Windows 7 Can't record "What you Hear"

Hi, my first thread here. I have searched many forums and webpages looking for a solution for my problem.
I just bought a Sony Vaio VGN-NW26M Laptop for Recording Music and Video Editing. My audio card says its a RealTek High definition. I just can't seem to find any Line-In or Audio Mix.

I have tried checking the show disabled devices but all it shows it the microphone. I have tried updating the audio driver but windows 7 says I have the latest driver.

Would I need to go to the RealTek website and download a driver update or something?? So these hidden things can appear and if so there are so many updates there, which one

You can try going to Realtek and looking for new drivers.

But don't get your hopes up.

This forum has many posts from people who can't get "what you hear" going on Windows 7. Sometimes, you can get it going with Vista drivers in compatibility mode. Sometimes you can find a hacked driver. Sometimes you can struggle on your own for 20 hours and eventually stumble into a working solution.

Sometimes you will fail.

It appears to be a deliberate bit of cooperation between Microsoft and sound vendors to foil attempts at recording "what you hear"--probably out of copyright concerns.

Your ultimate alternative: buy another sound card that is KNOWN not to have this limitation in Windows 7. There are a few out there. That might be a problem with a laptop. Maybe an external USB sound card might work for you?

In the meantime, pound this forum for "Realtek" as a search term and you might find a solution. I have both Creative Labs (standalone card) and IDT/Sigmatel (onboard sound) and eventually got the onboard sound to provide "what you hear" capability---but I pulled out a lot of my hair in the process.

Hey thanks for your quick response! I appreciate your helpful advice. I may go to RealTek and download a new driver and if it fails I could always roll back the driver perhaps. It's a massive shame Windows 7 has done this, must be frustrating for thousands of people out there.

I was thinking of getting an external USB soundcard, I was lookoing at getting one of these to record the audio of my stage piano in my pc. But I am thinking, will it have the other functions I want - Record what you hear etc. I'm not too sure how these external soundcards work but I am tempted to get one.

I was thinking of getting this one on ebay - an extrernal Lexicon Alpha USB soundcard
Lexicon Alpha Studio + Cubase LE4 on eBay (end time 22-Jan-10 10:58:36 GMT)

owenz87 said:

I just can't seem to find any Line-In or Audio Mix...

The VGN-NW26M has a line input port? According to Sonys specifications it's a budget notebook equipped with no more than an analog microphone and headphone port in - so what do you expect Realtek to do?

I'm afraid to expect this notebook to cope with audio and video editing my be asking a little more of it than the purposes it was apparently conceived for.

I saw an online report that these sound cards:

Turtle Beach Audio Advantage SRM, USB external, about $70

HT Omega Striker 7.1 (internal), probably $100 or more; not for a laptop

both provided "what you hear" on Windows 7.

Do your own research and good luck.

Have a look at this: Desktop Boards - Troubleshooting audio issues I have the same audio card and here is what it shows.

For correct terminology it's the "System Mixer". Creative (Soundblaster) calls it "what you hear" but almost all other vendors use the "system mixer" terminology.

An external "recording device" for interfacing musical instruments normally is just that, it's not a "sound card" with all the sound functions. Even some of the PCI recording interface "sound cards" that desktops use with Recording software (DAW) are only recording interfaces they are not a complete PC sound system.

Hey thanks for your replies. I have decided to get a good external USB sound card interface to record sound from my stage piano into Cubase. As for Qdos' response, the laptop is actually working very fast and well with video editing, no problems at all. It's just the sound that's the problem other than that, the editing on this machine is amazing, very fast.

Hi, so you mean this product?

Turtle Beach Audio Advantage Micro - In Detail