How to connect to mutiple audio output?

Report · Oct 13, 2024

V24.0.3.3 (Latest update), running at windows 11

How could I connect to mutiple audio output devices and let them play different tracks' audio? It's like one of the track is playing full version of a song, which is planned to output into a earphone for singer, and another track is only remixed background, output to speakers.

I tried but I had never succeed to connect two output divices (in my case, an earphone and a standard computer speaker without a built-in mixer, running MME at mode) at the same time, it seems like AU only reconize the one that I choose as "default output" in the hardware->audio device page, and the other device did not shows in the option of track output source.

Maybe this type of work is impossible? but I did saw an example done by Adobe on it's offical "Audition helps" website. (Image of this usage example attached below). As far as I could understand, Adobe connect the earphone to mix-track B for drummer and output dirrectly via mix-track A to mix-track C. Track A and C are connect into two different audio output devices and playing different sounds. Am I missunderstanding this?

If, in any way, this type of requesment is possible to achieve, please reply for this blog. This is soo important for me due to I'm currently rely on AU for recordings, but I need to play two different sounds at the same time to two devices at the same time.

Report · Oct 13, 2024

There's a world of difference between multiple busses - which are virtual, and only exist in software - and multiple hardware outputs, I'm afraid. Like, no actual relationship at all...

Audition has an ASIO engine, and one of the basic conditions of ASIO is that you can only use one physical device with it. This usually works fine, because you can get multi-channel sound devices, which pretty much satisfy most people's reqirements. That said, what you want to do may be possible, but will need to be set up carefully. On top of that, Windows really doesn't want you to use more than one internal output at a time.

Are there solutions? Possibly, but no guarantees. Initially, what you have to try is to use a different output driver system, and there's basically only one that will work with Windows. Fortunately it's free - it's called ASIO4ALL. What it does is to provide a virtual interface between Audition's ASIO engine and whatever hardware you happen to have attached to your computer, and it bypasses most of the layers of the Operating System. To use it you have to alter your Audition device class to ASIO, and then it should be listed. It's worth doing this anyway, because ASIO4ALL has excellent diagnostics, and will tell you at a glance what it's actually possible to connect to.

You can find it here: ASIO4ALL but I must reiterate that there are no guarantees. The only other possibility is more expensive and seriously complicated - it's called Virtual Audio Cable, and essentially does a virtual rewire of your computer's innards. I really wouldn't go there unless you are desperate. I believe that there's also another program from the same stable called Voicemeeter that may be easier to set up.

But, you are fighting the OS - Microsoft really doesn't want you to do this. The only really effective solution is to get a multi-output sound device with an ASIO driver, and have all your outputs from the single device. This has the advantage of getting around all of the synchronisation problems (yes there are some) that you have with multiple hardware devices.

Report · Oct 13, 2024

Hi Steve,

The problem was solved! Voicemeeter did function as expected. However, do you know how to play two different audios at exactly same time?

Thanks for your solution though, it really helps me a lot and it's really a good way to solve it.

Report · Oct 14, 2024

One of the major issues with doing anything like this is synchronisation. In order for the whole arrangement to work, multiple feeds have to go to output devices that aren't synchronised, and this inevitably involves the use of buffers. If you have two tracks in Audition feeding two separate outputs, the only way to get them synchronised is by ear - and it means that you'll inevitably hear the 'slowest' feed first, with a delay on everything else.

That is the real issue with trying to do anything that's 'non-standard' - it's a bit like a dog walking on its hind legs. It'a not done well, but you are suprised to see it done at all. And there will inevitably be compromises.