Solved Unable to change audio playback device

[Bembott]

Hi! First post on this site

I use Virtual Audio Cable (VAC) to stream music via Teamspeak3, however, when using Shadowplay and VAC selected the recorded video does not have sound so I usually switch between VAC and my headset as playback device so the video has sound, including my Teamspeak3 conversation. I recently bought a new GPU, upgraded from my old GTX 660ti to an RTX 2060 and now suddenly i can't change playback device at all. VAC is permanently selected and i can't change. Streaming music works fine but the CS shadowplay videos i save do not have sound, they capture my microphone's audio but not my friends on TS3

Any ideas on how to fix this? I've tried forcefully disabling VAC to no avail, reinstalling headset drivers but nothing has helped. Somehow changing GPU has affected the playback devices

Picture: Imgur: The magic of the Internet
When pressing the "Set Default" button, nothing happens.

Any help is appreciated!

 

[iko22]

Welcome to Seven Forums Bembott,

Since the problem only started when changing GPU, had you tried disabling the NVIDIA audio device in Device Manager?
Is the headset connected to the computer when you try to set it as default device? What happens if you choose a different device, can you set that as Default Device?

Other thing to try, is to perform a Clean Boot, and see if the issue still persists.

 

[Bembott]

I tried disabling the NVIDIA audio devices, it didnt help. I then tried disabling the VAC via the audio device manager, after restarting the computer the audio playback device had changed to my headset. However, i still can not change the audio playback device. I can press the button, but nothing happens. When i changed GPU i changed from VGA to Display Port, could this be a reason?

 

[iko22]

Changing from VGA to Display Port does not normally cause that type of problem. Yet you say that this issue occurred around the time you changed GPU. Is it possible anything else changed around that time, that you might have forgotten about?

 

[Bembott]

No, thats it. I changed GPU and monitor cable, nothing else. I installed and updated the GPU drivers thats it.

 

[iko22]

I would set the computer up to perform a clean boot, as that can reveal problems like this.

Here is tutorial instructions on how to do a clean boot (clean startup): Troubleshoot Application Conflicts by Performing a Clean Startup

Only need to complete Step 1 Parts 1-6 of the tutorial, to see if the problem persists under clean startup conditions.

 

[Bembott]

Hello,

After performing a clean boot, the problem still persisted. However, if i disable VAC via device manager the system defaults back to my headset as playback device, i still cant change device though, this is workaround. So i guess its resolved??

 

[iko22]

Hi,

That is interesting. You have found a work-around. But I would still be unsatisfied that you cannot select a default audio device following the usual procedure.

There are still other things that you can try. If you are patient enough to go through them, then I would be happy to assist.

1. If the problem had happened recently, then you could try a System Restore , and set the state of the computer back to a time before you installed GPU. That is good, if you have Restore Points going back that far.

2. Another thing you have not already tried, is deleting the VAC device, then seeing if the problem persists.

3. If the above two fail to produce a solution, then you could check the system for file corruption. This is done by performing SFC /SCANNOW from an open Administrators Command Prompt.


If you wish to check your computer for File Corruption, then you can follow step 2 in this tutorial:
:ar: SFC /SCANNOW Command - System File Checker
If you want help in understanding the results of SFC /SCANNOW then follow step 2 and step 3 of the same tutorial.
​

 

[Bembott]

Thank you for your suggestions!

1. I bought the GPU a couple of months ago, a "System Restore" is therefore not something i really want to do.

2. Since i don't recall how to install VAC, i installed it years ago, i dont want to uninstall it.

This work-around is enough for me, doesn't bother me that much. Thanks for your help. I will mark this as resolved

Bembott