Maschine sound not shared with Windows

Wonder if anyone can explain this, and whether it happens to everybody or it's just me...

When I start Maschine software, Windows sound will not play i.e. Youtube, Winamp etc. The music won't physically play - the seek bar doesn't even move, it's not that the audio is playing and I just can't hear it over the speakers - it isn't playing at all.

When I close the software, then I can play Youtube, Winamp again.

I also had a problem that required a reboot which I won't go into yet, but does anyone know why this happens? - and why Maschine and Windows sound can't play at the same time?

I note that when I start Maschine software, a notification bubble pops up in Windows notification area saying 'ASIO4ALL v2 - Maschine 2'.

Thanks.

 

You're using ASIO4ALL, which is good, but it takes ownership, so to speak, of your soundcard's driver for use with Maschine and so "Windows" doesn't have access any more.

You can try adjusting the Windows settings: Right-click on the speaker icon, Playback devices, right-click the active device, Properties, Advanced, make sure the 'Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device' box is not checked.
Might work. No guarantee. Probably won't though. Some applications, iTunes being one, if memory serves, and it seems ASIO4ALL essentially lock out the soundcard for themselves.

If there is a way round it, though, hopefully someone else will pipe up. The only other way I know is to use either two different soundcards (one for Maschine, on for Windows) and therefore two different drivers or to use one with a "multi-client" driver.

 

Thanks for the explanation, I will try adjusting the settings see if that works.

Is there an alternative to ASIO4ALL? One that doesn't take over the soundcard?

Also, I had a... bug, or whatever last night. Maschine would not play, rebooted the software many times but no sound (could see the sound meter was lighting up - but no audio)

But also, Youtube would not play either (though strangely Winamp did play)

I quickly uninstalled and reinstalled ASIO4ALL and Maschine sound worked again - but Youtube was still broke. Only a Windows reboot solved the problem.

Hope it isn't a regular thing

 

Unless your soundcard provides ASIO drivers (which are the preferred and recommended type to use), ASIO4ALL is the one and the best. It essentially acts as a wrapper for the non-ASIO standard driver to make it visible to programs like Maschine. So any others would also probably do this too. There was, however, another general purpose multi-client ASIO driver from a while ago that I think Steinberg themselves developed. Can't remember if that would do you any good though.

Best option really is to have a dedicated soundcard for Maschine and music-making apps and leave the onboard sound for Windows.

You probably just need to check your audio settings (in the File menu). Maybe Maschine wasn't seeing or using ASIO4ALL, hence no sound.

 

Hi,

Everything you describe is normal behavior in windows... there were no bugs. When you use ASIO4ALL the driver takes control of that device... The other application (chrome, windows) trying to play sound will realize the sound device in not available and just switch to some other device (you may not have speakers attached too like a synth. or monitor). When you quit Maschine those apps and even windows sound have probably switched to the next available device. In the windows control panel under section Sound and Manage audio devices you can set the default device and see a list of all your playback devices. Reset the default... Even the windows mixer panel allows you to select the output device but apps like chrome need to be restarted to work again.

If you want windows sounds playing while using Maschine and I can't think of why I would want that. You should buy an external real ASIO ( real meaning with hardware buffers to free your main CPU ) device for Maschine with multiple ins and just connect your PC or Macs built in sound to that and then you control the mixing from it.

Hope that all makes sense.

 

is there a specific reason why you put asio4all on the machine to start with?..i find it to be a crappy driver.
as ^ states, your best option is to shell the cash for a quality interface that has its own, real driver.

 

i have the same issue with my mac.