Cannot Get "What U Hear" Working.

[DeathJester]

Hello. I am hoping I can get some help with using the "What U Hear" option on my sound card.
I have enabled "What U Hear", and am using Camtasia to record audio. I have set Camtasia to use "What U Hear", but I get no sound recorded when I try and use it. I also notice that the volume bar does not move on "What U Hear" in the sound control panel.

I have disabled all other microphone inputs (I have a USB mini soundcard for my headset/mic when using Ventrilo/Teamspeak, and an onboard soundcard). I have also disabled all other playback devices, leaving just my speaker input enabled.

I have no idea how "What U Hear" works, as I only found out about it recently. do I have to plug anything into my sound card to get it to work? All I have plugged in is my 2.1 speakers in the green line-out socket.

Please help, I want to record what I am listening to, without having to hold a microphone to my speakers/headphones!

 

[fireberd]

If you have What You Hear enabled (this is what SoundBlaster calls the System Mixer) you should be able to record streaming audio - what you are hearing on the PC's speakers. By "enabled" the System Mixer must be set as the default Recording device in the Control Panel - Hardware and Sound - Sound Panel. If it's not set as the default recording device that could be the problem. The other problem could be the program you are using to record. Download the free Audacity recording program and see if you can get the what you hear recording with Audacity Audacity: Free Audio Editor and Recorder

 

[DeathJester]

If you have What You Hear enabled (this is what SoundBlaster calls the System Mixer) you should be able to record streaming audio - what you are hearing on the PC's speakers. By "enabled" the System Mixer must be set as the default Recording device in the Control Panel - Hardware and Sound - Sound Panel. If it's not set as the default recording device that could be the problem. The other problem could be the program you are using to record. Download the free Audacity recording program and see if you can get the what you hear recording with Audacity Audacity: Free Audio Editor and Recorder

Thank you for the quick reply.
What U Hear is definitely set as the default recording device. I just downloaded Audacity, but that didn't record any sound either.

Edit: I tried plugging my microphone into the pink line-in socket on my soundcard, and both the mic sound level and the "What U Hear" level were moving at the same time. I disabled the microphone in the sound panel (and left it plugged in), but the 'What U Hear" still only recorded from the microphone. Also, whatever noise I make into the microphone comes out of the speakers.

 

[DeathJester]

I tried running a lead from my soundcard's mic socket to my speaker's headphone socket. It did record the audio, but it was incredibly distorted. I tried turning the sound down on all the different volume levels, but it was still just as bad.

 

[fireberd]

That should work. Disconnect the USB connected device in case that is interferring with the PC sound functions (and maybe even uninstall the programs associated with those functions - uninstall then restart the PC and see if What You Hear will work). If not, uninstall the SoundBlaster in the Device Manager (DO NOT uninstall the drivers) then restart the PC and Win 7 will detect and reinstall the sound. This reinstall fixes a lot of flakey problems and may take care of the problem you have.

 

[DeathJester]

That should work. Disconnect the USB connected device in case that is interferring with the PC sound functions (and maybe even uninstall the programs associated with those functions - uninstall then restart the PC and see if What You Hear will work). If not, uninstall the SoundBlaster in the Device Manager (DO NOT uninstall the drivers) then restart the PC and Win 7 will detect and reinstall the sound. This reinstall fixes a lot of flakey problems and may take care of the problem you have.

I have disconnected the USB headphone device. There are no programs associated with it, it was plug&play. I uninstalled the soundcard, and restarted the computer. It installed the drivers, but still no luck. When it reinstalled the soundcard, it also reinstalled something named High Definition Audio Device, which listed several things in my sound panel (both speakers and microphones, all listed as 'unplugged'). I disabled that to get rid of them, but still no luck. Now the only things showing are:

Speakers Creative SB X-Fi
SPDIF Out Creative SB X-Fi
Microphone Creative SB X-Fi (Not plugged in)
"What U Hear" Creative SB X-Fi

There are 2 disabled items too:
Microphone FP
Digital-In


Edit: Could a codec be to blame?
Also, I just downloaded the trial of Total Recorder. It installs it's own speaker and microphone drivers. Using them, Total Recorder will actually work with "What U Hear". However, I need to record video and audio at the same time.

Edit 2: I just uninstalled all of my codec, and no change.

 

[fireberd]

With the install of the High Definition Audio Device, it sounds like you have the Integrated Audio system (on the motherboard) enabled in the BIOS. With two audio systems, the Integrated and SoundBlaster, there can be conflicts and a good reason the what you hear does not work.

Total recorder does not rely on the what you hear, it sets up it's own software sound system.

 

[DeathJester]

With the install of the High Definition Audio Device, it sounds like you have the Integrated Audio system (on the motherboard) enabled in the BIOS. With two audio systems, the Integrated and SoundBlaster, there can be conflicts and a good reason the what you hear does not work.

Total recorder does not rely on the what you hear, it sets up it's own software sound system.

Funnily enough, I checked my BIOS a little earlier. I saw the High Def Audio option in there, but I didn't disable it because I had tried disabling it from within Windows and it didn't change anything. Would disabling it from the BIOS make a difference?

Edit: Nope, no change.

 

[fireberd]

No change, but it needed to be disabled in the BIOS anyway. You can only have one default audio device for any function and if you have two devices trying to use the same function there are conflicts.

One thought, if you enable and install the HD audio drivers do you get the System Mixer option? That is the same as the SoundBlaster What You Hear. You may have to remove the SB sound card so it doesn't conflict but it's worth a try at this point. If you the System Mixer function works you can use that, although you will lose some of the SoundBlaster extras.

 

[DeathJester]

No change, but it needed to be disabled in the BIOS anyway. You can only have one default audio device for any function and if you have two devices trying to use the same function there are conflicts.

One thought, if you enable and install the HD audio drivers do you get the System Mixer option? That is the same as the SoundBlaster What You Hear. You may have to remove the SB sound card so it doesn't conflict but it's worth a try at this point. If you the System Mixer function works you can use that, although you will lose some of the SoundBlaster extras.

No, there are no options for Mixers in the recording or playback tabs, with or without the HD Audio enabled and installed.
If the HD Audio is part of the built-in soundcard, I would not be able to use it anyway, as there is something wrong with it (I get some funny noises when using it. It's why I bought the SB in the first place).

Edit: Do any of these settings affect anything:
Listen to this device
Exclusive mode (2 checkboxes)
FlexiJack Mode

 

[fireberd]

Nothing that I can think of that those would affect the What You Hear.

 

[DeathJester]

Okay, I've managed to kludge it together by running a lead from my mic socket to my speaker's headphone socket. I tried this before but was getting a horrible distortion, which I think I have now fixed.

However, this is far from ideal, as I cannot head the sound from the speakers and record it at the same time. if I brought a jack splitter, plugged my speakers in one end and plugged the other 2 ends in my line in and line out sockets, would that work?

 

[seekermeister]

I doubt that it will be of any help, but I have an older Audigy 2 ZS Platinum, and What You Hear wouldn't work, until I installed the latest Daniel K drivers for my card. As far as I know, he doesn't offer them for X-Fi, but then I never looked for them either.

 

[DeathJester]

I doubt that it will be of any help, but I have an older Audigy 2 ZS Platinum, and What You Hear wouldn't work, until I installed the latest Daniel K drivers for my card. As far as I know, he doesn't offer them for X-Fi, but then I never looked for them either.

Yes, there are drivers from Daniel K, for the X-Fi. I installed these last night
However
When using those drivers, there is no option at all for "What U Hear". I had to install Creative's drivers again to get it back.

 

[seekermeister]

Hmm, that's odd, because Daniel_K's drivers are Creative's...at least for the Audigy cards. Again, I don't know how it might apply to your card, but for me to get What U Hear on my card, I have to set MediaSource player to it.

 

[DeathJester]

Hmm, that's odd, because Daniel_K's drivers are Creative's...at least for the Audigy cards. Again, I don't know how it might apply to your card, but for me to get What U Hear on my card, I have to set MediaSource player to it.

I've looked into it, and my soundcard doesn't look anything like the ones on Creative's website.
For a start, it has more sockets than the XtremeGamer (which is was I was told it was, by the tosspot on eBay who sold it to me). It's also black, and about the size of the Titanium. However, the board strip that you plug into the motherboard is a lot longer (it has to use a PCIE 16x slot).

Edit: It has Creative written on the label, and on a couple of the chips, so it's definitely a Creative product, I just don't know the model, or even if it's an obscure model that's obsolete. Hell, I don't even know if it's supposed to work with What U Hear!

Edit 2: I looked on eBay again, and there are other people selling the exact same model of card as mine (SB0770), and listing it as the XtremeGamer, so it's definitely the right model.

 

[seekermeister]

I've never really understood, but there is a difference of some kind between cards on the Creative, and those found on the Sound Blaster website. I've been trying to find your card, but I can't find one that is PCIe...only PCI. Does this look like your card?

Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Professional Series Sound Card

Every PCIe card that I know about, only has the short contact strip, so that it will fit into a x1 PCIe slot.

 

[DeathJester]

I've never really understood, but there is a difference of some kind between cards on the Creative, and those found on the Sound Blaster website. I've been trying to find your card, but I can't find one that is PCIe...only PCI. Does this look like your card?

Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Professional Series Sound Card

Nope, not even close
Forgive the eBay link, but this is the only place I've found it.
The only way I've been able to get recording to work is basically to use the Line-In method that nearly all other sound cards use, bypassing What U Hear entirely.

 

[seekermeister]

I have not compared in detail, but just giving it a quick once over, I don't see the difference. Even that eBay ad says that it is PCI, not PCIe.

 

[DeathJester]

I have not compared in detail, but just giving it a quick once over, I don't see the difference. Even that eBay ad says that it is PCI, not PCIe.

Hmmm, well maybe it's PCI.
I am only going by what I remember, but I think I put it in a PCIe slot.
Nevertheless, that is definitely the model I have. The one you listed has different sockets on it, a different layount, and it says "X-Fi" on the product itself, which mine doesn't.

Is mine and older/outdated model? Could that be why What U Hear doesn't work?