Max Shepelev

Hello all!
I have the following problem in "Line In" input (via winmm functions):

By default, the "Line In" channel in "sndvol32" is disabled (muted). When I enable (turn on) the AC'97 input of "kX Mixer", the "Line In" does not enable (I think this is correct). But when I adjusting volume of "Line In", it turns off the AC'97 input of "kX Mixer" and sets volume to 0. If I enable (unmute) "Line In" - all working correctly, unless sndvol32 is restarted or some programs started (e.g. Delphi 6 - strange, huh?). After this "Line In" is muted and "AC 97" is also muted and volume set to 0.

Note that problem occurs only in version 3532

Eugene Gavrilov

well
I suggest you use only one slider at a time - either kxmixer's or sndvol32's
btw, kxmixer's 'mute' button doesn't correspond to sndvol32's mute

that is, kxmixer's slider & mute affect sndvol32's slider

sndvol32's mute is independent,
but it's state can be ignored if you tweak the kxmixer sliders

there's no reasonable solution for this issue at the moment...

/Eugene

Max Shepelev

When I (or my program) use only sndvol32's volume control, it sometimes turns off (e.g. when sndvol32 restarts or some application starts e.g. Delphi 6 or Outlook Express or sometimes DirectSound is initializing (when I start to play audio in Winamp Line In shuts off)

Eugene Gavrilov

perhaps a real bug
probably related to uninitialized buffers or something like that...

I'll test it more thoroughly

/Eugene

Max Shepelev

OK. And tell me about results please

Eugene Gavrilov

well, actually it is not a 'problem', but a 'know limitation/issue'

the 'line-in' behaviour:
it preserves its settings regardless of the kxmixer slider
it has separate 'mute' and 'volume' controls
when mute is 'on', any changes of 'volume' are ignored
when mute is 'off', the 'volume' affects the 'ac97' slider

however, if the slider is changed via kxmixer, 'line-in' status isn't updated
[but the actual change happens]
so, for instance, if you have 'line-in' muted and change the ac97 slider via the mixer,
you'll change the status, but the next call to winmm function will re-load the stored settings
[such as 'mute']

at the moment it is quite difficult to synchronize them both, so, use one of them (preferrably, 'line-in')
if you don't like this behaviour, simply disconnect the 'line-in' slider from the 'ac97 slider'
[3533 will include a separate kxctrl command for that; 3532 and earlier releases need to set 'hw' paramter (kxctrl -shw)]

if you wish to control the slider in your application, it is better to disconnect the sliders and use kX API instead.

/Eugene

p.s.

this is definitely kX issue -- this explains why sndvol32 didn't have any kX controls for a very long time
and why it won't have many of them in the future

p.p.s.

a small 'vote': do kX users wish the interconnection between 'pseudo-line-in' and 'ac97' to be present by default?
or should the 'line-in' slider be used for compatibility purposes only?

Max Shepelev

but this is another problem - the sndvol32's 'mute' contol does not save its state. Some applications may reset it. And this issue present only in 3532

...and any traces of compatibility with other drivers will be lost forever
OK, i'll think about this. It's a good way to distribute kX drivers

The system requirements for my program will then look like that:

CPU: Intel Pentium III / AMD Athlon 700 or higher
RAM: 128MB or higher
Sound card: Creative Live! / Audigy series sound card
with kX drivers instaled. Will NOT work with
other drivers including ones from Creative Labs.

... but for me it may be a disaser... or may be not
... i'll measure all 'pros and cons' and make a final decision

Eugene Gavrilov

maybe its better to try 3533 rc1
(after some brainstorming -- possible solution)

/Eugene