Windows 7: Realtek Equalizer Settings

Is it possible to change EQ default presets? I want, for example, change "Rock" parametres. And why I need this - messed up interface of 2.57 version, which doesn't provide tools to quickly alter presets. I tried creating my own preset, exporting registry entry [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\MMDevices\Audio\Render\{16d4b961-f28a-4e2a-a0bd-d434799a6eaf}\FxProperties], but result won't be applied till the restart of Realtek HD Audio Manager panel and picking up the custom created preset. So I basicly wantt to change one of four EQ presets that are easily accessible, to my needs:

Just in passing, there were some of us who tried very hard last year to figure out where/how the EQ (preset and custom) properties and settings values were kept, so that we wouldn't lose them if we reinstalled new driver versions or a new Windows 7, etc.

Turns out the registry keys are NOT constant. It may seem that you've "found" them... but that's just the currently installed name.

Much to our frustration, there seemed to be more to the story than just finding the keys and values where they currently were and saving them somewhere, so that they could be imported again after a new driver install. Realtek had for some reason gone to great lengths to make this all very proprietary and non-transportable. It was NOT workable, what had seemed intuitively obvious and simple to us.

You may have better luck than we did, and if so please share your technique and results. We all had the same objective... namely to not have to re-build all custom EQ settings any time a new driver version got installed. So far, nobody's provided the 100% reliable technique.

I went as far as dumping whole registry before and after applying different profiles, later comaring them. Still, no luck obtaining desired results; so it's game over. F# you, realtek

Maybe I'm missing something here...and maybe the issue is exclusive to Win 7 (which I don't have -- I happened upon this thread while searching for something else), but in XP the following registry key stores all the Realtek Equalizer user-defined presets:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Avance\AC97 Audio\EQ

Backing up (exporting) this key allows for an easy restore of all user-created presets.

Assuming you didn't have a typo in that key, there is no such thing in Windows 7... not even remotely close.

No typo. Do you find any key at all with "Avance"?

ETA: Comments to the following -- which was specifically for Win 7 and Vista -- suggests that things may have changed after a driver update:

http://www.addictivetips.com/windows...ndows-7-vista/

(Sorry if I'm covering any old ground here -- I only did a quick skim of the SevenForums posts.)

Indeed, with the initial versions of the Windows 7 drivers from Realtek there was no user-customized EQ capability, as this article states. Only a set of Realtek-provided presets, but nothing like we used to have in WinXP.

However with version 2.39 of the driver in mid-December 2009 (we're now up to 2.66) Realtek reinstated the user-customized EQ. It looks more modern and elegant than the WinXP version, but it's functionally the same.

Your referenced article seems to be discussing a workaround alternative (from November 2009) to the problem that still existed at that time, and that appears to be to use the AC97 drivers (which I guess DID have an EQ). However this is not what was wanted, which was an EQ for the drivers for the true Realtek chips (ALC883, etc.).

Again, the problem was finally resolved officially by Realtek in December 2009 with 2.39, when they finally finished their Windows 7 development project and restored the sought-after user-customized EQ. We've had it ever since then.


However... just as with WinXP, the exact place where these user-customed and saved EQ's were stored escaped discovery for quite a while. And when their whereabouts were finally discovered it was then thought to be a piece of cake to "save" the contents and "restore" it after a new OS install, in order to recover those previously created EQ settings.

Not the case, unfortunately. The Registry key in which these settings were stored was not a constant, but rather seemed to vary with each OS install. Furthermore, simply restoring the presumably saved copy of the EQ setups did not work to actually restore those EQ setups in the new OS install.

Bottom line: it appears that Realtek has simply gone out of their way to make this impossible... lacking both their own built-in functionality to EXPORT/IMPORT all of the user's EQ setups, as well as any way even the savviest of PC users can figure out how to save the crucial objects and make use of them at a later date.

Believe me, many have tried, and all (so far) have failed.