 [mailto:wdmaudiodev-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of stephen turner

 Sent: Saturday, March 11, 2006 9:26 AM

 To: wdmaudiodev@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

 Subject: [wdmaudiodev] Re: Mixer API under Vista build 5308

 I agree with Jeff and Dan -It looks like this is going to be a huge

 problem for professional applications that still use the mixer API and

 expect full control over the h/w.  Is there a way that the audio

 subsystem can be put in a "legacy" mode to make it act like 2000/XP?

 -steve

 ----------------------

 Stephen Turner

 AudioScience, Inc.



 -------- Original Message --------

 > From: "Daniel E. Germann" <deg@xxxxxxxx>

 > Sent: Saturday, March 11, 2006 7:13 AM

 > To: wdmaudiodev@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

 > Subject: [wdmaudiodev] Re: Mixer API under Vista build 5308

 >

 > We have customers that will have the same problem.  Some are

 broadcast, like

 > Jeff's, and others use our products for test and measurement

 applications.

 > Both sets of customers have existing software that expects to access

 the

 > hardware through the mixer APIs.  In fact, access to the main audio

 fader is

 > mandatory for the test and measurement app, so they can ensure their

 test

 > stimulus signal is not attenuated.  Otherwise, it will look to their

 > software like the response signal has a drop in level.

 >

 > Is there a white paper that talks about these changes that we could

 pass on

 > to our customers, so they have a "heads up"?  Most of the public info

 I've

 > seen so far is in the HD Audio or driver realm.

 >

 > Thanks,

 > -Dan

 > --

 > Dan Germann

 > Digital Audio Labs

 >

 >

 > ----- Original Message -----

 > > From: "Jeff Pages" <barefeet@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>

 > > To: <wdmaudiodev@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>

 > > Sent: Saturday, March 11, 2006 8:31 AM

 > > Subject: [wdmaudiodev] Re: Mixer API under Vista build 5308

 > >

 > >

 > > Thanks Frank. The controls are showing up correctly and are

 functional

 > > under Device Properties as you described.

 > >

 > > My main concern is that our products are targeted at the

 professional

 > > audio market, and many of our customers will be using our cards with

 > > broadcast automation and mixing desk software that expects to find

 these

 > > controls through the mixer API, and the loss of this functionality

 will

 > > seriously impact on our business.

 > >

 > > Jeff

 >

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