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<font face="Arial">Users of ham sound card applications are
constantly fiddling with setting the RECORD (Radio RX) and PLAY
(Radio TX) levels of Windows sound cards. After a considerable
amount of experimentation and Internet research, I have discovered
that one can make access to the controls for added sound cards a
LOT simpler. <br>
<br>
<br>
*** Command-Line or Shortcut Access to Windows Audio Mixer ***<br>
<br>
"sndvol32" is the Microsoft applet that displays the volume
controls for soundcard playback and recording. <br>
<br>
It is normally located in the \WINDOWS\system32\ folder.
Normally it is called up by clicking or double-clicking the
speaker icon in the system tray. By default, it appears with the
PLAYBACK mixer for the first or primary sound device. A
single-click produces just the master volume control. A
double-click displays the entire multi-channel mixer. <br>
<br>
Accessing the RECORD mixer (or either PLAYBACK or RECORD for added
audio devices) requires a clumsy multiple mouse-click process.
You have to launch the playback side of the default device as
usual. Then pull down "Options, Properties", then choose the
desired device from a pulldown menu and finally click the radio
buttons to select either "PLAYBACK" or "RECORDING", and then click
"OK" to get to any alternate mixer.<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
It is possible to directly display either mode for any sound
device from the Windows command line, or from a desktop shortcut
by using arguments ("switches") to the basic "sndvol32"
command. <br>
<br>
Format :<br>
<br>
sndvol32 [-Daudio_device_number] [-Record | -Play] [-Normal |
-Small | -Tray]<br>
<br>
The switch delimiters can be either "/" or "-". Only the first
letter of each option is required.<br>
<br>
<br>
The "-D" parameter is only needed if you have more than one audio
device installed. The first device is "-D0" (number "zero", not
letter "Oh"). The first ADDED audio device is "-D1", etc.
"sndvol32" alone with no arguments calls up the play mixer for the
first device; i.e. exactly the same effect as double-clicking the
speaker icon in the tray.<br>
<br>
Example :<br>
sndvol32 -D1 -R -S <br>
<br>
[This would call up the SECOND sound device's RECORD mixer in the
small mode; i.e. only the master control.]<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
NOTE: The device number may NOT be the same for PLAY and RECORD
for a given device --if-- you have INPUT-only devices like a
webcam with a mic but not a speaker present, or OUTPUT-only
devices such as digital speakers or bluetooth earpieces present.
You may have to experiment with different command strings typed at
the Windows command prompt (a.k.a. "DOS Box), to determine which
"-D number" makes the desired device mixer appear in PLAYBACK
and/or RECORD. <br>
<br>
Further, the device numbers are assigned "first come, first
served", based on the order that you plug in USB devices. For
cosistency, you must always plug them into the same port in the
same order (or just leave them on the same ports permanently. To
keep device numbers the same on record and playback, always insert
any RECORD-only or PLAY-only devices last.<br>
<br>
<br>
Once you determine the correct command lines for the record and
play sides of the desired device, you can place them into Windows
shortcuts on the desktop for instant double-click access.
Right-click the desktop, choose "New, Shortcut". In the resulting
dialog, enter the command line exactly as you typed it in the
command prompt window, click "Next", give it a label such as
"SND2 Rec", "SND3 PB", "Radio TX" or "Radio RX", and you're
done! Quick direct access to the second card's volume
controls. <br>
<br>
</font>
<hr size="2" width="100%"><font face="Arial"><br>
--<br>
<br>
Stephen H. Smith wa8lmf (at) aol.com <br>
Skype: WA8LMF<br>
Home Page: <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://wa8lmf.net">http://wa8lmf.net</a><br>
<br>
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<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://wa8lmf.net/aprs/PM9_StaticMap_Export.htm">http://wa8lmf.net/aprs/PM9_StaticMap_Export.htm</a><br>
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<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://wa8lmf.net/aprs/UIview_Notes.htm#VistaWin7">http://wa8lmf.net/aprs/UIview_Notes.htm#VistaWin7</a><br>
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<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://wa8lmf.net/DigiPaths">http://wa8lmf.net/DigiPaths</a> <br>
<br>
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