PCM 6 channels/5.1 won't play in Waveout output mode

[Right_On]

Hello all,

Since I changed my output plug-ins from DirectSound to WaveOut so as to finally get a proper (meaning here higher in volume) sound, there's one type of file I can't play anymore. And that is a PCM with 6 channels audio as shown below :

Format : Wave
File size : 127 MiB
Duration : 3mn 50s
Overall bit rate mode : Constant
Overall bit rate : 4 608 Kbps

Audio
ID : 0
Format : PCM
Format settings, Endianness : Little
Format settings, Sign : Signed
Codec ID : 00001000-0000-0100-8000-00AA00389B71
Duration : 3mn 50s
Bit rate mode : Constant
Bit rate : 4 608 Kbps
Channel(s) : 6 channels
Channel positions : Front: L C R, Back: L R, LFE
Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz
Bit depth : 16 bits
Stream size : 127 MiB (100%)

Having the output plug-in set on DirectSound, Winamp would play the track - only too low for my taste. Eventhough I am not found of WMP, I have to admit they're actually over Winamp as for this specific issue on channels since I can have it played there, and at a great output volume by default. So my question is:

1/ Am I missing something in the Preferences set-up that actually allows a 5.1/6 channels audio track to be played in the WaveOut output?

or 2/ It just doesn't feature in today's Winamp (I run version 5.63); thus when can we hope for this feature to be added in the player?

Thanks a lot for any information on the matter.

[Aminifu]

Hi,

I assume you have enabled the Winamp playback option to allow surround sound and you disabled the volume control option in the DirectSound output plug-in when you tried using it.

There is additional wav format plug-in support in the latest Winamp Essentials Pack v5.63 which may help.

http://www.winamp.com/plugin/winamp-...k-v5-63/150126

[Right_On]

Hi Aminifu,

By default settings, the Winamp playback option was ticked.
Now that I get back to the volume control option in the DirectSound output plug-in, the volume remains the same if I tick or untick the option. And ticked or unticked, the player plays the 5.1 file and at high volume furthermore, so it seems I don't need to choose the Waveout output anymore to get the volume I was looking for (I'm playing the song with WMP besides to compare).
So it works, but that's weird.
Cause I'm not sure where did the change come from in the end since I haven't changed any settings to get the volume higher in DirectSound. I'd be surprised it'd come from a simple reboot of the computer

Thanks for your reply anyway, I'll post back later if I understand something out of it all. Thanks for the additional support file too, just downloaded it!

[Aminifu]

Originally Posted by Right_On

Thanks for your reply anyway, I'll post back later if I understand something out of it all. Thanks for the additional support file too, just downloaded it!

Sometimes the Windows volume mixer (which separately controls the max volume levels of apps and system sounds) gets changed mysteriously.

Also, have you have played any midi files? Doing so with the default midi input plug-in settings will reduce the playback volume of other file formats. If you have played, or intend to play, midi files; it is a good idea to set the volume control in "in_midi.dll" to "none" to avoid this issue.

It is also easy to change the Winamp volume by accident, if the mouse wheel is used when the focus is in certain Winamp windows. It is common practise to move the mouse without clicking. As with all Windows apps, sometimes the focus moves to where the pointer is currently pointing and sometimes it stays where the mouse was last clicked. There is a plug-in to disable mouse wheel control of Winamp's volume, if you just want to use the wheel for scrolling in Winamp.

http://nunzioweb.com/daz/mousewheelblock.html

[Right_On]

I didn't know it, but the mouse wheel control over Winamp's volume was "already installed" as told by the .exe you posted the link to. Which means that lead can be forgotten as for the issue I had Thank you for pointing it out though.
Also thank you for the advice on the MIDI-related .dll. Eventhough I don't remember having played any such files lately, I just moved the settings to None as suggested.
I guess Windows is indeed playing some mysterious tricks with that volume control. I really wish I had understood that one!
Thanks fro your clear help again all the same.

[Aminifu]

Originally Posted by Right_On

I didn't know it, but the mouse wheel control over Winamp's volume was "already installed" as told by the .exe you posted the link to.

I don't want to be rude, but how can you have stuff installed that you don't know is there? Using unofficial stuff with Winamp is the fastest way to have problems (even stuff made by Winamp developers on their own time).

Anyway, glad things are working better for you. Continue having fun with Winamp and good luck going forward.