Playing through a computer?

[SwagAttack]

I wanted to play through my computer speakers (they have a sub) so I could play along in my dorm room without using my amp. So far, I can record stuff on audacity by plugging my bass into a 1/4" converter to my mic on my laptop. But I want it to be so I can play live through the speakers not record. My ideal situation is to have itunes playing, then I can immediately play along with it with my bass. But so far, I don't know how to get it to play responsively, only record. Is there any way that this can work?

[Jimbob Jones]

What OS are you running?

[SwagAttack]

Originally Posted by Jimbob Jones

What OS are you running?

vista HP

[jabsys]

On my macbook you just need to turn on software playthrough, it's under recording in preferences, should work with windows or linux.

[SwagAttack]

Originally Posted by jabsys

On my macbook you just need to turn on software playthrough, it's under recording in preferences, should work with windows or linux.

ya I can do that, but it has a delay which isn't fun

[JohnMCA72]

I practice through a computer every day, but I use headphones. Every now & then I'll step on my headphone cord & pull it out of the (front) jack. When that happens, both bass & iTunes (or whatever I'm playing back on) come out of the speakers, so I don't know what your problem is. You might want to check that the mic (where you plug in your bass?) isn't muted.

[somegeezer]

Originally Posted by SwagAttack

ya I can do that, but it has a delay which isn't fun

Probably your computer can't handle it. What are the specs?

[lowendrasta56]

How fast is your processor and.how much RAM are you running? You may need to upgrade.

[SwagAttack]

Machine name: SCOTT-PC
Operating System: Windows Vista™ Home Premium (6.0, Build 6002) Service Pack 2 (6002.vistasp2_gdr.110617-0336)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: Gateway
System Model: P-7811FX
BIOS: Ver 1.00PARTTBL
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU P8400 @ 2.26GHz (2 CPUs), ~2.3GHz
Memory: 4090MB RAM
Page File: 2459MB used, 5907MB available
Windows Dir: C:\Windows
DirectX Version: DirectX 11


-------------
Sound Devices
-------------
Description: Speakers (Conexant High Definition SmartAudio 221)
Default Sound Playback: Yes
Default Voice Playback: Yes
Hardware ID: HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_14F1&DEV_5051&SUBSYS_107B0698& REV_1000
Manufacturer ID: 1
Product ID: 100
Type: WDM
Driver Name: CHDRT64.sys
Driver Version: 4.57.0000.0000 (English)
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
WHQL Logo'd: n/a
Date and Size: 6/10/2008 20:13:00, 264192 bytes
Other Files:
Driver Provider: Conexant
HW Accel Level: Basic
Cap Flags: 0xF1F
Min/Max Sample Rate: 100, 200000
Static/Strm HW Mix Bufs: 1, 0
Static/Strm HW 3D Bufs: 0, 0
HW Memory: 0
Voice Management: No
EAX(tm) 2.0 Listen/Src: No, No
I3DL2(tm) Listen/Src: No, No
Sensaura(tm) ZoomFX(tm): No

Description: SPDIF Interface (Conexant High Definition SmartAudio 221)
Default Sound Playback: No
Default Voice Playback: No
Hardware ID: HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_14F1&DEV_5051&SUBSYS_107B0698& REV_1000
Manufacturer ID: 1
Product ID: 100
Type: WDM
Driver Name: CHDRT64.sys
Driver Version: 4.57.0000.0000 (English)
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
WHQL Logo'd: n/a
Date and Size: 6/10/2008 20:13:00, 264192 bytes
Other Files:
Driver Provider: Conexant
HW Accel Level: Basic
Cap Flags: 0xF1F
Min/Max Sample Rate: 100, 200000
Static/Strm HW Mix Bufs: 1, 0
Static/Strm HW 3D Bufs: 0, 0
HW Memory: 0
Voice Management: No
EAX(tm) 2.0 Listen/Src: No, No
I3DL2(tm) Listen/Src: No, No
Sensaura(tm) ZoomFX(tm): No

---------------------
Sound Capture Devices
---------------------
Description: Microphone (Conexant High Definition SmartAudio 221)
Default Sound Capture: Yes
Default Voice Capture: Yes
Driver Name: CHDRT64.sys
Driver Version: 4.57.0000.0000 (English)
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
Date and Size: 6/10/2008 20:13:00, 264192 bytes
Cap Flags: 0x1
Format Flags: 0xFFFFF

Straight from the dxdiag, probably a better way to produce it but should cover everything

[cfsporn]

Make sure the Listen to this device button is checked. You can do this by right clicking on your speaker icon in the taskbar (or going to the sound pane in your control panel), going to the recording tab, then double clicking on the line input or internal microphone (there should only be one device), then clicking on the listen tab, then clicking the checkbox that says listen to this device.

[SwagAttack]

Originally Posted by cfsporn

Make sure the Listen to this device button is checked. You can do this by right clicking on your speaker icon in the taskbar (or going to the sound pane in your control panel), going to the recording tab, then double clicking on the line input or internal microphone (there should only be one device), then clicking on the listen tab, then clicking the checkbox that says listen to this device.

If I double click on the mic, it has the three tabs: general/level/advanced. But I can't find listen to device in any of them.

[cfsporn]

Can you post screenshots? It has been a while since I worked on Vista.

[alidread]

In windows 7 I use the stereo mix, it's very handy for what I do production wise also.

Off topic, if you want to record what is currently coming out of your speakers, or in the scenario where you don't actually have the file i.e. you're on youtube listening to a high quality and rare tune and badly want to own it, with stereo mix you can record this (theft..!) into a DAW.

This is exactly the same as playing through your computer with zero latency.

Not sure if it's the same in vista, but basically, set the 'line in' device to 'enable' or 'default device', and you can send your input straight through to your speakers, exactly like you would a mic; consequently this enables you to play along to tracks, though I would advise having some sort of line input/volume control so you can get it right (maybe if you're running through a multi effects pedal with a level control, otherwise it takes alot of tweaking in your pc's mixer to get the levels right.

It takes a bit of fiddling if you're unfamiliar with the software, but you'll get there. I believe the only way this is possible is if you have a line in (blue socket, most pc's have them now), rather than a mic input (pink).

[SwagAttack]

There are the three tabs. When I go to levels, it has a speaker that you can mute/unmute, but it doesn't make any difference. I will play something, and the mic level will max, but still no sound.

Ignore the evilbay tab and my current GAS attack

[cfsporn]

Can you post screenshots of the levels and advanced tab?

[SwagAttack]

You can see the speaker I was talking about, it has always been on. But it still won't play through.

[cfsporn]

Hmmm. This is weird. HP may have disabled it in their driver. Try clicking on the configure button.

[SwagAttack]

Originally Posted by cfsporn

Hmmm. This is weird. HP may have disabled it in their driver. Try clicking on the configure button.

The configure button just sets up the voice recognition for the mic. I have searched the internets for a solution, and nothing has come up.

[JohnMCA72]

Originally Posted by cfsporn

Hmmm. This is weird. HP may have disabled it in their driver. Try clicking on the configure button.

I just checked with a Vista laptop (Dell, that I haven't been using for practice; my practice PC is a XT desktop) & it shows the same way. I also get the same result. I've got a "meter" that shows plenty of signal on the mic input, but no apparent connection between that & the headphone/speaker output!

[Hugh9191]

does your computer have any other audio configuration tools such as the realtek software?