How to route signals to Acourate Convolver using ASIO4ALL, VB-Cable?

[Keith_W]

This is the scenario. I am using Acourate Convolver to generate an active crossover for my system. Therefore, ALL audio signals need to go through Acourate Convolver.

 

With media players like HQPlayer, JRiver, Foobar, etc - it is easy. I just select "AcourateASIO" as the default output. It works.

 

However, I also want Youtube videos to go through Acourate Convolver. I downloaded and installed ASIO4ALL and VB Cable and VB Cable's ASIO bridge, but I can not get it to work.

 

This is my understanding of how these programs work (PLEASE correct me if I am wrong!):

 

- Google Chrome: uses the default WDM output

- ASIO4ALL: takes an ASIO input and routes it to a WDM input

- VB Cable: takes a WDM input and routes it to VB Cable ASIO bridge

- VB Cable ASIO bridge: takes an ASIO input and routes it to an ASIO input

- AcourateASIO: takes an ASIO input and routes it to the DAC

 

So, this is what I did (also please correct me, because these settings don't work!):

 

- Set "default audio output device" (under Windows sound settings) to VB Cable, sample rate set to 44100Hz: this forces all Windows sound to go to VB Cable.

- Set VB Cable ASIO bridge to output to AcourateASIO (Acourate sample rate set to 44100): this makes AcourateASIO crash.

 

If I set VB Cable ASIO bridge to ASIO4ALL, it does nothing. Probably because it is routing the audio to WDM, which I don't want.

 

What do I need to do?

[bibo01]

It is the reverse for ASIO4ALL: takes a WDM input and routes it to an ASIO input

 

Looking at the rest of your setup,

- Set "default audio output device" (under Windows sound settings) to VB Cable, sample rate set to 44100Hz: this forces all Windows sound to go to VB Cable.

- Set VB Cable ASIO bridge to output to AcourateASIO (Acourate sample rate set to 44100): this makes AcourateASIO crash.

it seems fine, but we have to discover where and why it crashes.

 

Have you tried to set VB Cable ASIO bridge to direct to a 2ch ASIO driver? Can you get output?

 

When AcourateASIO crashes, do you get any message that can help you to get to the crash cause? Is there any AcourateASIO log?

[Keith_W]

Thank you for your reply.

 

I think the reason Acourate Convolver is crashing is because it is being fed a signal which is not 44100Hz. I am under the impression that VB Cable has a SRC (sample rate converter) but I am not sure.

 

The error message Acourate Convolver goes something like, "Exception at xxxxxxx", not very helpful. I have not looked in the AcourateASIO log. If it makes sense to you, I can post it.

 

IF ASIO4ALL takes a WDM input and routes it to an ASIO output ... then I should be able to set Google Chrome to output to ASIO4ALL, and get ASIO4ALL to route that signal to Acourate Convolver? How do you do that?

 

I have not yet tried to set VB Cable ASIO Bridge to a 2ch ASIO driver. I really don't know what I am doing.

[bibo01]

From what i recall of ASIO4All (I used it long time ago), you employ it when your audio card does not have an ASIO driver and your player requires ASIO. ASIO4All is just an umbrella/translator of WDM->ASIO. I don't think you need it in your setup.

 

Your VB Cable -> ASIO Bridge -> Acourate ASIO looks correct.

 

This is how I would proceed.

For the moment put aside convolver and multich.

1) If you have doubts about YouTube frequency signal, simply start from that. In Windows Sound set system sound to your DAC possibly with no resampling - from your DAC screen you should see if receiving signal is 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz.

 

2) Then, insert VB Cable -> ASIO Bridge -> your ASIO DAC. You should be able to get 2ch sound. Check what frequency is your DAC playing back.

 

3) If 2) is OK, insert Acourate ASIO in the chain to have: VB Cable -> ASIO Bridge -> Acourate ASIO -> your ASIO DAC.

 

If you get an error message from Acourate ASIO, get in touch with Acourate designer and get some help about it, providing him with Acourate log as well.

[Keith_W]

Thanks Bibo. Your approach makes sense.

 

BTW, the setup is further complicated by the fact that I am using a Merging NADAC MC-8 - i.e. it talks to Windows via ASIO only and has no USB input. I am therefore unable to set system sound to my DAC. I DO have another DAC in the garage, so i'll use that to determine what sample rate Windows is attempting to send.

[bibo01]

Yes, test it with another DAC. You can do all 3 steps with your 2nd DAC. You should be able to do 3) too by setting AcourateASIO to passthrough (no crossover). Once it works, you insert your NADAC in the chain and a proper convolver/crossover filter.

 

BTW, Keith, I am Gianluca

[aps]

If you're using JRiver then I'd have thought that you could use JRiver's WDM driver to route audio fromyoutube through JRiver and then just output to AcourateAsio as per usual. I'm not at my laptop but you enable WDM within JRiver options and the select JRiver WDM as the default sound device in Windows Sound & Hardware.

[Keith_W]

If you're using JRiver then I'd have thought that you could use JRiver's WDM driver to route audio fromyoutube through JRiver and then just output to AcourateAsio as per usual. I'm not at my laptop but you enable WDM within JRiver options and the select JRiver WDM as the default sound device in Windows Sound & Hardware.

 

Oh, that sounds like a much more straightforward solution! Thank you! I wasn't aware that JRiver was able to do that. I'll go take a look.

[Cebolla]

You can also use foobar2000 in combination with the VB-Cable you mentioned and the foo_record Recorder plugin component:

foobar2000 Components

 

Using the foo_record component makes the default Windows audio input device available to foobar2000. If you set the input & output ends of the VB-Cable as the default Windows audio output device and the default Windows input device respectively, you can route the Youtube audio to foobar2000.

 

To get foobar2000 to access the input, add a playlist track with the location:

record://

Set the input sample rate, bit depth & no of channels in Preferences>Advanced>Record.

Playing the 'record track' will get foobar2000 to pass the input signal to whatever output device you've set on foobar2000.

 

Incidentally, instead of the standard VB-Cable, you can use the HIFI-Cable version of the VB-Cable, that comes bundled with the VB-Audio ASIO Bridge in one driver, HIFI-Cable & ASIO Bridge (just don't engage the ASIO). Apparently it ensures bit perfect transmission:

http://vb-audio.pagesperso-orange.fr/Cable/index.htm